LG made headlines this past summer with the announcement that its 55-inch OLED TV would sell for $3,500. Not cheap, but a whopping 75 percent less than what its predecessor sold for. Then along came the 65EC9700, a TV capable of delivering lush OLED images in 4K resolution that sells for $10,000. LG made headlines again—this time for making television’s holy grail a reality. We spoke with Tim Alessi, director of new product development, for the story behind this inspiring 65-inch hybrid.
With the rise of digital-audio servers, the role of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) is becoming ever more important. Those who want the very best DAC might do well to consider the DaVinci from Light Harmonic.
Network music servers perform several distinct functionsacquiring and storing digital-audio files, managing and selecting what you want to listen to, streaming those files over a wired and/or wireless network, and receiving those files so the music can be played on a sound system. Most music-server products provide all these functions in an integrated system, but Scottish high-end long-timer Linn has taken a different approach. It's Digital Stream players, including the flagship Klimax DS, are strictly client devices that receive audio streams from the network and play them on any sound system.
I've seen plenty of horn-based speakers, but nothing like the Vox Olympian from British Living Voice. This magnificent monster is as much sculpture as it is speaker.
I've been waiting a long time for the SSP-800 surround preamp/processor from <A href="http://www.classeaudio.com">Classé</A>. Originally announced in May 2008 and scheduled for delivery in July of that year, this Canadian company's statement pre/pro is finally about to ship.
Founded in 1925, Luxman is one of Japan's oldest and most respected audio companies whose products are distributed in the US by On a Higher Note. Submitted for your consideration here is the mighty B-1000f monoblock, Luxman's flagship amp developed over 15 years for the company's 80th anniversary in 2005.
Based in Berkeley, California, Magico made a splash at CES with its new Q3 speaker, which is a slightly scaled-down version of the well-establishedand more expensiveQ5. But what makes the Q5 so special?
It’s not every day you come across a $36,000 subwoofer. That’s right, thirty-six big ones. That’s about as rare as finding a submonster with dual 18-inch drivers and a 6,000-watt digital amplifier housed in an enclosure made of aircraft-grade aluminum so robust that it can withstand internal sound-pressure levels of up to 175 decibels (akin to standing on the tarmac while a commercial jet takes off) with less than 1 percent the displacement of an ordinary enclosure.
When I ran across the Ultimate II speaker from <A href="http://www.magico.net">Magico</A>, 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.
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.
With the rise of satellite and Internet radio, you might think that terrestrial radio tuners are a thing of the pastbut you'd be wrong. Magnum Dynalab has been making FM tuners of distinction for over 25 years, culminating in the flagship MD 109.
I'm on a quest to find the most expensive audio cables in the world—not to buy, mind you, but just to see what the market will bear. From what I've learned so far, the leading candidates come from <A href="http://transparentcable.com">Transparent Audio</A>, whose Opus MM2 cables cost more than most automobiles, especially if you're buying enough to outfit an entire multichannel system.
D&M Holdings is the corporate umbrella under which both Denon and Marantz live, so it's no surprise that the flagship Denon DVD-A1UDCI (reviewed by Shane Buettner for Home Theater) and Marantz UD9004 universal disc players are both based on a common platform. So why is the Marantz $1500 more than the already very-expensive Denon?
Last week, I profiled the first power amp from Marten, which was introduced at CES in January. This Swedish maker is otherwise known for its high-end speakers, including the new Coltrane 2 that was also unveiled this year in Vegas.