Tom Norton

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CES 2009
The Egg and I
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments
Here's as closer view of the satellite in the systse described above. That's a ring radiator tweeter you see here, a tweeter design that's been popular in new speaker systems over the past couple of years.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Good Shepherd (HD DVD Combo Disc)
Tom Norton  |  Apr 09, 2007  |  1 comments

I'm not sure how you write a screenplay designed to show the origins if the CIA and its operations up to and including the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961. But I'm reasonably certain that no one in Hollywood has an inside track to the straight story, despite research into volumes full of speculation and unverifiable leaks. The true history of the CIA and the details of its operation are not exactly found in the public library or on the Internet, and for good reasons.

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The High End
Tom Norton  |  Sep 05, 2008  |  Published: Sep 06, 2008  |  0 comments
Esoteric audio also wowed them at CEDIA.
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CES 2012
The Insight of Wisdom
Tom Norton  |  Jan 15, 2012  |  0 comments
Wisdom launched several new in-wall speaker systems that would be well-suited to a home theater setting, particularly one using a perforated screen. The demoed units were the P4i ($1500 each) and L8i ($5000 each). While neither could match the sheer majesty of the Wisdom LS4s, both of them (with a smaller Wisdom subwoofer) provided sound of a quality I never thought possible from small in-walls,m with none of the usual in-wall colorations. One caveat here is that the temporary walls used in the demonstration may not be typical of real walls, either in the size of their internal cavities (the Insights do not use a backbox) or in rigidity and lack of resonances (the walls here appeared to be made of MDF, not the sheetrock of most residential construction).
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Last Starfighter
Tom Norton  |  Sep 20, 2007  |  Published: Sep 21, 2007  |  1 comments

I confess to a serious weakness for <I>The Last Starfighter</I>. Even by 1984 standards, the year of its release, it wasn't a great science fiction film. But there is something immensely appealing in its old-fashioned innocence.

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CES 2009
The LG Tuba Sub
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments
Shown here is the subwoofer that goes with the prototype LG audio system described above. The "tuba sub" name is my idea.
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The Outlaw Bookshelf
Tom Norton  |  May 11, 2007  |  11 comments

Outlaw has also jumped into the full-range speaker business with its recently introduced Outlaw Bookshelf Speaker ($1000/pair (in black, $1100/pair in cherry, available now). It employs a 5.25" woofer-midrange and 1" silk-dome tweeter, both of them sourced from an unnamed but well-known Scandinavian driver manufacturer. The Bookshelf is shown here with the new Outlaw LCR Speaker. More on the LCR in the following report.

While the new Outlaw speakers use imported parts, they are assembled and tested in the U.S. (If you're wondering, the model designations are simply the Outlaw Bookshelf Speaker and the Outlaw LCR Speaker. Like all Outlaw products, they are available only on-line.)

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The Outlaws Ride Again
Tom Norton  |  Jun 03, 2006  |  1 comments

With a rack of their familiar gear driving top-of-the-line Atlantic Technologies speakers plus <I>four</I> Outlaw subwoofers, those scoundrels were stealing another show with the best home theater demo at HE 2006. And even if there had been more than three serious home theater demos at the show, they probably still be laughing all the way away from the bank.

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CES 2009
The Pod People
Tom Norton  |  Jan 08, 2009  |  0 comments
The folks from Scandyna bring you these cute little critters. Should have called them Papa bear, Mama bear, and Baby bear.
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The Power of the Krell
Tom Norton  |  May 11, 2007  |  Published: May 12, 2007  |  0 comments

Freddie G. beat me to the punch on the new Krell speakers, but they're worth a few extra words. At $35,000/pair the Modulare Duos are hardly cheap, but Krell's charter has always been cutting edge design, not designing to a price point. Based on the sound I heard from their two-channel setup in a relatively large demo room (plenty big enough for a home theater demo—helpful hint for next year!?) they are definitely cutting edge. I'm sure the Krell electronics used to drive them weren't hurting the overall result, either. Their pricey Scandinavian drivers and solid aluminum enclosures might just have been making the best sound I will hear at the show, though it's still too early to go that far. A lot of rooms are yet to be visited.

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