I'd already begun the review for the Imagine Mini when I was offered the Imagine T2 introduced around CES in 2012. If I hadn't given enough admiration for the Mini in my review, let me reiterate as much, because they now sit at home on a shelf, I couldn't part with them.
For the audiophile world to take seriously a small bookshelf speaker, let alone a "mini"-monitor there has to be some significant backing and/or history. Much has been said and written about the NRC, or National Research Council located in Ottawa, Canada.
Pssst….want to hear a really cool speaker, but you have to keep it a secret. The voice was familiar but I looked around for the white van, none to be seen. Sure, but they'd better not have fallen out of the back of a truck I replied. Nah he said just come up to my private room in this hotel. Up the exterior stairs we went to his suite, nice. Now I want to show you what's in this other room behind this curtain. Hmmmm. There they were, the Definitive Technology BP-8040ST SuperTower Speakers. And then they were here, for me to review. Review done. Read on.
One of the things I like about CEDIA is discovering something that I hadn't expected to impress me. Oh sure the dazzling larger than life flat panels, or bright projectors are always omnipresent. The beautiful glossy speakers and sometimes those overstuffed theater chairs are a welcomed relief. But this year walking by the WallWizard booth it was the motorized wall mounts caught my attention. When I was introduced to them I was shown some innovative ideas that seemed to solve issues we've all thought about but never seen addressed.
Almost 50 years at Rotel has culminated in the 15 Series relatively new and was highly anticipated from 2009. The RSX-1550 arrived at my home in mid-2010. Admittedly, I'm a little behind on my review of the Rotel receiver and although this is an apology to the good people at Rotel for their patience, it speaks volumes about the product I've had it in my system for many, many months.
A couple of years ago I designed a home theater for a client and specified the Episode Home Theater LCR because among other things, it offered an adjustable planar magnetic tweeter. It is a hulking speaker that was designed to be integrated into cabinetry and I can tell you it sounded terrific. I became an instant fan. The HT-650LCR is still considered the flagship home theater speaker. In this review, we cover their in-wall and in-ceiling speakers.
Even as an audio guy, it's hard not to be seduced by the amazing video demonstrations sprinkled around the main shows like CES or CEDIA. I think it makes me admit I'm just as much a movie fan as I am music. An offer came my way to review an entire in-wall speaker package so I thought it a perfect opportunity to add a projector and screen to my otherwise exclusive two-channel space. My hunt was on for an affordable projector, Epson immediately came to mind. They've proven over the last several years that they could design and manufacture not only value packed projectors, but actually very well performing units. For this review, we selected the Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 8100.
While attending CEDIA 2009 in Atlanta I was introduced to Innovolt Inc. a company founded by Georgia Tech professor Dr. Deepak Divan in 2005 to develop surge protection for all types of applications. Although they make a variety of products including LED lighting fixtures, I was most interested in those that applied to our hobby of audio/video. Their HEM-X1000 is a high capacity surge protector, and if you don't think a good surge protector for your home theater components is a wise investment, you should reconsider before disaster strikes.
Marantz can be thought of in two ways: the company owned by D&M Holdings with a huge market to satisfy, developing highly competitive consumer level products such as receivers and DVD players. Secondly, Marantz is an audio-first legacy from Saul Marantz, that produced vacuum tube gear in the 1950's, and leading the way to solid state in the 1960's. Here, we take a look at their SA-15S2 SACD player.
Back in mid-2005, I auditioned Canton's new Vento line of speakers with an entire surround package, (although the matching sub had yet to be released). I found them impeccably designed and crafted, and they sounded terrific. In this review, I take a look and listen to the Canton Reference 5.2 DC tower (floor-standing) speakers. More-terrific is what I found.
Definitive Technology made a big splash with the introduction of the innovative Mythos ST tower speaker back in 2007 - its sleek elegant design and proportions along with some serious technology and integral powered race-track shaped subwoofers made it an instant hit. And oh boy it sounded smooth! Of course this was nothing new for current President Sandy Gross who founded DT back in 1990 and introduced one successful speaker after another.
When Denon finally made good on their promise to deliver to market a separate processor/amplifier, (the AVP-A1HDCI and POA-A1HDCI) I wondered where the receivers at the top would fit in. The last flagship receiver I'd reviewed was the AVR-5805 in May of 2005 and I wished it was in two components. But there are those that still want one box, saving space, wires and some money too.Now that the pre/pro/amp is out, the receivers can be downsized, thankfully. The new AVR-5308CI weighs 35 pounds less and stands 3 inches shorter than its predecessor 5805. But feature-wise, the 5308 is substantially ahead of the 5805, which is why it's here for me to review.
Those of you that follow our show coverage, like CEDIA or CES will know the name Cinepro and its' President and Vice President Michael J. Panicci and Gus Cossifos respectively. Cinepro's dynamic demonstrations are very much talked about during the show. Although many of demonstrations are loud, what sets Cinepro apart is their commitment to playing back at "Dolby Digital Reference Levels", which cannot be done accurately without tons of power. So with their ever increasing “how about another 10dB?†volume adjustments, if Gus & Michael were chefs, they'd be saying BAM as they added more spice!
I suppose in this iPod generation we shouldn't be surprised by the explosion of new headphone options. Breaking it down, there are 3 types of headphones really: in-ear, on-ear and over-ear. In-ear offers the best solution for portability while over-ear is typically large and cumbersome and generally provides the best reproduction and comfort, it is usually reserved for the audiophile or studio engineer. On-ear however may offer the best of both worlds, especially if they travel easily, offer comfort, clean fidelity and outside noise cancellation - hence the new AH-NC732 from Denon.
Although I have always been interested in McIntosh products, I was really intrigued by the McIntosh MA6300 because I could finally afford one. Modest power output and all solid state construction will let you into the world of McIntosh ownership for just $3,000.
As a kid I wasn’t frugal with money, but so glad my brother was. He worked and saved to buy audio gear that I was able to enjoy. I was hooked on hifi. When I graduated from college, I rewarded myself with a pair of KEF speakers and a Denon Turntable and amplifier. They were my prized possessions. Today as an architect, my passion for music and film match my joy for architecture - art is art. Involved with Secrets for many years now, I’m able to enjoy some great gear and I do love it all, analog (vinyl and tubes) and digital (high-res and solid state). My approach to reviewing is with an openness and unbiased enthusiasm as I do think the art of high fidelity is subjective. Whether you believe the goal of hifi equipment is to capture the quality of a live performance or to faithfully reproduce the artist’s studio recording isn’t relevant, it’s the pure enjoyment at all levels that matter.
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