Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – November, 2010

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Back to the Future Trilogy (Blu-ray), Ironman 2 (Blu-ray), How To Train Your Dragon (Blu-ray), Moulin Rouge (Blu-ray), The Maltese Falcon (Blu-ray), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Blu-ray), Alien (Blu-ray), Star Wars - The Clone Wars Season 2 (Blu-ray), The Bridge on the River Kwai (Blu-ray), The Last of the Mohicans (Blu-ray), The Girl Who Played With Fire (Blu-ray), Toy Story 3 (Blu-ray), Aliens (Blu-ray), Alien 3 (Blu-ray), Alien Resurrection (Blu-ray), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Blu-ray), The Karate Kid (2010) (Blu-ray), The Kids Are All Right (Blu-ray), Charlie St. Cloud (Blu-ray)

Movie Reviews

Episode In-Wall and In-Ceiling Speakers

Piero Gabucci

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.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

High Definition Music Album Downloads for the Audiophile – November, 2010

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Sales of high definition (high resolution or "high rez") music on discs has floundered, and producers are in a difficult bind because it is expensive to master them, and with profits on low sales being low, they are looking for a different outlet. Well, downloading high rez music is the answer. The music studios, as well as independent musicians, can simply transfer the original high resolution masters (24/88.2 or 24/96) to websites that specialize in selling music by download. The high rez disc does not have to be created, packaged, or distributed by the studio. It costs them nothing to put the music on a website store. The consumer downloads the music and burns it to a disc or plays it from a computer. The reviews here are of high resolution albums downloaded and burned to DVD-A. I listened to them with an OPPO BDP-83/NuForce universal player, Lamm LL1 preamplifier, McIntosh MC1201 power amplifiers, and Carver Mark IV ribbon speakers.

CD Music Reviews

Axiom Epic 80-800 Speaker System: M80v3 Tower, VP180 Center, QS8v3 Surround, and EP800v3 Subwoofer

Chris Eberle

When shopping for loudspeakers today, we assign many different criteria to our decision. Do we choose on price, sound quality, aesthetics, science or some other aspect? Of course a discriminating listener wants the best of all these worlds and there are many manufacturers ready, willing and able to deliver on all counts. Axiom is one who has been at their game a long time. In this review, we test their M80v3 Tower, VP180 Center, QS8v3 Surround, and EP800v3 Subwoofer.

Surround Sound Speaker Systems

Dynaudio Focus 110A Actively-Powered Bookshelf Speakers

Jason Victor Serinus

Few things other than human relationships are as important to a writer and music/audiophile critic as the sound of their system. As someone who spends the bulk of his time in front of the computer, the necessity for a great-sounding desktop sound system that can transform bits on a solid-state or hard drive into living, breathing music is essential. For many of us, an essential aspect of a computer-based desktop system is compactness. Some people may have room for a separate amplifier, preamplifier, DAC, and pair of bookshelf (or bigger) speakers in their office; I, for one, do not. Thus, when Michael Manousselis of Dynaudio USA offered me a pair of the Focus 110A "active-powered" (built-in amplifiers) speakers, I was more than happy to accept.

Bookshelf Speakers

Spectron Musician III Mk2 Class D Stereo Power Amplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Spectron has been manufacturing Class D amplifiers since before most people even knew what they were. I remember meeting John Ulrick, Spectron's designing engineer, many years ago at a CES, and seeing his first model. I had no idea how it worked, but what impressed me was that it was extremely powerful, yet relatively small. Class D amplification technology has come a long way since then, but definitely, Spectron was a pioneer. In this review, we take a look at the Spectron Musician III Mk2, which will deliver 600 watts rms per channel into an 8 ohm load, and is rated into 2 ohm loads. The amplifier weighs 52 pounds.

Power Amplifiers

Naim Audio, SUPERNAIT Integrated Stereo Amplifier with DAC

Brian Alvarez

What's in a Naim? For those not overly familiar with the brand (myself included), that has usually meant DIN connectors, the ubiquitous black casework, green lit circlet buttons and a reputation for an emphasis to PRat. This reputation for Pace Rhythm and Timing and a focus on hand built craftsmanship put Naim in a unique place amongst audio components.

Integrated Amplifiers