John E. Johnson, Jr.

Pass Labs X1000.5 Monoblock Power Amplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

We have reviewed several Pass Labs products in the past, and I finally decided to get a pair of what they call "Room Heaters", i.e., the X1000.5. These monoblock power amplifiers are rated at 1,000 watts rms into 8 ohms. They are similar in physical design to the XA200.5, but the XA200.5's are biased into Pure Class A, while the X1000.5's are biased about 80 watts into Class A, with the rest as AB.

Power Amplifiers

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – February, 2012

The SECRETS Movie Review Team

To Kill a Mockingbird (Blu-ray), Dream House (Blu-ray), Dead Poets Society (Blu-ray), Manhattan (Blu-ray), Good Morning Vietnam (Blu-ray), Shakespeare in Love (Blu-ray), The Double (Blu-ray), Drive (Blu-ray), Rebecca (Blu-ray), Spellbound (Blu-ray), Lady and the Tramp (Blu-ray), Texas Killing Fields (Blu-ray), I Don't Know How She Does It (DVD), Tower Heist (Blu-ray)

Movie Reviews

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – January, 2012

The SECRETS Movie Review Team

The Hangover - Part II (Blu-ray), Dolphin Tale (Blu-ray), Final Destination 5 (Blu-ray), 1911 Revolution (Blu-ray), The Rocketeer (Blu-ray), Contagion (Blu-ray), Colombiana (Blu-ray), Fright Night 3D (Blu-ray 3D), Killer Elite (Blu-ray), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Blu-ray), The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (Blu-ray), Midnight in Paris (Blu-ray), Real Steel (Blu-ray), Blackthorn (Blu-ray)

Movie Reviews

Marc Audio Premium Line RCA Interconnects

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Marc Audio started its business of marketing quality audio cables in its on-line store only two years ago. They did not have all of their products available at the time of launch, so we reviewed what they had, as they became available. These included the Reference Line and the Signature Line. The Reference Line is their most expensive cable, but at $870/meter-pair for the RCA interconnects, they are not all that pricey compared to many other cables out there. The Signatures are their mid-priced cables ($549/meter-pair for RCA interconnects). Now, Marc Audio has introduced the Premium Line, which is their least expensive line of cables, at $158/meter-pair. Their construction quality - and more importantly - their performance, belie their very reasonable price, and I think they are one of the best values in cables out there.

Audio Cables

Ming Da MD-75 Integrated Stereo Tube Amplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Integrated Amplifiers

Paiste 24″ Giant Beat Multi-Functional (Ride) Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Cymbals

Zildjian 22″ K. Zildjian Constantinople Medium Thin Low Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Cymbals

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – November, 2011

The SECRETS Movie Review Team

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)

Movie Reviews

Dream 24″ Bliss Half Cup Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Cymbals

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – October, 2011

The SECRETS Movie Review Team

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)

Movie Reviews

Paiste 22″ 2002 Power Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Cymbals

Sabian 20″ HHX Manhattan Jazz Crash-Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Cymbals

Magnepan Magneplanar MG 1.7 Flat Panel Quasi-Ribbon Full Range Speakers

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Floor Standing Speakers