James K. Willcox

James K. Willcox  |  Dec 28, 2011

I’d had my AR ES-1 turntable for about 20 years when a tenant burned my house — and the turntable and about 3,000 records — to the ground the one time I decided to rent it. If this sad story has a silver lining, it’s that it sent me back into the world of vinyl and turntables.

James K. Willcox  |  Aug 19, 2011

When it comes to tubes, I guess you could say I'm, well, biased. I like the way tube amps look, I like the way they sound, I like being able to swap tubes to get different sounds, and I especially like hearing my British friends call tubes valves.

James K. Willcox  |  Sep 24, 2010

If YouTube page-views were currency, the members of OK Go would be very rich men.

James K. Willcox  |  Sep 14, 2008

Has it really been 2 years since I last wrote about my efforts to install the A/V and networking systems in the new addition to my home?

James K. Willcox  |  Sep 01, 2008

For nearly a decade I've been profiling custom home theaters for Sound & Vision, and in all that time I've never really had my own - or even a space carved out exclusively for watching movies or listening to music. And let me tell you, envy can be an ugly thing.

James K. Willcox  |  Apr 15, 2008

With both iPod accessories and home project studio gear now more common than three-chord bar bands, it's seems like it's getting tougher to come up with a really new concept. That's why Belkin's inexpensive, colorful TuneStudio recording deck, which bridges those two worlds, really grabbed our attention.

James K. Willcox  |  Feb 07, 2008

In the beginning - well, at least 5 or 6 years ago - music stored on a PC generally either stayed there or was downloaded to a portable player. But as more and more audio and video content has become available online, people want to hear and see it on home entertainment rigs.

James K. Willcox  |  Dec 02, 2007

Lost in the rush of attention being lavished on sleeker and sexier flat-panel HDTVs is the fact that there's still a lot of innovation going on in rear-projection microdisplay sets. In the past year, we've seen developments ranging from the prosaic - bigger screens, more models with 1080p resolution, and slimmed-down cabinets - to the exotic, such as 3-D video.

James K. Willcox  |  Oct 11, 2007

In-wall speakers have come a long way since the first models, which were essentially re-purposed car-stereo speakers. That dramatic improvement over the past decade is due largely to the boom in "architectural" audio products driven by the advent of flat-panel TVs, any-room home theater systems, and whole-house audio.

James K. Willcox  |  Oct 11, 2007

Until recently, in-wall speakers were the last choice for anyone who cared about sound quality. Now, thanks to improved technologies and the entrance of major speaker brands into the burgeoning "architectural audio" category, in-wall (and ceiling) speakers are legitimate alternatives in rooms where you either can't or don't want to use freestanding models.

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