April 2011
Monthly ArchivesRega DAC Exclusive Review
April 29th, 2011, In DACs (Digital to Analog Converters), Reviews, by Phil Gold
Roy Gandy’s Rega Research has a stellar record of producing fine source components, often combining high performance with innovative physical design at a relatively modest price point. Many readers will be familiar with the pioneering Rega Planar 2 and Planar 3 turntables from the 1970’s (now supplanted by a whole range of turntables), the ubiquitous … Continue Reading
HARMAN Revel Shipping Architectural Series Speakers
April 28th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
HARMAN Revel has just announced that it’s shipping its Architectural Series loudspeakers. The series comprises 21 in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. The loudspeakers have been designed to integrate with any décor and have a patented RollerLock tool-free installation mechanism. The 21 models are broken down into: 11 in-wall models, from a 6.5-inch-woofer 2-way to a 9-inch-woofer … Continue Reading
3D TV Format War Heats Up
As you may have already read in the pages of CANADA HiFi, two 3D TV formats are currently available in stores – one which uses active LCD shutter glasses and the other which uses passive polarized glasses (similar to those in a movie theatre). 3D TVs with active shutter glasses were the first to hit … Continue Reading
Cary Audio’s new Cinema 12 Pre-Pro
April 27th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
Cary Audio is just releasing their new Cinema 12 preamplifier-processor (pre-pro), which is the successor to their well received Cinema 11a processor. The Cinema 12 pre-pro builds on the Cinema 11a feature list, while increasing performance as well as flexibility. Available with a black or silver brushed aluminum faceplate, the new pre-pro has four HDMI … Continue Reading
Monitor Audio Intros New Climate Series Outdoor Speakers
Just in time for the warmer weather, Kevro International, the North American distributor for Monitor Audio, has announced the shipping of the new Monitor Audio Climate Series of outdoor speakers.
The new Climate range promises true hi-fi quality sound in every all-weather environment and is engineered for easy installation and versatility.
The range is comprised … Continue Reading
Chordette Maxx Integrated Amplifier / DAC
April 26th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
Chord Electronics just announced their new Chordette Maxx stereo amplifier with DAC. Good things come in small packages – well, that could possibly be the case with this little but deceivingly powerful 30 wpc stereo amplifier. The Chordette Maxx includes an A2DP, Apt-X Bluetooth receiver, USB input and gain control. This integrated amplifier can easily … Continue Reading
Sony S1 and S2 Tablets with Android 3.0
Not to be left out without a piece of the tablet game, Sony is the latest company to launch its own tablets. Both of Sony’s new tablets promise the perfect combination of hardware, content and network with seamless usability for a high-quality, engaging entertainment experience. Sony is currently developing two tablets including the S1 (codename) … Continue Reading
New Nintendo Wii Is Coming In 2012!
Nintendo has just announced that it is planning to replace its Nintendo Wii console with a new model in 2012, as the company tries to stay competitive with the Xbox 360 and PS3 systems. The company is expected to show a playable prototype of the new console, dubbed as Project Cafe, at the E3 Expo, … Continue Reading
Resonessence Labs New Invicta DAC
April 24th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
Resonessence Labs has just introduced their new Invicta stereo DAC. The DAC is relatively compact, at 5cm X 22cm X 28cm and can be rack mounted. The Invicta is ASYNC 1.0 (not 2.0) USB Audio compliant. USB Audio 2.0 and ASIO drivers are in development and the Invicta will support this eventually. Three rear BNC … Continue Reading
Bryston BHP-1 Headphone Amplifier
It looks like Bryston is about to announce a new headphone amplifier called the BHP-1. The ‘leak photo’ above just began surfacing on the Internet. We’ll post the details about the unit as soon as the official press release is out. Stay tuned… For more info about Bryston, please visit www.bryston.com.… Continue Reading
Bang and Olufsen’s BeoVision 4 - 85” 3D Plasma TV
April 20th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
Want more “bang” in your media / rec. room? Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has just introduced the BeoVision 4-85, their first 3D TV display, which has everything going for it in terms of size. The 85-inch plasma HDTV has a native screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 and utilizes 3D technology that requires the use … Continue Reading
Creston HD-SCALER High Definition Video Scaler
Home theatre enthusiasts looking to achieve the best possible resolution on their TV or projector will definitely want to take a look at the new Creston HD-SCALER High Definition Video Scaler, the latest addition to the company’s line of high performance standalone HDMI audio/video solutions. The HD-SCALER fills the void left by the inadequate scalers … Continue Reading
Abbingdon Music Research DP-77 DAC
April 19th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
Abbingdon Music Research has just recently introduced their new DP-77. The DP-77 allows the user the option to select between the 16-bit (non-oversampling) and 32-bit (oversampling) chips, so that optimum performance can be obtained between both Redbook CD and high resolution digital files. The incorporated USB input is 24/192 asynchronous. The DAC’s master clock is … Continue Reading
RIM PlayBook Hits Store Shelves Today
Research In Motion’s answer to Apple’s iPad went on sale this morning in Canada and the US. The BlackBerry PlayBook is a Wi-Fi only tablet which is available in a choice of three models, featuring 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at $499, $599 and $699 respectively. BlackBerry PlayBook is the world’s first professional-grade tablet. … Continue Reading
Projector Buyer Guide
April 18th, 2011, In Buyer Guides, Video Components, by admin
Screen Innovations Black Diamond G3 Projection Screens
If you’re setting up a 3D projector or a projector in a brighter environment, you might want to consider the new Screen Innovations (SI) Black Diamond G3 screen series. The Black Diamond G3 allows viewers to enjoy projection in bright environments anywhere, anytime. Black Diamond G3 upgrades include:
- All-new 2.7 gain for commercial and 3D … Continue Reading
Sharp 70-Inch LC-70LE732U TV Begins Shipping
If you aspire to a video wall rather than just a TV, you might want to take a look at Sharp’s new mammoth 70-inch TV. Sharp has just announced that it is shipping its 70-inch class (69 ½” diagonal) AQUOS Quattron LED LCD TV, model LC-70LE732U, the largest LCD television on the market with sixty-two … Continue Reading
Krell Goes 3D
April 13th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
Krell Industries has just announced that they will be adding 3D upgrades to their current family of surround processors. 3D upgrades are available for Evolution 707, S-1200, and S-1200u customers. The upgrade price is $1,500 U.S., the retail difference between the original and 3D capable models, and requires the unit to be returned to Krell. … Continue Reading
NuForce DAC-9
April 13th, 2011, In Home, by George de Sa
NuForce has just recently released their new DAC-9 which offers a plethora of inputs - six in all (USB, XLR, BNC, RCA, Toslink/3.5mm optical). Is it me or do you also find the design to be Cylon-esk? The DAC-9 uses a unique output filter after two summed current-output DACs plus minimalist analog output stage without … Continue Reading
New Denon AV Receivers and DHT-1312BA Home Theater System For 2011
Denon Electronics has just revealed its new product lineup for 2011. Its new AV receiver lineup called the IN-Command Series offers networking capabilities and promises flexibility, performance and reliability, with a strong emphasis on connectivity, content access and “right out of the box” ease of use. In addition to its new receiver lineup, Denon is … Continue Reading