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VIZIO

Vizio

Secrets
VIZIO's revolutionizing how we watch, listen and live! Based on the belief that everyone is entitled to the latest technology...
AV Directory

Bryston Audio

Secrets
Bryston Ltd. is a Canadian company which has been designing and manufacturing state of the art specialty electronics to both the professional and consumer audio marketplaces for over a quarter century.
AV Directory

B&K

Secrets
Can you hear the difference between B & K and common, mass market components? Absolutely. Like jazz? Listen to the timbre of a sax. If you prefer classical, you'll hear the "truth of timber." Rock will deliver more bass punch, depth and snap with no loss of openness or detail. With any style of music or soundtrack, the harmonics are just right.
AV Directory

Toshiba BDX-2700 Blu-ray Player

Chris Heinonen

During the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format war, Toshiba was the main supporter of HD-DVD and producer of hardware. Beyond being just an HD-DVD player, their units were well known for being high quality standard DVD players with very good up conversion of legacy titles. The present review covers the Toshiba BDX-2700 Blu-ray player.

Blu-ray Players

CES 2011 Show Report – Summary

SECRETS CES Coverage Team

Do check out the CES 2011 Show Coverage Reports by the SECRETS Team: Robert Kozel, Jim Milton, Adrian Wittenberg, Stephen Hornbrook and John Johnson. Robert's summary of CES 2011 reflects the team's......

"What struck me the most about CES was the sheer magnitude of it all. I have been to Las Vegas many times for conventions in the past, but nothing compared to CES 2011. The enormous international crowds combined with thousands of exhibitors and locations spread throughout the city made it an event I will not soon forget. From the perspective of products, CES is overwhelming with its diversity. There were exhibitors covering home electronics, phones, appliances, automotive, computer hardware, networking, etc. The list was endless and it would be impossible for anyone to take all of it in. The crowd at CES was not just spending time looking at new products. There were countless people with "Buyer" tags on their show badges talking to exhibitors and discussing business. If the crowds were any indication, this should be a good year for the economy. Time will tell if all those conversations ultimately turn into real orders.

Final CES 2011 Impressions and more images just added by Stephen Hornbrook. Check it out!

Show Reports, Film Festivals and Concerts

Sabian 19″ Vault Holy China Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

In the 1950's Avedis Zildjian got together with Gene Krupa to make something that would be called a Pang cymbal. It looked like a regular cymbal with the edge turned upward, and it had a distinctive Far East sound quality. The Swish cymbal, a variation on the Pang, was also developed, and it had a higher pitch with more wash. Jazz drummers started using Pangs in their kit, and these days, many drummers have several of them, calling them simply China cymbals. While the first one didn't look distinctive except for the turned up edges, the China cymbals of today have all kinds of distinctive characteristics, including engravings. Sabian collaborated with Chad Smith and introduced what they call the Holy China cymbal, because it has holes in it. Drilling holes and slots in cymbals, calling them Special Effects cymbals, is very popular now, and Sabian has done this with the Holy China line. Available in 19" and 21" sizes, the present review covers the 19".

Cymbals

A Home Theater Build Project – Part II

Mark Vignola

In this installment I am discussing my upgrade paths and the decisions that went into each change: Video, Audio and Other cconsiderations, including power conditioners. I've presented the changes that I decided on in a chronological manner, as I think that many of us approach our decisions in this way...

Custom Home Theaters

Meinl 20″ MB10 Medium Crash Cymbal

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Meinl's MB10 series is made from B10 bronze, which means 90% copper and 10% tin. The high copper content results in a bright sound, and although high copper content usually gives the cymbal a more reddish color, the MB10's look like B20.

Cymbals

Communing with the Great Jazz Saxophonist Charles Lloyd – An Interview

Jason Victor Serinus

Ever since he emerged a half century ago as music director of the Chico Hamilton Quartet, saxophonist Charles Lloyd has been at the forefront of jazz innovation. One of the first jazz artists to sell a million copies of a recording, which he made with a quartet that included a young Keith Jarrett, and two other legendary artists, drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Cecil McBee, Lloyd has done everything from jam with the Doors, The Grateful Dead, and the Beach Boys to birth a new music from diverse cultural and spiritual traditions.

Musician and Vocalist Artist Interviews

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