It is becoming increasingly popular for high end audio buffs to use pro studio gear in their home systems. This preamp from a German manufacturer that makes pro gear is in keeping with this trend. As a matter of fact...
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.
I first saw the passive 3D LCD displays at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and was immediately drawn in by their crisp bright displays and limited crosstalk. Fellow Secrets team member Chris Heinonen and I recently took a look at the 55LW5600, a 55" 3D Edge Lit LED LCD HDTV from LG.
I've often lamented the lack of a real rock and roll scene in San Francisco. If it's happening, I don't know where. It seems like you could go out every night for three straight months and watch a different Afro-Cuban jam band though.
Paiste has several styles in their Signature line. This one is an 18" Reflector Heavy Full Crash in their Signature line. I imagine it is called "Reflector" rather than "Brilliant" in terms of the finish because the lathing lines are very fine and very evenly spaced, indicating that the lathing was done by CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machining which results in more of a mirror (reflection) surface than simply being shiny (brilliant).
Harry Brown (Blu-ray), Good (Blu-ray), Dexter Season 4 (Blu-ray), Wolverine and the X-Men: Final Crisis Trilogy (DVD), Lost in Space (Blu-ray), MacGruber (Blu-ray), Lost Season 6 (Blu-ray), Nanny McPhee (Blu-ray), Road to Perdition (Blu-ray), The Office - Season Six (Blu-ray), The Evil Dead (Blu-ray), Se7en (Blu-ray), Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray), Crazy Heart (Blu-ray), House - Season Six (Blu-ray), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Blu-ray), Robin Hood (2010) (Blu-ray)
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.
My first Home Theater in a Box (HTiB) was a Sony unit about 10 yrs ago that went into a 500 sq/ft college apartment and, I thought for the time, sounded pretty good (I bought it on clearance from for $200 including DVD player, receiver, satellites and passive sub).
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?"
Now, Blitzen Trapper is a little more my speed. From the first note of their newest album, "Furr," you know that these guys are most assuredly not traveling minstrels. These guys like to rock and have a good time. They have song titles like "Fire and Fast Bullets," and "Black River Killer." They sing about shaking it on a Saturday night and their guitars are loud and appropriately distorted. They infuse elements of folk, country, soul, and more to form an original sound that never veers too far from the rock, and keeps the listener alert and on their toes until the last acoustic notes of "Lady On The Water."
Miramar, FL-July 2008-Italian manufacturer SIM2, whose striking high-performance home theater projectors are known worldwide for their pristine video, has added a new, aggressively priced model to its popular DOMINO series. SIM2 DOMINO D60 DLP front projection system delivers stunning 1080p full-HD imaging at the highly competitive $5000 US price point, where with SIM2's reputation for superb performance and unequalled style it will stand as a unique solution for discerning yet budget-conscious home theater enthusiasts.
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Instagram
