John Sciacca

The Connected Life
Six Truths About Surround-Sound Audio
John Sciacca  |  Feb 01, 2017  |  4 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.
Continue Reading >
CES 2017
Join the Vinyl Resurgence with Arcam’s rPhono
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.

Continue Reading >
CES 2017
KEF LS50: Wireless Swiss Army Knife of Speakers
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.

Continue Reading >
CES 2017
Shangri-La, World’s Best Headphone?
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.

Continue Reading >
CES 2017
Paradigm New In-Wall LCRs Bring the Cinema Home
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.

Continue Reading >
CES 2017
Arcam Plays with PlayFi
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.

Continue Reading >
CES 2017
Soundcast Unveils World’s First Outdoor PlayFi Speaker
John Sciacca  |  Jan 08, 2017  |  0 comments
Nothing completes a pool party or day at the beach like some good tunes, but many companies shy away from offering truly portable, weatherproof speaker options. Most solutions involve small, Bluetooth speakers that have thin sound and are splash-proof at best. Soundcast displayed its upcoming VG10 which will be the world’s first wireless, truly portable, weatherproof speaker to be part of the DTS PlayFi family.
Continue Reading >
CES 2017
Dojo Protects Your Home Network Like a Ninja
John Sciacca  |  Jan 06, 2017  |  0 comments
A common talking point amongst IoT providers at CES is how they are designing products to protect against malicious Internet DDOS attacks like the Mirai botnet that recently took down the Net for millions back in September. The reality is that network security is a complex, difficult to understand concept for many people, and creating a truly secure network is simply beyond the ability of most users and their networking components. That’s where Dojo comes in, becoming your own full-time network protecting ninja!

Continue Reading >
CES 2017
Metra Home Theater Accelerates HDMI to the Gigabit
John Sciacca  |  Jan 06, 2017  |  0 comments
While you’ve probably heard that all HDMI cables are created equal, and that you either get perfect picture and sound or you don’t, that’s only true to a point as we enter the ultra-high-bandwidth world of Ultra HD signal transmission.

In the real world, I’ve found many cables struggle to deliver the full 18 Gbps signal between source and display when you start pushing the 6 meter cable length. This is especially true when using a source capable of delivering 4K/60 such as the Kaleidescape cover art GUI on the Strato movie player. Sure, this isn’t an issue when you’re talking about a connection to your wall-mounted flat panel display, but if you have your electronics remotely located in another area (say an equipment rack in the back of the room) or you are wiring to a video projector, then a short 3-4 meter cable probably ain’t gonna cut. So, what do you do if you have a cable run inside your walls and you connect that fancy new 4K source to your TV and you get the dreaded “No Signal”? You might just turn to Metra Home Theater’s Gigabit Accelerator.

Continue Reading >
CES 2017
First Alert Incorporates Alexa for Air Monitoring
John Sciacca  |  Jan 05, 2017  |  0 comments
First Alert expanded the potential of its air-monitoring solutions by demonstrating two new Onelink products which both feature Amazon Alexa voice integration. The new devices include the Smoke + CO Alarm and the Environment Monitor.

Continue Reading >

Pages

X