John E. Johnson, Jr.

Oppo Digital DV-983H DVD Player

Kris DeeringFebruary 27, 2008

The Oppo Digital DV-983H is finally about to arrive (March 10, 2008). The Secrets Benchmark test results are spectacular. For $399, this is a player that everyone should consider.

DVD Players

SVSound MTS-01 Floor-standing Speakers

John E. Johnson, Jr.February 25, 2008

SVSound's new MTS-01 series of speakers includes these floor-standers that just blew us away in listening tests and bench measurements. For the price, they are very stiff competition.

Floor Standing Speakers

MartinLogan Purity Floor-standing Electrostatic Hybrid Speakers

John E. Johnson, Jr.February 15, 2008

MartinLogan electrostatic speakers are renown for their sound quality, and now, with the Purity, they are affordable for everyone. The built-in 200 watt power amplifier for both the ESL panel and the woofers makes them easy to drive, and the small footprint allows them to be used in any room

Floor Standing Speakers

Qsonix Q110 Media Server

John E. Johnson, Jr.February 4, 2008

The Qsonix Q110 is a media server meant to be put in by a custom installer, but you can do it yourself because it is very easy to work with. It has a 250 GB hard drive that will hold hundreds of CDs in lossless compression format and serves four zones simultaneously. The user interface is a dream and employs a touchscreen that has drag and drop functionality, using your finger to bring music into the que for playback.

Media Servers

Zektor CVS4 4×1 Component Video Switcher Used as 5.1 Analog Audio Switcher

John E. Johnson, Jr.January 25, 2008

The Zektor CVS4 4 x 1 Component Video Switcher can be used to switch 5.1 analog audio from two or more DVD players to your SSP or receiver, so you can listen to the new high definition audio soundtracks from HD DVD and Blu-ray movie discs.

Switchers

Generosity – The Making of an Indie Film – Part II – Pre-production

John E. Johnson, Jr.January 23, 2008

Generosity is an Indie film in the process of being made. In August of 2007, we talked about Part I - The Writing, and in Part II, we cover Pre-production. If you want to see what a zoo it is to make a movie, get a load of this.

Editor's DeskEditorial

Lexicon ZX-7 Multi-Channel (300 watts x 7) Power Amplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.January 21, 2008

The Lexicon ZX-7 is a very powerful (300 watts RMS x 7 into 8 ohms) amplifier that delivers exquisite sound for two-channel music, surround sound music, and any movie you can imagine.

Power Amplifiers

Panasonic PT-AX200U 720p LCD Projector

John E. Johnson, Jr.January 11, 2008

The Panasonic PT-AX200U is a three-panel LCD projector with 720p resolution, priced at $1,999, and you can get it for a lot less at ProjectorPeople.com.

Projectors

Welcome to the New Secrets Website

John E. Johnson, Jr.January 3, 2008

Well, if you have been a Secrets reader for awhile, you are now looking at the largest change we have ever made in our 14 year history. Whereas Secrets has been...

Uncategorized

The Psychology of Movie and Music Piracy in the A/V Industry

John E. Johnson, Jr.January 3, 2008

Do you like being told what you can and cannot do? Do you like being told what you have to do? I think the answer to both questions for every human being on ear...

Press

Whitworth Design Pulse Carbon Fiber Speaker Stands

John E. Johnson, Jr.December 28, 2007

When you are out shopping for a home theater system, and you take your DVD player, receiver, speakers, and subwoofer home, two of the things you might realize when setting it all up are (1) you didn't get enough cables and the cables you did get are not long enough; and (2) the bookshelf speakers don't fit very well on the shelf.

Stands/Racks/Furniture/Room Treatment

Legenburg Zeus Interconnects and Speaker Cables

John E. Johnson, Jr.December 1, 2007

Over the past few years, several new companies that manufacture A/V cables have emerged. Most of them sell these cables at entry-level prices. The cables are good, basic designs. Legenburg, although a new cable company, is definitely not in the entry-level arena. It is high-end.

Audio Cables

Introduction to the Primer

John E. Johnson, Jr.November 22, 2007

When Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity first began publishing in 1994, we organized what eventually became The Primer, which had various sections dedicated to principal areas of audio and video, such as receivers, amplifiers, and speakers.

Primers

Usher Be-718 Bookshelf Speakers with Beryllium Tweeters

John E. Johnson, Jr.November 13, 2007

Although Usher may not be a name that comes to USA consumers' minds when thinking of speakers, they have actually been making them for more than 30 years. Perhaps the lack of name recognition comes from the parent company being in Taiwan.

Bookshelf Speakers

Final Sound 1000i ST Full-Range Electrostatic Speakers and S220 Subwoofer

John E. Johnson, Jr.November 9, 2007

If you have followed some of my reviews over the years, you know I am a huge fan of planar (flat panel) speakers.

Falling into this category are ribbon, quasi-ribbon, planar-magnetic, and electrostatic (ESL) speakers. They are defined by their flat drivers.

Floor Standing Speakers

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. John E. Johnson, Jr. founded Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in 1994, shortly after publishing a hardcopy book of the same title. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity until 2022. John has been involved in audio and video for more than 50 years, having built radio transmitters, amplifiers, turntables, and speakers from scratch. He was also one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Video Association, now The Bay Area Audio Society. John holds four university degrees, including a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has published numerous scientific books, along with dozens of scientific articles on biomedical research topics as well as imaging technology. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of two medical/scientific journals for 20 years. John holds several patents, including one on high resolution image analysis and one on a surgical instrument. He has been affiliated with NASA, The National Institutes of Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Research Institute, and The University of California at Berkeley. He is President of the consulting firm Scientific Design and Information, Inc., which is based in Redwood City, California. John resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and multiple kitties! His daughter, Cynthia, who was an integral part of SECRETS for many years, resides in San Francisco.

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John E. Johnson, Jr.