Scott Wilkinson
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Antelope Zodiac Gold 24/384 DAC
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Nov 09, 2010 • 0 comments
Another interesting professional/consumer crossover product introduced at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention last week was a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) from Antelope Audio. The Zodiac Gold can handle digital audio at resolutions up to 24 bits and sample rates up to 384kHz, a far higher rate than any commercially available content currently uses.
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Anthem LTX Projectors
CEDIA 2009
Scott Wilkinson • Aug 31, 2009 • 0 comments

Long known for its high-quality audio products, Anthem is entering the video-projector business at this year's CEDIA with two models: the LTX 300 ($5300) and LTX 500 ($8000). Both are 1080p LCoS models—based on the JVC chassis from the looks of them—with motorized focus and zoom and Ultrawide True-Fit screen mode for 2.35:1 movies. The spec'd contrast ratio of the LTX 500 is higher than the 300 (50,000:1 vs. 30,000:1), though the peak light output of the 500 is slightly lower. Also, the LTX 500 is THX certified.
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Apple Delays Movie Rental Upgrade
News
Scott Wilkinson • Feb 02, 2008 • 0 comments

At MacWorld Expo last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs promised that an upgrade of the Apple TV software to allow online movie rentals would be available by the end of January. But, as with so many things tech, the release of that software will now be delayed by "a week or two" according to a company statement issued on January 31. The software will be made available as a free download to existing Apple TV customers when it's finally deemed ready.
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Arcam AVR500
CES 2011
Scott Wilkinson • Jan 07, 2010 • 0 comments

First announced at CEDIA in September, the AVR500 is a stripped down version of the AVR600 with no preamp outs, no phono input, and two sub outs instead of three. It provides 100Wpc of Class AB power and uses a Pixelworks video processor for $3800.
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Arcam Solo Neo
CES 2011
Scott Wilkinson • Jan 07, 2010 • 0 comments

After five years, Arcam has updated its Solo Music CD/tuner/integrated amp to the Solo Neo by adding a network card with WiFi so you can stream music from your PC. Also available is a USB port for music files on a mass-storage device, all for around $2000.
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Archiving the Work of John Saxon
Ask Home Theater
Scott Wilkinson • Jun 20, 2011 • 3 comments
My husband is John Saxon, and we have many of his movies on commercial VHS and DVD, while others and some of the TV shows he has appeared on are recorded on a DirecTV DVR. We'd like to make DVD copies of the tapes and DVDs as well as archive the TV programs from the DVR. What would you suggest for a DVD recorder?

Gloria Saxon

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Arcici Turntables
Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson • Oct 22, 2010 • 4 comments
Known primarily for high-end equipment racks, Italian Arcici also makes some beautiful turntables. Shown here is the Alba with Lyla tonearm, the least expensive model that retails for 14,000 euro (about $19,500 as of this writing), and like the other Arcici turntables, all setup instruments and gauges are included.
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Are Blind Audio Comparisons Valuable?
Vote
Scott Wilkinson • May 04, 2012 • Published: Dec 31, 1969 • 35 comments
In this week's Home Theater Geeks podcast, Home Theater and Stereophile contributor Steve Guttenberg argues that blind comparisons of audio products are meaningless for several reasons. First of all, he claims, most people cannot reliably discern the difference between similarly performing products, and perhaps not even between products that perform quite differently. As you can see in the graph above, listening tests conducted by Floyd Toole and Sean Olive reveal that blind comparisons of four speakers resulted in much more equal preference ratings than the same comparisons in which the listeners knew what they were listening to.

Also, Guttenberg maintains that the tester's ears are psychophysiologically biased by the sound of one product while listening to the next product. Finally, the conditions under which the test is conducted are rarely the same as those in any given consumer's room, so the results mean nothing in terms of deciding what to buy.

Do you agree? Are blind comparisons of audio products valuable? On what do you base your position?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Are Blind Audio Comparisons Valuable?
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Are Class-D Amps Ready For Prime Time?
Vote
Scott Wilkinson • Oct 21, 2011 • Published: Dec 31, 1969 • 4 comments
Despite their high efficiency and low power consumption and heat generation, class-D amplifiers have long been relegated to second-class status by much of the audio community, appearing mostly in low-cost, low-performance audio products. (One notable exception is powered subwoofers, which require amplification only in a limited frequency range.) Lately, however, full-range class-D amps have gained more respect—for example, Pioneer has been using this technology in several generations of its Elite AVRs, including the 2011 SC-55 and flagship SC-57 reviewed exclusively on HomeTheater.com.

Reviewer and long-time class-D detractor Michael Fremer was finally won over by the new Class D3 amp used in the SC-57 (shown above), but many audiophiles still scoff at this technology, preferring the sound of purely analog class-AB designs. What's your take? Have class-D amps finally achieved a performance level commensurate with class-AB?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Are Class-D Amps Ready For Prime Time?
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Are You More of an Audiophile or Videophile?
Vote
Scott Wilkinson • Jun 01, 2012 • Published: Dec 31, 1969 • 19 comments
I've never considered myself an audiophile. Don't get me wrong—I deeply appreciate high-quality audio reproduction, and I know it when I hear it. But I've never seriously pursued the 2-channel hobby as exemplified in our sibling publication Stereophile. I believe this is because I've been a professional musician far longer than just about anything else in my life, and I spend so much time listening to live music that no reproduction system can compete in my ears.

On the other hand, I do consider myself a videophile—I spend hours calibrating my displays to meet the standards established by the industry, and I can't help noticing the smallest faults in a visual image. Of course, I also want my surround system to sound as good as possible—audio is at least half the home-theater experience, after all—so I carefully select and set up the audio components as well. But home theater is a fundamentally different experience than 2-channel music with no accompanying video.

What about you? Are you more of a 2-channel audiophile or home-theater videophile? Or do you pursue both hobbies about equally?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Are You More of an Audiophile or Videophile?
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