John E. Johnson, Jr.

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

Crystal Acoustics TX-B1 Bookshelf Speakers

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Bookshelf Speakers

WireWorld Gold Starlight 6 Digital Interconnects, Eclipse 6 Interconnects, Platinum Eclipse 6 Interconnects, and Eclipse 6 Speaker Cables

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Audio Cables

Earthquake Sound Cinenova 7 Multi-Channel Power Amplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

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.

Power Amplifiers

Paiste 18″ Formula 602 Thin Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

In the late 1950's, Paiste introduced their 602 series of cymbals. Everyone loved them. The big names played them. So, one might wonder, why did Paiste stop offering them, and instead, moved on to new models? Well, the answer is right there in the question: new. It's in our nature to always be looking for something different, even when what we have is just about perfect. New model is something the marketing guys love, and we, as consumers, have learned to love it too. But there is another word: Retro, and it means we like going back in time to rediscover the pleasures of things we loved in the past. And, that is the 602. The irony is that the 602 has been out of the inventory for so long, today's drummers probably never heard of it, let alone play one. Well, here's your chance, and the 602 is, . . . now what is that word I am looking for?

Cymbals

Howard Leight Noise-Blocking Stereo Earmuffs

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Most of us use portable players at least now and then to listen to our music, using earbuds. But what if there is a lot of ambient noise, such as on an airplane, or if you are in a Starbucks enjoying a refreshment while you are using your laptop, or if you are playing in a band and want to hear not only your own instrument (in my case, it is the drums), but the other musicians and a click track, while the audience is nearly as loud as you are? Noise-reducing over-the-ear headphones are the answer, and the unit reviewed here, the Howard Leight Sync Noise-Blocking Stereo Earmuffs are an inexpensive and very effective solution.

Headphone and Earphone Reviews

Zildjian 18″ A Medium Thin Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

The Zildjian A Medium Thin Crash Cymbal (part of their Avedis Zildjian line) might be called a "bread and butter cymbal". If you are going to have just two crashes in your kit, and you play either jazz or big band, this cymbal would be there. Buddy Rich used one of these in his set of three (one ride, two crashes). That says just about everything that could be said. It's bright, fast, and neutral.

Cymbals

Sabian 18″ HHX Manhattan Jazz Crash 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. The current review is of their 18" HHX Manhattan Jazz, which is classified as crash cymbal. Its medium thin weight delivers a bright, but not too bright, sound. It is suited for riding the body as well as the bell.

Cymbals

Pass Labs XP-20 Stereo Preamplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

After having tested a Pass power amplifier and phono preamplifier, I could not wait to get my hands on a preamplifier, to complete the system analysis. The subject of this review is the venerable XP-20, which has been in the Pass inventory since 2009. It's a fully balanced design, with separate power supply chassis for low noise. The bench test results were quite surprising. Read on to see for yourselves.

Preamplifiers

Dream 20″ Contact Crash/Ride Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Dream Cymbals is one of the new companies whose products are manufactured in China. From what we are told, the cymbals are totally hammered and lathed by hand, directly from the cast bronze disc, rather than put through rollers to flatten them before hammering. If that is accurate, I don't think I would want to get into a fight with any of the cymbal smiths, because it must take enormous strength and endurance to perform this task from the raw cast ingot. However, the sound is very revealing, and suggests that it is so. The cymbals have a very strong wash that sustains. The Dream 20" Contact Crash/Ride Cymbal is the subject of the current review. Compared to the 20" Dream Bliss Crash/Ride Cymbal that we reviewed recently, the Contact has a higher pitch, and is, therefore, more penetrating.

Cymbals

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – August, 2011

The SECRETS Movie Review Team

Source Code (Blu-ray), Amelie (Blu-ray), Rango (Blu-ray), Brazil (Blu-ray), The Smurfs (DVD), Unknown (Blu-ray), Your Highness (Blu-ray), The Blues Brothers (Blu-ray), Chocolat (Blu-ray), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Blu-ray), Mars Needs Moms 3D (3D Blu-ray), The Big Lebowski (Blu-ray), Paul (Blu-ray), National Lampoon's Animal House (Blu-ray), Dazed and Confused (Blu-ray), Jane Eyre (Blu-ray)

Movie Reviews

Comects Neptune 4 x 2 HDMI Matrix Switcher

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Comects is a Hong Kong-based company that makes A/V accessories, including switchers. We have reviewed a few of their products, and at this point, I had stopped reviewing HDMI switchers because most receivers and processors have HDMI input switching built-in. However, the Comects Neptune 4x2 HDMI switcher is unique, in that it has four inputs and two outputs, and you can route any of the four inputs to either of the two outputs, simultaneously (meaning that it is called a "matrix" switcher). So, for example, if you have a satellite box, Blu-ray player, and media server in your home theater, and you also have an HDTV in an adjacent room, you can route the Blu-ray player to the receiver (which forwards the video to your HDTV or projector) in your home theater, while the satellite box or media server is routed to the HDTV in the adjacent room.

Switchers

NuForce NE-700X Earbuds

John E. Johnson, Jr.

NuForce is a small company that has recently become quite visible due to their special editions of the venerable OPPO Universal Players. But, they also make their own products, including DACs and earbuds. The latter, namely the NuForce NE-700X earbuds, are reviewed here. They are inexpensive, fit in the ear canal in the most comfortable way I have ever experienced, and have low distortion. The price? $65.

Headphone and Earphone Reviews

Supernatural 18″ Divine Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Supernatural Cymbals is one of several small companies that have emerged during the past few years, who are based in Turkey, and who still make cymbals the way they have been made for centuries (except for the electric motor that turns the lathing machine). The cymbals start out as cast bronze discs, which are heated, rolled, cut into the desired diameter for the cymbal, hand hammered, and hand lathed. There is no machining at all. The results are quite distinguishable from machine hammered and lathed cymbals. It is not that one way is better than the other, but rather, you now have several additional choices in sound, and some of them are due to the old world ways of producing them. This review covers the Supernatural 18" Divine Crash. It has a very fast response, and somewhat higher pitch than the Supernatural Universal Crash Cymbal we reviewed a few weeks ago.

Cymbals

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – July, 2011

The SECRETS Movie Review Team

The Adjustment Bureau (Blu-ray), Happy Gilmore (Blu-ray), Red Riding Hood (Blu-ray), The Outlaw Josey Wales (Blu-ray), Hall Pass (Blu-ray), Blue Crush 2 (Blu-ray), American: The Bill Hicks Story (Blu-ray), 13 Assassins (Blu-ray), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) (Blu-ray), Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition) (Blu-ray), Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition) (Blu-ray), Ocean Wonderland 3D (3D Blu-ray), Sharks 3D (3D Blu-ray), The Eagle (Blu-ray), Source Code (Blu-ray)

Movie Reviews