Tom Norton

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CEDIA 2009
Is 3D Coming Soon
Tom Norton  |  Sep 11, 2009  |  1 comments
Panasonic certainly thinks so. While there is currently no standard for home 3D, a consortium of companies is working on one, and according to Panasonic reps a decision is expected before the January CES. That means we could see product and software within a year. The companies are pushing for a standard that will produce full 1080p resolution to both eyes using sequential frames and active shutter glasses--though I would expect to see some scalability based on price. But you will need a new TV and 3D Blu-ray player to take full advantage of it (HDMI 1.4 will be required).
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CES 2010
Is Energy a Mirage?
Tom Norton  |  Jan 07, 2010  |  1 comments
A few years back the maker of Energy and Mirage speakers, Audio Products International, was bought by Klipsch. Then a company celled Gentec International gobbled up all three brands. Unfortunately, Energy and Mirage went through the succeeding years with little new of interest to the serious audiophile. A shame, because the Energy Veritas v2.8 from 1994 remains one of my all time favorite (and underappreciated speakers). I still own a pair and although they were never ready for home theater (a matching center channel was never made for the original Veritas'). I break them out every time I need a (still excellent) 2-channel referenced. That's not often these days, but as little as time as they get in my listening room they aren't going anywhere.
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CES 2009
Is it Thin Enough?
Tom Norton  |  Jan 11, 2009  |  0 comments
If the above Panasonic plasma isn't thin enough for you, this one-third of an inch-thick prototype might fit the bill. But the above design is closer to production.
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It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a
Tom Norton  |  May 12, 2007  |  0 comments

Lipinski Sound had an audio/video system consisting of five of its L-707 monitor speakers ($2495 each), five L-301 Lipinski amplifiers ($2995 each, set up in 2-channel, 300Wpc mode for bi-amping each L-707 speaker, but also bridgeable), and four L-240 Powered Stands ($595 each), each of them (apart from the center) designed to house one of the L-301 amps. This placed the amplification just a little over a foot from its associated speaker. The total cost of the power amp/speaker combination: $35,035. Building the amps into the speaker stands is a great idea that more manufacturers might want to consider.

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It's a Classic
Tom Norton  |  Jun 04, 2006  |  0 comments

The folks from, Classic Records did announce new LP releases, as described by FM below. But they also announced the release of six new, audio only, 24-bit/96kHz DVDs (they call them HDADs). Playable on most DVD machines, these classical recordings originate from the old Everest label and were originally recorded on 35mm magnetic film. The photo shows the LP of one of them, but the cover art on the HDADs (which will be available this summer) should be the same. The kicker here is that the original recordings were 3-channel (left, right, center) and the same three discrete channels will be recorded on the discs. (RCA has provided enthusiasts with a similar service in their SACD releases of classic 3-channel recordings.)

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CES 2010
It's a Wrap
Tom Norton  |  Jan 12, 2010  |  3 comments
CES 2010 is now just a memory, but hopefully not a fading one. On my last day or two I saw a few things that I couldn't get posted while still in Vegas. IDT, the company that now owns the HQV Reon video processing technology, showed a number of interesting new technologies. The most intriguing was a small, nondescript box (no wasted funds on here on cosmetics!) that can perform all the Reon video processing functions, including deinterlacing, upconverting, and noise reduction, plus flesh tone correction&$151;the latter said to be more sophisticated than the flesh tone correction offered in some televisions. No decision yet as to whether it will be marketed under IDT's own brand name or by a third party. The price could be as low as under $100, which would be a huge plus for those whose HDTVs have mediocre built-in video processing.
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CES 2010
It's About Time
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2010  |  Published: Jan 10, 2010  |  0 comments
Though I've covered only a fraction of the rooms at the Venetian so far, with a day to go, my favorite rooms today were the Thiel (above) and the Avalon, where the new Avalon Times were making terrific sounds, driven by monoblock power amps from Jeff Rowland. The Time employs two 11" Nomex-Kevlar composite woofers, a 3.5" concave Ceramic Dome midrange, and a 1" concave Diamond diaphragm tweeter. The Thiel and Avalon systems could not have soundxed more different (Thiel leaner, Avalon warmer and richer) but both flattered a wide range of the music I tried on them. The Avalons, however, will cost you a lot more, at $49,000/pair -- and the fijnish shown is a $4000 option!
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Jacks on the Side
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2007  |  0 comments

Apart from the slim profile of the new Samsung RPTVs, one feature caught my eye: the jacks are side mounted for easy access.

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CEDIA 2011
JBL and the Fives
Tom Norton  |  Sep 11, 2011  |  2 comments
JBL showed, but did not demonstrate, its new Studio 5 series. Intriguingly styled, with the tweeter horn cleverly incorporated into the cabinet structure, it consists of 5 models: the Studio 530 bookshelf ($689/pr), the Studio 580 tower with dual 6.5-inch woofers ($899 each), the Studio 590 with dual 8-inch woofers ($1119 each), the Studio 520C center, and the Studio 550P sub ($689).
JBL Control Now
Tom Norton  |  Sep 05, 2008  |  0 comments
JBL's Control Now all weather speaker comes in the form of a quarter circle. Use one as is, or two on the wall as shown, or four as a full omni donut. Comes in sugared (white) or chocolate (black).
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