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New ProductsPremiere Design
Steinway Lyngdorf S-15 Speaker System
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 23, 2017
It’s not new but Steinway Lyngdorf’s S-15 remains stunning in its aesthetic and technical design. Visually, this tiny treasure has little in common with your garden-variety box speaker—nor should it, considering its pedigree. For starters, it’s 10 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and only 3 inches thick—or about a half-inch wider and an inch thicker than the 1997 Webster’s New World College Dictionary collecting dust on a shelf in my office.
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Stewart Projection Screens
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 03, 2010

Photo courtesy Surround Sounds, Perth, Australia

If you've been reading about home theater for any length of time, you've probably heard of Stewart Filmscreen, a family-owned company that represents the lion's share of the consumer and commercial projection-screen market. Its product range is vast, so I'll focus on three high-end home-oriented offerings—CineCurve, Director's Choice 2.0, and StarGlas.

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Studio Electric Type Two Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 27, 2010

If you've ever seen photos of the 1939 New York World's Fair, you might recognize the inspiration for these Art Deco-esque speakers from American boutique maker <A href="http://www.studio-electric.com">Studio Electric</A>. With a design based on the Trylon and Perisphere, two signature buildings at the fair, the Type Two is handcrafted from stainless steel and aluminum by master metalsmith <A href="http://electronluv.com">Josh Stippich</A>.

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Sweet Space
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 10, 2010

The transition from monaural to two-channel stereo in the 1930s is undoubtedly one of the most important innovations in the history of recorded and reproduced sound. The idea first came to Alan Blumlein when he went to the movies, which had only recently been enhanced with synchronized audio.

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SWSpeakers Magic Flute Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 07, 2010

Of all the various types of audio and video products, speakers seem to offer the most potential for design variation. Case in point&#151;the Magic Flute from Swedish maker <A href="http://www.swspeakers.com">SWSpeakers</A>.

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Symbol Audio Modern Record Console
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 31, 2013
Visions of the Zenith (yes, Zenith) hi-fi console in the living room of my childhood home filled my head when I saw the Modern Record Console (MRC). The Zenith was simple in design with an AM/FM tuner and turntable under the lift-up top of a luxurious walnut cabinet with louvered speaker grilles. My parents listened to Herb Alpert and Dionne Warwick while I obsessed over Abbey Road, the album that launched my LP collection. My parents tolerated it—maybe even secretly liked it. Ah, but I digress…
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T+A E-Series Music Receiver
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 26, 2011
Founded in 1978, German maker T+A is well-known for high-performance, high-value audio products. New to the company's E-Series is the Music Receiver, which combines the other two products in that series—the Power Plant integrated amp and Music Player CD/digital-file source—into one chassis.
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TAD Reference One & CR1 Speakers
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 14, 2010
Technical Audio Devices, more commonly known as TAD, is a separately incorporated subsidiary of Pioneer Electronics known for high-end consumer, commercial, and professional audio products. On the consumer side are two exceptional speakers—the flagship Reference One and the new compact CR1.
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New ProductsPremiere Design
Teac AI-503 USB DAC/Integrated Amplifier
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 10, 2017
As much as it might look like it, this is not your father’s long lost amplifier—the one you remember sitting on a rack in the den next to the Dual turntable and AR-3s—recently discovered in a remote corner of the attic. Nope, behind those vintage VU meters is a thoroughly modern USB DAC/integrated amp designed for the post-analog age or, more specifically, the Age of Hi-Res Audio. Simply put, Teac’s mission with the compact AI-503 is to preserve the fine details and nuances of your carefully curated music collection, whether you’re pulling tunes off your home network, a USB thumb drive, or a digital audio player.
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The 4K Revolution
Rob Sabin  |  Dec 20, 2011
When the Federal Communications Commission approved the ATSC digital broadcast standard in December 1996, most consumers shrugged as the pundits (us at Home Theater included) heralded the greatest advance in television since the introduction of color in the 1950s. Time has proven us right. With six times the detail of standard-definition video, HDTV has been both a revelation and a revolution. For those who care about picture quality, one quick look was enough to know the world had changed, and we were never going back.
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The Art of iPod
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 27, 2010

It seems as if high-end iPod docks are all the rage these days. Take, for example, the Art.Station from the <A href="http://www.dwcollection.com">David Wiener Collection</A>.

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The Art of Music
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 12, 2009

Lately in this blog, I've been concentrating on speakers with astronomical prices, which is loads of fun. But it's certainly possible to enjoy exceptional sound without spending six or seven figures. Take, for example, the new top-dog Klimt series from Austrian speaker manufacturer <A href="http://www.viennaacoustics.at">Vienna Acoustics</A>.

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The Cat's Meow
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 02, 2009

Normally in this blog, I profile a specific product or product line that can be considered "ultimate" in one way or another. But when it comes to a California company called <A href="http://www.catmbx.com">CAT MBX</A>, this approach doesn't work so well. An offshoot of California Audio Technology, CAT MBX designs and builds ultimate home theaters from scratch, customizing the speakers, electronics, and projection system for each venue. The company's "product" is the entire theater, which is unique for each client.

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The Fat Lady Sings
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 19, 2009

In 1975, Meir Mordechai had a dream&#151;to create the perfect speaker. Since then, his Israeli company, <A href="http://www.morelhifi.com">Morel</A> (short for Mordechai Electronics), has developed a wide variety of innovative drivers as well as finished speakers. Its latest flagship is the Fat Lady, named in reference to the famous saying, "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings."

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New ProductsPremiere Design
The French Connection: La Boite Cube
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 01, 2015
If you’re French, you don’t just build a speaker, you build a French speaker—one that takes design seriously. So seriously that you might end up with a speaker that looks nothing at all like a traditional (boring) speaker. La Boite Concept made a name for itself in Europe with the imaginative High-Fidelity Laptop Dock, a small desk featuring an integral sound system and high-quality USB DAC. The Cube is an extension of that concept that would seem to be ideally suited for small living spaces.
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