Introduction ReplayTV is working hard to gain ground in the booming DVR (digital video recorder) market. Over the past few years, TiVo has obtained a dominant marketing position, while ReplayTV has had to fight off lawsuits brought by some who feared ReplayTV’s powerful DVR technology. ReplayTV has since put that lawsuit behind them and has been bought by D&M Holdings. D&M Holdings is one of the biggest players in AV, owning several top audio/video companies, including Denon, Marantz and Macintosh and Rio. Now D&M Holdings has Escient as well and, with DirecTV threatening all sorts of ugly moves with TiVo, ReplayTV is quickly becoming the DVR choice of discriminating TV viewers. ReplayTV launched its 5500 DVR series in October 2003. The series is comprised of 40, 80, 160 and 320-hour versions, the 5504, 5508, 5516 and 5532, respectively. The DVRs range in price from $149 to $799, and service can be purchased separately for $12.95 ...

Introduction It’s been about three years since I last had some RBH speakers in one of my review systems and I hadn’t realized how much I missed their sound until I cracked open the crates for the company’s best speakers. I was fortunate to be slated to review RBH’s reference-grade giants, the T-2P ($9,295 per pair) loudspeakers for review. These massive speakers, while not the largest speakers sold by RBH, are definitely a statement piece whose size and stunning appearance is sure to attract attention from audiophiles and non-audiophiles alike. The RBH speakers are probably best known for their use of aluminum drivers. This tradition is kept in place with the T-2P system, which utilizes two 10-inch woofers, and four six-and-a-half-inch midranges per side, in addition to three one-inch silk dome tweeters for a total of nine drivers per side. Each T-2 speaker is comprised of a T1 midrange tweeter cabinet staked on top of a ...

Introduction The Revel Sub 30 is the latest addition to Revel’s Ultima line of premium loudspeakers. Building on lessons learned with the groundbreaking Revel B15 subwoofer in the Performa line, the Sub 30 comes to the AV market in a whole new class in terms of both performance and aesthetics. Gone are the boring black box lines of a traditional subwoofer. The Revel Sub 30 rounds out the lines with the kind of industrial design that you might expect more from Apple than Harman; however, anyone who has seen the new Harman-Kardon receivers might say the U.S. electronics manufacturer has turned a new page in terms of their products’ physical appearance. The price for the Revel Sub 30 starts at $5,990 for a standard finish. It can also be ordered with aluminum side panels for a $500 premium. The speaker complement includes a 15-inch driver and a secondary 15-inch dual-layer metal dome acoustic radiator. The ...

Introduction The Revel Performa M20 is the compact, bookshelf-sized sibling to the floor-standing Performa F30 speaker reviewed by AudioRevolution.com in April 2001. Revel is the high-end loudspeaker company of Madrigal who is owned by parent company Harman International. Their entry-level Performa line targets audio enthusiasts who are looking for excellent sound and build quality at more reasonable prices than their high-end Ultima line. The M20s cost $2,000 per pair, plus optional stands and grilles. Setup The Performa M20s are rear-ported, two-way loudspeakers, featuring a six-and-a-half-inch inverted magnesium-alloy woofer, with a low-frequency extension to 44 Hz at -3 dB and a one-inch custom aluminum-alloy dome tweeter. Upon unpacking the hefty 36-pound loudspeakers, I was immediately struck by the exceptional build quality of the Performa M20s. Constructed of one-inch-thick MDF with extensive internal bracing, the M20s are solid as a rock. Mine came in an attractive black ash finish, but are also available in cherry, sycamore and rosewood veneers. Since I was ...

Introduction It was only a few years ago that Revel embarked on its journey to design and develop some of the world's most accurate and musically satisfying loudspeakers. The company was established in 1996 through a collaboration consisting of Harman Kardon founder Dr. Sidney Harman, Sandy Berlin of Madrigal, and well-regarded speaker designer Kevin Voecks. From the outset, the design philosophy of the Revel team was to incorporate the highest level of engineering knowledge, fused with sound scientific principles in conjunction with real-world listening evaluations. Using these objectives, Revel created the founding benchmarks for developing their products. Though Revel itself is a relatively small company, its ability to exploit the enormous resources of Harman International gives them unparalleled ability to achieve their design goals. Their debut product, the Ultima Gem, drew critical acclaim for both its musical attributes and unique styling. Following the Gem’s release, Revel continued with various new loudspeakers under the Ultima series banner, all ...