The Sundance festival is very much an industry festival compared to most others that I’ve attended. Films are selected with the expectation that there will be some interest from film distributer and it seems like most of the attendees are somehow in ‘the business’.

On February 8, 2009, the Pacifica Quartet snared a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance for their Naxos recording of Elliot Carter’s first and fifth string quartets. Three days later, I was on the phone, interviewing the quartet second violinist Sibbi Bernhardsson for a series of articles.

Tags: Home Theater | Home Theater Reviews

Builder's Showcase Home featuring Paradigm and other vendors just added......

More from Piero Gabucci.......

Another CES has come and gone. Although attendance was down, some would say that the people who did come really had business to conduct and that the quality of meetings being conducted was of a higher caliber for all manufacturers.

The primary buzz at the show centered on HDTV and the advent of 240 Hz refresh rates from all the majors, Sony, LG, Toshiba and Samsung in their new LCD and plasma sets. The 240 Hz refresh rate is demonstrable in the ability to produce a picture that is clearer and more defined when fast motion objects and very detailed still frames such as a test pattern are panned across the screen. Samsung had an excellent display of three monitors comparing 60, 120 and 240 Hz refresh rates and it is clear this technology works.

Tags: CES Show Reports

So I guess I jumped the gun when I said CES was packed.  (For my personal taste, more then 5 people in a room is enough) It was only packed according to who had the latest model of whatever was on display. CES 2009 will definitely show lower numbers of attendees than in the past.  But one thing is for sure. Home Theater and the latest electronics have a niche in the economy.

We are taking a different approach on our CES 2009 Show Report.  We have asked our team to spend their time on overall impressions of the developments in hometheater and audio technology, take pictures along the way, and identify the best products for our review team over the next few months.

Tags: CES Show Reports

The Secrets Best of 2008 Product Awards, featuring the following categories: High End Turntables, High End Complete Turntable Package, Video Switching Technology, Best Wireless Music Transmitter/Receiver, Best High Definition Digital Video Cameras, Best Value Monoblock Power Amplifier, Best Mid-level 7.1 A/V Receiver, Flat Panel Speakers, Best Value Stereo Power Amplifiers, High End Two-Channel Speakers, Best Value 1080p Digital Projectors, Compact Subwoofers, Power Conditioners, Entry Level Turntable, Best Value Speakers, Full Size Subwoofers, Entry Level Bookshelf Speakers, Surround Sound Processors, High End 5.1 Speaker System, Most Innovative Bookshelf Speaker Design.

For the past three years or so, we have seen a tremendous surge in display technology.  During this time, the last rites for the venerable CRT have been read, 50" displays have become the new 32", and 1080p has become the de facto standard for resolution.  One thing hasn’t changed however and that is the need for precise calibration of your HDTV.  Despite tremendous advances in consumer displays, the specifications for color, grayscale, and gamma have not changed since the 1950s.  With all these new features available, it has become more confusing than ever for the typical home theater enthusiast to achieve a correct calibration and realize the best performance from your flat panel or projector HDTV.

Tags: Calibration | Technical Articles

"I’m afraid that if you took the violin away from me, I wouldn’t be able to breathe"

When my editor at American Record Guide learned that I was about to interview Vadim Gluzman, he was jealous beyond belief. Having just listened to Gluzman’s latest recording, an acoustically superior hybrid SACD on the BIS label of violin concertos by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov, he was astounded by Gluzman’s virtuosity and musicianship.

Tags: Interviews

This year was the first time at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival for secrets writers Chris Groppi and Rick Schmidt. Unlike many of the other trade focused shows, the RMAF is open to the public. Both manufacturers and retailers show products here, and displays are focused on listening demonstrations. This year, there were more than 160 display rooms each usually showing equipment from several manufacturers. Rooms were from both retailers as well as manufacturers and distributors, with a wide range of equipment from around the world. All the big hitters were here, plus many companies we had never heard of.

In addtion to the rooms, seminars on topics ranging from turntable setup to digital recording technologies are offered. This is an intimate show, focused on 2 channel audio, and everyone has a chance to see every room. The show was great fun for both of us!

Tags: Show Reports

Interest in the Telluride Film Festival  (Aug 29 – Sep 1) was at an all time high for 2008 as the rather expensive Festival Passes ($680) sold out early in the summer and even the ultra expensive Patron Passes ($Don’t Ask) were sold out before the festival started.  As usual the film line-up would not be revealed until the first day. What we did know was that Slavoj Zizek was to be the guest director, meaning the historical films were likely to be foreign, and interesting. And we knew that Laurie Anderson had created the poster, meaning that we might spot Lou Reed wondering in the hills around Telluride. I’m not sure nature was ready for that. I was ready to have him sign my records except for the fact that I’d have to carry them around. My movie reviews are posted in my report of the festival....it will be interesting to see if my picks for 2008 are as popular in the theater as last year's picks!

Tags: Movie Reviews