Scott Wilkinson

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Premiere Design
Audiophile Oppo
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 22, 2009

Ever since <A href="http://www.oppodigital.com">Oppo</A> introduced the BDP-83, I've thought it to be among the best Blu-ray players money can buy&#151;and at $500, it doesn't even cost all that much, especially compared with, say, the Denon DVD-A1UDCI, another universal player that lists for $4500. Now, Oppo has introduced an upgraded version, calling it the BDP-83 Special Edition, for a list price of $900.

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The Big Picture
Avatar Rising
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 18, 2009

Last night, I attended a special preview screening of <I>Avatar</I>, one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of the year. Presented a few hours before the movie opened to the general public, the screening was hosted by 20th Century Fox, which gave 50 tickets in the front-most section of the theater to Panasonic for its contribution of equipment during production. Fortunately, I was near the front of that line, so I was able to sit in the last row of that section&#151;still a bit too close, but very immersive. I'm going to give you my impressions while minimizing any spoilers, though I found no surprises in this movie other than the incredible 3D imagery, which is certainly no secret.

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Premiere Design
Playing to the Audience
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 17, 2009

CES spawns a number of satellite events, including T.H.E. (The Home Entertainment) Show, which focuses on high-end audio. Among the exhibitors this year is <A href="http://audience-av.com/main.php">Audience</A> with its new ClairAudient LSA 4+4 speaker, a mouthful of a name for a product that is said to provide an earful of great sound in a relatively small package measuring 17 x 15 x 12 inches (HxWxD).

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The Big Picture
Seoul Man
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 15, 2009

<I>All photos by Scott Wilkinson</I>

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Premiere Design
Pass the Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 14, 2009

CES is three weeks away, and my inbox is already filling up with new-product announcements. Among them is the X260.5, a new monoblock power amp from <A href="http://www.passlabs.com">Pass Labs</A>.

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Premiere Design
Gold Rush
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 04, 2009

In my never-ending quest for the ultimate in performance, design, and/or price, I came across the GA Star from a British company heretofore unknown to me&#151;<A href="http://www.goldacoustics.com">Gold Acoustics</A>. This unique speaker is unlike any other I've seen, and while it certainly looks shiny, I can't help wondering if it delivers the sonic goods.

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The Big Picture
Planning for Retirement
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 03, 2009

<I>After years of waiting, I plan to purchase my home-theater dream system. I would like a screen in the 80-inch-and-larger range. I'd been looking exclusively at projectors, in particular something like the JVC DLA-RS25.

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Ask S&V
Monster HDMI, Subwoofer Connection, Blu-ray Audio
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 02, 2009
Monster on a Leash
I currently have a Samsung LN52A650 LCD TV with a Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player and a Dish Network VIP 722 DVR. Will Monster Cable's Ultra 600 HDMI cables with a speed rating of 4.95Gbps, 8-bit color, and 60Hz refresh rate be adequate with my setup?
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Premiere Design
Digital Divide
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 01, 2009

So-called digital or Class D power amps are often maligned as incapable of matching the performance of high-end analog amps. This has certainly been true of many designs, but <A href="http://nadelectronics.com">NAD</A> is out to change that perception with its new M2, a 2-channel digital power amp in the company's flagship Masters Series.

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Premiere Design
In The Groove
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 30, 2009

The history of recorded music is a long and storied one that is worth preserving for future generations. Unfortunately, the earliest examples of the recording arts are difficult if not impossible to hear anymore. Many wax cylinders and shellac discs are crumbling in archives, unable to be played because any physical contact with a stylus would cause irreparable damage. Even those that can be played often suffer from lots of surface noise and scratches that cause clicks and pops. And many are broken, making even the most careful stylus-based playback impossible.

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