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Reviews

OPPO BDP-105 Universal Blu-ray Player Review

John E. Johnson, Jr.

OPPO continues its tradition of being leader of the pack with the introduction of the BDP-105 Universal Player. It has every type of input that one could want, making it truly a player that can handle all types of media and sources. The video quality is superb (video results coming in Chris Heinonen's review of the 103 which has the same video circuit as the 105), and the audio quality (tested in this review) is what we have come to expect from OPPO: audiophile-grade.

Universal Players

Newform Research Ribbon Tower Speakers

Jim Milton

Made in Canada, Newform Research manufactures unique ribbon loudspeakers and sells them factory direct worldwide. Their ribbon designs offer the transparency, detail and sound staging of the classic large panel electrostatic and ribbon loudspeakers, but because of their narrow compact footprint, are easier to drive and setup, even in smaller rooms. Here, we review a pair of their ribbon towers, which are a hybrid design, with a 15" ribbon as the tweeter, and six conventional cone drivers for the mid/bass.

Floor Standing Speakers

KEN KREISEL DXD-12012 Dual 12″ Push-Pull Subwoofer

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Ken Kreisel of M&K sold his company years ago, and it continues to thrive. Now he is back, selling subwoofers and speakers mainly to the pro market, under the company name KEN KREISEL. The DXD-12012 is the foundation for a subwoofer system that, when combined as two subs, one on top of the other (called the DUO) or more (sixteen subs, called the QUATTRO-QUATTRO), produces the kind of SPL that movie and music studios need when they are in post-production. However, what differentiates the DXD-12012 from other subs is its accuracy.

Subwoofers

MartinLogan Motion Vision Soundbar

Jim Milton

I have always wanted to experience the MartinLogan planar speaker systems, but I lack the room size that is needed to really allow them to breathe. ML's new Motion® series allows for a planar speaker that is designed to resemble a more conventional box speaker, and is designed for placement under a flat panel HDTV.

Soundbars

Definitive Technology AW 6500 Outdoor Speakers

Jim Clements

Today's consumers have lots of choices to fill their home with music inside and out. I, for one, have a rapidly growing digital music library and I've been on a quest to find better ways to enjoy this music while in the great outdoors ("My Backyard"). Definitive Technology's AW 6500 might just be the answer.

Bookshelf Speakers

Pass Labs XP-10 Stereo Preamplifier

John E. Johnson, Jr.

 In the past, we reviewed the Pass Labs XP-20 and XP-30 stereo preamplifiers. Now, we come full circle with a review of the remaining member of their preamplifier trio, the XP-10, which is the least expensive model. It is fully balanced, and has a slightly different sound character compared to the other two, which also sound different from one another. All three are great products, so you can choose based on price and/or sound characteristics.

 

 

Preamplifiers

Classe SSP-800 Surround Sound Processor

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Classé is considered one of the finest audio product manufacturers in North America. They market preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and surround sound processors (SSPs). The SSP-800 is their current processor. It's been around for awhile, and they have no plans to replace it with a new model in the near future, but there have been some firmware updates along the way. So, I decided that Secrets should have a look and listen to what I was sure would be a fine product. Was I right?

Processors

CalMAN Calibration Software Version 5

Chris Heinonen

 

There are a few different programs out there to assist in calibrating a display, but CalMAN from SpectraCal is currently the most prevalent. CalMAN is used for ISF Level I and II training, and is available in a variety of different configurations ranging from the DIY user to the full time calibration professional.

Video Calibration

NAD M51 Direct Digital DAC

John E. Johnson, Jr.

 

Most audio component manufacturers have a DAC in their product lineup, and NAD is no exception. However, the NAD M51 is unusual in that it takes the incoming digital PCM bitstream and converts it directly to a PWM bitstream, which is then fed directly to the output. The idea has been around for about a decade, but the technology for implementing it was not fast enough in those early days. Now, with modern technology and techniques, NAD has produced what they call a "Direct Digital DAC", where the digital signal does not go through digital to analog conversion in the normal sense, but converted to PWM at 844 kHz sampling, with 35 bit word length. As you will see with the bench tests, the results are quite amazing, and the price is very affordable.

DACs