Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on February 11th, 2004
Introduction
Harman/kardon is one of the preeminent audio brands in the world and with the brands that the parent company Harman Int. it is an absolutely juggernaut in the audio world. Having said that they have never really been known for making video gear (Lexicon, one of the Harman group companies make some ridiculously good gear with a huge emphasis on video performance). This DVD player can be purchased separately or comes in the Harman/kardon DPR System One with the DPR1001 receiver.
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Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2003
Introduction
Jamo is the second largest speaker manufacturer in the world, and is certainly number one in Europe. In North America they remain a somewhat unknown brand but have been gaining in recognition over the last few years. If you have a look at their website their product offering is very broad with stylish Lifestyle speaker designs all the way up to the mega-buck audiophile grade (a couple of friends of mine own the D8 towers and I can say with confidence that they are stunning).
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Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on November 4th, 2003
Introduction
Jamo’s product offerings are very broad with stylish Lifestyle speaker designs all the way up to the mega-buck audiophile grade (a couple of friends of mine own the D8 towers and I can say with confidence that they are stunning). This speaker system is the entry level product in their lifestyle range so these products are designed to look as good as they sound.
Features and Build
The first thing you will notice about these speakers are that they don’t really ...
Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2003
Introduction
Interconnect cables are an often overlooked part of most peoples audio components but can often have just as much effect on your overall sound quality as the components you buy. Home theater and audio enthusiast seem to fall into two categories when it comes to cables, the first one being that as long as it is better then what came in the box and it did not cost me an inordinate amount of money then that is perfect. The other camp treats them like jewelry, the more expensive, cooler sou...
Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2003
Introduction
Power cables on some home audio components are replaceable so cable manufacturers have started to produce replacement power cords of superior quality to the OEM units. Bettercables.com is a Virginia based on-line only mid to high end cable manufacturer that makes cables to try and appeal everyone. They are backed with good technology, high-end looks and are very reasonably priced (in comparison to some other high-end prestige brands).
Features and Build
The PO...
Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2003
Audiophiles maintain that digital coaxial cables will always sound better then optical cables as optical cables are not a perfect connection. Well I don’t know that I agree with this my first experience with this was hooking up one of the first outboard Dolby Digital processor, when we listened to it there was this strange static spark sound that we got every so often when using the coaxial connection, we tried different cables to no avail and then tried another unit with the same result (we even tried a different brand), used an optical cable and problem solved.
Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2003
Introduction
Video cables, like audio cable, can have a huge impact on the performance of your system. A lot of people tend to overlook this and simply use the supplied cables with their equipment, which is a shame as those cables are nothing more then an after thought. Replacing your video cables with higher quality ones are literally like getting an upgraded piece of equipment for a small investment. Bettercables.com are well know for producing some of the best video cables out there at a fraction ...
Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2003
Introduction
Zu Cable are an online retailer of mid to high end audio cable and speakers systems. The Varial audio cable is their top-of-the-line audio interconnect. When you start looking around at high-end audio cables you suddenly discover that you can easily spend more money on cables then your entire system is worth but, cables are important and should be treated like another component of your system and not just an afterthought. The owners and designers at Zu have worked for some of the highest...
Posted in: Hardware Reviews by Archive Authors on October 15th, 2003
Introduction
Zu is a relative newcomer to the audio industry, launched at the 2000 CES in Las Vegas and based out of Ogden Utah. The owners, designers and engineers for Zu have worked in the audio industry since the mid 1990’s for such high-end manufacturers as Kimber Cable, Talon Audio and Wasatch Cable Works. They have a number of proprietary technologies that are trade secrets and their products are mainly available on-line which helps to provide the end user with a higher quality product at a low...
