XTZ Room Analyzer II Pro Room Acoustics Analyzer Kit

Tyler Stripko & Mark Vignola

We've all heard the adage a dozen times: your room is far more important to the sound that you get out of your system than the system itself. While this statement may very well be true, the process of tackling "your room" is far more difficult than deciding what type of receiver or speaker wire you should buy. Welcome to the world of acoustics: incredibly complicated and undoubtedly intimidating. The XTZ Room Analyzer may just be the thing to help get you into this world a little easier.

Audio Accessories Misc

Do You Recommend the Vizio XVT3D580CM?

Scott Wilkinson

I would like to get the 58-inch Vizio XVT3D580CM CinemaWide HDTV with a 21:9 aspect ratio. I'm sure it will be great watching Blu-ray discs, but I'm concerned that it might be a disappointment with 16:9 content from my HD cable provider and over-the-air local channels. Can you give me the advantages and disadvantages of this TV, and if you've reviewed it, can you tell me what you think?

- Jay Nesbitt
Chula Vista, CA

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

Crystal Acoustics TX-T2 SE THX ULTRA2 Certified Floor-Standing Speakers

Ross Jones

Crystal Acoustics is a niche-within-a-niche kind of company. It sells high-value speaker systems directly to customers through the Internet. Not just any speakers, though. Crystal specializes in THX certified home theater systems. I've reviewed several Crystal Acoustics speakers, ranging from smaller THX Select certified floor-standers, up to their THX Ultra2 certified TX-T3SE. Now comes the TX-T2 SE, a mid-sized floor standing speaker that carries the THX Ultra2 badge. Are the TX-T2 SE's the best of both worlds, combining a smaller size with Ultra2 performance?

Floor Standing Speakers

MartinLogan Mikros 90 On-Ear Headphones

Stephen Hornbrook

Not wanting to be left out of the lucrative headphone market, MartinLogan has released the noise isolating Mikros 90. Instead of going the exotic, high-end route of designing a pair of electrostatic headphones to mimic their famous loudspeakers, MartinLogan has created a pair of lightweight, portable headphones called the Mikros 90 that at only $299, fall directly into the low-priced high-end headphone sector.

Headphone and Earphone Reviews

Meridian Explorer USB DAC

Stephen Hornbrook and Chris Heinonen

Computer audio is all the rage now, with many people moving their entire digital collections to music servers, and the laptop taking the place of the CD player in many systems. The technologies behind USB DACs have evolved rapidly to where the interface is now on the same level as Coaxial or Optical interfaces. One area that hasn't been addressed as well is the portable audio market, as most USB DACs are rack-sized components that require a wall power supply. This is certainly not a convenient option for those of us that want high-resolution audio on the go.

DACs

Bipolar Speakers in the Front?

Scott Wilkinson

What do you think of bipolar speakers? Are they worth the price, and do they perform well while playing movies and music? Crutchfield has a special on Definitive Technology bipolar speakers—when you buy the front two, you get the center and two surround speakers. Would this be a good value at $2000? Would you put these in your home system?

- Paul Schneider
Garden Grove, CA

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

Wilson Audio Sophia 3 Floor-standing Speakers

Jason Victor Serinus

For For many audiophiles, there comes a time in our lives when we say, in so many words, enough is enough. We've worked hard enough, long enough, and with enough dedication and sacrifice to no longer have to suffer with a system that fails to satisfy. We deserve a setup that makes us happy: a system that allows us to sit back and listen for as long as we want to the music we love and want to explore and without ever feeling fatigued or short-changed. This review explores the possibility that the Wilson Audio Sophia speakers might be part of such a system.

Floor Standing Speakers

Sundance Film Festival 2013

Rick Schmidt

After not seeing any of my favorite indie directors lined up with films at this year's Sundance and after having to settle for our second and third choice tickets I was pleasantly surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed almost every film we saw this year. I always tell people to go off the beaten track at festivals...

Show Reports, Film Festivals and Concerts
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NAD Announces C 516BEE CD Player

Secrets

Affordable Complement to Company's Classic Components Offers Best-In-Class Sound, Ease of Operation and Energy Savings Pickering, Ontario, February 13, 2013 —...

Press