Bryston BP17 Stereo Preamplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Bryston is the only high-end audio company I know of that offers a 20 year warranty on its products. They manufacture some very expensive preamps and power amps, but even the least expensive product carries that warranty. Why? Because they have massive build quality. The BP17 stereo preamplifier exemplifies that approach, and it is in the middle of their preamplifier line-up, which includes the BP6 and BP26.

Preamplifiers

GoldenEar Triton Three Floor-Standing Speakers

Piero Gabucci

After the successful launch of the Triton design, GoldenEar soon introduced the Triton Two, which packed a 1200 watt class-D amplifier powering two 5" x 9" "racetrack" subwoofers, along with a pair of 4.5" midrange drivers and the now popular HVFR folded ribbon tweeter. Triton Three followed on the heels of the larger Triton Two. The Triton Three is a smaller version with one less subwoofer and one less midrange driver.

Floor Standing Speakers

The New York Hi Fi Show: A 63-year History that Traces a Complicated Trajectory

David A. Rich, Ph.D.

For the past six weeks since attending the New York Hi Fi show, I have taken time to reflect how the show has evolved to its current form. I will report on a couple of items at the show, but the real coverage was by Mark Vignola. I have no idea how he could produce so many professional quality pictures and the accompanying annotation one day later

Show Reports, Film Festivals and Concerts

Audiolab M-DAC Digital to Analog Converter

Michael Jude Galvin

On its website, respected British manufacturer Audiolab proclaims the M-DAC is the follow-up to the 8000 DAC, introduced all the way back in 1992. I have gathered that DACs were quite popular in that era because CD players had not become all that good yet. With the market now awash in quality DACs, I guess it is safe to say we are in a DAC renaissance. Here, we review the Audiolab M-DAC, which, at $899, turns out to be an audio bargain.

DACs

Graphics Cards with HDMI output and 5.1 Audio?

Brian Florian

I currently have a Windows 7 PC connected to my TV via VGA and stereo audio. I use this setup to watch Netflix and Hulu. I would like to be able to get 5.1 sound, which Netflix (and maybe Hulu) says they support if the hardware in the PC supports it. Are there graphic cards that have HDMI output that also include 5.1 audio over the HDMI cable? I should then be able to connect it to say a Yamaha RX-V375 receiver and have 5.1 audio.

- Ken L
Boston, Mass

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

Mitsubishi HC8000D-BL 3D DLP Projector

Chris Eberle

Whenever I attend the CEDIA Expo, I visit all the projector manufacturers, both large and small. While Mitsubishi is a large company, their projectors are not as well-known as other brands. At the 2012 Expo, I had a chance to check out their all-new DLP models. In this review, we test the Mitsubishi HC8000D-BL single-chip DLP 3D projector.

Projectors

Sennheiser Momentum Over-the-Ear Headphones

Stephen Hornbrook

Sennheiser will always hold a special part of my heart as the HD580 my first audiophile headphone. I can still remember the soft velvety fabric of the earpads and the revelation that was quality music playback. Since then, I have experienced the sound of many other headphones, including the Sennheiser Momentum over-the-ear headphones, which are reviewed here.

Headphone and Earphone Reviews

The New Wave of Color Calibration Technology: Cube Calibration

By Chris Heinonen and Mark Vignola

One of the Awards given out in 2012 by Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity for "Technology on the Rise" was for Cube Calibration. For most people this probably doesn't mean much yet, but for those of us that are calibrators, or enthusiasts with an interest in calibration technology, this was a huge development. One might even say that Cube Calibration is the biggest improvement to consumer display technology since the introduction of the Color Management System (CMS).

Video Calibration

Spears and Munsil HD Benchmark Setup and Test Disc – Version 2

Chris Heinonen

Readers of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity are likely familiar with the names Stacey Spears and Don Munsil. They authored the Secrets DVD Benchmark and brought to light issues like Chroma Upsampling Errors, as well as our recent HDMI Benchmark for Blu-ray players. They also authored the Spears and Munsil HD Benchmark Blu-ray test disc. Version 2 of their HD Benchmark disc is now available, and reviewed here.

Technical Reviews