Back in mid-2005, I auditioned Canton’s new Vento line of speakers with an entire surround package, (although the matching sub had yet to be released). I found them impeccably designed and crafted, and they sounded terrific. In this review, I take a look and listen to the Canton Reference 5.2 DC tower (floor-standing) speakers. More-terrific is what I found.

Over the past few years, Class D amps have been gaining in popularity for many reasons including their much smaller size, their incredibly high efficiency, and the much smaller amount of heat that they put off compared to a standard Class A, AB, or B amplifier. More and more high end audio companies such as Rotel, Bel Canto and PS Audio have come out with Class D products that offer high performance in a much smaller form factor than was possible with standard amplifier technologies.

Up until the past year, the sensors in HD video cameras were just barely enough in pixel count (2,073,600) to get 1920 x 1080 video. That has changed now, and camera manufacturers are putting sensors in their HD video cameras that have a much higher pixel count. The main reason is so that consumers can take high resolution snapshots with their video cameras, similar to the high resolution photos they can get from dedicated digital snapshot cameras. The serendipity is that the high resolution image can be downsampled to 1920 x 1080 rather than there being only just over 2 megapixels to start with, and this gives a sharper video image. The JVC GZ-HM400U is just such a camera, with its 10.3 megapixel sensor. Have a look at our review to see how it performed.

Talk about mixed feelings! I need to unload all of my biases first since they are sufficient to taint this review. First, I’m a longstanding fan of Paradigm speakers and over the years, I have either owned or listened to a wide range of their products, right from the diminutive Atoms to their flagship Signature models. In this review, I tested the Millenia series.

Started in 1989, Atlantic Technology's main goal has been to provide an immersive surround sound experience. They target seamless pans from right to left, and crisp clear dialog in their speaker setups along with dynamic powerful bass from their subwoofers.

Class D switching amplifiers are more and more common. Manufactures have made great strides in overcoming the high-frequency shortcomings found in the early models. Rotel in particular has been involved with this technology for a few years, with a significant portion of their line-up now using this.

The PS Audio Power Plant Premier (PPP), the company’s latest version of the Power Plant P300 that company head Paul McGowan first introduced in 1997, is a true power regenerator. The PPP takes "dirty" and variable AC power from the wall socket, converts it to DC voltage, and then regenerates a new AC sine wave signal at 120 volts. It also serves as a surge protector and all-around power distribution system.

Do you fault a Mini Cooper for being a Mini and not a Honda Odyssey or a Porsche 911? In evaluating product, a question that is often unasked is "What is the reference?" Often times, particularly in audio or video, the question is unasked because the answer invariably is reality.

In 1997, McCormack Audio was purchased by Conrad-Johnson, known primarily for their fine tube amps and preamps. They have the same high quality and value that Steve McCormack put into his designs in California, but these current products are basically an entirely new line (and are built in Virginia). In this review, we take a look at one of their line-stage preamps, and a stereo (two-channel) power amplifier.

Room correction technology for audiophiles has existed for over a decade now, but this technology has not yet seen wide adoption. Many audiophiles just can’t stomach a processor messing with the signal. Never mind their speakers might have terrible frequency and phase response, at least when compared to their other electronics! On top of that, interaction with the room causes frequency response errors of well over 10 dB in all but the most acoustically perfect rooms. Still think your signal is “pure?”

The first receiver that I remember having in the house was a classic Marantz model. Unfortunately I was too young back then to realize the quality of that component, or even recognize the name, and at some point that receiver was replaced with a much more generic, mass market model with newer features. I am old enough now to know the impact that the name Marantz has on the A/V community, and just about everyone realizes that it commands respect. Here, we review their new AV8003 A/V processor and MM8003 eight-channel power amplifier.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Emotiva ERC-1 CD player is that it looks great. The faceplate of the player and the remote are brushed aluminum painted black accented with unfinished brushed aluminum at the edges. Nice. When it’s turned on the buttons on the face of the player light up with blue halos. This player would look right at home next to Macintosh gear.

The speaker business has got to be a challenging one.On the one hand, unlike most other CE devices, speakers don't have any inherent rapid obsolescence to them. In fact, good speakers by definition should be viable, literally, for a lifetime. Paradigm's Reference Studio Speakers fit such a definition.

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The latest processor from Rotel looks to improve upon the solid quality of the previous RSP-1069. The biggest change is that the RSP-1570 now features four HDMI 1.3 inputs with 1080p / 24 Hertz compliance which also supports the new “Deep Color” and xvYCC video options.

Audiolab is a brand that may be unfamiliar to many consumers in the United States, but in the UK, it has a decades-long reputation for putting out great-sounding, high-value electronics.  While the brand (and company) has gone through a few changes over the years, including a flirtation with the ultra high-end, Audiolab has recently brought its mainstream offerings to the US market, including CD players, amplifiers and analog two-channel preamplifiers. While those will all be interesting for the dedicated audiophile, for home theater, the most intriguing piece in the line-up is the audio-only preamplifier/processor, the 8000AP.

Many loudspeakers today are marketed more for their ability to blend into a space or make an aesthetic statement than to provide high performance.  Since they are the most visible AV component after the television, sizes and styles vary as much as colors of the rainbow.  With many lifestyle products come compromises in audio quality; not so with the Focal Dome system.

It started way back in 2001 when I reported to you on the exquisite AVM20, which to this day for various reasons still represents to me a watershed.  Two years later came the "V2" upgrade for the AVM20 wherein we swapped out the processor board for a more powerful one, opening up the then much enthused about Pro Logic II, upgrading the THX suite to Ultra2, and adding more bass management options.

I have to admit, I’m a sucker when it comes to having the latest and greatest toys.  As my wife can attest, I’m always looking for excuses that will allow me to spring for that next upgrade. In recent years, Onkyo has been at the forefront of new A/V receiver technology and features, releasing new models at an almost breakneck pace in order to stay one step ahead of the competition.  The TX-SR607 continues that technological advance as the first product in the world to sport Dolby Pro Logic IIz.....The bottom line is this: you need to pay quite a bit more money to dramatically improve upon the performance of the TX-SR607.

Ahh summer time. Time for pools, get togethers with friends and tearing apart walls in search of audio and aesthetic excellence for your flat screen TV. While this may not be the average summer activity for most I’ll wager more than a few Secrets readers are in the midst of their own audio-video inspired renovations. Here’s my story of an in wall audio adventure courtesy of the new Paradigm Millenia 20 Hybrids.

It would truly surprise me if anyone reading this review had not heard of JL Audio.  Notwithstanding JL Audio’s stellar reputation in the car audio world, its Fathom and Gotham series of subwoofers have set the home audio/video world on fire like few products in recent memory.