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Projection Screens, 3D AVRs, HDMI Cables
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 14, 2010
Diamonds Are a Light's Best Friend
I am installing a new home theater, starting with a Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector, and I wonder about which screen to use. I would like a 16:9 or 2.35:1 screen. The room has some ambient light, but it can be made totally dark. What do you think of the Screen Innovations Black Diamond II? I have seen some YouTube videos about it, and it really looks great, but I wonder if it's worth the high price?
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Premiere Design
Wavac SE-833 Monoblock Power Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 14, 2010

As I was looking for products to profile in this blog, I came across something astonishing - a tube-based monoblock power amp that costs $350,000/pair! Hand-built by Japanese boutique maker Wavac Audio Lab, the SH-833 isn't new - it was reviewed in Stereophile in 2004 - but when I saw that price tag, I knew I had to include it here.

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Premiere Design
Magico Ultimate II Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 14, 2010

When I ran across the Ultimate II speaker from Magico, I knew I had to profile it here - hey, the name says it all! This 5-way, horn-loaded monster stands 7.5 feet tall and weighs 800 pounds, and from all reports I've read, it sounds just as impressive as it looks.

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Audio Video News
Comcast Goes Multi-Room
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 14, 2010
Comcast now offers multi-room recording and playback with the new AnyRoom DVR.
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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 26: Michael Fremer
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 13, 2010  |  First Published: Jul 14, 2010
The inimitable Michael Fremer, senior contributing editor for Stereophile and contrinbuting editor for Home Theater, waxes rhapsodic about the value of vinyl records, his work as soundtrack supervisor on the original Tron movie, answers to listener questions, and more.

Run Time: 56:04

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Audio Video News
Samsung rolls out a few new 3D Blu-ray players
SV Staff  |  Jul 13, 2010
Samsung is quietly updating its line of 3D-capable Blu-ray Disc players, replacing the company's BD-C6900 and offering a wider selection of players. At the top of the pile is the BD-C7900, sporting two HDMI outs. Under it is the BD-C6800, a...
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Premiere Design
True Stereo: Forget 5.1--How About 304.8?
Scott Wilkinson,  |  Jul 13, 2010
Most consumers would probably apply the word "stereo" exclusively to 2-channel audio systems. So you might be surprised to learn that "stereo" has nothing to do with the number 2 per se—it derives from the Greek word for "solid." The word was applied to 2-channel sound systems when they first became available because those systems rendered a much more "solid" sonic image with more specific placement of individual elements (instruments, voices, etc.) than the monaural systems that had preceded them. Similarly, 5.1 surround systems are far more "stereo" than 2-channel systems.
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Panasonic 3D Briefing
 |  Jul 13, 2010

Tom Norton and I must have very bad traffic karma. After Wednesday's slog to Sony Pictures Studios for the Sony 3D Launch, we faced a similar hurdle yesterday on the Ventura Freeway as we made our way to a 3D briefing from Panasonic at the Hotel Intercontinental in Century City. Fortunately, it wasn't as far as the Sony event, and I had a few alternate routes up my sleeve, so we made our appointment on time.

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Premiere Design
Red Dragon Leviathan Signature Monoblock Power Amp
 |  Jul 13, 2010

Founded in 2005, Utah-based Red Dragon Audio is dedicated to class-D power-amp technology. It's flagship product is the Leviathan Signature monoblock, which is designed to look - and feel - as good as it sounds.

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Premiere Design
JL Audio Gotham g213 Powered Subwoofer
 |  Jul 13, 2010

Everyone knows that subwoofers are an essential part of just about any home theater in order to rattle your bones with explosions, rocket launches, and dinosaur roars. But they must also be capable of reproducing - and differentiating - the lowest musical notes in the movie's score. Among the most well-regarded practitioners of both tasks is JL Audio, especially its flagship Gotham g213.

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