John Sciacca

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Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews
Test Report: D-Box Technologies SRP-230 Universal Motion Platform and IV/BD Motion Controller
John Sciacca  |  Feb 13, 2013

Between increasing your system’s audio channel count to 9.1 or 11.1 and upgrading to a bigger, brighter, or even higher-resolution 4K video display, there’s no shortage of ways to take your home theater to the next level. And while such improvements can certainly add excitement, the basic home theater experience still pretty much remains the same.

The thing that most home theaters can’t do is put you into the action, literally letting you feel what is happening onscreen. The sliding of gravel under the tires. The rock and sway of a boat. The thud-thud-thud of a jet being riddled with gunfire. Providing that experience is the role that D-Box fills.

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Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews
Test Report: NuVo Technologies Wireless Audio System
John Sciacca  |  Jul 03, 2013

As a custom installer, I hear a lot of requests, andone of the things people ask for most is wireless audio. Sending music around the home without the hassle, cost, or mess associated with long runs of wire is the modern American audio dream.

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Custom Installation How-To
Sooloos music storage and server system Page 2
John Sciacca  |  Feb 25, 2009
The Short Form
$11,600 / SOOLOOS.COM / 866-606-0333
Snapshot
Audiophile-level build quality and a terrific user interface let this server do much more than just manage a music collection
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Custom Installation How-To
Vudu XL2 Internet movie player Page 2
John Sciacca  |  Jun 15, 2009
The Short Form
$799 / VUDU.COM
Snapshot
Vudu sets the standard for regular and HD streaming and for downloaded movie quality.
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Custom Installation How-To
Sunfire TGM-100 Page 2
John Sciacca  |  Nov 12, 2009
Key Features
$6,500 ($8,950 as tested) SUNFIRE.COM
 
 
• TGM-100 server rips and streams music and movies • 1-terabyte hard drive stores up to 145 DVDs or 1,600 CDs in uncompressed WAV format and supports up to 7 simultaneous streams with optional TGM- 100
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Custom Installation How-To
Kaleidescape Mini System Page 2
John Sciacca  |  Oct 20, 2009
Key Features
$8,590 KALEIDESCAPE.COM
 
 
• Movie/music server with two additional music-only zones • Uncompressed storage for all movies and music • Sigma Designs VXP processing • System holds up to four 500-gigabyte hard drives for storage of 225 DVDs or 2,475 CD
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The Custom Installer: Punk'd
John Sciacca  |  Oct 08, 2004

After returning from our honeymoon, my parents took my wife and me to dinner at one of San Francisco's swanky restaurants. To commemorate the event, I brought a prized bottle of wine - a 1982 Sterling Private Reserve cabernet. Instead of being offended that I had my own bottle, the sommelier asked if he might have a taste. But the restaurant still added a $20 corkage fee to our bill.

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The Custom Installer: We've Got Answers
John Sciacca  |  May 05, 2006

For the past 8 years, I've been installing home-entertainment systems at Custom Theater and Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and for the past 5 years, I've been writing about custom installation for Sound & Vision.

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The Custom Installer: Your Home Theater's Newest Addition
John Sciacca  |  Sep 01, 2006

With all the hullabaloo over format wars and switching to server-based storage, many of you are probably planning new additions to your home theater system. Well, I'm planning one, too, but it won't be a Blu-ray or HD DVD player, a hard-disk video server, or any other cutting-edge piece of technology.

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The Custom Installer: Your New TV Isn't Perfect ...
John Sciacca  |  Jan 02, 2007

What I'm about to tell you might not make any sense. In fact, it might even upset you a little. But I'm your friend, and I've promised to tell you the truth about your A/V gear, so it's a risk I'm willing to take. Here goes: Your TV doesn't look right.

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