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John E. Johnson, Jr.
Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – December, 2011
Larry Crowne (Blu-ray), Beginners (Blu-ray), Rushmore (Blu-ray), Super 8 (Blu-ray), Quigley Down Under (Blu-ray), Sea Rex 3D (Blu-ray 3D), Meet the Robinsons 3D (Blu-ray 3D)...
Ming Da MD-75 Integrated Stereo Tube Amplifier
Ming Da is company based in China that exports tube preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and integrated amplifiers in various price ranges, including some very high end models. They sell direct, through Pacific Valve, rather than through dealers, so you really get a good bang for the buck. In this review, my first of a Pacific Valve product, is on the MD-75, which is a stereo integrated amplifier. It has a detached power supply for low noise and interference, a remote for the motorized volume control, and you can switch between triode mode (40 watts/channel output) and ultra-linear mode (75 watts/channel output). You can "tube roll" if you wish, and the review unit came with optional Black Treasure CV-181 driver tubes and Black Treasure KT88 output tubes.
One very nice feature of this product is that, when you turn it on, the volume control rotates to the lowest volume setting, so you don't accidentally start playing music at a volume that might startle you.
Paiste 24″ Giant Beat Multi-Functional (Ride) Cymbal
Paiste's Giant Beat series consists of a 24", 18", and 20" "Multi-functional", and 14" and 15" Hi-Hats. They have a very distinctive sound that one might call "Retro Rock", as the ping is crisp. The 18", 20", and 24" are labeled as "Multi-functional" because they can be used as rides or crashes. Here, we review the 24" version, which is essentially a ride cymbal.
Zildjian 22″ K. Zildjian Constantinople Medium Thin Low Ride Cymbal
Zildjian has re-introduced the K. Zildjian Constantinople series of rides and crashes, described as being mellow, dry, dark, and warm. The 22" ride comes in two versions, the medium thin high and the medium thin low. We have already reviewed the high version, and now we cover the low version. The words high and low refer to the tonal balance, not the shape of the bell or curvature. They both have a nostalgia "K" sound that so many drummers, particularly jazz drummers, are looking for.
Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – November, 2011
Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-ray), Horrible Bosses (Blu-ray), Toy Story 3D (Blu-ray), Toy Story 2 3D (Blu-ray), Toy Story 3 3D (Blu-ray), Cars 2 3D (Blu-ray), The Change-Up (Blu-ray), Crazy, Stupid, Love (Blu-ray), The Nutcracker: The Untold Story (Blu-ray), Chicken Little 3D (Blu-ray), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Blu-ray), Conan the Barbarian (Blu-ray)
Dream 24″ Bliss Half Cup Ride Cymbal
Dream Cymbals are manufactured in China, being totally hammered and lathed by hand, directly from the cast bronze disc, rather than put through rollers to flatten them before hammering. The results are cymbals that have a very strong wash that sustains. The current review covers their 24" Bliss Half Cup Ride Cymbal. This basically means the bell is about half the size it normally would be. This gives the cymbal a strong ping, and just enough wash to make it interesting.
Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – October, 2011
The Lion King - 3D (Blu-ray), Beauty and the Beast - 3D (Blu-ray), Star Wars - Episode II (Blu-ray), Star Wars - Episode III (Blu-ray), Bridesmaids (Blu-ray), Planet Earth: Special Edition (Blu-ray), Transformers Dark of the Moon (Blu-ray), The Tempest (Blu-ray), Dumbo (Blu-ray), Fast Five (Blu-ray), Life is Beautiful (Blu-ray), The Hour (Blu-ray), Moby Dick (2010) (Blu-ray), A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song (DVD), Ben-Hur (Blu-ray), Cape Fear (1991) (Blu-ray), African Cats (Blu-ray), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D, Blu-ray), X-Men: First Class (Blu-ray), Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy (Blu-ray), Green Lantern (Blu-ray)
Paiste 22″ 2002 Power Ride Cymbal
I have been a big fan of the Paiste 2002 series for a long time. I only had 2002 crash cymbals though. When I read about a drummer's experience with the 2002 ride cymbal on a drum forum, I decided to obtain one and see (hear) if I liked it as well as he did.
I did.
Sabian 20″ HHX Manhattan Jazz Crash-Ride Cymbal
Sabian's HHX series is specified as "Modern Dark . . . drier, dirtier, funkier". The word "Dark" translates to lots of low frequency undertones, and I think, after having analyzed quite a few cymbals, "dirtier" means more midrange wash . . . more "SHHHHH" to the sound. We recently reviewed the 18" Manhattan Jazz Crash, and now turn our attention to the 20", which, although classified as a ride cymbal, I consider it to work well as a crash/ride.
Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – September, 2011
Conan the Barbarian/Conan the Destroyer (Blu-ray), Hanna (Blu-ray), Dexter Season 5 (Blu-ray), Good Will Hunting (Blu-ray), Scarface (Blu-ray), The Vampire Diaries Season 2 (Blu-ray), Blood Simple (Blu-ray), Nightmare Before Christmas 3D (3D Blu-ray), The Office: Season 7 (Blu-ray), A Fistful of Dollars (Blu-ray), For a Few Dollars More (Blu-ray), United 93 (Blu-ray), Thor (Blu-ray), The Magnificent Seven (Blu-ray), Return of the Magnificent Seven (Blu-ray), Star Wars: Episode IV (Blu-ray), Star Wars: Episode I (Blu-ray), Star Wars: Episode V (Blu-ray), Star Wars: Episode VI (Blu-ray)
Magnepan Magneplanar MG 1.7 Flat Panel Quasi-Ribbon Full Range Speakers
Probably 99% of the speakers in the world have drivers in a box, aka, an enclosure, either ported or sealed. Flat panel speakers don't have enclosures, other than the frame. The drivers consist of thin metal ribbons, or thin metal conductors attached to thin plastic ribbons (called "quasi-ribbon"), thin plastic sheets (i.e., larger than ribbons) with conductors running in narrow loops up and down, and thin plastic sheets suspended between perforated metal sheets called stators (electrostatic speakers). In the case of ribbons, there are permanent magnets close to the ribbons, and the music signal passes through the ribbons, creating a magnetic field that pulls or pushes the ribbon back and forth to create the music. Magnepan is a manufacturer of flat panel speakers, and in the past, at least one of the drivers was a large surface with the conductors running in loops. Perhaps their most popular model of recent years was the Magneplanar MG 1.6. At $2,000/pair, this was nirvana for flat-panel speaker aficionados. They now have announced the MG 1.6's replacement, the MG 1.7, which is the subject of this review.
Crystal Acoustics TX-B1 Bookshelf Speakers
Crystal Acoustics is an on-line company that manufactures speakers, media players, and other accessories. Their top-of-the-line speaker is priced at $33,000/pair, which is very unusual in the on-line speaker business. Fortunately, for the majority of us, they also make very affordable speakers, some of which we have reviewed. The current review examines the TX-B1, which is a bookshelf speaker that has the woofer in the main enclosure, and a completely separate (but attached) enclosure for the tweeter. It has a very high quality sound, is well constructed, and sells for only $349/pair.
WireWorld Gold Starlight 6 Digital Interconnects, Eclipse 6 Interconnects, Platinum Eclipse 6 Interconnects, and Eclipse 6 Speaker Cables
WireWorld makes A/V cables at many price levels, including some that are very, very expensive. While at CES 2011, I spoke with David Salz about his designs, and I was intrigued enough to request some for review. What I received were cables that showed some of the best bench test results I have ever seen in A/V cables. Needless to say, I was very pleased. They are expensive, but life is a bitch when you love quality.
Earthquake Sound Cinenova 7 Multi-Channel Power Amplifier
Earthquake Sound, besides manufacturing very powerful subwoofers, also offers very powerful amplifiers for your home theater. The massive Cinénova Grande 7 is rated at 500 watts output per channel (seven channels) into 8 ohm loads. At $6,000, it is one of the most powerful multi-channel amplifiers in the world. But, many consumers don't need that much power, either because their home theater is small, or they just don't watch movies and listen to surround sound music very loud. So, Earthquake Sound has introduced the Cinénova 7, a seven-channel power amplifier, which is rated at 150 watts output per channel into 8 ohms.
