Tom Norton

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A Case of Projection
Tom Norton  |  Sep 03, 2008  |  0 comments
Panasonic has a new LCD video projector, the PT-AE3000. While it looks identical to its predecessor, the PT-AE2000, it includes a number of new features and enhanced specs. It now claims a dynamic range (peak contrast ratio) of 60,000:1, a light output of 1600 lumens. Features include 120Hz operation with the added frames interpolated (hopefully the interpolation can be turned off!). The most exciting feature is a Lens memory that can save different settings for zoom and focus so that you can do constant height projection on a 2.35:1 screen without using an anamorphic lens. $3500, in October.
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CEDIA 2012
A Good Day Regardless
Tom Norton  |  Sep 06, 2012  |  0 comments
While most of the booths may have been smaller, first day trafic at the show appeared to be good, though the wider isles made it seem less crowded than it might have otherwise.
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A Guy Named Joe
Tom Norton  |  Sep 05, 2008  |  0 comments
Now at last there's a CEDIA booth for the average Joe.
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CES 2012
A Long-Awaited Thiel Center
Tom Norton  |  Jan 12, 2012  |  0 comments
Two years ago I prodded for a new Thiel center channel to match the company's flagship CS3.7 speaker. Now it's here—or will be later this year. The MCS1.2 uses the same coaxial midrange-tweeter driver as the CS3.7, along with a pair of smaller, newly developed woofers. In addition to use with the CS3.7s, the MCS1.2 can also be used as left and right front speakers and/or surrounds. Pricing TBD.
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CEDIA 2010
A Procella is not a Mushroom
Tom Norton  |  Sep 27, 2010  |  0 comments
Procella is a relatively new speaker company to these shores, with headquarters in Los Angeles, Stockholm, and Sydney. Its speakers, apart from the surrounds, follow the professional, powered-speaker paradigm. That is, they are driven by on-board amps. The P815, for example (the two stacked cabinets on the left in the photo, for example, is bi-amplified with 700 x 2 watts of built-in, class-D power. That model sells for $10,000 each.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
A Scanner Darkly (HD DVD)
Tom Norton  |  Apr 09, 2007  |  1 comments

<I>A Scanner Darkly</I> may be animated, but take that R rating seriously. This is not a film for the kids. There isn't a furry animal in sight, and certainly no talking penguins.

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CES 2010
A TAD Big Amp
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2010  |  Published: Jan 10, 2010  |  0 comments
TAD's new monoblock power amp outputs 300W into 8 ohms and 600 watts into 6 ohms. What looks like an amp stand under the thick aluminum chassis is actually a cast iron piece of the amp's structure that houses some of the components and adds to the rigidity of the piece. Each $26,500 monoblock weighs in at 200 lbs.
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CES 2009
A TAD Small
Tom Norton  |  Jan 10, 2008  |  Published: Jan 11, 2008  |  1 comments

TAD has a new Compact Monitor under development, and while it's still a year or so away from commercial availability, it was on demo at this year's CES. Driven by prototypes of new TAD class A monoblock amplifiers (150Wpc into 8 ohms, 600WPC into 2 ohms), it sounded sensational, with the apparent ability to convincingly replicate the weight and power of a full symphony orchestra, an ability that escapes most loudspeakers.

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A TAD Spectacular
Tom Norton  |  Jan 11, 2007  |  6 comments

TAD showed off its new Reference One speaker (about $60,000/pair) with a variety of music, from 2-channel to SACD to open reel tape to multichannel. A planned demonstration of high resolution multichannel sound, without video, on Blu-ray disc didn't come off when mastering problems interferred, but the multichanel material, from Reference Recordings, was played from a standard DVD (in PCM) and sounded terrific.

The big tape deck visible in the photo is an old Technics RS 1500. A company called The Tape Project (www.thetapeproject.com) plans to issue a number of pre-recorded analog tapes in 15ips, half-track, two-channel. They will also sell refurbished Technics decks (estimated price about $8500).

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A Walk on the Budget Side
Tom Norton  |  May 12, 2007  |  Published: May 13, 2007  |  2 comments

There isn't a lot of budget gear at HE2007, but then the show has always trumpeted itself as a high-end show. New York dealer Sound by Singer had five rooms filled with increasingly expensive gear, but the first room was at least relatively real world, with a price of approximately $6000. The speakers were the JM Focal Chorus 836V floorstanders at $3000/pair. The electronics were from Cambridge Audio (the 840A integrated amp and 840C CD player, at $1500 each). The sound was very clean and well balanced. My only reservation: from a front row, center seat the imaging was a little bloated. But it was a fine-sounding system, and the step up to the next system in Sound by Singer's progressively more expensive chain of rooms was over $30,000. But that system was anchored by the JM Focal Electra 1037Be ($10,995/pair), one of the best sounding speakers I've heard at the show.

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