Bob Ankosko

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Audio Video News
Questioning the Internet of Things
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 21, 2015
Forgetting for a moment about security risks associated with the rise of the Internet of Things—a world in which every imaginable device, from your TV and wireless music system to your refrigerator and sprinkler system, is online gathering and exchanging data—Forbes raises a thought-provoking question:
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New ProductsPremiere Design
Reaching Nirvana: Pioneer SE-MASTER1 Headphone
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 27, 2016
When I picked up Pioneer’s SE-MASTER1 headphone at CEDIA Expo in October, I knew it was special. Substantial yet lightweight and exceptionally well crafted with scrupulous attention to detail, right down to the contoured ear cushions and engraved serial number. (Sorry, S/N 00001 is already spoken for.) If you were to crack open the ear cups, you’d find the same commitment to excellence in the form of a highly refined ceramic-coated aluminum diaphragm surrounded by a ribbed ring, designed to reduce distortion, all framed in a sturdy aluminum alloy to minimize resonance.
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Premiere Design
Remaking a Classic: The B&W 800 D3 Speaker
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 28, 2016
My first encounter with B&W’s coveted 800 Series speakers is ingrained in my memory. It was the summer of 1981 and a musician friend invited me over to see and hear his newly acquired pair of 801s. As I entered the rehearsal space in his finished basement, I remember thinking how unusual they looked compared with my boxy Fishers. Minutes later I was sinking into a cushy chair at the apex of a triangle formed with the speakers, listening to the White album feeling that I had somehow been transported into the studio during the making of a great album. The sound was authentic. I felt closer to the music—music that was very special to me. Today, more than three decades after John Bowers proudly unveiled the original 801 in 1979, B&W has reinvented its flagship under the aegis of Martial Rousseau, head of research. Here Rousseau shares the story behind the remaking an iconic speaker.
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Audio Video News
Remembering 9/11
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 11, 2017
Sixteen years ago today I was sitting in my office in midtown at the north end of Times Square working on my editorial for the November 2001 issue...
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Audio Video News
Remembering Yes Co-Founder Chris Squire
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 02, 2015
“An individualist in an age when it was possible to establish individuality, Chris fearlessly staked out a whole protectorate of bass playing in which he was lord and master.” —Bill Bruford

Jon Davison called him “the Jimi Hendrix of the Bass Guitar.” Perfect. It had been years since I listened to Fragile but on a recent cross-country road trip I hit play and reveled in this remarkable work, struck once again by the complex, driving bass lines that defined the sound of Yes. Chris Squire was unique and is irreplaceable. I can’t imagine the band—in any form—going on without him.

Yes fan or not, find time to sit down and listen to Fragile as a complete work, from start to finish, on a good system. Play it loud. Be inspired. R.I.P, Chris.

Band mates remember Chris…

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Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Retro Elegance: Klipsch Three Wireless Music System
Bob Ankosko  |  May 25, 2017

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $400

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impeccable fit and finish
Streaming via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Excellent sound
Solid bass
Remote control
Minus
App could be more intuitive
Wish there was a display window

THE VERDICT
The Three melds retro style with modern sound in a beautifully crafted tabletop stereo.

I’m not gonna lie. When I first saw a press photo of the Three, I was immediately taken with its elegant retro styling—the wraparound grille, the walnut top…those copper control knobs. I wanted one.

Evoking what Klipsch calls the “mid-century” design legacy of its late founder Paul W. Klipsch, the Three boasts impeccably finished walnut panels, a knit grille, and a copper strip with two knobs—one for volume, the other for source selection—plus something you don’t expect to see on modern gear: a toggle switch. Positively retro. Behind the classic façade is a stereo pair of 2.25-inch drivers that flank a 5.25-inch woofer. Klipsch has also incorporated two 5.25-inch passive radiators—one on each end of the enclosure—to boost bass output.

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The S&V Interview
Reviving a Classic: The Rebirth of KLH Audio
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 16, 2023

15 Minutes with David P. Kelley, CEO of KLH Audio

The return of the KLH was big news at 2018 CES. Industry pundits and audio enthusiasts looked on with great interest and a little skepticism. Could the iconic brand cofounded by hi-fi pioneer Henry Kloss in 1957 be resurrected in a way that would pay homage to its founder? We recently caught up with David P. Kelley, who acquired the brand in 2017, to learn more about what the new KLH has accomplished since then and to get a preview of what’s on the horizon. Indeed, the future is bright as Kelley reveals plans for a new speaker built around the acoustic-suspension principles Henry Kloss made famous.

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CEDIA 2014
Revolution Acoustics Demonstrates Invisible Audio
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 11, 2014  |  Published: Sep 12, 2014
Make it disappear is a common refrain in the aisles and corridors of CEDIA Expo 2014. Montreal-based Revolution Acoustics is doing just that with an “invisible audio” system that uses a patented multifunction transducer less than 3 inches in diameter to produce sound. Attach the SSP6 Multiducer to the inside or outside of a wall and it energizes the entire surface to create what the company calls “whole-room sweet spots.”
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The S&V InterviewAudio Video News
Ridding the World of Bad Sound
Bob Ankosko  |  Mar 09, 2017

15 Minutes with Dirac Founder Mathias Johansson

Mathias Johansson, CEO and co-founder of Sweden’s Dirac Research, has devoted his professional life to developing technologies that improve sound quality—whether that sound is music heard over headphones or car speakers, or an intricate Dolby Atmos soundtrack played over a high-end home theater system. “Our passion is to invent new sound technologies that offer a better sound experience regardless of the sound system,” he says. “We want to be a quality seal for good sound, and we want to achieve this through scientific methods.” If the accolades the Dirac Live room-correction system has garnered among enthusiasts is any measure, Johansson is not only on the right path to elevating sound quality but making tangible progress.
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CES 2014
Ride Like the Wind
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 08, 2014
This gorgeously customized Harley, on display in the Diamond Audio booth at the 2014 CES, is enough to make a non-rider want to jump in the saddle and ride off into the sunset. Apart from its sheer beauty and the fact that it has a 12-speaker sound system powered by a single Diamond Audio Micro4 power amplifier, no one knew anything about the bike, and its owner was nowhere to be found when I stopped by the booth. I came back a second time and someone had put a placard on the seat that highlighted one other interesting fact about the sound system...
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