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Da-Lite JKP Affinity Screen
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2008

Video guru Joe Kane was demonstrating the Samsung SP-A800B projector that he helped design (review forthcoming), but it wasn't on a Stewart screen as usual. Instead, he was using a new screen material he developed with Da-Lite. Dubbed JKP Affinity (JKP = Joe Kane Productions), the new material is exceedingly flat with no diffusing granules as on many types of projection screens. This is said to improve flat-field uniformity and depth of modulation by reducing light scatter, leading to greater detail and contrast because adjacent areas of the image don't interfere with each other. The current material has a gain of 0.9 and should be available in a few weeks. The demo was impressive indeed, with exceptional detail and uniformity; can't wait to shine my light on one.

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Premiere Design
Dan D'Agostino Momentum Monoblock Power Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 07, 2010
Audiophiles know well the name Dan D'Agostino, who co-founded Krell in 1980 and served as its chief engineer for 30 years. After selling the company in 2009, this audio legend started a new one—Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems—whose first fruit is the Momentum monoblock power amp, which will debut at CES next month.
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Premiere Design
Dared DV-6C Multichannel Hybrid Integrated Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 11, 2010
As I was researching my blog about the Flagship tube-based monoblock amps from a Chinese company using the brand name Dared, I came across this unusual item. The DV-6C is a 6-channel integrated amp with a tube-based, class-A input stage and a solid-state, class-D output stage.
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Premiere Design
Dared Flagship Monoblock Power Amps
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 09, 2010
With just about everything being made in China these days—including high-end audio gear from companies based in other countries—it seems inevitable that native manufacturers would join the party. Founded in 1995, Shenzhen Danyigao Audio Equipment Limited uses the trademark Dared to brand its tube-based electronics, including the Flagship Series DV-805 and DV-845 single-ended monoblock amps, whose model numbers indicate the specific tube on which each is based.
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Dark Dreams
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 06, 2008  |  Published: Sep 07, 2008

Fred already posted a photo of SpeakerCraft's Pod City booth, but he didn't tell you about the amazing performance presented therein thrice daily. Resembling Cirque du Soleil, this LA-based troupe is called Lucent Dossier, and the story they told was one of dark dreams, zombie tap-dancing gone awry, and evil flying monkey men seduced by a beautiful belly dancer. You really had to be there…

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Premiere Design
dCS Puccini CD/SACD Player
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 23, 2010

I first heard about British high-end manufacturer dCS many years ago when I read a white paper from the company extolling the audible virtue of PCM digital audio recorded and played back at 192kHz with 24-bit resolution. Since then, it seems that dCS has embraced DSD—the digital-audio format used by SACD—in its CD/SACD playback systems, including the all-in-one Puccini.

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Premiere Design
DCS Scarlatti CD/SACD Playback System
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 26, 2010
Last month, I profiled the Puccini CD/SACD player from British dCS, an all-in-one package and the company's least-expensive audio-disc spinner at a mere $18,000. At the other end of the scale is the Scarlatti, a 3-box system that costs—well, a lot more.
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Premiere Design
Defining Moment
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 21, 2009

I've always loved <A href="http://www.tannoy.com">Tannoy</A> speakers&#151;in fact, I've used a pair of NFM-8 near-field monitors in my home recording studio for many years. And I'm not alone&#151;many pro studios, especially in England, use Tannoys as reference monitors. But the company also makes exceptional consumer speakers, including the new Definition line.

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CES 2011
DEG Awards
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 08, 2010

One of the highlights of CES for me is the DEG (Digital Entertainment Group) awards event, at which content providers, hardware manufacturers, and retailers are recognized for their excellence and innovation. There are three awards for hardware&#151;Sight (video displays), Source (Blu-ray players and the like), and Sound (electronics and speakers). As a side note, I've suggested more than once to the DEG that the Sound category should be split into two&#151;Sound (electronics) and Speakers. Otherwise, one or the other type of product goes unrecognized each year, yet both are essential for a complete home-entertainment experience.

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DEG Awards
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2011
One of the highlights of CES for me is the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) awards event, at which content providers, hardware manufacturers, and retailers are recognized for their excellence and innovation. There are three awards for hardware—Sight (video displays), Source (Blu-ray players and the like), and Sound (electronics and speakers). As a side note, I've suggested more than once to the DEG that the Sound category should be split into two—Sound (electronics) and Speakers. Otherwise, one or the other type of product goes unrecognized each year, yet both are essential for a complete home-entertainment experience.

This year, the award for Sight went to the Panasonic TC-P50VT25 3D plasma, while the selected source device was the Panasonic DMP-BDT100 3D Blu-ray player, and the Sound award went to the Sony STR-DA5600ES AVR. I'm honored to be included in the panel of judges for these awards, and all three of this year's winners received my vote.

Among software titles, Lost: The Complete Collection won for best TV on disc, while Avatar Extended Collector's Edition took the theatrical category. The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story won for best music title, and the best catalog title was The Sound of Music 45th Anniversary Edition. Life (narrated by David Attenborough) was picked as the non-theatrical title of the year, and Disney's A Christmas Carol snagged the 3D Title of the Year award.

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