Robert Deutsch

<I>Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Andr&#233; the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Peter Falk. Directed by Rob Reiner. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1. 98 minutes. 1987. MGM 1002362. PG. $29.08.</I>

For the benefit of those who find it difficult to keep straight all the different manufacturers whose names begin with "Audio," Audio Refinement is the brand name of YBA's affordable line of electronics. YBA itself&mdash;if you're really out of the loop&mdash;is probably the best-known manufacturer of audio equipment in France. YBA is a family business, the initials standing for the name of the designer, Yves-Bernard Andr&#233;, whose wife, Ariane Morin, is the company's CEO.

I have to admit that what first attracted me to the SSP-300 was not the fact that it's made by Class&#233;, one of the top names in high-end audio, nor its sleek, elegant appearance, wide range of features, or even its THX Ultra II certification. No, it was that most superficial of features: the front panel LCD display!

As faithful readers with good memories will recall, I reported that after checking out various DLP and LCD projectors, I settled on the Marantz VP-12S2 as providing the best overall performance, and bought one to serve as a reference in my home theater system. (See my "Take 2" of the VP-12S2 in the November 2003 issue, and the sidebar in my review of the Primare SP31.7 and A30.5 Mk.II in January 2004; see also Peter Putman's original review of the VP-12S2 in May 2003.) For the past year I've been enjoying the VP-12S2 a great deal, and whenever I saw demos of DLP or LCD projectors at shows and dealers, I felt ever so slightly smug that the picture quality I was getting at home was better.