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Processors

Murideo Prisma Video Processor Preview

Chris Eberle

Have you longed for an easier way to achieve the best possible color from your display? Many flat panels and projectors have good built-in tools to dial in accuracy but nothing can compare to a LUT box. I’ve recently received Murideo’s new Prisma Video Processor...

Product Previews
Legacy Audio Wavelet Processor Preview

Legacy Audio Wavelet Processor Preview

Carlo Lo Raso

Legacy Audio is primarily known for their well-regarded speaker designs. A few, in fact, have received a good deal of praise from various writers here at Secrets over the past few years. It may be slightly less known that Legacy has also marketed audio components over the years...

Product Previews

ADE-24.1 Analog Digital Enhancer

John E. Johnson, Jr.

The ADE-24.1 Analog Digital Enhancer is an accessory that has been around for a long time. It works at low voltage (e.g., RCA analog output from CD player, iPod, etc.) and manipulates the harmonics. I got one of these units at the California Audio Show and the demonstration definitely indicated that it could improve sound (make it sound more appealing, and widen the sound stage), so I decided to bench test it to see what it does.

Audio Accessories Misc

Marantz AV8801 11.2 Surround Sound Processor (SSP)

Robert Kozel

While Marantz was showing off their new AV7701 preamplifier at CEDIA 2012 last September, there were already quiet rumors at the show that something else was in the works. I remember being at the show wondering why Marantz wasn't showing any products with the latest Audyssey room correction while their partners over at Denon were offering new products with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 functionality. Just two months later, Marantz put the rumors to rest by officially announcing the AV8801 AV preamplifier/processor. The AV8801 features support for 11.2 channels and includes the latest Audyssey MultEQ XT32 processing. The AV8801 enters the market at a price point which is still well below the premium processors on the market while offering a wide array of functionality. Let's take a closer look at the features of the AV8801 and see how well Marantz's flagship processor performs.

Processors

Marantz AV7701 7.2 A/V Preamp/Processor

Chris Heinonen

Marantz came out with their AV7005 processor a few years ago, which contains almost all of the high-end processing and features that people wanted, but at a lower price-point than almost any processor out there. Now Marantz has some back with the AV7701, a replacement for the AV7005 that brings it up to date with the modern streaming functions of current receivers and processors, and adds a few nice other touches as well while keeping that aggressive price-point. Has this update let Marantz keep this little niche to themselves again? I swapped the AV7701 in for my AV7005 to see if I could tell a difference between the two.

Processors

Toshiba

Secrets
Toshiba America, Inc. (TAI) is the holding company for one of the nation's leading group of high technology companies...
AV Directory

Zildjian 21″ A Custom ReZo Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

The ReZo line for Zildjian is relatively new, and there are more than a dozen models ranging from a 10" Splash up to a 21" Ride. They are beautiful cymbals to look at, and in my opinion, one of the best sounding models they have ever created. The ReZo has a combination of hammering and lathing, but the lathing is spaced with regions of finely lathed and heavily lathed surfaces. The inner portion of the cymbal is thicker than the outer region. In this review, we look at the Zildjian 21" A Custom ReZo Ride Cymbal. It not only rides beautifully, it crashes nicely as well.

Cymbals

Klipsch Icon W 5.1 Speaker System

Jim Clements

Klipsch designed the Icon series of loudspeakers for smaller rooms and spaces. They also wanted the Icon speakers to blend well with contemporary decors. The system I reviewed here incorporated speakers from the Icon "W" line. These speakers have a sweet real wood veneer with a furniture-grade finish. Was Klipsch able to produce a compact, horn-loaded speaker system which epitomized these design goals while delivering the Klipsch signature sound? Read our review to see what we found.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Onkyo DV-BD507 Blu-ray Player

Adrian Wittenberg and Gabe Lowe

It wasn't but about 18 months ago that Blu-ray players were still considered high end devices, selling mostly to enthusiasts, videophiles, and the like. Recently, the market for these players has really taken off, mostly due to the big box retailers dropping prices to DVD player levels. The fact that one can walk into a Wal-Mart and purchase a Blu-ray player for under $150 makes it somewhat of a commodity item at this point. Why not own one? Blu-ray discs are indeed more expensive (sometimes prohibitively so), but on the rental front, you can get them from Blockbuster or Netflix on the cheap, and enjoy your films in much higher quality.

Blu-ray Players

Cadence CSX-15 Subwoofer

Richard Stevens

I remember building my first home theater system many moons ago. I can still feel the agonizing pain of shopping for a subwoofer. Of all the components in my system it was the one item I obsessed over the most. Being the newbie that I was I had two basic requirements, big and loud. Over the years as my tastes refined I started to care less about size and subwoofers that go "boom" and began to care more about detail, finesse and accuracy.

Subwoofers

Secrets Best of 2008 Product Awards

Staff

The Secrets Best of 2008 Product Awards, featuring the following categories: High End Turntables, High End Complete Turntable Package, Video Switching Technology, Best Wireless Music Transmitter/Receiver, Best High Definition Digital Video Cameras, Best Value Monoblock Power Amplifier, Best Mid-level 7.1 A/V Receiver, Flat Panel Speakers, Best Value Stereo Power Amplifiers, High End Two-Channel Speakers, Best Value 1080p Digital Projectors, Compact Subwoofers, Power Conditioners, Entry Level Turntable, Best Value Speakers, Full Size Subwoofers, Entry Level Bookshelf Speakers, Surround Sound Processors, High End 5.1 Speaker System, Most Innovative Bookshelf Speaker Design.

Best Of Awards