Audioholics Featured Reviews & Articles

Turntables have transformed from pieces of audio gear to listening room bling. Luckily, some companies are still making turntables for those that actually use them. The Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB has just about everything you'd want in a turntable - integrated preamp, a high-torque multi-pole direct drive motor, a stroboscopic platter with a speed accuracy indicator, and much more. Plus, you can connect it to your computer and transform your vinyl into bits. Built with the DJ in mind, the Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB is so tough it may be the last turntable you buy...unless you win the lottery.

While we don't think the Samsung BD-E6500 will be the next Audiophile Blu-ray player, it very well may be our next Blu-ray player. The new Samsung includes dual HDMI inputs for connecting two different pieces of gear to it, and then running a single HDMI cable to your receiver/display. The BD-E6500 has Wi-Fi connectivity for streaming from DNLA devices and access to Samsung's Smart Hub. Most interestingly (though you may never use it), you can register (for a fee) your DVDs on UltraViolet from the player. The only thing we don't know about the player and the UltraViolet service? Price.

Pioneer is betting that "serious" dancers won't be able to live without one of their new STEEZ portable music players. Equipped with dance-specific features like tempo control, 8-Beat skip control, manual cue setting, and an auto Dance Battle mode, what "serious" dancer could live without a STEEZ? Powered by either the mains or batteries, you can Bring It wherever you want, even to Beat Street. Now, you don't have to set a time and date for a dance-off; with STEEZ, you can get your groove on wherever you want. We just want you do to it a little farther from our lawn.

We've heard the JBL Synthesis Project Everest speakers in person and they certainly are impressive. If the JBL Synthesis S4700 speakers sound anywhere near as good, consumers may look at that $20k price tag as a value considering they are getting some measure of the performance of the other two, higher priced, speakers. Releasing more budget (comparatively speaking) speakers makes a lot of sense in the current economy. We expect a lot of interest in these speakers and hope to get a chance to demo them ourselves soon.

We may never be able to afford a pair (much less full set) of Procella Audio P860 Biamplified Full-Range Extremely High-Output Reference Speakers. But that's okay. In the world of expensive audio, we often encounter companies that are talking up their heritage and custom finishes rather than what their speakers can do. Not Procella Audio. With extension down to 40Hz, output high enough to fill a mid-sized commercial cinema, and included amps, there isn't a lot to complain about (other than their looks). If you have a HUGE theater and a pile of cash to burn, Procella Audio should be on your short list.

Of course, the thing that caught your attention was the "wooden" part of the title. We were hoping for petrified-wood cone drivers but alas, it is only the outer coverings. For the ATH-W3000ANV, Audio-Technica has decided that their commemorative 50th anniversary logo could only placed on strikingly beautiful, traditional Japanese Echizen lacquer-finished Hokkaido Asada cherry heartwood. The Audio-Technica ATH-W3000ANV employ large 53 mm aperture drivers featuring specially built 2-part magnetic circuits that produce high speed magnetic streams plus "numerous additional refinements" which were not specified.

We seem to be hitting a lot of projectors this year, but it's no surprise since most manufacturers are releasing new 3D models that can do justice to the newest 3D Blu-ray movies. The Home Cinema 5010 is Epson's 1080p 3D projector that targets the enthusiast... make that the premier enthusiast. The 5010 is the highest model in Epson's Home Cinema lineup and it's designed to produce the richest blacks, the highest contrast ratios and the most detailed picture possible. We utilize the company's 9700UB, which is the professional model of the 8700UB, which this projector replaces. The 5010 ups the output of its predecessor to 2400 lumens. Now while we don't typically need that much light in home theaters, in 3D mode you lose a significant amount of the brightness due to the way the glasses are constantly closing and opening over each eye. With 2400 lumens and custom calibration options for 3D, Epson takes care of that and lets you calibrate the set for optimal 3D performance.

DISH Network wants everyone to check out their online streaming services. Today they introduced "DISH Test Drive". This program allows anyone in the US the ability to sample TV Everywhere technology from DISH and watch a selection of popular TV programming online or on mobile devices at no charge for 24 hours. DISH Test Drive begins Feb. 1, and TV viewers can visit www.dish.com/testdrive from a computer, tablet or smartphone and sign up. In a sense, DISH is restating its commitment to being the dominant online streaming service provider for satellite content, having been the first pay-TV provider to introduce TV Everywhere technology. TV Everywhere gave subscribers the ability to watch all of their live and recorded television programs on compatible smartphones, tablets and computers. DISH is now demonstrating to prospective customers how convenient and easy it is to watch TV while on the go.

Well, I suppose if the Scientologists could make a science fiction author their spiritual leader and be granted religious status in America, it wouldn't be long before others would go through the same hoops and form alternate (and equally bizarre) churches. According to... um, just about every tech news outlet on the Internet... a new "church" has finally succeeded in its efforts to be officially deemed a religion in Sweden of all places. Both an official press release and a news article on Torrent Freak are saying that a group started by philosophy student Isak Gerson has formed an officially sanctioned religion with one core belief: it's okay to copy information, in any form.