2010 CES – A Quick Look At the Latest Audio Video Gear

Jeremy Phan Every year, while New Years resolutions are still being attempted and you’ve finally read through the manual and figured out how to use all the functions on your new electronics, along comes the Consumer Electronics Show to make everything look obsolete (again). CES, held in Las Vegas, the convention capital of the world, … Continue Reading

Paradigm Electronics and Anthem Electronics

Some of us build home theatres in order to recreate the movie theatre experience at home. Some of us do it for bragging rights. Then there are enthusiasts who constantly upgrade their components in the attempt to reach ultimate home theatre nirvana. Whichever group you fit into, chances are that in your quest for components … Continue Reading

Speaker Terminology

So you read the Toronto HiFi magazine and from time to time you come across a term which you don’t have a clear understanding of. Perhaps you don’t understand it at all. Chances are, you’re not the only one. When it comes to HiFi and Home Theater equipment, we talk about very specific things that … Continue Reading

2009 Editors’ Holiday Picks!

Power Protection for your Home Theater Audio Video Gear

When I was younger, my father always stressed to me the importance of plugging our electronics into power bars with surge protection instead of directly into the wall outlet. He said it would protect the electronics from voltage surges – anything from smaller spikes to lightning storms. I thought it was a little ridiculous. After … Continue Reading

An Introduction to DIY Audio

DIY Audio is short for Do It Yourself audio and it means just that. Rather than buying audio equipment, you build it yourself. So you may be thinking that you don’t have the skills or the technical background to build your own audio equipment. You are probably wrong! Just about everyone that I have met … Continue Reading

Headphone and Earphone Buyer’s Guide

Hi-fidelity audio is often associated with multiple, large speakers but high quality sound is also available in a more portable, personal package. Earphones and headphones can be a great alternative for personal listening when budget, physical space and or noise levels are a factor. There are a wide variety of personal listening devices to suit … Continue Reading

Univeral Remote Control Buyer’s Guide

To many Canadians, remote control devices can be traced back to the days of the Rogers Cable hard-wired “clicker” box, back in the early 1970s.  Luckily, thanks to invention, somewhere along the way we’ve lost the wires.  As home theatre systems became more complex, the number of remote controls populating our coffee tables has increased. … Continue Reading

AV Receiver Buyer’s Guide

An AV receiver is the brain and arguably the most critical part of a modern home theatre. This single component takes care of amplification, audio/video switching, surround format processing and provides inputs for all audio and video sources. In addition to all of this, the latest AV receivers offer automatic speaker calibration, video processing, iPhone/iPod … Continue Reading