This Month's Featured Equipment Reviews |
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Friday, 01 September 2006
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Written by
Andrew Robinson
Introduction
We’ve
all sat and drooled over the pages of the latest industry mag at the
sights and specifications of some master designer’s latest Herculean,
not to mention expensive, efforts in speaker design. And why shouldn’t
we? Often, these products represent what is the pinnacle of loudspeaker
design, and while no trip to Everest is free, there are other mountains
worth climbing, which are rewarding in their own right. Enter companies
like Radiient and their new line, or should I say line-up, of speakers,
starting with the Elara compact five-speaker system.
Founded by David Buuck, formerly of DVDO, and Jano
Banks, the co-creator of HDMI, Radiient is out to prove that great
sound and quality craftsmanship don’t necessarily have to come at a
steep price. In fact, they’re out to change the way you look at, listen
to and buy speakers altogether. This is why you’ll only find their
products sold direct through their website, ...
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Tuesday, 01 August 2006
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Written by
Andrew Robinson
Introduction
I
think Ferris Bueller said it best when he said, “Life moves pretty
fast.” I must admit, Ferris’ statement was a bit lost on my then young
ears; however, more than a decade later, his words ring true.
Especially when it comes to the world of consumer electronics. It seems
like just the other day I was being sold on EDTV technology and
insanely long runs of component cable. High definition was just a dream
that was still years away. Then the days of yore turned into yesterday
and high definition was no longer just a dream. It was a whole
different animal, a beast really, and it was now walking among us. All
of a sudden, my once state-of-the-art system was nothing more than a
really expensive picture frame. Well, I upgraded and joined the HD
revolution. I bought the plasma. I got the digital cable. And with my
trusty component cables ...
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Saturday, 01 July 2006
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Written by
Andrew Robinson
Introduction
In
today’s market of automated homes and wired (and wireless) networking,
the idea of having to drag your CD collection to every room of your
home is getting as outdated as a turntable. Music servers are nothing
new; chances are you already own one. With the advent of the iPod,
music servers have touched almost every facet of our daily lives. The
ReQuest music server is by no means an iPod, but the underlining
principles that drive both products are relatively the same: to
organize, store and play back music with relative ease. That is where
the analogy ends, as the ReQuest line of music servers are heavy-duty
tools designed to faithfully recreate music and reliably broadcast the
tunes throughout your home and even beyond. The ReQuest F4.500 music
server is priced at $5,000.
The ReQuest looks, more or less, like a single-disc CD player measuring
in at 17 inches wide by 16 inches ...
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Saturday, 01 April 2006
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Written by
Matthew Evert
Introduction
Rotel’s
illustrious history was started in Japan over 40 years ago by a family
whose obsession with music inspired them to manufacture truly high
fidelity stereo components of their own unique design. Today, Rotel
engineers are known for their tendency to select only the finest
capacitors, resistors and other parts from all around the globe. The
goal of these searches for the best audio components is to create audio
equipment that is musical and reliable, yet affordable. If a component
has not met the engineer’s desired standards, Rotel is not afraid to
make the actual part itself. This was the case for Rotel’s decision to
make its own toroidal transformers. One of Rotel’s latest contributions
to the home theater market is the RMB-1077 a seven-channel amplifier
that retails for $2,500.
Now, you ask, what is so great about this amplifier? Amplifiers have
been around for years and much of the technology has not changed
significantly. ...
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Wednesday, 01 March 2006
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Written by
Bryan Dailey
Introduction
Revel:
home theater and audio enthusiasts have come to know and lust after
this brand name for nearly a decade. The Revel Ultima and Performa
lines of speakers compete with the likes of Wilson Audio, B&W,
MartinLogan and Meridian, with favorable results in the
cost-is-no-object arena. Many entry-level home theater owners have
stayed awake nights dreaming of finding any way possible to get Revel
speakers in their systems. Thanks to the Concerta line from Revel, the
dream has become reality, with Revel speakers priced at a fraction of
their big brothers.
Taking many of design elements that have made Revel into a world-class
speaker brand and strategically cutting costs where costs can be cut
without causing a large drop in performance, Revel has created an
entry-level line of speakers called the Concerta series, which are a
natural progression for AV enthusiasts who are ready to move up from
the mass-market entry-level speakers to something with ...
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