Secrets

Yamaha A-1020 Universal Blu-ray Player

Chris Heinonen

The number of Universal Blu-ray players on the market continues to be strong, despite the much-discussed "death" of SACD and DVD-Audio formats. While no longer mainstream enough to be found at your local Best Buy or other big box retailer, SACD especially remains a thriving format in the audiophile market. The A-1020 is a Universal Blu-ray player that handles virtually all disc formats you can throw at it. In addition to its Blu-ray and audio playback abilities, is has the ubiquitous Netflix support and integrated Wi-Fi for streaming the content. It sounds like a good package from the specs, but with the universal player market being so competitive it really has a lot of good competitors to deal with.

Blu-ray Players

NHT

Secrets
NHT was founded in December 1986 and shipped its first product, the Model 1 in 1987. Since then, NHT has challenged the notion that the very best sound reproduction...
AV Directory

Blu-ray Player for Older AV Processor?

Scott Wilkinson

I have a JBL Synthesis AV2 processor with HDMI 1.1 and eight RCA analog-audio inputs. I want to buy a new Blu-ray player, but I've been told conflicting info about what outputs the player needs to send 7.1 channels of HD audio to the AVP. I have been told that HDMI 1.1 will only accept 5.1 channels from a player, and to get all 7.1 channels, I need a player with eight RCA outputs. Other sources say the AVP should be able to handle 7.1 channels via HDMI 1.1. Which true?

I am looking at the Sony BDP-S790 player, which doesn't have eight outputs, only HDMI 1.4, versus the Oppo BDP-103 and 105. Which do you like best?

- John Baldino
Orange, CT

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

Do You Recommend the Vizio XVT3D580CM?

Scott Wilkinson

I would like to get the 58-inch Vizio XVT3D580CM CinemaWide HDTV with a 21:9 aspect ratio. I'm sure it will be great watching Blu-ray discs, but I'm concerned that it might be a disappointment with 16:9 content from my HD cable provider and over-the-air local channels. Can you give me the advantages and disadvantages of this TV, and if you've reviewed it, can you tell me what you think?

- Jay Nesbitt
Chula Vista, CA

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

MartinLogan Mikros 90 On-Ear Headphones

Stephen Hornbrook

Not wanting to be left out of the lucrative headphone market, MartinLogan has released the noise isolating Mikros 90. Instead of going the exotic, high-end route of designing a pair of electrostatic headphones to mimic their famous loudspeakers, MartinLogan has created a pair of lightweight, portable headphones called the Mikros 90 that at only $299, fall directly into the low-priced high-end headphone sector.

Headphone and Earphone Reviews

Meridian Explorer USB DAC

Stephen Hornbrook and Chris Heinonen

Computer audio is all the rage now, with many people moving their entire digital collections to music servers, and the laptop taking the place of the CD player in many systems. The technologies behind USB DACs have evolved rapidly to where the interface is now on the same level as Coaxial or Optical interfaces. One area that hasn't been addressed as well is the portable audio market, as most USB DACs are rack-sized components that require a wall power supply. This is certainly not a convenient option for those of us that want high-resolution audio on the go.

DACs