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Remote Attraction
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 06, 2008
The three subs in Velodyne’s new Optimum series come with remote controls that have a built-in magnet letting you stick the remote control on the back of the sub when you’re not using it. The adjustment controls and display, on the other hand, are located on the front where you can actually see them and get to them much easier than if they were on the back.
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Audio Video News
Remote Control Inventor Dies
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Feb 17, 2007
The man who made the life of the couch potato possible, Dr. Robert Adler, died of heart failure on Feb. 15 in Boise, Idaho at the age of 93.
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Remotely Possible
Researchers Use Quantum Entanglement to Create Wireless, “Invisible” Speakers
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Apr 01, 2013
Einstein disliked it, famously calling the phenomenon “spooky action at a distance”; but if a team of scientists at the Linear Research Particle Accelerator (LRPA) facility have their way, the bizarre effects of “quantum entanglement” could bring about loudspeakers that are both truly wireless and totally invisible.
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Rev Up Another Audioengine.
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 13, 2007
After winning a RAVE award from us at Home Theater Magazine, the folks at Audioengine showed off their newest speaker, the Audioengine 2. It's a smaller version than the $349 Audioengine 5. Like its bigger brother, the new speaker is powered and has dual analog inputs. It'll sell for $199 per pair, and the Audioengine folks say it should be available in about three weeks. Off to the side was a prototype of an Audioengine 5 with a cabinet made from solid bamboo that will be available in the near future for around $699.
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Accessory Reviews
Revolv Hub Home Automation Controller
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 02, 2014
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Seven radios built in
Extremely easy initial setup
Minus
Pricey next to other DIY automation hubs
Lacks some advanced programming features

THE VERDICT
The Revolv Hub is a powerhouse that looks to be relatively future-proof from a hardware standpoint. A great choice for a newbie.

Humble isn’t a word anyone would associate with Revolv and their distinctive, teardrop-shaped, little red smart-home controller—which the company calls, with uncharacteristic restraint, the Hub. In fact, this device is easily the flashiest and most recognizable of all the smart home gadgets around today.

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CEDIA 2013
Revolv Is One Hub to Rule Them All
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 27, 2013
Revolv’s Smart Home Solution is designed to easily bring together a variety of off-the-shelf devices such as the Sonos music system, Philips Hue wireless lighting, Yale automated locks, and thermostats into an automation system that’s extremely easy to set up and control with a single one simple smart device app.
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CES 2016Remotely Possible
Riva Waves Its Magic Multiroom Music WAND
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2016
Have you heard of Riva Audio? Yeah, me neither—until earlier this evening when I attended a press reception in the Riva Audio suite at the Westgate Hotel in the midst of all the craziness that is CES. Riva currently offers two extremely well-reviewed models of portable, rechargeable, Bluetooth speakers: the water-resistant Turbo S and the larger, more powerful Turbo X. (You can read Lauren Dragan’s review of the Turbo X here. But that’s just the beginning for the young company, because Riva plans to introduce a wireless, multiroom speaker ecosystem later this year.
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CES 2012
Rob Likes HiFi, Man
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 11, 2012
HiFiMAN invited numerous journalists to a press conference this morning, fed them a standard hotel buffet breakfast, and then explained why the company uses planar drivers in their over-the-ear headphones. EiC Rob Sabin shows why he will never be able to have a second career as a fashion model in the picture above - but the smile on his face does indicate the fact that the HE-400 over-the-ear headphones ($399) sounded pretty darn good. One benefit of the planar driver is that it does not require high voltages as an electrostatic driver would, which means its easier to drive with portable audio devices.

CES 2016Remotely Possible
Roost Makes Old-School Smoke Alarms Smart
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 06, 2016
Most battery-powered smoke detectors are designed to give a warning when the battery is running low, and that’s a good thing. On the other hand, it’s almost inevitable that your smoke detector will wait until the middle of the night before it starts emitting that purposely annoying chirp warning sound. The Roost Smart Battery For Smoke Alarms is a dead-simple, very affordable device that will prevent middle-of-the-night chirping and also add some smarts to your “dumb” smoke alarm.
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Remotely Possible
Roost’s RSA-400 Smart Smoke Alarm Stops Chirps, Sniffs Methane, and Saves Lives
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Nov 14, 2016  |  Published: Nov 15, 2016
I wish smoke alarms were sexier. Most of them are dull, white pucks that try to look as unobtrusive as possible. Even the squarish Nest Protect with the swirling perforation pattern on the cover isn’t something that most people will want to highlight as it hangs on the wall or ceiling. But there’s no doubt that smoke/carbon monoxide alarms save lives. The American Red Cross says that the organization’s Home Fire Campaign, which has “a goal to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries in the US by 25% by 2020” by getting more smoke alarms installed in more homes, has already demonstrably saved 111 lives in the short time since the program began in 2014. And since it’s recommended that you should check the working status of the smoke alarms in your home on the days when Daylight Saving Time begins and ends every year, it’s a good time to take a brief look at Roost’s brand new and—at $80 MSRP—nicely affordable RSA-400 Smart Smoke Alarm...

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