Darryl Wilkinson

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In-Wall Speaker Reviews
Origin Acoustics Director D108 In-Ceiling Speaker Review
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Nov 05, 2015  |  1 comments

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $1,600 each, $14,400 as reviewed

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Tool-free twist-lock mounting
10-inch woofer fits an 8-inch cutout
Aimable tweeter and midrange
Minus
Requires 7.5 inches of mounting depth
Wants lots of power
Raised soundstage

THE VERDICT
No in-ceiling architectural speaker is perfect, but the D108 comes stunningly, spectacularly close.

Love him, hate him, or simply wonder what’s up with all the tattoos, there’s no denying the fact that Jeremy Burkhardt is one of those distinct personalities who has had a profound effect on the custom audio/video industry. Then again, he may be someone you’ve never heard of, unless you’re in the custom installation business. Unlike other notables—such as Polk, Carver, and Bose—Burkhardt isn’t the name of a speaker brand. Nevertheless, if you’ve listened to a set of in-wall or in-ceiling speakers, especially one of the bazillion or more models SpeakerCraft has produced over the past 25 years (including tons built for other brands), you’ve felt—or, rather, heard—Burkhardt’s influence on architectural audio.

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Remotely PossibleCEDIA 2015
Been There, Installed That: CEDIA EXPO 2015 Highlights
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 22, 2015  |  0 comments
I heard what seemed like hundreds of vendor pitches and saw thousands of new products at CEDIA EXPO 2015 before it closed on Saturday, October 17th. Here are some of the coolest things we didn't cover previously in our (should have been) award-winning CEDIA blog...
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CEDIA 2015
Edimax Shows Smart, Super-Small, Affordable Wi-Fi Switch
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 17, 2015  |  0 comments
You may not have heard of the networking component-making company, Edimax, but that’s to be expected because the majority of what the company has made in the past has been targeted at commercial use or has been sold under other companies’ brand names. Edimax is starting to bring more of its own branded devices to the market, one of which will be the new SP-2110W, a very small Wi-Fi smart outlet switch with power metering capabilities. Of course, Wi-Fi-based smart outlet switches aren’t a new concept. Edimax’s SP-2110W, however, is one of the smallest such switches that I’ve seen so far. Its rounded, shallow design is much preferable to the standard wall wart-style of most smart switches available from other companies today. The SP-2110W is controlled by Edimax’s app and is capable of email push notifications of on/off status, as well as real-time power-usage statistics. MSRP is expected to be under $30 with availability in early 2016.
CEDIA 2015
Nuvo’s New Neato In-wall Keypad
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 17, 2015  |  0 comments
One of the things I dislike about most dedicated multiroom wireless music systems (i.e., Sonos, HEOS, Bluesound, etc) is that the only way to control them is through an app on a smart device, unless you’ve integrated the components into a larger whole-home control system, such as Control 4. Nuvo aims to eliminate that annoying lack of tactile control with its new P10 Keypad, a wall-mounted keypad utilizing Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), that provides “quick access to the system’s basic functions, including volume/mute, play/pause, next/previous track navigation, as well as a “Favorites” button that allows the user to quickly scroll through up to five of their preset favorites at the preferred volume.” The Nuvo P10 will be available in three choices of finishes (white, light almond, and nickel) and is expected to begin shipping in November. Pricing was announced.
CEDIA 2015
Control4’s OS 2.8 Ups the Ante with Cool Features and Exciting Personalization Routines
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 17, 2015  |  0 comments
Control4 announced the release of the company’s latest software release, OS 2.8, during EXPO. As part of this release, updated Control4 HC-250 and HC-800 controllers will add native integration of three additional audio streaming services—Pandora, Deezer, and TIDAL—to the three that were already a native part of the Control4 OS (Rhapsody, Napster, and TuneIn). OS 2.8 also sports a new My Movies and My Music screen that offers a grid-view for showcasing high-res cover art or a Details View for presenting metadata.

Control4’s OS 2.8 update involves more than adding a few streaming services and a new interface for My Movies and My Music, though. The new OS includes...

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CEDIA 2015
Beale Gets Real Thin In-Ceiling and In-Walls
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 16, 2015  |  0 comments
Beale Street Audio’s Sonic Vortex technology is the secret sauce behind—actually, inside—the company’s in-ceiling speakers. Sonic Vortex technology turns the speaker’s integrated back box into “a compact, integrated, tuned cabinet that offers a ‘twist’ on Ported Transmission Line design by optimizing air movement” to produce stronger, deeper bass response more efficiently.
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CEDIA 2015
Super-Thin Fibaro SWIPE Provides Hidden Wireless Gesture Control
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 16, 2015  |  0 comments
Polish home automation company, Fibar Group, is wiping up the competition in gesture control devices with the introduction of the Fibaro SWIPE.
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CEDIA 2015
BOCCI Changes Your Outlook on Outlets
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 16, 2015  |  0 comments
If you hate the way AC outlet and light switch wall plates look, Canadian design company, BOCCI, can change your outlook on outlets with its series of in-wall mounting plates.
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CEDIA 2015
84 Inches of 4K UHD Outdoor TV From SunBriteTV
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 14, 2015  |  Published: Oct 15, 2015  |  0 comments
Before EXPO, the folks at SunBriteTV told me that they would have a BIG announcement at CEDIA. Often when a company says that, it means they’ll have some sort of incremental upgrade that really doesn’t mean diddly squat for most people. SunBriteTV’s big announcement is indeed big. It’s two big announcements, actually. First of all, SunBriteTV announced two new outdoor TV models that are “among the first 4K-enabled weatherproof televisions available on the market.” The 55-inch diagonal SB-5574UHD is part of SunBriteTV’s very slim Signature Series and has a maximum depth of only 3.5 inches. The other announcement is that the 2nd 4K UHD from SunBriteTV—the SB-8418UHD—will be part of the Pro Series and will feature an 84-inch diagonal screen. Although a working prototype of the 84-inch TV (shown above) was on display, pricing and availability dates have not been announced.
CEDIA 2015
New DSP Presets for Sonance Amps and iPort Systems Get Glassy
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 15, 2015  |  0 comments
At Sonance’s press conference this morning, Jack Hill, the company’s Director of Marketing, detailed the expanded capabilities of Sonance’s DSP amplifiers with built-in SONARC (Sonance Advanced Room Correction). Sonance currently offers over 600 specifically designed DSP presets already preloaded. The DSP amps also include a built-in 10-band parametric EQ that allows for additional, optional DSP customization. The three amps in the series—DSP 2-150, DSP 8-130, and DSP 2-750—sell for $900, $2,750, and $1,500, respectively.

Esteemed members of the press (even me) were given a hands-on demo of the new Surface Mount from Sonance’s sister company, iPort. Surface Mount is a special mounting system that allows for...

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