LATEST ADDITIONS

New Products
New Gear: iHome iP76 Color Changing Tower Speaker System
Michael Berk  |  Jul 19, 2012

We came across the new iHome iP76 ($199) at the CEA Line Shows earlier this month, the glowing, pulsing, three-foot-tall tower speaker seemed like the kind of thing you might see nestled beside some fancy tobacco smoking gear.

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Vintage Gear
Sony Trinitron Television
Steve Guttenberg  |  Jul 18, 2012
On April 15, 1968 Sony held a press conference in Japan to announce a new type of television, the Trinitron. The research team had just finished hand building ten prototypes, so they were shocked to hear Sony executives promising the TV would be in full production in less than six months! The very first Trinitron, the KV-1310, was in stores in October. A year later Trinitron came to the United States.
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Ears On
Micro Seiki: The Jewel in the Rack
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 18, 2012
Readers may already have noticed that my speaker and receiver reviews have begun name-checking a new reference signal source. It is a Micro Seiki BL-51 turntable. And it's a jewel. There isn't a single component in my rack that I don't respect and depend on. But the Micro Seiki I love-love-love. Let me tell you how and why I acquired it.

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Tech2
Dropping In on Bob Carver
Brent Butterworth  |  Jul 18, 2012

Whenever I drive the stretch of I-5 between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, I feel like Luke Skywalker sensing a powerful presence nearby. That’s because I know that just north of Seattle lives one of the true legends of the audio industry: Bob Carver, founder of Phase Linear, Carver Corporation, and Sunfire, and the pioneer of numerous audio technologies during his four-plus decades in the industry.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 120: Dave Duncan
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 17, 2012
Dave Duncan, Business Manager of DLP Cinema for Texas Instruments, explains the technology of Digital Light Processing, including the impossibly tiny moving mirrors on the surface of a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) chip, 3-chip versus single-chip designs, and switching speed. Other topics include the transition from film to digital projection in commercial cinema, 2K versus 4K, 3D, high frame rates, alternative illumination sources such as lasers and LEDs, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 57:12

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Turntable Reviews
Test Report: Rega RP6 Turntable
Brent Butterworth  |  Jul 17, 2012

It’s a ritual. You hear audiophiles claim how great vinyl sounds, but you never quite buy into it. Then you finally hear your first good turntable, and you’re hooked. In my case, it was a Rega Planar 3, demo’d by Sound+Vision contributing writer Ken Korman. Back in 1991, I spent an evening at Ken’s checking out old sides by the likes of Miles Davis and Todd Rundgren, in each case marveling at how different the sound was from the CD.

The reason many audiophiles get their start with a Rega is that Regas deliver above-average performance at below-average prices. The new RP6 is a great example.

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Headphone Amp/DAC ReviewsAccessory Reviews
Test Report: Parasound Zphono-USB Phono Preamp
Brent Butterworth  |  Jul 17, 2012

There’s some debate among vinylphiles about whether USB phono preamps need to exist, but I for one am glad they do. When I bring home my latest haul of vinyl from Amoeba Records, I love being able to plug a laptop straight into my NAD PP 3 to make quick MP3s of albums I like so I can listen to them on my smartphone. (Sacrilege!) It’s easier than making an analog connection, and it bypasses the lousy analog-to-digital converter built into my laptop.

With the Zphono-USB, Parasound brings new versatility and features to the USB phono pre concept.

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Bookshelf Speaker Reviews
Speakers AlFresco
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 17, 2012
Audio is not supposed to be fun. That’s why outdoor speakers are a terrible idea. Music is meant to be enjoyed in an acoustically perfect room by a single person sitting in the sweet spot. While you listen, it might be permissible to reverently handle a gatefold album jacket or dutifully edit metadata to make it absolutely perfect. But it is not permissible to swim, soak up the sun, watch the kids play with the dog, pour daiquiris from a pitcher, or hobnob with neighbors. Above all, it is never socially acceptable to barbecue while listening to music. If you are a morally upright audiophile, you may safely assume the rest of this story will be in the same vein. Go now. Retreat to your music library while I discipline the riffraff.
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Audio Video News
Coming Attractions
HT Staff  |  Jul 17, 2012
ACCELL ULTRAAV 5x1 HDMI SWITCH

Got four or five HDMI components but only a couple of HDMI inputs on your TV or projector? No problem. Accell’s UltraAV lets you manually switch between up to five HDMI sources using buttons on its front panel or the supplied remote control. If you prefer autopilot, the switcher will detect the active input and switch to it automatically. Resolutions up to 1080p are supported, and maximum throughput is 6.75 Gbps.

Bonus Booster: A built-in signal repeater regenerates the audio/video signal, allowing it to be shuttled over a cable up to 49 feet long—perfect for when your component stack is on the other side of a huge room or tucked away in a basement closet. Price: $90

Accell • (877) 353-0772 • accellcables.com

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Signals
Bye Bye, Best Buy?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 17, 2012

Gee, who could have predicted this? The Internet is creating entirely new industries, and decimating others. Big-box electronics retailer Best Buy is among the latest bricks and mortar companies to be decimated by the web.

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