Fred Manteghian

It's not often I get a chance to have Dave Wilson himself conduct a demonstration of his latest creation. In this case, it's the Wilson Watt Puppy VIII. That's more incarnations than a Rocky movie, but after 14,000 pairs sold, the Watt Puppy is an icon that some love and some don't. I found the pair I heard many generations ago (I want to say 1998) too incisive and too insistent. The new VIII are much more inviting without losing a bit of the detail I remember as that speaker's forte. Dave himself seems to have mellowed. With top of the line Audio Research electronics, he kept the music down to realistic – not bombastic – levels. New are the tweeter, taken from their much larger Maxx speakers, new M3 cabinet material (a carefully prepared laminate product more than 10 times the cost of more typical MDF) and a 20 lb weight reduction (which of course translates to better gas mileage). A five song demo, starting with the a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and culminating in Art Garfunkle syrupy version of the song made famous by Johnny Mathis, "I've only got eyes for you," left me wishing we could practically review the speakers in a home theater environment. Better yet, seek them out and have a listen for yourself. They were simply wonderful.

Sony also announced new Bravia LCD flat panel televisions. The new Bravia V-series LCD panels come in 40" and 46" sizes, with full 1920 x 1080p resolution. The more upscale Bravia XBR3 series, featuring the same screen sizes and resolutions as the V-Series, incorporates Sony's new Digital Reality Engine version 2.5 with increased computational power. The XBR3 Bravia line also feature an ATSC tuner for over the air high definition reception. Both the standard and XBR3 Bravias feature a new BRAVIA Engine Pro video processing system especially designed for high-definition signals. Approximate pricing for the upscale KDL-46XBR3 and KDL-40XBR3 models which ship in September will be $5,300 and $4,300, respectively. A nearly identical XBR2 line is available for $300 less in each respective model. It offers the same features but with replacable color bezels, seeming designed for the custom installation market.

Yup, the U.S. of A. Love it or leave it, we're the country everyone wants to break into, not out of. Although if I ever end another sentence in a preposition, I'll agree to be expelled. People from other countries used to say the streets of America were paved in gold. Now they think there's a home theater in every house.

Last Sunday I blasted Philips for their technology initiatives to confute the human instinct for avoiding unpleasantness in all its forms (i.e. lame TV commercials) in my blog called
<a href="http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/fredmanteghian/042306Philips/" target=new>The Perfect Philips Screwdriver</a>. Apparently, the company did have a statement on their website that I had not been able to find that sought to "clarify" the issue from Philips point of view (thank you Gary Kaye of rave.com for finding it). I don't know about you, but I'm sick of companies and politicians trying to cover up their poo in fragrant roses. I'm going take a few minutes to rub their noses in it.