John Sciacca

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4 Ways to Hide Your TV in Plain Sight
THE CONNECTED LIFE
John Sciacca  |  May 19, 2017  |  0 comments
How to enjoy a large TV without having it dominate your room.
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5 Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Performance
THE CONNECTED LIFE
John Sciacca  |  Apr 26, 2017  |  0 comments
Does your Wi-Fi network suck? Here are five things you can do to significantly improve its performance.
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Russound MCA-88X Whole-House Audio Streamer Review
CUSTOM INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT REVIEWS, STREAMING MEDIA PLAYER REVIEWS
John Sciacca  |  Mar 01, 2017  |  0 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,499 ($4,477 as reviewed)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Fast setup/programming
Supports modern and legacy sources
Integrates with many third-party systems
AirPlay gives virtually unlimited access
Minus
NAS streaming has quirks
Native app support is fairly limited

THE VERDICT
Russound delivers whole-home audio entertainment in a single, massively expandable chassis, allowing you to enjoy legacy analog/digital sources or modern streaming.

Streaming and app-based control may be all the rage for music listening, but they ignore the fact that many people still have older, legacy gear they want to enjoy around their homes. Sometimes, whether it’s a CD player, turntable, or cable/satellite set-top box, “stream it from the cloud” isn’t a workable solution. Also, most modern wireless streaming music systems, such as Sonos and Play-Fi, eschew any type of wall-based control, relying solely on a smartphone or tablet interface.

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How to Maximize Your Network Performance
THE CONNECTED LIFE
John Sciacca  |  Mar 01, 2017  |  0 comments
The number-one service call issue at my custom installation firm used to be cable TV related—generally resolved by rebooting the cable company’s crappy set-top box. But as people increasingly “cord cut” away from traditional entertainment means, the majority of calls we receive now are internet and network related, specifically of the, “My Wi-Fi sucks. Can you fix it?” variety.
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Six Truths About Surround-Sound Audio
THE CONNECTED LIFE
John Sciacca  |  Feb 01, 2017  |  3 comments
It surprises me how often people come into my showroom looking to improve their TV audio with still no idea how a surround system works or what it entails. Just last week, a 20-something came in saying he wanted a wireless audio system by a specific brand that he’d heard was the best. I talked to him for a few minutes, querying him on what he wanted the wireless audio system for and what his room layout was like, and it turned out that he was looking for a dedicated home theater system in the $15,000-to- $20,000 range but thought a wireless soundbar was the best place to start. I’ll be honest; I died a little inside.
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Join the Vinyl Resurgence with Arcam’s rPhono
CES 2017
John Sciacca  |  Jan 08, 2017  |  0 comments
Arcam expanded its rSeries of products with the release of the new rPhono phono stage preamplifier. The new executive-sized component resides in a stylish aluminum case with the sole function of allowing vinyl lovers to enjoy their collections regardless of hardware combination or configuration. To ensure maximum compatibility and optimal matching regardless of cartridge type, rPhono offers a huge variety of adjustments.

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KEF LS50: Wireless Swiss Army Knife of Speakers
CES 2017
John Sciacca  |  Jan 08, 2017  |  0 comments
For the company’s 55th anniversary, KEF created the LS50 Wireless, a complete active music system sharing the acoustic features of the company’s vaunted LS50. The LS50 Wireless features so many inputs and options for enjoying your music, it is a veritable Swiss Army Knife of versatility, but with audiophile, 192kHz/24-bit performance.

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Shangri-La, World’s Best Headphone?
CES 2017
John Sciacca  |  Jan 08, 2017  |  0 comments
Without a doubt, one of the benefits of attending CES is getting to listen to audio systems that reside way outside the realm of what is considered normal. Walking the hallways of the Venetian, it isn’t uncommon to pass suits demonstrating six-figure electronics and speaker systems. But when you enter the realm of mid-five-figure, cost-no-object, premium electrostatic headphone designs, then even the most jaded among us will stop to take a listen. Launching into this rarefied air and going after the title of “world’s ultimate headphone” is HIFIMAN’s new Shangri-La, a headphone system featuring virtual zero distortion and lightning fast response.

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Paradigm New In-Wall LCRs Bring the Cinema Home
CES 2017
John Sciacca  |  Jan 08, 2017  |  0 comments
New in-wall speaker announcements at CES are about as dry and parched as the city’s desert air, so I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped into Paradigm’s Venetian suite and saw the company was introducing six new models across its CI Pro and CI Elite lineups. Designed for residential home theater installations, these new models are all LCR designs featuring integrated backboxes made from ¾-inch MDF to provide an optimal acoustic environment as well as keeping sound from bleeding into adjacent rooms.

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Arcam Plays with PlayFi
CES 2017
John Sciacca  |  Jan 08, 2017  |  0 comments
Add Arcam to the growing list of companies that have joined the DTS PlayFi wireless streaming camp with the introduction of the company’s new rPlay Wireless Music Receiver. For performance minded listeners that have been looking for a way to dip their ears into the wireless listening waters, rPlay will enable adding PlayFi to any system and has a ton of features to get excited about.

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