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DIY Handcrafted Speakers – Winner of CAVE Contest OPPO BDP-83-NuForce Edition Universal Blu-ray Player

Niko Coromelas

Congratulations to the winner of the OPPO BDP-83/NuForce Edition Universal Blu-ray Player, Niko Coromelas.  Niko's story about his experience building these beautiful speakers was posted in the CAVE and we are featuring them here.  What a great project and Congratulations Niko!!

Well I don't know how many of you have tried your hand at making your own speakers but recently I set out on a project for a 3-way system and thought I would share it with everyone. My goal was to build a system that would be pleasing for both listening to Music as well as watching Movies with my projector. In the end, I was looking for a respectable set--namely better than what I could buy at a typical store. I didn't want it to cost me a fortune or never finish the project, I had that experience once before. Anyone who has gotten into a project knows what I'm talking about. You start, it seems fun with all the neat stuff, so you keep going, finding new things to add, then rebuilding half way through thus repeating the cycle till you never seem to finish. Well...this wasn't a trap I wanted to fall into!

DIY

Marantz SA-KI Pearl SACD player

Robert Kozel

The Marantz tradition has always been about enjoying music. The Marantz SA-KI Pearl is a limited-edition SACD player from the Marantz Reference Series product line. The "KI" in the product name refers to Ken Ishiwata, who is the actual designer of the SA-KI Pearl. Ken Ishiwata has an impressive biography. He fell in love with music as a young man. He pursued a career in fashion photography following in the footsteps of his father. In the late 1970's, Mr. Ishiwata started his career with Marantz. Today, he is an accomplished violinist, audio engineer, electronics engineer, and brand ambassador for Marantz in Europe.

SACD Players

December CD Reviews for the Audiophile – Holiday Recordings to Savor – Part I

Jason Victor Serinus

Esperanza, founded by the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia in 1987, works to “bring a sustained response of hope to the barrio.” To raise funds for their work, they've put together this Christmas compilation with performances by Marcos Witt, Alejandro Sanz, Miguel Angel Guerra, Jose Carreras, Santana, and others. Michelle Bonilla sings quite the “O Holy Night.” The sound quality of the transfers leaves something to be desired, but the joy this will bring to its target audience is great.

CD Music Reviews

Yamaha BD-S2900 Blu-ray Player – Benchmark

Adrian Wittenberg

It has been some time since Yamaha manufactured a hi-def disc player, either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray.  Instead Yamaha has been offering upscaling DVD players such as the S1700 and the S2700.  Now that the format war is over and Blu-ray is the declared winner, this is no longer true.  Yamaha has created the BD-S2900, their first Blu-ray player.

Blu-ray Players

Rocky Mountain Audio Festival Show Report

Chris Groppi and Rick Schmidt

This year was the first time at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival for secrets writers Chris Groppi and Rick Schmidt. Unlike many of the other trade focused shows, the RMAF is open to the public. Both manufacturers and retailers show products here, and displays are focused on listening demonstrations. This year, there were more than 160 display rooms each usually showing equipment from several manufacturers. Rooms were from both retailers as well as manufacturers and distributors, with a wide range of equipment from around the world. All the big hitters were here, plus many companies we had never heard of.

In addtion to the rooms, seminars on topics ranging from turntable setup to digital recording technologies are offered. This is an intimate show, focused on 2 channel audio, and everyone has a chance to see every room. The show was great fun for both of us!

Show Reports, Film Festivals and Concerts
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Meridian is taking an increasingly active role in courting the design-savvy, upscale consumer

Nicoll PR

Meridian Audio Ltd., the British company whose uniquely stylish, technologically sophisticated audio and video designs are legendary among knowledgeable AV fans and system-designers, is taking an increasingly active role in courting the design-savvy, upscale consumer.  For one example, Meridian will participate in the upcoming Digital Downtown show in New York City, an exclusive free event open to the public from June 12-14 at the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan. At Digital Downtown (Booth #166), Meridian will highlight the stunning new F80 all-in-one entertainment system engineered in cooperation with legendary automaker Ferrari. Meridian will also be informing show visitors about its more “traditional” music and audio-video system solutions.

Press