K<I>eir Dullea, William Sylvester, Gary Lockwood, Daniel Richter, Daniel Rain as the voice of HAL. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Aspect ratio: N/A widescreen. 5.1-channel Dolby Digital. Two layers. 139 minutes. 1968. MGM Home Entertainment 906309. Not rated. $29.95.</I>
<I>Directed by Chris Hilson. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround, PCM 16-bit/48kHz. Two DVDs. 180 minutes. 2001. Columbia Music Video C2D 54071. NR. $29.98.</I>
J<I>ames Taylor. Directed by Beth McCarthy. Aspect ratio: 4:3. Dolby Digital 5.1 and 24-bit/48 kHz, two-track PCM. 109 minutes. 1998. Columbia Music Video CVD 50171. NR. $24.95.</I>
V<I>al Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Kevin Dillon, Frank Whaley, Kathleen Quinlan. Directed by Oliver Stone. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (letterbox). Dolby Digital 5.1. 135 minutes. 1991. Live Entertainment 60451. Rated R. $29.95.</I>
<I>Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan, Barnard Hughes. Directed by Steven Lisberger. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1. Two discs. 96 minutes. 1982. Walt Disney Home Video 23569. PG. $29.99.</I>
Price: $6,850 At A Glance: 0 for looks • 11 on a 10 scale for sound • Smooooth air motion transformer tweeter
Although Berlin, Germany–based Adam Audio is a recent player in the American A/V marketplace, the company has produced passive and powered loudspeakers for both pro and home use for 11 years. The acronym ADAM stands for Advance Dynamic Audio Monitors. ADAM Audio USA entered the pro market here in 2002 and only recently began building a home audio distribution and sales network.
Never mind that the cabinets are made in Denmark and the driver technology is German and Danish—Aerial's latest speaker system is American in its size, scope, and reach-for-the-stars performance. It's meant to fill a big space with big sound.
Veteran speaker designer Carl Marchisotto has created many highly regarded 2-channel audiophile speakers over the years for his Acarian Systems brand. But the Napoleon mini home theater system is the first dedicated home theater speaker package from Acarian that I can recall, and the first I have reviewed for <I>SGHT</I>.
Price: $3,500 At A Glance: Enormous power output • Remarkably compact • Class D
Class D amplification has a narcotic-like hold on the audio electronics industry. These switching-mode designs mesmerize with a dazzling array of advantages: high efficiency, high power output, low weight, compact dimensions, and depending on implementation, enormous cost savings.
Though it's a relatively small company, UK-based Arcam has long been known to place heavy emphasis on R&D. When I visited the factory a few years ago, I was shown some of the impressive development work then in progress. This effort, said by Arcam to run well over $1 million, has resulted in some impressive new products, including the FMJ AV8 preamplifier-processor and its companion FMJ P7 power amp.