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Welcome to the New Secrets Website

Well, if you have been a Secrets reader for awhile, you are now looking at the largest change we have ever made in our 14 year history. Whereas Secrets has been based on HTML documents up until now (except for the DVD Benchmark Reviews and the Forum), today we are launching the entire website in database format.

It has been a grueling year for us, converting the website, having gone through several companies and individuals who told us we were asking for too much complexity, and that they could simply not deliver what we wanted.

Then we found a company in Southern California that specializes in website development for online magazines. MDigitalDesign took on our project several months ago, and, spending many hours talking to our staff, turned it into a work of art.

It is a very complicated design, with many database modules from numerous sources. We wanted to go live before Christmas, but there were just too many little things to do, and even now, there are plenty of things that need attention. Most of them we know about, but I would like all of you to please send us an e-mail (staff at hometheaterhifi dot com) as to mistakes you have discovered, such as broken links, but also to let us know of improvements or clarifications that you would like.

Note that you can make comments on reviews and blogs by filling out the form at the bottom of the various pages. You will also be able to add comments on the definitions in our Encyclopedia (formerly the Primer), and even add your own new words with definitions. This is one of the advantages of a database design, along with the ability to search the website much more efficiently and to have more sophisticated graphics.

Tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours have been spent developing this project. It is an asset not only to us, but certainly to you, the readership. So, help us make it the best it can be. Go through the entire website, as there are lots of new things for you to see.

John E. Johnson, Jr.
Editor-in-Chief

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. John E. Johnson, Jr. founded Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in 1994, shortly after publishing a hardcopy book of the same title. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity until 2022. John has been involved in audio and video for more than 50 years, having built radio transmitters, amplifiers, turntables, and speakers from scratch. He was also one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Video Association, now The Bay Area Audio Society. John holds four university degrees, including a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has published numerous scientific books, along with dozens of scientific articles on biomedical research topics as well as imaging technology. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of two medical/scientific journals for 20 years. John holds several patents, including one on high resolution image analysis and one on a surgical instrument. He has been affiliated with NASA, The National Institutes of Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Research Institute, and The University of California at Berkeley. He is President of the consulting firm Scientific Design and Information, Inc., which is based in Redwood City, California. John resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and multiple kitties! His daughter, Cynthia, who was an integral part of SECRETS for many years, resides in San Francisco.