Amplifiers

Rotel RSX-1560 7.1 A/V Receiver

The RSX-1560 is Rotel's flagship receiver in their new Series 15 audio components. The new cosmetic look of the 15 series is simply stunning and very elegant. More importantly, the 1560 posses two firsts for Rotel receivers. One is the use of Class D amplifiers, specifically Bang & Olufsen ICE power modules. Second, it decodes the latest high resolution movie codecs.

Mixing and Matching: The Paradigm Reference Signature C5 Center Channel Cone Speaker vs. Electrostatics

In most A/V publications, they will tell you to stick with one brand and line of speakers so that the tonality will be the same across the entire soundstage. That's true. But, if you look for neutrality in sound, you can mix and match with no problem. I have used electrostatic speakers (ESLs) in our home theater lab as a reference for years. The problem has always been the center channel. The front left and right ESL are 6 feet tall, and the center channel ESL was only 4 feet, and even then, the motorized projection screen would come down in front of it about a foot. Secondly, ESLs cannot be driven to high SPLs like cone speakers.....So, I decided to use a conventional (cone) speaker for the center channel, the new Paradigm Reference Signature C5 center channel speaker.....Was I disappointed in the results? Read our review to see.

Canton Reference 5.2 DC Floor-Standing Speakers

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.

The Ongoing Career of Baritone Benjamin Luxon

English baritone Benjamin Luxon remains prized for the intelligence of his portrayals, and his unfettered directness of expression. Now 72, and devoting much of his time to theater, Luxon came to fame as a member of Benjamin Britten's English Opera Group. After creating the title role in Britten's Owen Wingrave, he proceeded to perform a wide variety of roles in many of the world's leading houses.

Canton GLE 490 Floor-standing Speakers, GLE 455 Center Channel, GLE 430 Bookshelf Speakers, and AS 105 SC Subwoofer

Amidst the many dividing lines in the world of audio and video is the line between those that believe speakers must be single purpose, and those that believe speakers can be multi-purpose. The purposes in question are often music and home theater (alternatively music or home theater depending on what side of the line you are on.) A more pertinent question for this review might be: "How well Canton goes from Pure Music to surround sound in one package?"

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Marvell Expands Presence in the Living Room

Marvell 88DE2750 with second-generation award-winning Qdeo video processing implemented in advanced 65nm process provides improved
image quality at lower price points
CES 2009, LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January 8, 2009â€" Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL) today introduced the Marvell 88DE2750 digital video format converter with second generation, award-winning Qdeo video processing for Blu-ray players and recorders, set-top-boxes, networked media players, digital TVs and other high-definition home theatre devices.

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From Henhouse to Penthouse

Indianapolis, IN (November 18, 2008) â€" It's December 1966. In Glyngøre, Denmark, carpenter Preben Jacobsen ignores the discomforts of the tiny henhouse on his property and outfits it for an entirely different purposeâ€"the construction of loudspeakers. With excellent woodworking skills and a broad knowledge of acoustic technology, he begins to develop speakers that attract a fair amount of attention, if not a huge groundswell of buyers.

Movie Renter’s Guide – November, 2008

Tinker Bell (Blu-ray), Sleeping Beauty (Blu-ray), Transsiberian (Blu-ray), Hellboy II (Blu-ray), The Strangers (Blu-ray), Magagascar (Blu-ray), Wall•E (Blu-ray), Tropic Thunder (Blu-ray), Wanted (Blu-ray), The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian (Blu-ray), TV Series - Hannah Montana (SD DVD), Prison Break (Blu-ray), Lost (Blu-ray), Grey's Anatomy (Blu-ray)