Scott Wilkinson

Premiere Design
Continuum Caliburn Turntable
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 29, 2010

During Michael Fremer's recent appearance on my podcast, he told the story about how he fell in love with a turntable he had reviewed for Stereophile—and how his wife had wholeheartedly approved of buying it, even though it cost as much as a high-end luxury car. That turntable is the Caliburn with Cobra tonearm from Continuum Audio Labs in Australia.

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Picture Presets, AVR Shopping, Soundbar Center
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 28, 2010
Black Hole Mode
You often talk about the advantages of professional calibration, but why couldn't TV makers include a mode for a blacked-out room? Or am I missing something? I have a ninth-gen, 50-inch Pioneer Kuro and a PS3. I set the TV's picture mode to Movie for standard-def TV and Standard for Blu-ray (with film mode set to Advance).
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Premiere Design
Marantz UD9004, UD7005, & UD5005 Universal Disc Players
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2010

D&M Holdings is the corporate umbrella under which both Denon and Marantz live, so it's no surprise that the flagship Denon DVD-A1UDCI (reviewed by Shane Buettner for Home Theater) and Marantz UD9004 universal disc players are both based on a common platform. So why is the Marantz $1500 more than the already very-expensive Denon?

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Premiere Design
Wilson Audio Sasha W/P Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2010

Few speakers are more highly regarded than the venerable WATT/Puppy from Wilson Audio. After eight model revisions, Wilson decided to implement some upgrades that warranted a new name—and the Sasha W/P was born.

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Premiere Design
Meridian Sooloos Control 15 Audio Server & MS600 Client
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 26, 2010

Long scoffed at by audiophiles, music servers are now gaining widespread acceptance for their convenience and sound quality. Among the most highly regarded products in this category is Sooloos from British high-end stalwart Meridian, which just announced two new members of the Sooloos family—the Control 15 server and Media Source 600 client.

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Premiere Design
dCS Puccini CD/SACD Player
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 23, 2010

I first heard about British high-end manufacturer dCS many years ago when I read a white paper from the company extolling the audible virtue of PCM digital audio recorded and played back at 192kHz with 24-bit resolution. Since then, it seems that dCS has embraced DSD—the digital-audio format used by SACD—in its CD/SACD playback systems, including the all-in-one Puccini.

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Premiere Design
Digital Projection Titan Reference 1080p 3D DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 22, 2010

Since I profiled the Titan Reference 1080p 3-chip DLP projector from Digital Projection International (DPI) in 2009, the company has upgraded it to include 3D capabilities. And unlike most Ultimate Gear products, I've actually spent some time with this one while Tom Norton was reviewing it for the October 2010 issue of Home Theater. How about a sneak peek?

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 27: David Abrams
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 21, 2010  |  Published: Jul 22, 2010
David Abrams, video calibrator extraordinaire and president of Avical Video System Specialists, reveals what he's doing for HBO and discusses the importance of basic setup and full calibration, the diffrences between calibrating CRTs and today's technology, calibrator training, THX-certified displays, and answers to many other listener questions.

Run Time: 52:32

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3D Standards, Speakers & AVRs, PAL Conversion
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 21, 2010
Waiting for 3D
With Sony and Microsoft both moving toward 3D video-game consoles, I'm thinking about getting a 3D TV. But I'm not willing to get a first-generation model because the standard for glasses has not been finalized, and receivers still seem to be catching up. How long will I have to wait for everything to be finalized?
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Premiere Design
BAlabo BD-1 DAC, BC-1 MK-II Control Amp, & BP-1 MK-II Power Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 20, 2010

When I profiled the incredible Transmission Audio Ultimate speaker system last year, I mentioned that the $2,000,000 package includes power amps and a preamp from Bridge Audio Laboratory, otherwise known by the odd contraction BAlabo. Here, I concentrate on these two beauties by themselves, along with BAlabo's new 2-channel DAC.

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