Last year in this blog, I profiled the high-end DCX-series 3-chip DLP projectors from Wolf Cinema. Last week, I joined Tom Norton and Shane Buettner for a tour of Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, CA, where DCX projectors are being used in two historic screening rooms.
Wolf Cinema is known for its extremely high-end home-theater projectors, several of which I've profiled in this blog. Now, the company has announced its latest offering, the SDC-15also known as "the Cub"a 1080p projector with full 3D capabilities and a surprisingly affordable price, at least for Wolf.
At the 2008 CEDIA Expo, I was surprised to find a new high-end projector company making its debut. Could <A href="http://www.wolfcinema.com">Wolf Cinema</A> successfully cross light paths with the likes of Runco and Digital Projection?
This may well be the most regal headphone amp you’ll ever lay eyes on. Make that amps, as in a pair of Class A monoblocks—one per channel—which is how the WA-234 is sold. But its majestic looks and meticulous industrial design (60 sheets of aluminum are used to create those wavy side panels) tell only part of the story.
Stereo consoles were all the rage in the ’60s. Every major TV company sold them—some with an integrated 25-inch screen, some without. Many were imposing pieces of furniture placed front and center in living rooms across America. I have vivid memories of paying $3 or $4 for my first album at the long-gone Jersey-based chain store Two Guys and promptly replacing the Engelbert Humperdinck LP on the platter of our Zenith console with Abbey Road.
Audiophiles know the name <A href="http://www.yg-acoustics.com">YG Acoustics</A>, even if they can't afford its flagship Anat Reference II Professional ($107,000/pair, <A href="http://www.stereophile.com/audaciousaudio/yg_acoustics_anat_reference_ii... in <I>Stereophile</I></A>) or the more moderate Kipod Studio ($38,000/pair). Both models are encased in CNC-machined aircraft-aluminum enclosures and consist of a main compact-speaker module and a powered subwoofer—plus an additional passive sub for the Anat—that can be purchased separately, allowing users to build their systems as budget permits. But even if you start with only the main module of the Anat ($33,000/pair) or Kipod ($17,000/pair), that's still some serious coin, and it doesn't get you all that deep into the sonic basement without the accompanying subs.
The Japanese know a thing or two about tube-based amplifiers, as demonstrated by Zanden Audio Systems, which recently released its new flagship monoblock, the 9600. This beauty joins a stable of phono and linestage preamps, a DAC, several other power amps, and a CD transport, offering everything you need for 2-channel bliss except for the speakers and cablesand a turntable if you're into vinyl.
Zu Audio is well known for relatively affordable high-performance speakers, so it came as a bit of a surprise to seeand heara new, high-priced flagship from the Utah-based company at CES (actually, T.H.E. Show) last January. The Dominance raises the bar for Zu and gives other ultra-high-end speakers a run for their money.