in the HD DVD battle, since these two cover stories are side by side:
“Blue-ray Attracts Support;” “The Need for One HD Format.” (Have to
agree with WSR.) Other cover stories: Analog TV Cutoff for 2006?,
Reviews of Sony Qualia 006 SXRD 70-inch RP HDTV; Myrad MXD7000 &
MXA7150 Pream/Processor/Power Amp; Over 40 DVD Reviews. Sword-wielding
Elektra graces the cover. Inside articles: Sharp XV-Z2000 DLP
Projector; Eggleston Works Fontaine II tower speaker system, The future
of 3D movies, DVDs under $3.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW (April) – A feature story on the Broadcast Flag
questions FCC decisions allowing unprecedented control by Hollywood
forces over the final viewing or time-shifting of broadcast
programming. The product reviews for the month include Yamaha’s
DPX-1200 Digital Cinema Projector, Arcam’s AVR300 Surround Sound Home
Theatre Receiver, Belkin’s PF30, PF60 Power Conditioner, Console &
HT cabling, and the various AV systems using in the publication’s
hardware and software reviews are listed. Awards given by the American
Society of Cinematographers are featured, and a story on the CEA’s
support for a hard cut-off date for analog TV-casting.
covers the latest on hi-def DVDs from CES 2005, has special features on
the special effects of car crashes, on Anime, a feature on the director
of the anime Ghost In The Shell, and the Test Center evaluates the NEC
ND-3500A DVD recorder & Nero 6 Ulta Edition software; SimAudio
Orbiter Universal disc player (“an audiophile’s delight,” at $7100),
RBH MC Series Mark II 6.1 speaker system, Yamaha MusicCAST digital
audio system, and Monster PowerCenter HTS 5100. There is a DVD Recorder
Buyer’s Guide, and a survey of the top ten DVDs having to do with Food.
DVD ETC. (March/April) – “Hot New Theater Products for Any Budget” is
the major cover story. The Test Center evaluates the Yamaha 7.1 channel
AV receiver, MBL 7.1 Surround Cinema speakers, V Inc. Vizio 42-inch HD
Plasma display, Thiel Viewpoint speakers, sub and passive crossover,
DVDO’s iScan video scaling engine, and outdoor speakers from JBL,
Infinity and Polk. Other cover reviews are JVC’s 26-inch LCD display,
Energy’s act6 sub/satellite system, Onkyo’s THX Universal disc player
and BENQ’s 23-inch LCD widescreen PC monitor. There is a look at
Adobe’s Encore software for production of 5.1 DVDs.
THE ABSOLUTE SOUND (April/May) – The Gilmore Model 2 speakers are on
the cover and described as “radical reinvention.” New electronics from
Conrad-Johnson (PV14L2 Linestage) and BAT (VK-3ix preamp & VK-55
amp) are reviewed, the “Hidden Treasures” explores best-sounding LPs
not on HP’s SuperDisc list. Fittingly, the TAS Roundtable discusses The
Resurgence of Vinyl. Twenty pages are devoted to CES 2005 plus 18 of
music reviews. Other cover reviews are the Thorens TD2010A turntable
and speakers from Calix, Wharfedale and Verity Audio. The Emerson
Quartet’s overdubbed Mendelssohn Octet is explored.
THE ABSOLUTE SOUND (February/March) – The 20th Anniversary
Victoria LE speakers and 12.2 subwoofer are on the cover and this is
the 200 Product of the Year Awards issue. The editors pick their top
hi-res digital disc players and there are five in-depth reviews of
players: Meridian G08, Marantz SA-11S1, Denon, Simaudio and Esoteric.
The control unit and amplifier in Meridian’s G series are also
reviewed, as are a new Magnum-Dynalab FM tuner, Goldring Turntable,
Manley phono preamp, integrated amps from Chord, Edge and Musical
Fidelity and speakers from PSB and McIntosh. HP has assembled a new
Super Disc List, discovered some exceptional SACDs, and there is a
feature on the best boxed sets of 2004.
THE PERFECT VISION (March/April) – A scene from Spiderman 2 is on
the screen of a 7-inch-deep RPTV from InFocus, called An On-Wall HDTV
Breakthrough. Other big stories are a Mega-DVD Player Survey, HD On DVD
Is Coming!, World’s Best AV Receiver? (Lexicon RV-8 Review),
Best-Looking DVDs of the Year and more than 25 DVDs reviewed. Five
HDTVs are reviewed: LG’s DU-42LZ30 42-inch LCD Integrated HDTV,
Hitachi’s 42HDX61 UltraVision 42-inch HD Plasma Display, SMI2 HT300 E
DLP Front Projector, Samsung SP-H700 DLP Projector (+ InFocus). The
Ayre DX-7 DVD Player, Mordaunt-Short Genie 5.1 speaker system and
Stewart Filmscreen GrayHawk RS Screen are also reviewed. Sony’s Mike
Fidler and Toshiba’s Joie Sally are interviewed about the two possible
HD DVD formats. The Insider News discusses the huge number of 1920×1080
res HDTV sets to be introduced later this year.
HDTV ETC. (April/May) – “Format War?” is the biggest type on the cover;
the issue also features a new buyer’s guide with over 300 LCD and
Plasma Displays detailed. There are features on the Current State of
HDTV Technology, Highlights of CES 2005, and an HDTV programming guide.
Under test & review are: Boston Acoustic speakers and sub, Sharp’s
AQUOS 32-inch LCD, Sharp’s LCD Projector, Polk’s Flat Panel speaker
ensemble, and Hitachi’s 42-inch plasma in their Director’s Series.
Editor Clint Walker’s piece on High Definition Living assails the
consumer electronics industry for failing to make hi-def understandable
and accessible to the general public.
HDTV ETC. (February/March) – Stacked on the front cover are two
plasma tabletop displays – that of V Inc., which comes with Thiel
speakers, and a Toshiba 42-inch. Under them is the DVDO iScan HD video
scaler also reviewed by The Perfect Vision. Special features include Is
HDTV Complex Enough?, HD-DVD Coming Soon. The Buyers’ Guide is on
Hi-def receivers and the Test Center tests the Video ReQuest System,
which is a special controller for a DVD Changer. The Hi-def Home
Theater section looks at Philips’ 42-inch Ambilight Plasma, NEC’s
HT1100 budget projector (but still $4000!), and KEF’s Instant Theater
for under $1,500 (that’s the HTiB speaker set with the two speakers
that look like Super 8 movie cameras with very large lenses). A
Programming Guide to new HD for 2005 is also provided.
SOUND & VISION (April) – Three of the Blue Men Group peer out
of the front cover, but inside they remove their masks and gloves to
make an impassioned plea for Music in Surround! Who knew these blue
guys shared AUDIOPHILE AUDITION’s vision! They in fact decry musicians
who can’t be bothered to give music in surround a try. This issue has
more of what was hot at CES 2005, including “Pimped-Out iPods,
Monstrous Plasmas, Wireless Music and Palm-size Video.” The first photo
printer built into a HDTV set comes from Epson and is reviewed. There
are also video projector specials on both new LCD units and under-$1500
front projectors: Panasonic, Epson, Sony and Hitachi in the first
grouping and InFocus, HP and NEC in the second. Other reviews: Paradigm
Cinema 110 Compact Theater speaker system, Sony DVP-NS975V SACD/DVD
Player, GoVideo VR2940 DVD/VHS Recorder.
SOUND & VISION (February/March) – Plasma vs. LCD is the title of a
cover feature. 3 Bargain HDTVs, Feature-packed DVD Recorders (from
Sony, Philips and JVC), Satellite Radio in Your Pocket, and How to
Avoid Setup Screwups are some of the article features, and there is a
special report on the high-def DVD. Cover components reviewed are
Sony’s high-def DVD player, a Hitachi Plasma HDTV and Mini speakers
from Mirage. The Sonos multizone digital music system is reviewed and
there is a quick take on Polk’s XRt12 XM Radio tuner. Ken Pohlmann
writes on DVD-A & SACD M.I.A. [See our “SACD Dying?” article this
issue!]
HI-FI NEWS (May) – Classé’s curvy amp with a touch-screen display is on
the cover and it’s called Curves. Cover-promoted reviews are of a new
generation plasma display from Pioneer – the PDP-505, Krell’s HTS7.1 AV
processor, Denon’s high-end DVD-A1XV universal player, and the SME 3009
tonearm. Also the Turntable 2 Xperience from Pro-Ject and Tim de
Paravicini’s 899 Ear integrated amp using tubes. Other reviews on the
inside: Bosendorfer’s VC7 speakers, Musical Fidelity kW Phono Preamp,
Wilborne Labs 300B DRD valve amp kit, Dynaudio’s Special 25 speaker,
Marantz/ SA-11S1 stereo-only SACD player, Ruark Talisman III speaker,
Avalong Acoustics Eidolon Diamond speaker. In an interview electronic
whiz Jean Michel Jarre speaks out for 96K/24-bit as the future of
recorded music.
HI-FI NEWS (April) – The first review of B&W’s new 800D flagship
speaker – which has a diamond tweeter dome – is in the issue and on the
cover. The issue boasts 16 more pages than usual, and in the Home
Entertainment section covers the Naim DVD5 disc player, Denon A1XV
monster AV Receiver and DPL Mercury HD video projector. There’s a
report from CES 2005 of course, and Barry Fox discusses the advantages
of the HD video format war. Other reviews: Elac 207.2 speakers,
Etymotic ER-4P earphones, Exposure 2010s, Hot Tubes JD1, IsoTek Titan,
Meridian 808i, Nottingham Analogue, Theta Compli universal player and
Wilson Benesch Curve speakers. Windows software dubbed DVD2one Remaster
allows re-authoring CDs as sonically-enhanced DVD+Audio thru upsampling
and resolution tweaking.
HI-FI NEWS (March) – The cover photo looks like a scene from Star Gate,
with a futuristic pyramid sitting in a desert environment. Turns out it
is Nagra’s “mysterious” new amp – the PMA Pyramid 100w Monoblock –
evaluated along with its matching PL-L preamp. (They loved the preamp
but found the amp too lean-sounding.) Other cover stories: The Story of
Surround Sound, Arcam DV29 DVD-A player, Wilson MAXX 2 speaker,
Townshend universal disc player, PrimaLuna tube integrated amp, Hovland
HP200 tube power amp and matching Sapphire preamp (called “a piece of
electronic sculpture”), Final 400i electrostatic panel speakers with
S100 woofer, and the Transfiguration Temper V MC cartridge. Other
reviews inside: Monopulse 3 speaker, Whest dap-10 CD analogue processor
(admitted to be a difficult-to-categorize unit; working on the
harmonics of signals only over 35K!), NHT SB2 speaker, Supra cables.
BOUND For SOUND (Issue #163) – This is Part I of Components of Merit
issue, which BfS had not done for seven years. Sections are on what
they persist in calling “Needle Disc Equipment,” Digital Playback
Equipment, Preamps and Passive Line Controls, Power Amps and
Integrateds. It appears Speakers will be among the sections next issue.
Don’t expect to see the Krells, Boulders, Marantzs in these lists, but
do expect to learn of some brands you never heard of because they don’t
advertise (the newletter accepts no advertising). BfS is nuts about the
Sonic Euphoria PLC passive transformer line controller (about $1200),
which they feel to be the last word in a two-channel linestage preamp.
JOURNAL OF THE AUDIO ENGINEERING SOCIETY (AES) (March) – Tech papers on
Vertical Localization of Loudspeakers, Surround Audio Fidelity
Considerations, Intercomparison Measurements of Acoustical Parameters,
& Wavetalbe Synthesis for Mobile Devices. There is a feature on low
bit-rate coding and a preview of the upcoming convention in Barcelona.
AUDIO XPRESS (April) – On the cover: Groove Mechanic 2.5c Software
Cleans LPs/Tapes, Is This the Ideal Tube Amp? (It’s an SE “E-Linear”
approach to feedback), Hybrid Headphone Amp, Quick & Cheap DMM Fix,
Line Array Subs Deliver BIG Horn Sound, Pooge Improves Video. Inside: A
Simple Audio System, Pt. 3; Rescuing Fluke’s Top Digital Meter Cheaply.
AUDIO XPRESS (March) – On the cover this issue: Crossover Tips
from a Pro, Affordable High-Quality Starter Kits (EB604/410 All-JFET
Line Amp), Small French Speakers Are Perfect Fit; Kit-Building MTM
Units from Vifa/Dayton, A Minimalist Look at Tube Amp Design, A Simple
Music Library Preamp. Also inside: Nelson Pass on Current Source
Crossover Filters, High End Preamp Part 2, Classifieds & Yard Sale.
MULTI MEDIA MANUFACTURER (March/April) – Is the Manager’s Guide to AV
Design and Development. Barry Fox writes on an Audio/Video Split in his
articles which are reprinted from HI-FI NEWS. High performance chips
from Analog Devices are explored, Bogus Electronic Parts is another
article, the 8-D Process is a better method for fixing faults, New
Chips on the Block reviews the AD Melody 32 and Nelson Pass writes on
trade secrets to building better amps.
SURROUND PROFESSIONAL (Vol. 7, Issue 3) – This is the official
show program for the recent 6th Annual International Surround
Conference & Showcase in Hollywood. “Musicians for Surround” has
Herbie Hancock, Peter Frampton and others speaking on how multichannel
music has changed the way they create. There is a directory of the
exhibitors at the show and a listing of all the Surround Music Awards
made at the event. “I Will Never Do Another Record in Stereo” is a
resolve by producer Steve Harvey to work in multichannel forever. He
also writes on The Practical Web Codec. Gear reviews include the DTS
Pro Series Surround Encoder and Yamaha DM1000 digital production.
THE BAS SPEAKER (Vol. 26 No. 3) – The latest unadorned issue of the
newsletter of the Boston Audio Society is chock full of interesting
stuff you won’t find in any of the other audio publications. Four past
meetings are reported and discussed: one on the RPG Diffusor Systems,
one on Earthworks speakers – who have some interesting observations on
bandwidth and mics as well as on speakers, one on venue acoustics with
David Griesinger and Leo Beranek, and one with a detailed story of the
development and design of the new BeoLab 5 speaker system. The VC-9
Controversy is about whether SMPTE will approve MicroSoft’s Windows
Media Video codec for possible professional video useage. Titles of
some of the Open Forum items: Mo’ Better Surrounder Surrounder, Novel
Simulcasts, Hi-Rez Overcomes – Doesn’t Solve, Web Radio Free for All,
Double-Resolution DLP, Greedy Studios Make DVDs Not So Special,
Gasketed Klipschorns Unleashed, Time for a New Surround-Sound Standard.
