Home Cinema & Hi-Fi Living by nextmedia Pty Ltd

Bigscreen home cinema & multi-room music

SIMPLY THE BEST Australia’s smartest homes

High-end systems & the music lovers that built them

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HI-FI

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ULTIMATE

Top AV advice from Australia’s no.1 specialist audio and AV publishers

World class products

Visit our Stand No 77 at CEDIA EXPO 2010 Call 1800 251 367 or visit our website at www.ambertech.com.au for more information on our award winning products

from Amber Technology

With over 25 years in their field, Amber Technology is the leader in complete home integration solutions. Distributing a wide range of premium components and customised solutions that even the most discerning enthusiast loves, and the industry admires. Whatever your need may be, rest assured that Amber Technology is your ideal partner for the perfect solution.

Jez Ford, Editor

Get a Life

e hear a lot about lifestyle. “Improve your lifestyle!”, say those who would have us make a sea-change from our busy cities and telecommute from some obscure headland in Queensland. ‘Lifestyle’ TV channels run endless ‘makeover’ and cookery shows, letting us know we can change our homes in 60 minutes while making the perfect omelette. Sometimes upgrading your lifestyle can seem like awfully hard work. In the hi-fi and home cinema world, you have to be careful about using the word, one particular brand asserting that it has so firmly established ownership that the rest of us should remove it from our vocabulary. But in general use rather than for any specific application, there have developed some rather negative connotations. In this issue Edgar Kramer visits three music lovers that own simply stunning hi-fi systems, and one of them comments that many manufacturers these days spend too much time on aesthetic appearance and not enough on musical performance. Another predicts a gradual demise of true high-end audio because people are now so time-poor that we get bamboozled by adverts, and fail to sit and listen (and look) critically at the performance of the equipment we’re about to pay good money for. It doesn’t have to be so. This issue is packed with homes fitted out by accredited industry experts who know how to listen to their clients’ needs and then create the best solution for their budget. If you’re after a good hi-fi or AV system, whatever the price, the best path by far is to visit several local specialist dealers and chat to them — find one that you like, someone that encourages you to sit down with a good cup of coffee and your favourite CDs or movie. You’ll find it’s remarkably easy to establish what you like, and you’ll end up with a great system. And a great system will most certainly improve your lifestyle. I guarantee it. Cheers, Jez Ford, Editor www.twitter.com/jezford / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

HIGH-END SYSTEMS We worship those who worship the heights of audio! Edgar Kramer visits the owners of three extraordinary high-end hi-fi set-ups that have been built over many years of audiophile-dom in the ongoing aim for the ultimate in music. In one home, there’s a second fantastic system in the bedroom and a third in the kitchen. How’s that for multiroom audio?

p31... p70... p91

contents Editor Jez Ford jford@next.com.au Art Director Kristian Hagen Artists Kristian Hagen, David Chew, Dylan Fryer Contributing Editor Greg Borrowman Contributors Stephen Dawson, Jez Ford, Edgar Kramer, Greg Borrowman

SMART HOMES We present four thrilling homes — gorgeous in their location and interior design, but more importantly (for us tech-loving types) these are also Australia’s best smart-home installations, featuring dedicated home theatres, multiroom music, centralised video sources and all the latest technologies. Flip the page and start compiling your wish-list...

Advertising Sales Manager Lewis Preece lpreece@next.com.au Advertising Traffic Diane Preece Production Manager Peter Ryman Circulation Director Carole Jones Divisional Manager & National Advertising Sales Manager Jim Preece jpreece@next.com.au

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GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME

Thinking about Blu-ray but not convinced it’ll bring you much of an upgrade over what you’ve got? Check out our comparisons between the pictures delivered by Blu-ray, DVD and the fuzzy days of ye olde video cassette. Prepare to be convinced!

MOVING PICTURES

Our writers often impress their friends by pointing at their TVs and pronouncing that they have unwanted artefacts caused by poor motion adaptive interlacing decisions. Now you can join the fun, with our simple guide to how TVs process complex moving images.

FABULOUS BEASTS

INTERVIEW: Flemming E Rasmussen founded Gryphon Audio Designs, achieving recognition for dedication to state-of-the-art performance and stunning product design. We talk with him about the company, the effect of the recent economic downturn, and the future for audio.

DEFINITIONS

Not just a glossary of jargon, rather an entry into an exciting world of AV wonders. Stephen Dawson comes to terms...

3D TELEVISION

106

It’s a new dimension! But do we need it, and what do we watch? Here’s the 3D story so far.. .

Home Cinema & Hi-Fi Living Yearbook is published annually by nextmedia Pty Ltd, ACN: 128 805 970, Level 5, 55 Chandos St, St Leonards, NSW 2065 © 2010. All rights reserved. Screen images from Nine and Resident Evil: Afterlife courtesy Sony Pictures. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher. Printed by The Quality Group, distributed by Network Services. The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. All material submitted is at the owner’s risk and, while every care will be taken, nextmedia does not accept liability for loss or damage, nor for loss or damage to material or products submitted for editorial review, advertising or any other purpose. Equipment or material supplied to this company should be covered by an insurance policy for the period that the item/s may be in transit to us, in our possession and in transit back to you or your warehouse. The submission of product or material for editorial inclusion in this publication signifies acceptance of the above mentioned conditions. While articles and advertisements on recording techniques may appear in this magazine, readers should not construe this as authorising or inciting them to make recordings of copyright material. In all cases we suggest you contact the manufacturer and/or supplier of the recording to request permission to record material. Privacy Policy: We value the integrity of your personal information. If you provide personal information through your participation in any competitions, surveys or offers featured in this issue of Home Cinema & Hi-Fi Living Yearbook, this will be used to provide the products or services that you have requested and to improve the content of our magazines. Your details may be provided to third parties who assist us in this purpose. In the event of organisations providing prizes or offers to our readers, we may pass your details on to them. From time to time, we may use the information you provide us to inform you of other products, services and events our company has to offer. We may also give your information to other organisations which may use it to inform you about their products, services and events, unless you tell us not to do so. You are welcome to access the information that we hold about you by getting in touch with our Privacy Officer, who can be contacted at nextmedia, Locked Bay 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590.

Smart Homes

/ Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Smart Homes

Cause

& Effect

Start with a good cause, and the fine people of Western Australia will build you a $10 million Appealathon house. Go on, make them an offer...

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living /

Smart Homes

he Western Australia charity Appealathon is an amazing concept, and a source of pride for all those who work on it. Coordinated by Perth’s Channel 9 and Zorzi Builders, the home is one of the biggest projects undertaken for any charity in Australia. The project brings together designers, trades, suppliers and manufacturers with the builder to create a fully-equipped home which is open to the public for some months before being sold — with the proceeds from sale going to the charity, in this case the Civilian Maimed and Limbless Association and Paraplegic-Quadriplegic Association of Western Australia. And as you can see, the results can be spectacular. 10 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

The brief

Surround Sounds’ custom installation team was involved with the previous Appealathon charity home, which sold for over five million dollars. That set the record for the most expensive charity home ever sold in Australia, and no wonder. From the blue-ribbon prestige riverside location to its integration of high-level home technology, it was a wonderful home for a family to enjoy, and made a bucketload of money for the worthy charities. The Surround Sounds’ custom team had imagined it would never be topped. Until they were invited to become involved with this new project, to be built on Jutland Parade, known as “Millionaire’s Row” — the most exclusive street in Perth’s riverside

suburb of Dalkeith. Undertaken again by the Mercedes Group that contains well-known builders Zorzi Builders and Grandwood Homes (winner of the 2008 HIA Australian Home of the Year), the property is expected to fetch a new record price beyond even the previous home. Mark Jeisman recalls the initial meeting with Interior Designers MMA. “We’ve worked alongside several of these companies for more than 10 years now, so we have a great understanding of each other’s talents and how we can work in partnership. So I was looking over the very contemporary design and questioning what the system brief might be. Their response was… ‘Well the brief is — there is no brief! Mark, your team understands what can

Smart Homes LEFT AND BELOW — The main family living area is directly off the open-plan kitchen, and the lucky owners will be able to enjoy a 63-inch Samsung plasma TV (shown below), together with the multiroom audio system delivering Sonos ZonePlayer fare via Flatline flushmount ceiling speakers. Alfresco areas and the master bedroom can also access multiroom audio; a pair of Sonos CR200 controllers can be used anywhere in the home to control each and every zone of music

best complement this home, the lifestyle benefits your systems can bring, and best of all how it will work with what we are trying to achieve here.’ ” With such prestige projects, Surround Sounds is often asked to create something out of the ordinary, a statement in style. “But also in this project we were customdesigning the system for an unknown client,” Mark points out. “So we had the challenge to create something that had never been done in a charity home or average display home — but something that had to appeal across the board and be understood. All this while being mindful of the interiors and also maintaining a budget that would yield the charity some return upon the house selling for auction.”

A further factor was the ‘open house’ period — the Appealathon home is shown to the general public for four months prior to its sale. So it could be a showcase for the marvels of smart-home technologies in a real home situation — “a rare opportunity, as well as a good cause!” says Mark.

The home From the front, the Appealathon Home’s layered facades include a single-storey section to the left, which is a self-contained ‘pod’ that can be used by an ‘independent’ family member. The main home has two storeys beside and beyond this. What looks initially like a front door actually leads to a covered walkway past a central courtyard to the actual entry. Not far inside, you come

upon the stylish dedicated home cinema, while beyond is a huge kitchen with walk-in pantry and adjacent family/dining area. A central lift accesses an upstairs bedroom (configured with wider doors to both the bedroom and en-suite for potential wheelchair access), while there are an additional three double bedrooms, study, and various balcony and alfresco areas.

System design With Surround Sounds’ custom division’s co-director Sol Marrington, Mark set about designing systems based around security, CCTV, C-Bus lighting control, structured cabling, home automation, communications, multi-room audio and home entertainment (see the full equipment list on p16). Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 11

Smart Homes

“I remember Sol saying that if we were to up the ante from the previous charity home, this would have to be an absolute statement project, taking us into an area where the integration budget alone would allow you to buy a entire house under normal circumstances,” says Mark. “But we thought, we’re in a resources boom in WA, let’s go for it — it’s going to be a fantastic house, and we’ll get our business partners on board from the various suppliers in the CEDIA custom channels.” Then, just as the ‘wishlist’ was finalised and CAD designs were being laid out at Surround Custom, along came the GFC. “I thought it was going to be a nightmare,” remembers Mark. “How could 12 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

we approach all these people to contribute at such a time, when things were going so bad. But of course, we had to push forward, and to my amazement, the response from our selected CEDIA industry suppliers and manufacturers was brilliant. We had these prestigious products which were either donated, subsidised or provided at net cost, all adding to our effort of passing these on and installing them all free of charge with our great technical team.”

AV splendour So what wonders do prospective purchasers have in store? Well, the dedicated home cinema boasts a “fully bombed kit any home would be happy with”. A complete 7.1-

channel surround-sound system supports the full-HD projection system — a Sim2 Domino 60 projector and an LP Morgan 100-inch fixed screen using the company’s Plana U fabric. Acoustic panels have been used to control the room response, including some panels incorporated into recessed areas of the ceiling trough. “With cavity sliding doors that control ambient light, this room’s ‘black theme’ not only matches the home’s ‘modern Italian styling’, from a visual point of view it also maintains focus on the 100-inch LP Morgan screen surface,” says Mark Jeisman. “And it’s lucky that Sim2’s Domino 60 DLP projector also happens to come in black, just like the ceiling colour!”

Smart Homes LEFT — The main home cinema uses a 100-inch LP Morgan screen and Sim2 projector, with sources including a Panasonic Blu-ray player and NextWave set-top box, and audio emerging via a Yamaha receiver and speakers from Energy and Flatline BELOW — A central Crestron eight-inch colour touchscreen provides easy access to all the home’s integrated systems, while the home cinema room gets its own RTI T3V touchscreen control to operate the AV electronics and lighting modes

Sources for the home cinema include a Panasonic Blu-ray player and a Nextwave digital HD set-top box, while a Yamaha RX-V665 AV receiver provides the power to comfortably drive the Energy floorstanding speakers concealed in the custom cabinetry, along with an Energy centre channel and Yamaha subwoofer. There’s no line of remote controls on the arm-rest here, of course — RTI provided its T3V universal controller, running an RF link back to the AV system for full and simple control of both audio-visual devices and the theatre’s C-Bus lighting. “It’s easy to get carried away with the home theatre,” says Mark (thinking perhaps of the company’s own ‘Cinema DeLux’ theatre

featured on the cover of the previous issue of Home Cinema & Hi-Fi Living). “But here we wanted to deliver something that was good value and performed very respectably without doing it on the cheap and letting down the calibre of the theatre fit-out, and the overall home. For under $20,000 it’s an excellent result.”

Distributed audio Elsewhere in the home, music is provided via a Sonos system serving the kitchen/dining area, alfresco areas off various rooms, as well as master bedroom and retreat areas, via Flatline Acoustic flush-mount speakers. A lush courtyard garden located between the main building and guest pod (currently

a gym) also gets the Sonos audio treatment via some Sonance rock garden speakers. The family room has a separate AV system featuring DVD player and a 63-inch Samsung plasma screen. The family room has also been pre-wired for 5.1-channel surround sound should the prospective buyers wish to enhance the surround sound experience in this area. “We had to leave something in the house for someone else to do!” says Mark. The full entertainment system has been operating during the home’s open days. With the Sonos system sourcing its music online, the builders’ sales team hasn’t had to worry about CD selection or loading iPods — “it’s all set and forget”, says Mark. Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 13

THE HI–FI HEADLINES NEWSLETTER — THE VISION ISSUE

No.188

Reference: It’s Loewe at First Sight From first sight any Loewe (rhymes with server) TV system is a thing of beauty. For the same sorts of reasons that we love European cars and various European electrical and electronic products, the Loewe TVs are instantly attractive with their dropdead gorgeous styling. When you have a line of products which are already so well designed and technically advanced, it stands to reason that when they release a top-of-the-line model it is going to be something really special, and so it is with the Loewe Reference system. This is a superlative TV system which incorporates all the best technologies available, from the brilliant full HD screen to the superb electrostatic speaker system. Needless to say, the styling is nothing short of stunning. Loewe TVs have found their way into design museums before, and the Loewe Reference is an instant classic of modern design. The basis Reference system (it can be expanded on) comes with three major components: 1)

The Television. The very slim 52”/132cm screen is completely behind a large non-reflecting black glass panel, giving it a sheer, frameless appearance. The glass also acts as a light filter and contributes to the superb picture quality. Below this is a dark section housing the CRX Sound system, then below that a decorative polished aluminium panel. Recording of television programs is handled by the inbuilt 500GB hard drive recorder. Networking of your music, pictures and video sources can also be organised through the media player via wired or wireless connections. USB inputs allow direct connection of digital material on memory sticks. This is an amazing TV, and can be purchased separately.

The Speakers. While the inbuilt audio is superior to that found on most TV sets, the Loewe Reference system includes a pair of striking-looking Electrostatic speakers, and a powerful subwoofer. The sub also houses all of the power amplification necessary for a complete Home Theatre system.

The multiroom receiver. This is a excellent networking device. It sits on your local network, either wired or wirelessly, and gives you access to media stored on your computers (music, photos, video etc) plus any media available on the web, including 8,000 internet radio stations. It has connectivity for portable media, iPod, camera, USB stick etc. Plus it allows you to extend your Loewe Reference system wirelessly into other rooms. A visit to the store is a must!

Panasonic – the reference screen Very few people would argue with the fact that Pioneer plasma screens were the best flat screen TVs to come on the market. Sadly they have now exited the market — but not all is lost! The crown has passed to Panasonic with their 50” and 65” VX series. These screens are a little different in that they are monitors only, no inbuilt tuner, but as most of these screens are being used in Home Theatre environments this is generally not a concern. Simply put, these two screens from Panasonic are as good as you can buy. The only drawback has been price — the 65” has been retailing for $13,749 and the 50” for $7,138. Both units have just been reduced; the 60” has a new RRP of $9,899 and the 50” $4,949. Also — a price reduction from JVC JVC’s projectors are among the best kept secrets in this industry. They offer excellent value, in particular the DLA-HD550 which has been selling for $6,490. The good news is that we have recently received a special buy price on this unit, and we have reduced the price to $4,999. This is a surprisingly good projector, and at $4,999 it is exceptional value.

64 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove NSW 2066 • Ph (02) 9427 6755 Fx (02) 9427 2490 • ABN 40 001 592 383 • sales@lenwallisaudio.com.au

www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

Smart Homes

TOP — The master bedroom and en-suite are served by the multiroom music system based around Sonos ZonePlayers and Flatline Acoustic flushmount speakers; music can be streamed from internet-based sources ABOVE — The home is defined by ‘modern Italian styling’, while access, security and CCTV are all integrated with the home’s Crestron control system. Cameras can be viewed via the TV screens or central wall panel

Camouflaged integration

One of Surround Sounds’ custom talents is finding ways to blend products into the surrounding environment. Project manager Brad Harding is the one responsible for bringing it all together. “As much as we love our stuff, some of it doesn’t always look great,” he admits. “So we go to extra lengths to colour it, hide it, move it in accordance with the finish of the home. All provided that it doesn’t compromise the integrity of the systems!” So all the flush-mount speakers in the home were professionally painted (with two-pack car acrylic), while even the security keypad near the front door blends chameleon-like into its surrounds thanks to some artistic paintwork. “It can be a bit of pain to disassemble intricate electronic devices, not to mention time-consuming,” says Brad. “But the end result is well worth it.”

Central control The heart of the home’s integrated systems lies in a secure store-room off the garage, where a full B&R Hager 42RU 19-inch racking system houses Cat-6 patch bays for data and communications, as well as full free-to-air and pay TV distribution, security, IP servers, and all the technology hubs for the home’s integrated systems. This also includes the Crestron processor, PABX telephony, and network switching. The Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 15

Smart Homes

Kit list +++ kit list +++ kit list +++ kit Home Cinema Sim2 Domino 60 DLP AV projector LP Morgan Galleria LPM 61U100H 100-inch

16:9 screen with Plana U fabric Nextwave THD-6290 HD set-top box Panasonic BDP-60 Blu-ray player Yamaha RX-V665B receiver Energy C300 speakers x 2 (front) Energy CC-100 centre speaker Flatline FL-650IW 6-inch rear speakers x 4 Yamaha YSW225 subwoofer FlexiMount projector bracket Spiderwire HDMI cables Liberty speaker cables RTI T3V touchscreen remote control Family Room Samsung 63-inch Series 6 plasma TV Multiroom audio Sonos ZP-120 ZonePlayers x 5 Sonos CR-200 Controllers x 2 Flatline FL-650IW flushmount speakers x 8 Sonance CRK Rock Speakers x 2 Control System Crestron home automation system Crestron CP-2E Control processor Crestron TMPC 8L 8-inch colour

TOP — Not an equipment rack, a wine-chilling cabinet for whites, alongside storage for reds, usefully close to the open-plan kitchen ABOVE — Check out the rack... it often indicates the quality of an installation job, as witnessed by the neat finishing and wide radiusing of the cables here

location is especially handy, as it provides a serviceable area for any upgrades without disturbing the future owners. A full Crestron automation system is the overarching control system, with an eight-inch wall panel located in the kitchen/ family area. “That provides simple control, wrapping one-touch lighting modes, blind control, water-feature pumps, and gate control,” says Mark. “There are also four infra-red colour cameras around the property, which are converted to IP and viewed via the Crestron panel or any of the PCs in the home.” The Crestron system was programmed by Surround Sounds’ in-house programmer to be simple enough for anyone coming to inspect the home to use. “No driving lesson required!” says Mark, “though of course that should be the case 16 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

touchscreen Clipsal C-Bus lighting control system Saturn DLT switch plates B&R 40RU 19-inch rack system with fan Channel Plus active RF distribution Clipsal Saturn 4000 wall plates Clipsal RF patch routing system Grove Cat 6 Data Patch distribution Krone 90 pair voice frame Netgear 16-port gigabit network switch Cabac ADSL Central Splitter Security System Ness M1 Security Automation System Ness Quantum PIR & Various sensors Ness M1 C-Bus Interface

whether it’s a display home, a charity home or a real client’s home.” Clipsal’s C-Bus lighting control system partners with the Crestron to provide global lighting modes across almost 100 different lighting circuits and other subsystems. Clipsal’s DLT switches support the Crestron touchscreen in providing simple-to-understand switching options in strategic locations. “There are high traffic areas where a lot of switching is required,” explains Mark. “The DLT switches work well combining labelling and switches onto one plate.” The partnership continues with the Ness M1 security/automation panel dove-tailing into Crestron and C-Bus systems. “It’s a real seamless solution, they work together so well,” says Mark. “Add to that the Nidac access control which manages

Access Control Nidac PSE-IL Access Keypad Nidac PIM Controller Ness M1 Wiegand Door Module Rossglare Push to Exit Switch Ness 12V Power Supply CCTV Axis Video IP server AMAV 4 x 8 Matrix Video Switch Pro Colour Ball IR Cameras x 4 Communications Panasonic TDA30 Hybrid IP PABX system Special thanks

Surround Sounds’ custom team would like to thank the following companies for their support in making this venture possible: Clipsal Integrated Systems Australia, Crestron Control Solutions (Hills SVL), Playback Systems (Sonos), Ness Security Products, Security Merchants Australia, Grove Communications, Visual Fidelity, Herma Screen Technologies, RTI Corp Australia, B&R Hager, McCarthy Panel & Paint, Command a Com (Panasonic), Amber Technology, Axis IP Systems, Yamaha Music Australia, Flatline Acoustics (Teksel Solutions), JG Thomas & Associates, Redgewell Electrics, XIT Distribution, MMA Interiors, Zorzi Builders, Custom installers Surround Sounds

Unit 3, 83 -85 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA 6009 Tel: 08 9389 6900 Email: sales@surroundsounds.com.au Web: www.surroundsounds.com.au, and www.cinemadelux.com.au

pedestrian, vehicle gates and garage doors, and you have simple access to technology in a multitude of places within the home.” The gates can also be controlled via the Panasonic PABX system, which handles gate intercoms, general inter-room communications and outside communications.

Sign off With the house market returning to some degree of confidence, this amazing home is expected to fetch top dollar (potentially upwards of $10m) for the worthy charities, and Surround Sounds’ team is obviously proud to have again delivered such success in partnership with the trades, suppliers and designers, and of course, Zorzi Builders. Private negotiations will determine the selling price, so if you’re keen, contact Zorzi Builders in Subiaco, WA!

pioneer.com.au

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Used in some of the world’s best studios including Pixar, AIR Studios and Skywalker Sound, the breakthrough technology developed for Pioneer’s professional speakers (TAD) has now been integrated into the Pioneer Home Audio range. With Air Studio collaboration on Pioneer’s premium Blu-ray Players and AV Receivers and our on-going association with THX, Pioneer’s new Premium Home Audio range creates a sound stage of incredible proportions.

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Pioneer, like Air Studios, believes in technical excellence. Richard Boote, Air Studios Owner.

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Don’t just take our word for it. See how the industry has reviewed & rated the Pioneer Premium Home Audio range at pioneer.com.au/industryreviews

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think safety. think sanus.

Q. Is it safe to install a TV on a wall? A. Yes, if you’re using the right mount and it’s installed correctly. Sanus has a solid reputation for developing quality mounting and bracket solutions. Q. Why is safe installation important? A. Recent reports in The Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne and on Channel 7’s Today Tonight program have highlighted the fact that every year over 300 Australians, mainly children, are hospitalised as a result of freestanding or incorrectly installed TVs falling on them.

PLATINUM SPONSOR

Q. Are there any Australian Standards for mounting solutions? A. Currently there are no Australian Standards when it comes to AV mounting solutions, but every Sanus mount is UL Certified™ in the USA. This means that they are tested to within an inch of their lives, and will hold four times their rated weight for at least one minute before coming off the wall if installed correctly. Q. What other benefits are there to installing a television on my wall? A. You may be able to remove your existing TV cabinet, which takes up room and accumulates dust underneath and

Underwriter’s Laboratory Safety Standard

behind it. Sanus also now has on-wall furniture that makes better use of your available space, which is especially suitable for apartment living. Q. Are all brackets the same? A. If a salesperson tells you a bracket is just a bracket, go somewhere else. A CEDIA member or qualified installer will give you honest advice about the suitability and safety of different products. Sanus products come with a detailed instruction manual, strong gauge back-plate and arms materials, and quality fixing hardware, all essential for long-life and safety.

Proudly distributed by Home Theatre Group Unit 6/96 Gardens Drive WILLAWONG QLD 4110 Telephone 07 3276 1355 Fax 07 3276 1366 www.htgroup.com.au

Q. Do all brackets come pre-assembled? A. No. You can spend half the installation time just getting the mount ready. The Sanus process helps save on installation time and minimises errors. Q. Which mount should I buy? A. Look around the room your TV is in. What sized screen do you have? Is it an LED that needs to be hung close to the wall, or would you like it to sit in the corner using a full motion mount that gives the appearance the TV is floating? Is ambient light a problem? A Sanus mount with Adjustable Virtual Axis™ will allow you to adjust the TV angle with

the touch of a finger. The options to suit your family and your needs are virtually endless. Q. How do I know if I’m getting the latest technology? A. Sanus sends out its design engineers to work with installers and find out where products can be improved. For example, the new range of mounts with Follow-Thru Technology™ offers cable concealment in the arms for safe, tidy installation. Q. Is there anything new coming? A. Sanus will soon be launching a specially designed mount for outdoor use, which incorporates a rust resistant

Check this out and more at www.sanus.com.au

coating and stainless steel hardware. Strong dual arms allow a 43”–75” TV to extend, swivel and pan up to 50cm from the wall for optimal viewing angles anywhere in the room. Q. Can I install it myself? A. If you are a home handy man there are a number of Sanus mounts you can install yourself. Otherwise, it is better to have a qualified installer do it for you. Q. Who do you recommend to install my television? A. Deal with a reputable retailer who can organise your installation, or look for a CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design Installation Association) member.

Think innovation. Think Sanus.

KI Pearl. 30 Years in the making.

K EN I S H IW A T A ’ S

3 0 TH A NNI V ER S A R Y LIMI T ED ED I T I O N For more than 30 years Ken Ishiwata has been intimately exploring all newly-designed Marantz Amplifiers and CD Players. Only after his approval are they introduced to the world so that other lovers of music can experience the moment. To mark this 30th anniversary, Ken has created a special KI Signature limited edition ‘Pearl System’: an exquisite integrated amplifier and superb SACD player. Pearls are the traditional gift for a 30th anniversary. So it’s a fitting tribute to Ken Ishiwata, who has made it his personal labour of love to listen, improve and then listen and improve, again and again.

Limited Offer! Receive your FREE KI Pearl Box Set while stocks last!

It is this same single-minded devotion that has driven the design and development of the Pearls. They are unique. They resonate Marantz quality in sound and appearance. And they are destined to become a true milestone in Hi-Fi history. Enjoy.

Comprises KI Book & SACD.

Distributed in Australia by QualiFi Pty Ltd • (03) 8542 1111 • info@marantz.com.au • www.marantz.com.au

Conditions apply.

KI Pearl is available from these specialist Hi-Fi stores:

QLF482

NSW BONDI JUNCTION Hi-Fi Junction 256 Oxford St � 9389 4000

LANE COVE Len Wallis Audio 64 Burns Bay Rd � 9427 6755

LIVERPOOL Absolute Hi-Fi Liverpool Mega Centre 2 Orange Grove Rd � 9822 7122

MASCOT Audio Solutions 1195 Botany Rd � 9317 3330

MARRICKVILLE Apollo Hi-Fi 283 Victoria Rd � 9560 9019

VIC CARLTON Carlton Audio Visual 164 Lygon St � 9639 2737

FRANKSTON Frankston Hi-Fi 450 Nepean Hwy � 9781 1111

SA PROSPECT Challenge Hi-Fi 88 Prospect Rd � 8269 7333

WA SUBIACO Simply Hi-Fi 319 Hay St � 9388 2709

VHS vs DVD vs BLU-RAY

Gettin’ better all the time Thinking about going for Blu-ray, but fairly happy with your existing DVD player? What more do you really get? Stephen Dawson presents a study in image quality.

o what has been the most important media format for home cinema, do you think? It was most certainly not the now-deceased HD DVD, nor the Blu-ray which vanquished it. It wasn’t even the DVD. LaserDisc? It was the digital high-end in video for a while, but ultimately its LP-size discs failed to take over the world. No, we reckon it was the videocassette, another format initially launched in two rival forms before finally settling down (in most countries) to the single VHS version.

Of course, Blu-ray has made home cinema significantly better than it was with DVD, thanks to the far higher video resolution and, to a lesser extent, improved video and audio codecs. And that builds on the improvement that DVD enabled compared with VHS, which was even greater. In addition to hugely better picture quality, DVD eliminated one of the biggest bugbears of VHS — that every time you played a tape, you made the picture just that little bit worse. And that’s not even considering the ever-present possibility that

the player might draw some huge length of the tape far into its interior, wrapping it around sundry working parts and, much of the time, wrinkling it beyond reconstitution. DVD also allowed almost instantaneous access to any part of the movie, rather than having to laboriously wind through the tape either slowly in scan mode, or fairly rapidly in normal fast-forward mode. Of course, with the latter you had to take a complete guess on where to stop the tape in the hope of finding the bit that you’re after. Don’t you miss that?

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 21

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VhS vs DVD vs Blu-ray

THE FULL PICTURE? NOT NECESSARILY

to simply lose material when converted to

quite as brutal as it appears. As ﬁlm stock

Remember ‘Pan and Scan’? It is recalled with

pan and scan (ﬁrst for TV, later for VHS).

got better (e.g. Super 35), anamorphic lens

horror by movie fans who already resented

This is especially the case where the movie

use was reduced and the movies were shot

the 4:3 television or video presentation of

was shot anamorphically, or using special ﬁlm

full frame, and then masked at the top

ﬁlms that were shot for display on one of the

processes such as Cinerama or VistaVision.

and bottom of the frame during printing to

various widescreen cinema formats.

All this was more common back in the 1950s

distribution stock — and that ratio is what

and early 1960s.

the director intended. So-called Pan and

In general, older widescreen movies tend

Because signiﬁcant side sections of the original frame were omitted, the onscreen

We might assume Blu-ray would make this

The Blu-ray crop may not, however, be

Scan stuff was simply often the original

action could sometimes head off to one side

a thing of the past. With all that resolution

frame without the intended masking. (Hence

of the TV screen, requiring an artiﬁcial ‘pan’

and storage space on tap, we must be seeing

incidents of boom mikes in shot and other

to be introduced during video mastering.

the whole picture now, yes?

errors in 4:3 ‘unmasked’ releases.)

The worst-case scenarios would involve a

Compare, then, the full frames

So as a rule, the widescreen Blu-ray

conversation between characters on opposite

below taken from the VHS 4:3 version of

version is most likely to be a close

sides of the wide-format original, requiring

Independence Day and the full Blu-ray

representation of what was ﬁrst shown at the

repeated pans never intended by the ﬁlm’s

version. What do we actually see? Both

cinema, and is thus probably the closest to

director. (A memorable Benny Hill sketch

frames have been heavily cropped. In the 4:3

the movie-makers’ intentions. The sometime

showed the potential problems, with an

frame, substantial chunks of the left and right

very different framing of 4:3 versions is

inexperienced pan-and-scan operator unable

edges of the ﬁlm frame have been omitted.

generally due to an effort to move the pan-

to keep up with the ﬂow of conversation and

But on the 2.35:1 version, a large amount of

and-scan version of the movie a little along

missing every key detail of the scene.)

the top and bottom has been abandoned.

the scale from pig’s ear to silk purse…

A frame from the VHS tape of Independence Day, released in 4:3 format. Material has been lost from each side of the original widescreen frame.

Yet still it’s a solid argument that VHS was more important than DVD. The reason is simple: videotape was the first time you were allowed your choice of movie to be played in the home. What had gone before offered no such option. Prior to the introduction of Betamax video cassettes (shortly followed by VHS), home movie watching was entirely subject to whatever the TV stations deigned to broadcast. That acknowledgement having been made, we can now say thank goodness we’ve moved on. And it is not just because of those worn or destroyed tapes. Because of picture quality. There were multiple reasons why VHS picture quality was poor compared with DVD.

The same frame from the Blu-ray of Independence Day, released in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Compared with the VHS frame, there is significant cropping of the top and bottom — but this ‘masking’ is more likely to be what the director intended for the cinema.

was a different matter. DVDs typically store their video in 720 pixel-wide frames. Even in the early days of DVD with composite video output, the better part of 500 pixels of this was available to feed the TV. First component video and then HDMI increased this, to the full 720 pixels in the case of HDMI. VHS at its best could manage about 250 horizontal pixels.

MiXeD MeSSaGeS Second, there was the matter of colour. VHS effectively carries the colour in a form of composite video, in which the luminence and the two colour difference signals are all mixed together. That this can be done at all MY FIRST VIDEO PLAYER — They may have been chunky clunky beasts that tangled tapes, but VCRs brought content choice to the home...

a Matter OF wiDth First, there was the small matter of resolution. Both DVD and VHS shared the same vertical resolution — 576 pixels — but horizontally it

home cinema and hi-Fi living / 23

VhS vs DVD vs Blu-ray is one of those non-intuitive but remarkable results from electrical engineering at work. However, it does mean that the colours interfere somewhat with each other and also with the luminence (black and white) signal. There was often ‘bleed’, where reds in particular would stray outside their supposed left and right boundaries, especially as the tape wore. With DVD (and Blu-ray), the picture was held in component video format, with the luminence and the two colour difference elements of the picture being carried entirely separately, and therefore not interfering with each other.

Spin claSS Finally, there were the uncertain mechanics of the videotape player. When you insert a VHS cassette, the player draws it in, opens up the tape protection flap on the edge (pressing a button on the side to unlock it). Then it pulls out a length of tape (having first pressed a button on the bottom to unlock the spindles) and wraps it about three quarters of

way around the large round tape head, which then spins furiously to increase the relative speed between tape and head. To paraphrase an old saying, the wonderful thing about a videocassette player is not how well it replays a movie, but that it works at all. In practice this all meant that, in addition to the joys of regular wear and tear and occasional tape mutilation, the alignment of the two video fields that constitute a frame was rather uncertain. The timing was simply not that precise. That didn’t matter a whole lot in the days of interlaced CRT TVs, but with progressive displays it can cause all sorts of problems, and is generally visible in small ‘combs’ out along the scan lines.

appleS with appleS Let’s see how much things have improved from the days of VHS by comparing the picture quality of the same movies on VHS, on DVD, and on Blu-ray. I’ve selected five frames from three movies for which I had (or was able to buy or borrow) the three formats.

The hardest part was finding the VHS version. I would have preferred to use a brand new VHS tape for each movie, but these simply aren’t available. For the three movies here, I was able to use personal copies, because I most certainly did not want heavily worn ex-video store rental copies. A reader of my Blog supplied two, while I picked up a third at an op shop. The physical condition of all three seemed excellent, and all played back as cleanly as VHS can, with no loss of signal or sections of horizontal blank lines (which indicates a loss of signal). The three tapes were all representative of well-cared-for tapes only slightly used. The VHS player was a Sony SLV-EZ727 model which I purchased back in 2002, but has played less than a dozen hours of material since then and is almost never even plugged in. I fed its output to the video capture card in my computer and digitised the video to MPEG2 format at the highest bit-rate provided by the software, which at some 7.5Mbps was significantly higher than most DVDs. The picture was an excellent represen-

chicaGO Despite Renée Zellweger being the focus of this scene, details of her hair and shadows on her skin were barely visible or confusingly portrayed with the limited resolution of VHS tape. The DVD version improves sharpness and detail, but doesn’t compete with the crisply-defined Blu-ray frame.

Chicago is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

VhS

24 / home cinema and hi-Fi living

DVD

Blu-ray

VhS vs DVD vs Blu-ray tation of the on-screen picture quality. I was then able to grab frames from this digitised version. Of course, for the DVD and Blu-ray versions I simply grabbed the relevant frames digitally from the discs using my computer. And then I made an assumption — that the only proper way to compare would be to assume all three formats were being watched on a proper 1080p display. That meant scaling up the DVD and VHS versions from their native 576 pixels to 1080 pixels tall. That is the best way to see how they would look, compared with each other in the real world. In some cases that also meant that the picture elements were different in size. That’s because all three VHS tapes and one of the DVDs were in 4:3 aspect ratio, while all three Blu-rays and two of the DVDs were in 16:9. And different cropping strategies had been used by the producers to fit them to these different ratios. So when you see, for example, that Renée Zellweger’s head is a different size in the three shots below left, you’ll understand why (for more on the side-effects of cropping, see the Full Picture? panel on p37).

chicaGO

Speaking of Renée, let’s look at a frame from near the end of the movie Chicago (see images below left). In each of our comparisons, you can see the context of the area on which we will be focusing from the full frame shown at the top, which is taken from the Blu-ray. Now let us zoom in on Zellweger’s head. Remember, the Blu-ray version is an exact pixel-for-pixel grab from the Blu-ray, while both the DVD and the VHS have been scaled up from 576 pixels tall to 1080. You should be able to see that the Blu-ray version shows some gentle film grain, but also crisply defined edges, plenty of detail in her hair, and a natural smoothness. The DVD by contrast has lost about half the hair detail, has introduced an impression of ghosting around her nose, and even obscures quite prominent detail. Look, for example, at the highlights on her throat on the Blu-ray version, and what has happened to them on the DVD. As for the VHS, there is no detail in the hair, it is not clear that there are any highlights on her throat at all, there is spurious noise all

through the picture, and the jaggies on her collar attest to a slight field misalignment from the video player.

Full Metal Jacket It’s well known that movie director Stanley Kubrick had a soft spot for the old 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio. So he is said to have filmed in anticipation of presentation in both a 4:3 frame and in widescreen (which the studios would, of course, force on him for cinema display). Many of his movies were presented on DVD in full 4:3 frame format, not having been mutilated by a Pan and Scan process, but according to his wishes in order to show a fuller picture. Full Metal Jacket was one such... at least until it came to Blu-ray. The VHS and DVD versions are both presented in 4:3 aspect ratio, but the Blu-ray versions are both presented as widescreen. Versions? Yes, Warner Bros released two. The first one attracted much criticism on picture quality grounds, so some months later it released a much better ‘Deluxe Edition’, which improved the colour balance,

Full Metal Jacket Sometimes the resolution of DVD is almost sufficient to capture all the detail available from the original film source. In this example, the DVD frame suffers against the Blu-ray more because of spurious picture noise, which may come from the MPEG2 compression used for the DVD release. The frame from VHS tape again shows the limits of that format’s resolution.

Full Metal Jacket (Deluxe Edition) is available on Blu-ray from Warner Bros Entertainment Australia

VhS

DVD

Blu-ray

home cinema and hi-Fi living / 25

VHS vs DVD vs Blu-ray INDEPENDENCE Day The first of three frames from Independence Day shows that the VHS tape was not only limited in resolution but suffered from field misalignment (and also incorrect field ordering â&#x20AC;&#x201D; see main text). The difference between DVD and Blu-ray images is a testament to the quality of the Blu-ray release, which is regarded as being close to reference quality.

VHS

DVD

Blu-ray

DVD

Blu-ray

In our second frame from Independence Day, the value of the extra information available from a higher resolution becomes clear. Will Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mood is clear from the Blu-ray frame, but softens into ambiguity on the VHS transfer. His dog-tags are near invisible on VHS and DVD, but on the Blu-ray release you can almost read their embossed text.

VHS

26 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi living

VHS vs DVD vs Blu-ray

permitted some deep black to come into the picture, and added a great deal more detail. This one was presented in a full 16:9 frame, with significant cropping of the top and bottom of the picture. The full Blu-ray frame establishes the scene, then below it are details showing the machine gun in the three different formats. While the ‘Deluxe Edition’ Blu-ray is markedly better than the first version in all departments, it still won’t win any awards for the sharpest possible picture. Nonetheless, the Blu-ray version is, if a bit soft, still reasonably detailed and looks quite natural. The DVD suffers mostly not through loss of detail, but through spurious picture noise which appears to be from the MPEG2 compression. But when it comes to the VHS, there’s a little horizontal smearing along the scan lines, remarkable fuzziness and a near complete loss of detail on the underside of the machine gun.

InDepenDence Day We have taken three different frames from the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day

— two shown opposite and the third overleaf. It’s a good choice for a more detailed look primarily because this is a movie that is very close to reference quality on Blu-ray. But it did present some difficulties. On the VHS a mastering error was made for more than half the movie, with one of the fields contributing to any given frame drawn inappropriately from the next frame. That was largely unnoticeable on a CRT TV, but could result in the loss of even more resolution on a progressive display. Shown on the right is a detail from one of the error-stricken frames, illustrating the clear inclusion of fields from two quite separate frames. Interestingly, I actually first discovered this on the original Independence Day DVD. Even though they had different aspect ratios (widescreen for the DVD, 4:3 for the VHS), somehow the source must have had the same error. Eventually a new version of the Independence Day DVD was issued without this problem, and it is this new version used in the main comparison. As to the VHS, to do this comparison I used Photoshop to extract the matching

OUT OF ORDER — This frame from the original release of Independence Day shows two out-of-order fields combining in a single frame. The current DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film don’t carry this error.

fields from adjacent frames and weave them together to make frames the way that they were intended to be. In reality, in the first and third comparison shots, the VHS versions would

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VhS vs DVD vs Blu-ray inDepenDenCe Day Who’s at the gate? In the VHS tape version of the third and darkest of our three frames from Independence Day, you’d be hard pressed to recognise Judd Hirsch and Jeff Goldblum. Note also how the stripes of Hersch’s shirt are lost within the vertical resolution of VHS and DVD but are clearly defined in the Blu-ray release. Independence Day is available on Blu-ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment South Pacific

VhS have looked even worse, because a display would have used video-style deinterlacing. The second comparison was in a section of video that didn’t have this problem. No need for further discussion. Let us simply examine the three establishing frames along with the details taken from the three different formats. In the first, James Duvall’s character is trying to chase down his (remarkably unsimilar) father. Just how good the Blu-ray looks can be judged from just how bad the DVD looks. In the DVD, half of the creases of his jacket have gone, as has his chin, while the narrow cross-bar between the motorcycle’s handlebars has all but disappeared. In the VHS version, things are far worse. Aside from the loss of even more detail, see the way the brown of the coat is gently bleeding yellow/brown into the sky to its right. And look at those stubby comb lines extended to the sides along the scanlines. Sloppy cut and paste by me when I was assembling the frame from the two fields? No, this was a misalignment between the fields, and even within them. You will notice that those comb lines are most clear on his

28 / home Cinema and hi-Fi living

DVD arm and the bottom part of the coat, but a bit below his armpit they almost disappear. When I tried horizontally aligning the fields to eliminate the combs, all it did was make them appear elsewhere, such as the present relatively comb-free section. What that says is that field scanlines are uneven within the one field! You can never correct this. In any case, moving on to the Will Smith scene, the VHS frame is from a section of the movie where the field-to-frame error hadn’t been made in the first place (likewise, this section was clear of the error on the first DVD release as well). Yet inspect the side of his face and there are those clear jagged combs again. Now look at the Bluray. You can see Smith’s lips pursed, and the texture of the material of his singlet. The impressed text on his dogtags seems just tantalisingly out of reach. With the DVD, there is no material texture, the dogtags a a fuzzy splodge, but at least you still see the pursed lips. As for the VHS, you might as well use your imagination if you’re trying to determine what facial expression he is exhibiting. The third scene from Independence Day is a relatively dark scene, and the VHS

Blu-ray doesn’t seem to do quite so much combing damage, although a little is evident on Judd Hirsch’s shirt front. But you couldn’t recognise Hirsch from the VHS shot, nor Jeff Goldblum next to him. Well, skip the better but still very fuzzy DVD version and look at the Blu-ray, which shows his glasses clearly, along with the horizontal stripes of his shirt and the window trim of the car behind them.

reap the BeneFitS Things have come a long way over the past 30-odd years in which home video has been a reality. Sometimes when I compare Blu-ray with DVD, the Blu-ray improvement is marginal. As demonstrated by Full Metal Jacket, sometimes DVD resolution is almost sufficient to capture all the detail that would also be shown on Blu-ray, thanks to the limitations of the source. But Blu-ray improved on DVD not just in resolution and detail. It also provides a smoother, more film-like result free of arbitrary noise. And both Blu-ray and DVD smash VHS on every level of quality, quite aside from the issues concerning longevity and convenience. Stephen Dawson

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HIGH-END SYSTEMS

HIGH-END SYSTEMS: 1 Outstanding hi-fi systems are owned with pride. While enjoying this first of three high-end systems in this issue, we ask the owner about his journey from crystal radio to this thrilling vinyl and CD system… Edgar Kramer: Do you have a first musical memory, a first unforgettable musical experience that left an impression? PS: I think it was in fourth grade. Our music teacher was playing for the class a recording of The Blue Danube composed by Johann Strauss. My first-ever LP was also of his work. I’m not sure of the title now, but it was on Decca, and it was conducted by Mantovani. I bought it second-hand in Paddy’s Market for 10 shillings. In the early sixties, you could buy things like that— along with live chooks—from Paddy’s. EK: And did that start you on the hi-fi journey or did something else start you on the audio equipment quest? PS: My quest in audio was two-fold; the means to the end and the end itself. It started with radio really. When I was in primary

school I was fascinated by a crystal radio played by a student many years my senior. He kindly let me play with it and that was it; hook, line and sinker. After making promises to my mother I knew I couldn’t keep, she loaned me the money and soon I too was a proud owner of a new crystal radio. I wasn’t happy just to listen to the broadcast through those brownie headsets so I started the learning curve of how things work and spent numerous weekends browsing bookshops on the subject of radio and electronics in the faint hope of tweaking for better sound. My first project was building an amplifier using battery-operated valves such as the 1T4 3S4. It wasn’t very long before I found a headset too was limiting, so a speaker was added… and so forth. I didn’t seriously start into audio until I attended

second year in high school in 1961. With very limited knowledge and an even smaller budget I bought a pair of 8-inch Peerless twin-cone drivers and boxed them into home-built plywood cabinets. A Mullard 10-10-valve amp built from a kit was next. A second-hand Telefunken TT with a ceramic cartridge was bought from Anthony Hordern, which completed the line-up. EK: Where do you think your system is going, or has it arrived? PS: If anyone tells you that their system has reached Nirvana either they’re dreaming, or worse still, they have given up the quest for the Holy Grail… possibly due to fading interest. No, my system is serving me just fine at the moment. Of course it has room for improvement, heaps of it! But I am working on it continuously. Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 31

HIGH-END SYSTEMS

Equipment List • LP: VPI Aries 2 turntable with VDH Black Beauty MC cartridge, running through MC transformers to a home built phono stage based on Marantz 7 design • CD: Shanling SCD300 SACD/CD Player whose balanced outputs have been modified with Burson discrete op-amps and unbalanced by better components • Tuner: Tandberg 3001A • Preamplifier: Audio Research Reference 2 Mk2 • Power Amplifier: Pair of Audio Research in bi-amp configuration to drive the two panels and woofers • Loudspeakers: 72-inch (180cm) ribbon midrange with 12 planar tweeters front and three anti-phase tweeters at rear of panel. (BG Corp crossover). • Woofers: 2×12-inch (302mm) Dynaudio bass drivers per channel with firstorder crossovers.

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 33

HIGH-END SYSTEMS

EK: What’s your favourite piece of equipment — something that you wouldn’t sell? PS: My Tandberg 3001A tuner. I bought this tuner from the States through eBay many years ago and it has given me immense aural pleasure. It is tuned to ABC Classic all the time. I will never sell this tuner unless I can buy another in better condition, which is very unlikely. EK: Your next hi-fi purchase or upgrade? PS: I am pretty happy with my electronics at the moment. The only upgrade I may consider is another moving-coil cartridge. I am also thinking aloud at the moment to build another pair of speakers. EK: What are the most memorable speakers or system you’ve ever heard? PS: It has to be a system owned by a friend who once lived in Mosman. Unfortunately, the Asian financial crisis saw him selling everything he owned here, and he has returned to the East and started to rebuild his fortune all over again. It was a system consisting of Mark Levinson’s 30/31 transport and DAC, Cello preamp with Palette, four Cello Performance monoblocs driving the Cello Stradmaster in a purposebuilt room. It was absolutely awesome. EK: Anything you regret selling? PS: No. Well, maybe a little… I should have kept my ARC SP11 when I bought the ARC Reference One. EK: Do you use the same music for comparing components as you do for listening pleasure? PS: No, I grab whatever is within reach at the time.

34 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

EK: So what genre of music do you listen to mostly and who are some of your favourite artists? PS: It varies from day to day, week to week. But I listen to classical more than any other genre. This is due to the fact the tuner is my prime source of musical pleasure. But I do listen to all genres of music from 50s rock to modern acoustic jazz, whatever pleases my ears. EK: What would be your ‘desert island’ music albums if you could only choose, say, three pieces? PS: What? Only three? In that case I am not going unless I can bring more… Beethoven’s 6th (The Pastoral), Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 1. I could listen to these all day long. EK: How would you describe the sound you’re getting from your current system? PS: I don’t have a dedicated music room as such, so I have hijacked the lounge room from my long-suffering wife. It is also the home theatre so it is not exactly an ideal set-up but it will have to do until we move to a better house with a dedicated music room… if that ever happens. EK: In what way does music affect your life, your emotions and the way you feel? PS: I listen to music for relaxation and for background when I am reading. I can become totally immersed in music and get lost in it. I sometimes fall asleep until some loud note or my wife wakes me up. EK: Where do you see the high-end audio industry going in the future? PS: My prediction on the future of the

industry is not that rosy. The lack of new entrants into this otherwise healthy hobby and the ‘greying’ of existing audiophiles will see the support base dwindle. On the other hand, the misguided notion by some manufacturers that they should jack up product prices to astronomical levels is also to blame. They may have their reasons, or they may be trying to recoup their R&D investments in the short-term, but either way it’s a sure way to keep newcomers away. I thank God for many of the Chinese manufacturers. Many are now supplying the world with quality audio products at affordable prices. EK: Where would you like the audio industry to go or to evolve to? PS: I’d be a very happy chappie the day someone comes up with a medium like CD but with analog sound, amplified by solidstate amps with valve tonal qualities, into transducers that combine the transparency and openness of ribbons, with the dynamics and speed of cone drivers. Not a tall order…! Edgar Kramer

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Smart Homes

Nice views – inside and out You’re curled up with a good book, surrounded by comfy cushions, looking out at the ocean. Distributed audio-visual entertainment is probably the last thing on your mind. And yet…

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 37

Smart Homes

This CEDIA-commended Media Room has Blu-ray movie projection onto a 110-inch screen, plus three games consoles, Foxtel, music from a Control4 media server — even pinball and popcorn! Oh, and “their mother suggested we also design the room to be a nice place to read,” says the smart-home integrator Auztech Industries...

f you can drag yourself away from �� the ocean views and head inside this spacious Gold Coast penthouse, you can wander from room to room enjoying distributed music everywhere, while discreetly mounted TVs in each room can access Blu-ray, Foxtel and DVD. Select a global ‘scene’ and watch the lighting dim, the blinds lower, the movie system illuminate. Heaven. The �� company in charge of providing �� the smarthome solution here was Queensland’s Auztech Industries. A basic C-Bus lighting control system had already been included in the contract price from the building developer, so Auztech was asked to expand that system, including the client’s requests for motorised blinds and curtains to be included on every window, the provision of a dedicated media room, plus distribution of HD video and audio throughout the home’s various screens.

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“Dealing with �� a large construction company that’s building a large multi-dwelling development has many hurdles,” says Auztech Industries’ Allan Phillips. “And adding to an existing contracted lighting system can also be challenging if you’re expanding on another integrator’s work. However, we were lucky on this project, since we have a great working relationship with the developer, and we’d already been commissioned to do that initial contract automation ourselves. So in this case we were simply building on the work we had already done.” Working up from� �� the original C-Bus design, �� the switch-panel styles were upgraded, and many more dimmable lighting circuits added. Global ‘scenes’ were incorporated to combine mood lighting with blind and curtain settings, others with mood music or particular TV channels included in the scenes. With �� the C-Bus �� hardware quadrupling from �� the original developer’s contract, finding discrete wall areas for control enclosures in this space-efficient apartment was a real challenge. But in the end, “The global ‘scenes’ became probably the client’s most-used feature of the system — and her greatest surprise,” says Allan. “Perhaps 90% of her operations are done via these global scenes.”

Smart Homes

The media room “The client �� has �� two �� home-schooled �� children,”�� says Allan, “and our client’s vision was to create a capti� vating environment for them. The media room, or theatre if you like, is their retreat with movies, games consoles galore. There’s a pinball machine — and the essential popcorn maker!” The room �� — a large �� space with �� a bar (currently �� dry) to the rear — has a Sim2 HD80e projector facing a 110-inch LP Morgan screen, with audio powered by a Yamaha AV receiver driving KEF iQ speakers upfront and Sonance Ellipse in-ceiling speakers for surround. A Yamaha subwoofer with a long-throw 12-inch driver ensures the bass is well supported. Sources �� include a Pioneer Blu-ray �� player and �� Strong set-top box, while there are four separate Foxtel iQ2 boxes (with four Foxtel subscriptions) so that each member of the family has their own box available (these sources are distributed through the home). The media room can also access the central� ised audio sources — the digital music library on a Control4 HC10000 server/controller, an AM/FM tuner, and various iPod docks around the home. Not only �� do �� the kids �� get a�� Simpsons pinball �� machine in the media room (its power state is Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 39

Smart Homes

40 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Smart Homes dicatated by the control system and other activities in the room), they have a Nintendo Wii, a Sony PS3 and an Xbox 360 on hand, each complete with controllers and accessories. Special care �� was taken when working with �� the cabinet maker to house the local AV equipment, so that the furniture was engineered to offer the space required not only for the game consoles but also for the many games already owned by the children. “All �� three games consoles are online for multiplayer gaming,” says Allan. “The PS3 and Xbox 360 are set and connected at HD resolutions. But their mother also suggested we design the room to be a nice place to read as well.” Again, �� global scenes make operation simplicity itself. For example, the ‘Library’ scene opens the blinds, turns off feature lighting, concentrates soft light in the seating area, powers down the pinball machine and starts some soft music. The ‘Games’ �� scene closes the blinds, turns on the feature lighting, turns on the pinball machine, and sets a medium level of ambient light. The �� ‘TV’ scene closes the blinds, turns off the pinball machine, turns off feature lighting, turns on the projector and surround sound system, and adds some focused lighting at the rear of the room. All these scenes transform the room completely for the purpose selected. “Our biggest �� ongoing problem �� is trying to �� coax the kids out of the room when we come to service it!” says Allan.

Through the home The �� main living �� room �� (pictured overleaf) sees a second Yamaha AV receiver and KEF speaker combi� nation, this time providing audio for a 60-inch LG plasma TV which the owners were already using. A second Pioneer Blu-ray player provides a local full-HD source, while all the networked Foxtel and free-to-air video sources are also available, along with the whole-house music system. There are �� three bedrooms, two with 42-inch �� plasmas and the third with a relatively humble 26inch Samsung LCD; all three rooms plus the master bedroom’s en-suite bathroom are served by Sonance in-ceiling speakers, each using a 6.5-inch cone with

a concentric and pivoting silk-dome tweeter. These Sonance in-ceiling speakers are used throughout the home’s many audio zones, with additional TV screens mounted in the billiards room and school room (42-inch plasmas), kitchen (a 32-inch LCD), and sewing room (a 20-inch LCD).

The school room (far left, centre) was a key driver for intelligent networking, while screens around the home bring video distributed via Cat-5 to the billiards room (opposite, bottom left) and kitchen (above)

In control CEDIA members This project won two 2009 CEDIA Electronic Lifestyle Award Commendations in Media Room and Best Dressed System categories, the judges noting its excellent combination of different media sources, entertainment and control. “We’re proud CEDIA members,” says Allan Phillips. “We put the logo on everything, and even if the general public doesn’t always know everything about CEDIA, it shows that we’re part of a legitimate association backed by proper training and skills education.” Visit www.cedia.com.au

Together with �� all the lighting and �� automation, that adds up to quite a system to control. “The network �� aspect of the project was critical, especially with the children having a smart schoolroom at home,” says Allan. “The client specifically requested simple and local control of the entire system, and a music server for the primary audio source. Control4 was really the most obvious and worthy solution for the control layer, especially given that we only got fully involved at the eleventh hour, with plasterboard already up. So we couldn’t do a nine-zone video distribution design and then Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 41

Smart Homes

pull 800 metres of digital cable. With Control4 we could have the 8-by-8 video matrix supplying every room by Cat5, breaking down for 1080i performance throughout the home. The screens in that house all look exceptional.” Control4 controllers �� include a local full-function hand-held remote for every zone, a large centrallylocated touchscreen, and a large portable touchscreen in the media room. “These together �� with the music server and simple network architecture mean the owner has many avenues for later add-ons,” says Allan. One feature �� catering to modern needs is the incorporation of iPod touches belonging to each of the children. There are four iPod docks in the home from which music can be streamed around the multiroom audio system. Better still, they also double 42 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Smart Homes

as full remote controls thanks to their Wi-Fi abilities, showing the music library and all control options. What were �� the hardest parts of the job? �� “Wi-Fi �� was a challenge,” �� says �� Allan. “This is an area with �� 400 residencies on an island that’s 500 metres in diameter, so you can imagine the number of networks around. But we successfully designed and configured a Wi-Fi mesh that is solid and reliable.” The only �� other test was an interior designer brought in during the process. Was it hard to have the goalposts moved? “A�� challenge, yes,” says �� Allan, “but also good in many ways �� — there’s no doubt our part of the project achieved a better result due to our partnership with the decorator.� �� He increased the scope for �� C-Bus, he wanted every channel dimmable, we had a bit of wireless operation in there but he insisted everything was wired. On finishing and aesthetic issues, such as getting flat-panel TVs as close as possible to the walls, the end result we reached as a team was far and away the neatest multiple flat panel installation we have achieved.”

The client �� says the final apartment exceeds her expectations on all counts — and without compromising the incredible views. �� She boasts most about the global scenes, says Allan, but also loves the fact she can log in from her office (or anywhere in the world) and control the system, perhaps turning off TVs in her kids’ bedrooms and turning on the lights in the school room should they require some prompting! Needless to say, her children’s favourite feature is complete control over the house from their iPods. “We �� offered a three-year service contract, which the client eagerly accepted,” says Auztech’s Allan. “Not only does this allow us to keep the system up to date, it brings more work in for us, with the visits so far resulting in her adding additional equipment or functionality to improve the overall project. Most recently we switched the living room LG plasma for a 60-inch Pioneer, and we’re upgrading one of the Blu-Ray players to a Mediamax DVD and Blu-Ray online library server.” Better and better... Turn the page for Auztech’s full kit list... Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 43

Smart Homes

Kit list +++ kit list +++ kit list +++ kit list +++ kit list +++kit Media Room

Bedroom 2

Lighting

Sim2 HD80e projector LP Morgan 110-inch Novares screen Yamaha RX-V3800 AV receiver KEF iQ9 main speakers KEF iQ6c centre speaker Sonance Ellipse surrounds Yamaha YSTSW1500 subwoofer Pioneer BDP51FD Blu-ray player Strong SRT5410 DSTB Sony PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Nintendo Wii Kordz HDMI Balun Netgear WG602 Wireless Access Point

Pioneer PDP42XDA plasma Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers Control4 iPod dock ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

C-Bus shutter relays x 34 C-Bus dimming channels x 72 C-Bus relay channels x 16 C-Bus DLT switches x 15 C-Bus 4 gang Saturn switches x 8 C-Bus 2 gang Saturn switches x 8 C-Bus movement sensors x 3 C-Bus PC interface x 1 C-Bus PAC controller x 1 Control4 in-line dimmers x 4

Equipment Rack

Bedroom 3 Samsung LA26R71BDXW Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

Sewing Room Sony KDL20S4000S LCD TV Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers Control4 iPod dock ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

Billiards Room

Foxtel iQ2 x 4 ME Design 8x8 HD Video Matrix Switch Pioneer BDP51FD Blu-Ray player Sherbourn T100 AM/FM tuner x 2

Pioneer PDP42XDA plasma Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

Living ROOM

Samsung LA32R81WDX LCD TV Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

LG 60-inch plasma (clients’ existing TV) Yamaha RXV861 AV receiver KEF iQ3 main speakers KEF iQ2c centre speaker KEF HTB2 subwoofer Sonance S622TR surround speakers Pioneer BDP51FD Blu-ray player ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

Master Bedroom Pioneer PDP42XDA plasma Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers Control4 iPod dock ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

Ensuite Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers

44 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Kitchen

School Room Pioneer PDP42XDA plasma Sonance S623TR in-ceiling speakers Control4 iPod dock ME Design B-O-B HD Video Balun

Other AMM projector/plasma brackets Netgear Wireless Router WPN824 Netgear 24-port Gigabit Network Switch

GS724T 24-port patch panel x 3 Middle Atlantic WR-37-32 slide-out 19-inch equipment rack Thor Power Protection circuits x 14

Control Systems HC1000 Server HC500 controllers x 2 HC300 controllers x 7 10-inch in-wall touchscreen 10-inch wireless tablet 3.8-inch in-wall touchscreen Speakerpoints x 8 V2 handheld system remote controllers x 10 Card Access Zigbee Repeaters x 4 Control4 iPhone/iPod touch control licences x2 Control4 4sight subscription Control4 Control4 Control4 Control4 Control4 Control4 Control4 Control4

INTERIOR DESIGN John O’Hara & Nick Beer Feral Developments Tel: 07 3257 1800 Web: www.feral.net.au

Custom Installation Auztech Industries

25/8 Riverland Drive, Loganholme QLD 4129 Tel: 07 3806 3133 Email: info@auztech.com.au Web: www.auztech.com.au

The FS 247 is a highlight of the new ELAC 240 series of floorstanding, loudspeakers. Its visually graceful appearance and stunning sound combine to deliver a truly remarkable loudspeaker.. Special attention has been given to three-dimensional sound radiation patterns with the aim of acoustically “energising” the room in a consistent and harmonised way — the 247 does this beautifully. The bass reproduction below 50Hz is amazing, especially considering the compact and slim dimensions of the cabinet. ELAC has updated the crossover network with the highest quality components and internal wiring, which together with the high-tech ELAC-developed drivers combine to create an extraordinary speaker that sounds as good as it looks. The ELAC 247 is available in three cabinet finishes: • Sapphire Edition – Gloss Black • Art Edition – Features a variety of flowers and animals • De Stijl Edition – Piet Mondrian Design Style (featured) De Stijl was the Dutch Art & Design movement founded in 1917, the proponents of which sought to express a new utopian ideal of spiritual harmony and order through simple geometric forms and primary colours.. The De Stijl edition ELAC 247 honours this artistic movement, and specifically the painter Piet Mondrian.

For more information on ELAC Loudspeakers, please contact the distributor Advance Audio on (02) 9560 4855 or visit www.advanceaudio.com.au www.

Van den Hul has been busy refining and extending their range of interconnecting cables.

NEW INTERCONNECTS FROM VAN DEN HUL The all-important link between your amplifier and the sound source and your loudspeakers demands the best. Why compromise the performance you paid for with cheap or deteriorated interconnects and loudspeaker cables?

THE SURF: An entry level hybrid audio cable combining metal and linear structured carbon. Warm and smooth and very reasonably pricedâ&#x20AC;Ś

van den Hulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive research and uncompromising insistence on the highest quality for its products and the materials they are made from means that you the end user wins: with cables that deliver and continue to deliver for many years. van den Hul have an extensive range of cables and interconnects to suit every application. Some of that range in detail: THE THAMES: A purpose made hybrid metal and linear structured carbon interconnect to upgrade your turntable to amplifier link. Made with a central steel wire for strength and to provide a turntable earth. Those liking a brighter sound can choose The ISIS , the all metal alternative.

The best in the audio industry is now available to dedicated music lovers.

THE WELL: An upgrade of an old favourite, The SOURCE. Now triple shielded, it is a hybrid metal and carbon interconnect with a smooth and very pure sound.

audiosolutions.net.au

More than an Audio Solution Audio Solutions was founded in 2000 by Tony Stantzos and Nicholas Papas, friends and workmates for many years — in fact they started their careers in home entertainment electronics together in retail audio/video. Tony is in charge of operations, the Audio Solutions full-installation service and the technical side of the business, while Nicholas heads up the sales team. Their decision to set up Audio Solutions was made because they felt the customer wasn’t getting the best overall deal from some of the mass retailers: “At Audio Solutions we believe true customer service comes after you have made the sale,” says Tony. “We don’t just sell a customer a box, we sell them the whole box and dice, which includes expert advice for their needs, expert installation and set-up of their system if required — and after-sales service that is second to none.”

Newsletter 2010

A MESSAGE FROM THE AUDIO SOLUTIONS TEAM

t Audio Solutions we love our home entertainment, and we have long years of experience bringing that entertainment home to our customers. Whether it’s as small as an iPod speaker dock, or as big as a fully-automated home cinema, our team at Audio Solutions wants you to enjoy your system from the very start of the selection process. Much of the work we do is the result of satisfied customers or builders and architects recommending us to other people after enjoying their own experience working with us. We find this especially gratifying. Our team at Audio Solutions will give you the right advice based on what you want and what you can afford, pure and simple. No job is too big, and no job is too small. We value all our customers — that’s probably why they keep coming back!

THE WORLD’S BEST BRANDS We carry the world’s finest brands of hi-fi and audio/visual equipment, in addition to leading brands in home automation and integration technologies. We have cemented a reputation throughout the country as an invaluable source of information and product, with several awards for excellence in

service, excellence in sales, business awards as well as many accreditations from major suppliers. So you can be confident that our experienced team at Audio Solutions are offering you the right advice, and the best products available for your budget.

RELAX & ENJOY At Audio Solutions we have three entertainment lounges covering all types of budgets, from first-time buyers up to connoisseurs of audio/visual products. The lounges, which include Australia’s only B&W Sound Studio, stand ready to showcase some of the finest home entertainment equipment available anywhere on the planet. It’s one of the great pleasures in life — relaxing over a delicious cup of coffee, listening to music or watching

a great movie. And at Audio Solutions you can do it in comfort — have your choice of latte, espresso, cappuccino or mocha from our in-house barista whilst auditioning our fine range of home entertainment equipment. Our vision was, and still is, to create somewhere customers feel they are walking into a store that’s owned by friends, where they can feel relaxed and comfortable. By providing this environment we have created a loyal customer base who know we care about our customers. So if you are looking for expert advice on a new home entertainment system, custom home theatre installation or high-end hi-fi component, drop in for a coffee with the team at Audio Solutions. We can tailor the perfect solution, exclusively for you.

Australia’s only B&W Sound Studio Audio Solutions has the only Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) Sound Studio in Australia. Designed to showcase the world-famous B&W range of loudspeakers alongside high-end Classe electronics, this unique space lets you enjoy an espresso or cappuccino whilst auditioning some of the best hi-fi on the planet. There used to be a saying: “If a hi-fi store doesn’t stock B&W it isn’t really a hi-fi store.” Well, at Audio Solutions you can relax in the knowledge that you’re enjoying B&W’s number one location in Australia!

Play any song. In any room. Wirelessly.

The controllers

ith the Sonos Multi-Room Music System you can add music to every part of your life and every room in your house. Wirelessly, effortlessly, flawlessly. And, with the touch of a finger, you can play the same song in every room or different songs in different rooms. The choice is yours. All you need is an internet connection and a router to get started. Then set up your system without wires or hassles. Pick a room, pick a song and touch play!

You can play your entire iTunes library as stored on your computer — not just what fits on your iPod. You can tune in to more than 25,000 free Internet radio stations from around the world. And stream millions of songs and stations direct from the internet to the rooms of your choice — no computer required. Whatever music you’re into, rock or rap, jazz or pop, Sonos gives you endless music gratification.

All the music you want. All over your house

The magic of Sonos is that it all works wirelessly, thanks to the wireless mesh network technology of SonosNet, which provides extensive coverage and flawless performance so the music you want gets to all the right rooms — near or far — at exactly the right time. No need to break through walls or

Sonos gives music lovers instant access to a world of music, whether it comes from your computer or the internet, or both. This combination of simplicity and versatility means you can listen to whatever you want, wherever you want.

It just works

The players

ZonePlayer S5 Plug it in anywhere. Five integrated speakers and digital amps provide room-filling sound.

ZonePlayer 120 Add speakers to the ZP120 and the built-in 55W per channel amp delivers superior audio direct to any room.

www.audiosolutions.net.au

ZonePlayer 90 Connect a ZP90 to your home cinema or stereo and it’s instantly part of the wireless Sonos system.

Sonos Controller 200 Dedicated wireless Controller with full-colour VGA display, ultra-responsive touch screen, instant on, and dedicated buttons. Sonos Controller for iPhone This free App turns your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into a fullyfledged Sonos Controller. Just download the App from the iTunes App Store. And remember you can also control your whole Sonos system from any desktop/laptop PC or Mac, using the free software included with every ZonePlayer. undertake a massive wiring project. Just put Sonos ZonePlayers in the rooms of your choice — the bedroom, the living room, or even the garden — and enjoy the music.

All from the palm of your hand Sonos puts the control of all your music and all your rooms right where it should be — in your hands. Search for your favourite radio station by typing in the call letters or browse through your entire music library with ease. Turn off the upstairs music from downstairs and see exactly what’s playing in every room. And quickly control the volume in each room individually or all together. No matter which Sonos Controller you have in hand, finding and playing your music with Sonos is so much fun. Ask Audio Solutions about Sonos... More music. More rooms. Less wires!

The beauty is the performance

itsubishi’s full-HD projectors are setting standards for the industry — revolutionary in design and functionality, utilising cutting-edge full high-definition technologies for the ultimate bigscreen performance. Just wait until you turn them on. On Mitsubishi’s HC7000 and HD6800 LCD-panel projectors, evolutionary advancements include the adoption of Mitsubishi’s unique Diamond Black Iris technology, an artificial iris which automatically controls the quantity of projected light. It analyses brightness signals in units of 1/60 per second, while its “diamond-cut” shape prevents light refraction for an enhanced level of contrast. The result is the depiction of true blacks even during sequences of continual bright-dark scene intervals, ensuring the reproduction of every detail with vivid clarity. Combined with Mitsubishi’s innovative contrast control, you experience perfect balance between blacks, the brightest whites and the full colour spectrum in between. The HC7000 also includes a new optics compensation panel to

ensure precise light focusing and extra-low dispersion (ED) lenses far exceeding the performance of conventional glass lenses — chromatic aberration is virtually eliminated and resolution across the entire screen, including the peripheral edges, is improved. The HC7000 has anamorphic lens compatibility, and 1.6x power zoom/focus, while the projector’s innovative cooling also provides industry-leading quiet operation. The entry-level Mitsubishi HC3800 continues the company’s reputation for high-quality, highperformance and affordable home theatre projection. It’s a DLP projector using the latest Texas Instruments chip and a six-segment colour wheel to ensure images from video sources are reproduced accurately. The projector features a full 10-bit panel driver, which delivers approximately four times the gradation of its 8-bit counterparts for smoother black reproduction with subtler tones. The 1.5x short throw zoom lens incorporates a 13-piece, 4-cluster all-glass lens providing sharp, focused thrilling big-screen images — even in smaller rooms.

HC3800 Full high-definition (1920 x 1080) resolution Latest 0.65” DLPTM chip with DMD technology

HC6800 Native 1080p HD widescreen resolution Reon-VX processor

HC7000 Native 1080p widescreen resolution Mitsubishi Diamond Black iris

What if you could get the thrill of surround sound without all the frustration? You can. Presenting the Lifestyle® V35 home entertainment system

he Lifestyle® V35 home entertainment system delivers vivid, theatre-like sound that brings movies, sports, video games and music to life. And now, it lets you enjoy that experience easier than ever before. Easy-to-follow onscreen messages guide you through the setup process. And the remote control and navigation menus make your entire system so easy to use, you may not even need the instructions. This unique combination of performance and simplicity is only available from Bose®.

     

Vivid, theatre-like surround sound for movies, sports, video games and music. Simplified setup and use with clear onscreen messages and a single remote. Lets you easily connect up to 6 HD video and music sources. Includes an iPod/iPhone-compatible dock and AM/FM radio. Customises its sound to fit your room, for a consistent, high-quality performance. Features our award-winning Jewel Cube® speaker arrays.

Insert iPod. Feel what happens. Presenting the SoundDock® 10 digital music system.

ngineered with exclusive Bose waveguide speaker technology, it is our best-performing sound system for the iPod or iPhone. The performance of this one-piece design even rivals that of a large stereo system. Listen once, and you’ll hear why there’s no other system like it. iPod not included

   

Performance you have to hear to believe. Exclusive Bose waveguide speaker technology delivers realistic low notes. Auxiliary input lets you play a music phone, MP3 player or other audio device. Works with the iPhone and most iPod

www.audiosolutions.net.au



models. The system is compatible with any click-wheel iPod or iPod touch, and the iPhone. It even charges the iPod or iPhone while docked. Remote control operates the system and lets you switch between sources.

 

Video output lets you play video content from your iPod or iPhone on a TV. Optional Bluetooth® dock allows your stereo Bluetooth music phone to play through the system.

Audio quality & power Arcam’s AVR500 AV receiver

rcam’s AVR500 AV receiver is the smaller sibling of the award-winning Arcam AVR600. It combines the same excellent audio performance and superb build — for which the British company is renowned — while bringing all the connectivity you need for today’s technology. All the power you need — Arcam’s AVR500 is rated at 100W per channel with all seven channels running at the same time (most manufacturers don’t

dare quote an all-channels figure!). In stereo there’s a huge 120W per channel. All the connections — Five HDMI inputs for all your digital sources, but plenty more besides, with 3 component video, 2 S-Video, 2 composite video, plus audio connections including

“A thrilling performance. Arcam is what high quality amplification is all about.” Sound+Image magazine

discrete 7.1-channel inputs, 4 optical digital and 3 coaxial digital inputs, and a stereo minijack on the front. iPod input — Use the stereo minijack on the front panel or connect Arcam’s optional rDock for the ultimate instant access to your music collection. All the formats — The AVR500 supports all the uncompressed digital audio standards from Blu-ray, including Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and Dolby Pro Logic IIx.

Pure Sensia Digital Radio of the Year

Portable Digital FM and Internet Radio with Colour Touchscreen! See it in store at Audio Solutions...

“While Pure has brought a huge range of perfectly proportioned digital radios to Australia, we had to bow down before the absolute technicolour wonder of the Pure Sensia, with its streaming and radio abilities, and thrillingly large touchscreen interface” Product of the Year Best Digital Radio

Sound+Image magazine

30 years in the making Marantz KI Pearl, by Ken Ishiwata

hen you encounter the KI Pearl stereo CD player and amplifier, the first thing you notice is their unique ‘Silk Pearl’ finishing. But it’s the magic that Ken Ishiwata has created inside the boxes that really gets the pulse racing. Underneath the Pearl SACD player’s 5mm aluminium cover is a XYRON

disc tray with Precision Super Audio CD drive. There’s the latest toroidal transformer and also the Marantzexclusive HDAM SA2 circuitry. Together they work sublimely with all the other carefully selected components to deliver precision high-speed signal handling over the widest possible frequency range.

The Pearl integrated amplifier is just as stunning — its 90W per channel into eight ohms (140W into four ohms) can control even the most demanding of loudspeakers. Its two-stage circuit construction guarantees breathtaking signal-to-noise and stereo imaging. The KI Pearls are true objects of beauty — both inside and out.

The Pronto family has a new member… The new Pronto TSU 9300

he original Philips Pronto singlehandedly created a new class of programmable touchscreen remote controls for intuitive operation. Today, the concept has evolved into an integrated control solution for conventional home cinema, multimedia content and lighting. With a combination of infrared control and Wi-Fi wireless control, Pronto provides true multi-room control. The latest family member is the elegant Pronto TSU9300. The superb

www.audiosolutions.net.au

contrast of the high-resolution flushmounted 2.8-inch colour touch screen ensures easy reading, while the slim and stylish design makes it easy to operate with only one hand. The control panel with its intuitive rotary wheel is the ideal solution to manage even the largest music and movie collection. It’s the perfect fit for any advanced home system, being Wi-Fi based and integrating out-of-the-box with audio servers such as Escient, Imerge and Windows Media Centre computers,

as well as the Lutron RadioRa lighting systems, while the wireless and serial extenders are available to support total home control and multiroom wireless and wired remote control installations. Audio Solutions’ team knows the Prontos inside out — ask us how the Pronto TSU9300 could bring your home under intuitive Pronto control!

<< The Bryston 28B-SST Mono Block Amplifier is without peer in meeting the performance challenge of today’s increased clarity and dynamic range in recordings and movie soundtracks. Rated at a massive 1000 watts, the Bryston 28B-SST maintains its power curve right from the first watt. This results in a BIG POWERFUL amplifier that sounds incredibly detailed and musical at very low levels and maintains that same sophistication and drive capability with even the most difficult, inefficient speakers, large or small.

Bryston Always in search of perfection…

ryston is a Canadian company which manufactures audio electronics to provide the owner with the most musically accurate and reliable performance available. Bryston’s extensive research and development division is constantly looking for ways to improve the performance, value and reliability of its products. It uses custom materials more typically utilised in military and aerospace industries, with only the finest components in their amplifier designs. Hand-selected and matched transistors reduce noise and distortion to the absolute minimum. The company’s dedicated adherence to proprietary parts and sophisticated construction and testing techniques guarantees your amplifier will perform for many years without concern.

Bryston hand-assembles and individually tests each and every product it manufactures, with each and every Bryston product undergoing a very extensive “burn-in” procedure. Following a complete operational checkout, every amplifier is cycled on and off for four days at full output to “mature” components and weed out potential failures. These high standards are backed by the exclusive 20-year warranty offered on all Bryston amplifiers. Building on the success of its analogue products, Bryston has recently complemented its award-winning range with two new digital products, the BCD-1 CD player and BDA-1 digital-to-analogue converter.

The Bryston BDA-1 is a state-of-the-art external stereo DAC (digital-to-analog converter) using fully discrete Class-A proprietary Bryston analog circuits, two independent linear power supplies and dual Crystal CS-4398 DAC chips. The BDA-1 features an impressive array of inputs for USB, coax, optical, AES-EBU and BNC-equipped digital devices. For audio outputs, the BDA-1 offers both balanced XLR as well as unbalanced RCA stereo connectors on the rear panel. The BDA-1 is RS-232 software upgradeable, making it the most flexible high performance DAC on the market.

The Bryston BCD-1 is a state-of-the-art Redbook CD player using fully discrete analog Class-A proprietary Bryston circuits, a quality drive, and a 192k/24-bit Crystal DAC.

Sennheiser Premium Dealer

udio Solutions is proud to be one of only a handful of authorised Sennheiser premium dealers. For 60 years, the name Sennheiser has been synonymous with state-of-the-art products and tailormade complete solutions for every aspect of the recording, transmission and reproduction of sound. Starting at the very basic and ending at the high-end, Sennheiser

has a style of headphone for everyone. Top of the line is Sennheiser’s reference audiophile headphone, the HD800. Sporting a new innovation in headphone transducer design, the HD800s utilise the largest driver of any headphones available today. The result is a unique hearing experience, with a realistic and natural sound field with minimal resonance. Come in and audition them today!

Zeppelin Mini It wasn’t long ago that the Zeppelin iPod dock revolutionised the way we listen to our iPods, sweeping away the competition and scooping just about every award going for its incredible sound and sleek looks. Building on this success, Bowers & Wilkins are back with the Zeppelins’ smaller, more compact little brother. With Zeppelin Mini, you get everything you love about Zeppelin — advanced acoustic technology, intelligent design, elegant connectivity — in a streamlined, compact sound dock package that’s perfect for desktops and bedside tables. The refreshed design offers some clever new features, such as DSP technology, an ingenious 90 degree rotating arm for switching your iPhone or iPod touch into cover flow mode, and a USB input for syncing and playback from your PC.

P-5 headphones If you’re like us, you’ve probably wished you could take high fidelity sound wherever your iPod goes — which is why the new P-5 Mobile HiFi headphones from B&W are creating so much enthusiasm from audiophiles and critics alike. Crafted by the same design team as the iconic Zeppelin, these headphones look as good as they sound — not to mention the soft and supple New Zealand sheepskin leather ear pads, which make for incredibly comfortable listening. But design is only half the story. Behind the P5s’ natural sound is some of the most advanced technology ever put into headphones. Specially developed ultra-linear neodymium magnets, a closed-back design and sealed earpads to keep music sounding rich, pure and detailed, while preserving just enough ambient sound to give you a sense of place. It could be the most stylish, comfortable headgear you’ll ever wear!

www.audiosolutions.net.au

B&W’s Diamond Performance

t has been six long years since the last incarnation of Bowers & Wilkins legendary 800 Series speaker range was released, but thanks to a vast improvement in performance and a refreshed design which incorporates a diamond dome tweeter in every model, the new 800 Series Diamond has proved to be well worth the wait. Bowers & Wilkins have taken the already unrivalled sound of the 800 series and boosted the performance by implementing their famous diamond tweeter throughout the entire range for the first time. Diamond is the ultimate tweeter material, and is why the 800 Series delivers the incredible precision and clarity like no other speaker can. At the other end of the tonal scale, bass performance has also improved with the introduction of a new dual magnet motor system, which utilises powerful neodymium magnets, reducing harmonic distortion. The range features four floorstanding models, including the distinctive flagship 800 Diamond

and the 805 bookshelf speaker, an update on one of B&W’s most requested models of all time. Rounding out the range are two centre channels and the DB1 subwoofer. All seven speakers feature attractive new design touches, and are available in a choice of three finishes: Rosenut, Cherrywood and a stunning new Piano Black gloss. Make sure you audition the new 800 Series Diamond at Audio Solutions, and hear the breathtaking performance for yourself. Don’t forget to ask about B&W’s other outstanding ranges at Audio Solutions, including B&W’s custom installation and home theatre ranges. The classic and eternally popular CM1 bookshelf speaker is now available in a fresh new Gloss White finish. Audio Solutions is also one of the few dealers in Sydney to stock the sleek XT Series speakers, which have garnered much critical acclaim for their sleek aluminium enclosures and the highly refined acoustic technologies they house.

PIONEER — Hear what you’ve been missing

or over 70 years, Pioneer has been committed to offering the finest in audio performance, developing products that deliver music and movie sound capable of truly moving listeners. To create the sensation of having a concert hall, movie theatre or live performance right in your room, Pioneer sounds and images faithfully convey the will of the artist. In order to achieve this standard of expression in cutting-edge media, we examine every part and device meticulously, constantly refining our exclusive technologies. The result is the Pioneer LX Series: the ultimate home entertainment collection. Enjoy seeing and hearing like never before — experience Pioneer audio at Audio Solutions.

AV receivers

VSX-LX52  2 Zone  7.1 Channel  150W x 7 Direct Energy Amplification  PQLS Multi Surround with HDMI

Best Receiver over $1000 “This receiver offers many features that rival devices twice its price. It has multi-zone audio, 1080p scaling and an iPod dock, and is THX certified. Not only that, it also looks sexy, with its polished black metal and large dimmable display.”

Blu-ray players BDP-320  1 HDMI Output  PQLS 2 Channel Surround with HDMI  Deep Color and x.v.Color via HDMI What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision UK One-Make Home Cinema Group Test Winner Feb 2010 (in combination with VSX919AH) “We’ve long admired the BDP-320 and here it impresses all over again with its inky blacks, bright contrast and lovely colour balance.”

BDP-LX52  1 HDMI Output  PQLS Multi Surround with HDMI  Deep Color and x.v.Color via HDMI  Triple High Definition NR

SC-LX72  3 Zone  7.1 Channel  180W x 7 Direct Energy Amplification

SC-LX82  3 Zone  7.1 Channel  190W x 7 Direct Energy Amplification  PQLS Multi Surround with HDMI  Full Band Phase Control  Home Media Gallery  Precision Distance

 PQLS Multi Surround with HDMI  Full Band Phase Control  Home Media Gallery

What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision UK Home Cinema Amplifier Best Buy over £1500 “The SCLX82 does what it says on the glossy black tin and does it exceedingly well. Comfortably the best you can buy at this price point.”

BDP-LX91  2 HDMI Outputs  PQLS 2 Channel Audio with HDMI  Deep Color and x.v.Color via HDMI  Triple High Definition NR  Pure Audio Mode with HDMI Dual Output  7.1 Channel Dual Mode DAC Output EISA: “The very brightest whites look pure, free of spurious colour and any suggestion of dynamic crushing, while the multichannel sound is amazing, the most dense acoustic imaginings depicted in seemingly intricate detail. The BDP-LX91 is the jewel in Pioneer’s AV crown.”

HDMI Cables Just how much difference does the choice of HDMI cables make in a home cinema?

he performance of a home cinema lies in the sum of all of its parts, the combination of individual devices that come together to form a system. HDMI® is literally the arterial network of this modern digital home cinema system, accounting for around 90% of the total digital signal path. Some may say that the HDMI signal is all 1’s and 0’s and can’t really vary — it either works or it doesn’t — but in reality this is not the case. HDMI is subject to both jitter (timing) errors, as well as twisted pair skew errors, and we expect it to deliver up to 10 billion bits of data every second, intact and on time, 100% of the time. So clearly cable quality does matter just as much as your choice of devices. It is for this reason that Audio Solutions recommends Kordz, the multiaward-winning, Australian-based HDMI cable brand, HDMI Adopter member since 2005, and CEDIA member.

HDMI Compliance As a minimum, it is imperative that any HDMI cable that you buy is genuinely compliant to the HDMI Compliance Test Specification (CTS). This, however, is still not an indicator of absolute quality. A suitable analogy would be Australian Design Rules (ADRs) for cars — for a car model to pass ADR simply makes the car compliant to a minimum standard, but it is not a direct measure of quality. There’s a model to suit all budgets and expectations, with some offering demonstrably better performance and value than others. This is the philosophy with Kordz HDMI cables.

Cable ‘Speed’ and length When choosing the right HDMI cable for your system, we recommend

www.audiosolutions.net.au

starting with determining what cable length/s you will need. This is because the performance and ‘speed’ (data rate) of HDMI cables can and does vary considerably with length, with a 10m model not necessarily offering the same as its 1m counterpart. Intermediate 1-5m lengths Every Kordz HDMI cable up to 5m is certified High Speed. EVO is entry level, with better than average performance along with the world’s best flexibility and shallow mounting depth. EVS offers step-up performance and added Ethernet Channel, while EVX is designed to pair with high-end devices for the best performance. Long 10-15m lengths Surprisingly the choice of cable model actually gets easier at these longer lengths, as the differences between them becomes even more evident. EVO offers Standard level certification from 7m, supporting Full-HD 1080p/60-2D and 1080p/24-3D. EVS retains step-up performance over EVO, and from 7m+ adds Redmere’s revolutionary patented active power harvesting technology to deliver full High Speed compliance to 15m, complete with HDMI Ethernet Channel to 10m. This means complete support for ALL HDMI features, with 2k x 4k video and 3D up to 1080p/60. It’s also thinner than EVO at these lengths, so it’s better, more flexible and shallower mounting. The no-compromise flagship EVX retains the very highest purity with full passive, deep silver design for the ultimate in on-screen performance with uncompressed audiophile sound, offers full HDMI feature support, but is limited to 10m.

    

Flat Profile Most flexible Smallest mounting depth HDMI High Speed 1-5m HDMI Standard with 1080p BER support 7-15m

EVO suits most market devices; exceptional balance of performance and economy.

Flat Profile 2% Silver volume Passive to 5m Redmere i-active power harvesting for longer lengths*  High Speed with Ethernet 1-10m*  High Speed 12-15m*    

EVS suits enthusiasts with higher quality devices who want complete HDMI feature support. * Upgrade models available from July 2010

      

Flat Profile Large gauge 7% Silver volume 100% Passive for ultimate purity High Speed with Ethernet* 1-10m Premium etched AL shell* Premium sleeve on 1-5m lengths

EVX — for use with high-end devices for ultimate performance. * Upgrade models available from July 2010

Musical Fidelity For Musical Fidelity, 2010 is the start of an exciting new era.

SpeakerCraft

ntony Michaelson founded Musical Fidelity on a kitchen table in London 30 years ago with virtually no finance. Today Musical Fidelity has grown to be one of the world’s finest, most respected and highly acclaimed audiophile brands. The new era of Musical Fidelity features a range of products universally recognised as the best the company has ever produced. Antony decided to design and produce a range with uniform aesthetic style, build quality, technical performance and features. His

passion and commitment to the Musical Fidelity quality remains undimmed. At the top of the range are the award winning Primo Preamp, Titan 1000-watt power amplifier and the AMS 50, AMS 35 and AMS 100 ‘Antony Michaelson Signature’ Series ‘Class A’ amplifiers. The stunning new Musical Fidelity M6, M3 and M1 series of components complete the 2010 range and are made with the same experience, knowledge and understanding to provide fabulous sound, great technical performance and excellent value for money.

Focal LOUDSPEAKERS Reference-quality performance from France’s finest.

ocal’s headquarters are in Saint Etienne in France, an area renowned for its long tradition in high-end precision engineering. The company is internationally recognised as a world leader in the design and manufacture of specialist drive units for hi-fi loudspeakers, car audio and pro audio. With more loudspeaker design

patents than any other manufacturer, Focal creates highly advanced, complete hi-fi loudspeaker enclosures priced from $700 per pair through to $270,000! There are around 100 different floorstanding, bookshelf, satellite, in-ceiling and in-wall Focal loudspeaker models available in Australia. The Focal Utopia 3 loudspeaker range is the premium range and has received numerous awards including the current “European Loudspeaker of the Year”. This range and the Focal Electra Be Mk 2 range feature world-leading unique technologies — pure Beryllium inverted dome tweeters, Power Flower magnets, Focus Time orientation, Gamma Structure and OPC filtering. Focal presents a French loudspeaker masterpiece to suit every application, requirement and budget. Once you see, feel and hear Focal in action at Audio Solutions, you will be a fan for life.

peakerCraft has been recognised as the leader in Custom Audio products for more than three decades. What started as OEM manufacturering of in-ceiling loudspeakers for other brands has grown into the most comprehensive range of Architectural Audio products available. SpeakerCraft has always been at the forefront of the industry, with more than 10 patents in audio design, including the first to offer a “Lifetime Warranty” on speaker products. Whether it is in-wall, in-ceiling, outdoor loudspeakers or the latest in multi-room distributed audio and video systems, SpeakerCraft has a range of products to suit any budget. SpeakerCraft brings with it years of experience and customer satisfaction. Its tradition of innovative design, combined with one of the most extensive engineering efforts in this industry’s history, has led to the creation of the patented AIM series of fully directional in-ceiling loudspeakers. Each model can be entirely pivoted towards the listener while remaining discreetly recessed behind a flush-mounted grille. If the listening position or tastes change, the speaker can be easily aimed in another direction with a simple push of the hand. SpeakerCraft innovation, excellence in engineering, and quality make the AIM series one of the most exceptional loudspeakers ever — the finest sounding in-ceiling speaker system ever created! You’ll find more information on all the products on this page at www.audiomarketing.com.au, or experience them at Audio Solutions!

100 years of experience

Denon

Cutting-edge technology... Award-winning products... Outstanding performance... Excellent value... High customer satisfaction...          

DVD & Blu-ray players A/V receivers Cinema systems Mini Hi-Fi systems Micro Hi-Fi systems Stereo amplifiers CD players Turntables Headphones Accessories

enon, one of the world‘s leading manufacturers of high-quality home entertainment products, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2010. In a century of significant and innovative firsts, Denon has brought passion, artistry and the best of technology to discriminating customers around the world.

Passion for audio and video For Denon, the creation of the highest quality audio and video products is a driving passion. As music has become more mobile and digital, quality becomes even more relevant. Denon is passionate about developing and leveraging technologies, so that whatever the format, customers can enjoy a purity of sound quality that will enhance their lives. Denon’s solution, whether it’s a simple hi-fi mini system or

a legacy of firsts

full home theatre system, is to stir the listener‘s soul and make the experience real and alive.

Artistry & technology Denon engineers and employees are musicians and music lovers. They strive to create products of beauty and desire to reflect the taste and sensibilities of the future owners. But Denon has also been a leader and innovator that has developed and introduced new technologies to the world and made them accessible to consumers. From the beginnings of CD to the rise of surround sound and now to mobility, streaming, and networking, Denon is proud of its products and wants its customers to be proud as well. Experience the Denon difference at Audio Solutions.

SIM2: THE GLAMOUR OF TECHNOLOGY

ightly famed for their stunning image quality, SIM2 video projectors are regular winners of ‘best picture’ awards and are the choice of notable Hollywood directors such as Francis Ford Coppola and David Lynch. Based near Venice in Italy, SIM2 focuses on one thing only — video

www.audiosolutions.net.au

projection. And true innovation is the key to their success. With a swag of world-firsts, SIM2 has always been at the leading edge of projection technology. Their product range includes ultimate high-end machines designed for no-compromise home theatres, but also a wide choice of models to suit even budget-conscious movie lovers. Every model offers the pristine video quality SIM2 is renowned for, while their elegant design is certain to complement any décor. SIM2 designers have now begun to use LED lamps into the top models

to further enhance what is already the industry benchmark. Also notable is the SIM2 D80E projector, awarded ‘Best Projector over $8000’ two years running (2009 and 2010) by Sound+Image, the judges saying: “A clever output-modulated lamp is key to this projector’s remarkable performance with excellent black levels, realistic colours and long lamp life…”

Projector of the Year over $8000

Uncompromised Slim LED Television The new Baumann Meyer Symmetry Series

s specialists in flat-panel television development, Baumann Meyer’s focus is simply to make the best televisions available. The new Baumann Meyer Symmetry series represents a perfect harmony of design, style, technology and build quality. Starting with an LED edge-lit panel and superslim architecture handcrafted in brushed aluminium

and optical-grade glass, Baumann Meyer has developed a new proprietary 10-bit 100Hz engine to extract exceptional picture clarity and realism. Available in 46-inch and 55-inch sizes, and in the Baumann Meyer signature choice of black or white finish, the Symmetry series is a pinnacle of television design and performance. Experience their brilliance at Audio Solutions.

 Super-slim energy-efficient LED panel  Edge depth 7mm; maximum depth 4cm  Brushed aluminium and low-reflection glass construction  Five-star energy efficiency and recyclability  10-bit 100Hz Baumann Meyer processor  Superior colour calibration and high-end de-interlacing technology  Integrated MPEG4 tuner  Simplified ergonomic remote control  RS232 Control via RJ45 interface  IR Hex code control  ‘Favourite input’ feature  ISF Colour Calibration ready  Coaxial, optical and 2-channel audio outputs  4 x HDMI inputs  All connections side accessed and recessed into frame

BRING YOUR HOME TO LIFE... WITH A WORLD-CLASS ENTERTAINMENT INSTALLATION FROM AUDIO SOLUTIONS

t Audio Solutions we know all about the challenges of building a smart home with high-quality entertainment systems, and our highend installations stand as testimony to our skills and attention to detail. When clients are asking for a big custom home entertainment installation, they generally know what they want, and want to be ahead of the game in terms of new technology. But they don’t always know how to get there — and that’s where we come in. We enjoy coming up with the right solution and we are only too happy to pass on tips to our clients, helping them to understand their system better, and to get absolute enjoyment from it. It’s an inclusive process that builds trust and relationships that last forever. Many customers want a system that includes audio throughout most or all of the home and a separate dedicated home cinema that is simple to control — one that gives excellent performance for movies and music. Some may

www.audiosolutions.net.au

want only a high-end two-channel music system that delivers the pure joy of their favourite music. Whatever the requirement, the team at Audio Solutions can provide the solution.

In Control Audio Solutions recommends and offers hard-wired and RF remote control options by Crestron, the leader in home automation control that includes audio/video, security and environment. Crestron offers very affordable control systems that let family members listen to their own personal choice of music in any room, at different volumes, all at the same time and all controlled individually by touch-pads in the various rooms.

Future Proof Much depends on the choice of cables and where they’re placed. Audio Solutions installs the finest cables for the job — but all hidden completely out of sight! Ideally the system should be controlled from a number of different

rooms, simply and effectively — play a DVD or Blu-ray by touching a single button or touch screen, with the curtains closing and the lights dimming automatically, leaving you to enjoy the movie. And you can easily add more functions later — with well-planned cable infrastructure and intelligent system design there’s no need to worry about getting out of date.

CEDIA MEMBERS We are full members of CEDIA, the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. Hiring a CEDIA-certified professional gives you even more peace of mind that you’ll be getting the finest skills and quality in your custom electronic design and installation.

COME AND MEET US If you’re planning a new home or major renovation, we invite you to visit our store and meet us — tell us what you’re planning, and we’ll tell you how we can help! Or start at our website:

Tivoli Audio

King St

AUDIO SOLUTIONS 1195 Botany Road Mascot NSW 2020 Telephone 02 9317 3330 Fax 02 9313 5844 Email: info@audiosolutions.net.au

www.audiosolutions.net.au

Elizabeth Ave

Botany Rd

The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest brands in one location

Hollingshed St

Moving Pictures

Motion Pictures We like movies because they move. But ironically, handling that movement is one of the toughest tasks for your TV. Stephen Dawson explains why we’re always banging on about motion adaptive deinterlacing.

n our articles (and in sales literature for TVs), you’ll often find references to ‘Motion Adaptive Deinterlacing’ and how well a TV achieves it — or doesn’t. It’s a technical subject but worth understanding, because it lies at the root of so many undesirable but common on-screen effects, such as ‘jaggies’ and ‘combing’ (where straight lines are made jagged), and also ‘haloing’, where moving objects are surround bya slight heat-haze effect. By understand how TVs deinterlace images, you’ll understand a key part of how TVs can improve picture quality (or more accurately, how some TVs can degrade it). It’ll help you to choose a good TV, and to criticise those belonging to other people! Let’s explain exactly what we’re talking about, with the help of some illustrative pictures. �� A quick primer, first, on what interlacing is, why it needs to be removed (ie ‘deinterlaced’), and the best way to do it.

Interlacing Video and film are, of course, a sequence of frames shown in rapid succession. In the olden days when badwidth was lower, the amount of data that needed to be sent over the air waves was reduced by sending only half of each frame at a time, followed by the other half. Each half-frame was called a ‘field’, and consisted of every second horizontal scan line for that frame. The following field contained the other scan lines. On the TVs of the day they were simply shown in the same order in which they were transmitted (as in the first pair of sliced apples above). And this worked well enough on the small and fuzzy equipment then available. But plasma and LCD televisions

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 63

Transform your living room into a night at the cinema, with Mitsubishi Electric’s range of full HD home theatre projectors. With stylish black designs and employing cutting-edge HD components, the range of home theatre projectors from Mitsubishi Electric take home theatre enjoyment to new heights. Unique technology such as the “Diamond Black Iris” and “Original Contrast Control” allow these projectors to deliver amazing contrast levels, for the deepest

HC7000

blacks, brightest whites, and most stunningly vivid colours in between. Top of the line image processors, such as the Reon-VX with HQV™ (Hollywood Quality Video) technology, ensure image reproduction is second to none, even when displaying video from standard DVD players. Whisper quiet performance, and some of the longest lamp lives available in the home theatre market (up to an astonishing 5000 hours), mean you can always be assured of distraction-free performance for months on end.

HC6800

HC3800|HC3900 3800|HC3900 To see our complete range visit www.mitsubishielectric.com.au. Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty Ltd. 348 Victoria Rd, Rydalmere NSW 2116

Tel: (02) 9684 7777

Moving Pictures

KNOWING WHEN TO BOB

This frame from the DVD of The Norman Gunston Show shows the effect of movement that takes place between two fields of a video frame. Simply weaving the fields together produces bad ‘combing’ effects. But if the display interpolates the missing lines of the first field and then the missing lines of the second field, the effect is much smoother — and easier on the eye

The Norman Gunston Show DVDs are available from Umbrella Entertainment

Woven have far larger and far sharper displays. Try to use the same technique and modern screens would simply flicker. So the interlaced signal has to be recombined in some way and displayed “progressively”. So the question was, how do you join the two fields together to make a frame? And it all depends on where the frame came from.

From film Some frames — many of them — come from a film camera. These are easy to deal with, because each of the two fields making up a frame (in our 576i/50 and 1080i/50 systems) came from the same film frame. All the TV has to do is ‘weave’ the alternating lines of the two fields back together again. This restores the original frame.

bobbed From video

A film camera records both fields at the same time, but a video camera records one field, and then the other a little later. You can’t just weave them together because things can move between the two — then you end up with a jaggedy mess. The frame above — taken from the DVD of the 1970s Norman Gunston Show — illustrates this. �� Norman, left, is moving to the right to greet the former PM, who the camera is tracking. Because these were studio cameras, they were interlaced, capturing the two fields some one 50th of a second apart. So you can see that Norman is indistinct, while the PM is fairly sharp. Norman had moved a significant distance in that one fiftieth of a second, while the PM had moved only a small distance.

Now let’s zoom in on Norman’s manly chest so we can see what has happened. Clearly the detail on the left (labelled ‘Woven’) would look unacceptable on your nifty 127cm full high-definition plasma. We have simply woven together the two fields, and it looks dreadful. We call those horizontal lines ‘combing’. To make this look presentable, the TV should perform a form of deinterlacing more suitable to video-sourced material. The most basic form of this is called ‘bobbing’, where the first field is shown scaled up to fill the screen, then the second field is scaled up to fill teh screen and shown. Then it moves on to the next frame. How this scaling-up is done varies according to the circuit. The simplest ones Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 65

Moving Pictures simply double every ‘scan line’ (i.e. horizontal row of pixels). So the first row of pixels is repeated on the second row, and so on. But this still tends to result in ‘jaggies’, so some more sophisticated circuits create new intermediate lines by ‘interpolating’ (estimating) a missing line using the line above and the line below. That’s been done in the second close-up of Norman Gunston (previous page), showing the same detail from the same frame, but deinterlaced using interpolation. As you can see, this is a great deal easier on the eye, and in practice it also reveals more detail because it lacks those obscuring comb lines.

MAKING THE CHOICE

With this ABC test pattern, only a tiny part of the image is moving — a vertical white line in the lowest black bar of the main circle. To avoid this line splitting in half (as in the first woven detail below) the image should be bobbed. But as the bottom two details show, bobbing the rest of the static image produces a pair of alternating images, neither of which reproduces the full resolution of the original image.

Bobbing vs weaving But it does lead to a problem. Often a part of the picture isn’t moving, even while another part of it might be. In our second example (right) we have an old ABC TV test pattern captured some years ago from digital TV. This is almost entirely static. Almost. But in fact, some 0.085% of the pixels are moving: a vertical white line in the black bar towards the bottom of the large circle. In the original video, this is moving from side to side in that black area. The first close-up has been made by weaving the two fields together to make the full frame. So the white bar in the black area has split in two, half from one field and half from the other, because it has moved between the two. Of course if the picture was bobbed rather than woven, you’d see just one of the lines in full, a nice clean result. But only for that small part of the picture. The rest of the frame will also be bobbed, and what does that do? The second detail (centre right) is a close-up on the circle at the top left of the screen, showing what it should look like — i.e. when the two fields are woven together to form the complete picture. If it is bobbed, this is reduced to two different half-resolution versions, shown in the bottom row. Each is clearly of lower quality than the woven version — the small ‘2’ and ‘3’ merge into the lines nearby, and the horizontal curved lines are confused. What we can’t show on this printed page is that the picture is rapidly alternating between these two versions some 50 times a second. This may seem too fast to notice, but unfortunately it is all too obvious, and can be highly irritating. And the larger your display, the worse it is.

Woven

bobbed odd

Woven

bobbed even

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 67

Moving Pictures ZONE OF INFLUENCE

This frame from the HD HQV Benchmark Blu-ray test disc shows how motion adaptive interpolation affects areas around moving objects as well as the object itself. Visit www.hqv.com for more info on the disc.

Doing it properly The solution is obvious, but not at all easy. The electronics need to examine the two fields (or in more powerful systems, the fields in a few frames), and see which parts appear to be static, and which parts appear to be moving. And then to weave together the fields only in those static parts, and bob the moving parts. So this is what is happening when we talk about ‘motion adaptive’ deinterlacing. It is deinterlacing that adapts its operation depending on whether or not any particular part of the picture is in motion. In practice what happens is that the system bobs not just the moving parts, but the areas of the picture close to the moving parts as well. Let’s see this in operation. Our third set of images (left) come from a test clip on the ‘HD HQV Benchmark’ test Blu-ray disc (the ‘Video Resolution Loss Test’ if you have the disc and want to check for yourself). This disc contains patterns designed to disclose different aspects of performance by Blu-ray players and displays when dealing with interlaced high-definition video (1080i/60 in this case). That diagonal white bar on the left side of the screen is actually rotating clockwise around its centre at 10 revolutions per second. Everything else in the frame is perfectly still. Now look what happens to a part of the still background as that moving white bar nears, moves over, then passes away from it. [Note, all the other images in this article were digital captures from the sources, but for this HQV disc this is straight photography from a screen. The disc was playing on an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player with its deinterlacing mode set to ‘Auto’. This player uses Anchor Bay Technology deinterlacing, but other brands — if well implemented — perform in a similar manner.] So we have three close ups. On the first detail, look at the horizontal white line above the largely obscured ‘30%’. At the extreme left, and over to the right where the ‘40%’ is, the line is finely etched and nicely sharp. But in the area around the moving bar, it is fuzzy. At the extremes, the motion adaptive deinterlacer is weaving together the fields to create a fully detailed frame. But near the moving element of the picture it is bobbing, which has the effect of reducing the vertical resolution of the picture. But not the horizontal. Look at the vertical line to the right of the 20% and 30% numbers. This retains the same width and clarity regardless of the distance from the moving bar. Now to the second shot. The indistinct area on the horizontal line has moved to the right, along with the top of the rotating bar. The ‘30%’ figure is partly woven (at the top left) and partly bobbed as the moving bar’s field of influence moves away from it. The reverse is happening with the ‘20%’. The final shot shows us that the ‘30%’ is now as sharp, clean and detailed as it can get, while the 20% is now fully fuzzed up by the bobbing zone around the moving bar.

CONCLUSION And this is how it should be. Dealing with interlacing — introduced for sound reasons many, many decades ago — has been a matter of great difficulty since the introduction of large, naturally progressive, displays. There is no perfect way of dealing with it. But high quality motion adaptive deinterlacing, provided by the likes of Faroudja, HQV/Reon and Anchor Bay Technology, plus some proprietary systems, can deliver image quality nearly as good as a full film-based system. �� Which one of the reasons why we should all pay so much attention to it! Stephen Dawson 68 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Now also available in black.

Exceptional quality. No Exceptions. Rotel’s new 15 Series home theatre components revel in the details. From the softest whisperings of an intimate love scene, to the explosive pyrotechnics of an action movie, it is all about delivering an exceptional experience through attention to detail. At Rotel, we know a little about details. We have been researching, designing, and manufacturing high performance audio/video components for nearly 50 years. Our meticulous attention to what truly matters has won us critical acclaim and countless die-hard Rotel fans around the globe. We believe our new 15 Series is simply the best yet, but you be the judge. Hear them at your local dealer. www.rotel.com

International Dynamics Australia • 1800 456 393

International Dynamics New Zealand • 0800 456 393

www.internationaldynamics.com.au

www.internationaldynamics.co.nz

HIGH-END SYSTEMS

HIGH-END SYSTEMS: 2 For our second system we visit a British audiophile who, after living in Hong Kong, became a victim of a sonic spell that has led to him acquiring a veritable museum’s worth of classic UK audio gear. Edgar Kramer: As usual, I’ll start with this question; do you have a first memory, a first unforgettable musical impression? PS: When I was a young kid my dad had a beautiful Telefunken valve radiogram, purchased in the very early 1960s. It had that wonderful warm dynamic sound that has led me to own valve amps even today. The turntable/cartridge was a bit of a ‘nail-onthe-vinyl’ combo, but it had a great sound as a complete system. It never needed any repairs in the 20 years we had it. EK: How old were you then? PS: I was about three or four. EK: Similarly, what ‘Hi-Fi equipment’ impression started you on the gear quest? PS: The Radio People Ltd and Excel Hi-Fi in Hong Kong ruined me at a young 70 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

age. JBL Paragons, Magneplanars, Audio Research amps, Thorens and Garrard turntables with exotic arms and cartridges, Nakamichi cassette decks, Mark Levinson amps… Oh those were the days! Fabulous equipment and wonderful sound quality at many dealers in Hong Kong. EK: What’s the best audio system you’ve ever heard? PS: An amazing guy in Bretagne, France who builds hi-fi equipment and also builds working steam trains. His reference system featured his own turntable with an air parallel tracking arm and specially built EMT cartridge. These fed into his own valve preamp and power amps, and then into his own ‘Orthophase 40’ speakers. Each one includes 40 planar ribbons and an ionic tweeter of his own design.

EK: What did it sound like? PS: Astonishingly beautiful. (Sighs). Anyway, I bought a pair of his OR-27 speakers, which are wonderful. EK: You have lots of audio equipment around your home — predominantly from the 1970s. PS: I believe that most of the developments that have led to our current status in the hi-fi industry came from the 1950s and 1970s. In the 50s the designs were developed and in the 70s the science came enabling the designs of the 50s to come to fruition. There were some truly amazing developments in both of those decades. Speakers especially moved forward, in particular the Quad ESL57, the Klipschorn, JBL Paragon, as well as many of the models from KEF, Rogers, Celestion, Tannoy and others.

HIGH-END SYSTEMS

Equipment Listing Lounge Room: • Sony SCD-777ES CD/SACD player • Opus 3 Continuo turntable, SME 3009 arm, Grado cartridge, Pro-ject phono stage • Cary CAD-5500 valve preamp • Cary CAD-2A3 8wpc valve power amp • ACR Eckhorn, with upgraded crossovers and Pioneer TAD ribbon super tweeters. Bedroom: • Orelle CD-101 modified CD player • Pro-ject turntable, Grado gold cartridge, NAD phono stage • Magnum pre amp • Behringer active 3-way crossover • Magnum mono block power amp 350wpc • Magnum stereo power amps 175wpc (Two of) • ‘Own design’ 3-way loudspeakers Kitchen: Pioneer reference system • Pioneer PD91 CD player (Audio Alchemy DAC) • Pioneer C73 preamp • Pioneer 2 M 73 25wpc class-A, and 175wpc class A/B power amps • Pioneer F91 tuner • Pioneer CT91 cassette deck • ‘Own design’ 3-way loudspeakers

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 71

HIGH-END SYSTEMS

EK: You used to build your own speakers. What design ideals did you follow? PS: I like efficiency, speed, dynamics, bass extension and extended frequency range — at least from 20Hz to 40kHz — so that the speaker is a true full-range design. I start with the drive units and then develop the box to maximise the performance of the chosen drive units. Then the crossover does its best to screw it all up, hence I have gone to active crossovers with multiple amps. EK: What is it about your main system’s horn-loaded speakers that appeals to you more than your own designs? PS: I consider the sound quality to be beautiful, maybe not ‘hi-fi accurate’, but certainly a convincingly musical sound. My advice is always that if you cannot sing along to the music being played then you should junk your system. In my opinion, a bit of coloration is no bad thing, but it must not destroy the musical performance. We are—or at least I am—trying to convince

72 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

ourselves that the artist is in the room performing just for us! Your system should be able to cause joy… and perhaps also bring a tear to your eye. If the hairs on my arms do not rise when I am listening, then I know that the system is not capable of creating a truly musical event. There are a lot of sterile hi-fi systems out there and not too many music reproduction systems. EK: What would you never sell? PS: My ACR Eckhorn corner horn speakers and my 1957 and 1990 Orthophase open baffle planar ribbon speakers. EK: Your next audio purchase? PS: I am not in a position at this time to squander money on this hobby, but I just purchased a Grado wooden body cartridge. EK: What genre of music do you listen to? PS: Country, folk, blues, rock, pop, jazz, alternative… basically anything except classical, especially not opera! Favourite artists… Leo Kottke, Jack Johnson, Grateful Dead, Ryan Adams, Lisa Ekhdahl…

EK: In what way does music affect your life, your emotions and the way you feel? PS: Listening to music is one of life’s truly great pleasures, you can enhance or change your mood by listening to music that is emotive. EK: Where do you see high-end going? PS: Sadly I wonder who will be the new customers for great equipment. The future is ‘Lifestyle’, which is a true misnomer if ever there was one. For me, a ‘Lifestyle’ product is an expensive one where the aesthetic appearance massively overwhelms the musical performance. EK: Where would you like the audio industry to go or to evolve to? PS: I’d like it to return to a greater degree of reality with regards to some of the jewellery equipment that is around. Big amps and small inefficient speakers. Yuck! Big efficient speakers and small-single ended valve amps would be my preference. Edgar Kramer

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INTERVIEW

Fabulous beasts

Amazing audio designs with top-end performance and price-tags to match — we meet the man behind the almost mythical Gryphon stable.

ryphon Audio Designs was founded in 1985 by Flemming E. Rasmussen, achieving rapid recognition among the audio community for the company’s dedication to both state-of-the-art performance and stunning product design. Rasmussen visited Sydney recently, and we caught up with him during a demonstration of the latest Gryphon gear at Audio Connection. Edgar Kramer: Gryphon products are stunning industrial designs, and I believe you have a background in design. How important is a product’s physical form to you? Flemming E. Rasmussen: Thank you, that is correct and I am 100% involved. Of course, performance is very important too 74 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

if you want to stay in the marketplace, but we also believe that if you invest that amount of money in something, it should be more than just the performance. Just like a Ferrari, there’s more to it than being a fast car and an engine. You should be able to enjoy the looks of it every day, and so that’s where the design comes into the picture. EK: It becomes a beautiful thing to admire even when it is not in operation. FER: It has something to do with pride of ownership. As long as I still can make designs and not compromise the performance, I will take as it as far as I can every time. EK: Does Gryphon employ full-time engineers or outsource to experts in each field?

FER: All electronic design work is in-house. When we enter something like speakers, I assemble a crew of people from outside with special experience in that field, but we do tend to design everything so that when it comes to the actual industrial design, then it is in-house, because I make every single thing from speaker cables to the amplifiers. EK: The Mikado Signature CD player won a Sound+Image Award last year. Will Gryphon continue to build high-end CD players, or is the company looking at server-type products considering the increasing popularity of computer storage? FER: It is not something that we are working on, but it is something that has our attention. I believe that the CD is the last disc-type media we are going to see and in future it is going to be download-based. I cannot imagine, at least at this point, that Gryphon would be going into designing hard-disk download mechanisms or anything like that, because I believe that expertise may be based more on computer design.

s s

INTERVIEW

EK: So there could be some USB DAC-based products? FER: That is very likely, yes. EK: Gryphon’s top-end amplification products are based on Class-A topology. I actually remember lusting after the Antileon amplifiers. Has the company considered greener more-efficient amplification designs, for example, Class-D? FER: We wish we could. We have tried with digital products and we also have some Class-A/B products, so we are trying to have the kind of performance that we are getting out of our Class-A products in less powerconsuming topologies. But the Class-D topologies, I mean as with digital amplifiers so far, we do not feel that this technology is really for where we are. It’s a great technology for a lot of other products in a different price range, but there are also certain expectations to what people would want from a Gryphon, and the transition from pure Class-A into Class-D is an extremely big transition. EK: Now, can you tell me a little about some of the key technologies that were involved in the Colosseum amplifier? FER: Well, if you take something like the Antileon, that is an amplifier that is a result of an evolution, going all the way back to the DM100. We’ve just refined that product again and again, year after year. It is a true Class-A design — there are very few true Class-A designs in this world today. There have never been many. There have been a lot of fake ones; the real deal is rare. We found that we could not take the Antileon any further, so we said OK, now we are going to put some money into developing a totally new platform for our amplifiers. And that is where the Colosseum comes from. Of course, it is a result of all our experience in amplifiers, but by starting with a clean slate we were able to introduce some things in terms of power regulation that we did not have in the Antileon. It also has a higher bandwidth. And it has a really different kind of power supply through it. It is also fully balanced all the way through it, but is not a bridged amplifier, although it has balanced technology in the driver section. EK: The Antileon wasn’t fully balanced? FER: The Antileon has a balanced input but

most of the time when people in the business claim they have a fully-balanced amplifier, it’s a fancy word for a bridged amplifier. And we don’t make bridged amplifiers, because they can give you more output power but a lot of the more important specifications go in the wrong direction. EK: I find also they are less capable of driving lower impedances. FER: Exactly, that is one of the consequences. When you take a stereo amplifier and bridge it, the input impedance will go up by a factor of two. Distortion goes up by a factor of two. The output impedance, which is the damping factor, is going down by a factor of two. Everything is going in the wrong direction and the current output is also going down. The only thing that goes up is the voltage output which, as you would know, is two to three times larger, but it comes at an incredible cost, one of them being that the bass control is definitely reduced. What we do in our mono amplifiers is that we run basically a stereo channel in parallel, so we come up with a mono amplifier that actually has the same output and voltage but two times the output in current. It has half the distortion. You get everything going in the right direction instead, and current is so much more important than voltage. Voltage is not important because the ability to drive something rests entirely on the current.

lifespan on the market. Whereas a lot of our competitors come out with a new collection every year, a spring collection or even maybe an autumn collection — and there’s not a lot of new stuff in it. We try to accumulate whatever we find out, and when we think it is time for a new product we put the new things into it. EK: I have spoken to several high-end audio manufacturers who say the recent economic downturn actually had

EK:TraditionallyGryphon’sstrongest products have been in amplification. Has the ever-expanding range of speakers tipped the balance towards speaker designs? FER: It is interesting very few people realise this, but today the speakers are almost half of our business, and they are very important for us because that is where our expansion will come from. EK: And of course the amplifiers last a very long time. FER: They do, and we make the mistake that we do not introduce new models very often. We may have the longest model Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 75

INTERVIEW

RIGHT: Gryphon’s Colosseum Solo single-channel power amplifiers, which operate in true Class-A and include ‘Green Bias’ circuitry which automatically adjusts bias level (reducing power consumption and heat) to match the selected volume setting when paired with Gryphon’s Mirage or Sonata Allegro preamps

a positive effect on their businesses, especially on the top-end products. How has this global situation affected Gryphon? FER: It hasn’t. Our business has increased. We just ended our fiscal year and we did come out with a profit so we are happy. We also had our timing right. Some people may say, now you are bringing out lower-end equipment and it must be because there is a financial crisis, but it just doesn’t work like that. When we come out with a product now, it is something we started a long time ago. So I’ll say we’ve been doing well but the crisis that high-end is facing is not really the economic crisis but a lack of improvement to high-end. We took the decision years ago that we would focus on making even better products out of the philosophy that there would be fewer people for high-end, but those die-hard hard-core audiophiles that would be left would be prepared to invest even more in their hobby than before. This is why we have survived when a lot of other manufacturers have gone down. EK: What do you think is the factor that stops more of the younger generation going into high-end, apart from the obvious financial factor? FER: I don’t think it has anything to do with the economics. I think it has more to do with the fact that you are not really being introduced to it in the same way as say I did. I mean in my generation you would get a tape recorder or something like that for your birthday or whatever. The kids don’t start like that. This is a computer generation so they get introduced to things like MP3 and it kind of ends there. I don’t feel they are missing out on anything, because they don’t have any references really. However I can also see that some of them are getting beyond that, and when they start listening to high-end hi-fi,

76 76 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

“When you take a stereo amplifier and bridge it, the input impedance will go up by a factor of two. Distortion goes up by a factor of two...” they do realise they are really missing out on something. So I think it is a matter of time.

soundstage, small details, a 3D experience that is totally different from his headphones.

EK: And education. I feel education in the high-end hi-fi industry is lacking, exposing newer generations to hi-fi equipment. FER: That is true. We have a son who is 24 years old and he is not interested in high-end hi-fi at all, but still there has been the odd occasion when he has been travelling with me and has been exposed to high-end systems — because he couldn’t run away — and he was just totally taken by it. Things like

EK: A new recruit! FER: Yes, at some point he will be there. Mr Rasmussen was interviewed by Edgar Kramer for Sound+Image at Audio Connection in Rozelle, where he was introducing the two-way, three-driver Mojo loudspeaker (pictured on p75) to Australia. Gryphon is distributed in Australia by Kedcorp: www.kedcorp.com.au

Smart Homes

The Butler Comes to Call 78 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Smart Homes

Indoor and outdoor living with integrated smarts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; custom installer The Silent Butler shows what can be achieved through a structured solution... Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 79

Smart Homes

ere’s a nice problem to have. You are building a riverside home that has been architecturally designed so that from most rooms, you have stunning water views. With a northerly aspect, you plan to have concertina doors onto entertaining areas in every ground-floor room. Now then, where can you place big entertainment screens without intruding on the serenity? It was a challenge that was welcomed by Antonio Messina and his Sydney company The Silent Butler. “We were introduced to the client by the builder; we’d worked together on many projects before,” says Antonio. “They knew they wanted home automation together with distributed audio and video, but they were by no means up on how it might be done.” But they did know how they wanted everything to work. “He told me — ‘Tony, keep it simple to use, or else!’”, says Antonio. “And he’s right. Without ease of use, smart systems defeat their purpose.” So the owners wanted a system that was simple to use, and one that was not only up with the latest technologies, but would also be able to adapt to new technologies in the

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future, without the need for an installer to return and run extra cabling. “These are always key priorities, of course,” says Antonio. “Simplicity, performance, and maintenance. And simplicity most of all.”

Structured solution

This was a new project, not a retrofit, so The Silent Butler was able to design the system “the way it should be”. “A structured cabling design is always paramount,” says Antonio. “Every cable installed in the house was installed by us. And handling all this, we’re able to give the client a clear choice of different systems to suit his needs and budget.” As well as the AV systems, The Silent Butler’s cabling brief extended to all the power and lighting circuits, the data network, antenna distribution, the phone system, automated blinds, and security, including a camera system with a recording unit. “To show the clients how it would all work, we take them to a showroom,” says Antonio. “You can tell them about it, you can show them products, but it’s when they touch and play with a working system, they get more of an understanding. Otherwise it’s like putting an automatic driver in a manual car and telling them to drive off…”

Smart Homes

82 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Smart Homes

Through the use of some cunning cabinetry and an Ultralift Titan riser, the Sony Bravia 46-inch HDTV in the family room can emerge from a hidden position within a cabinet — and even swivel 180 degrees to face outside. Control in the living room is via an RTI handheld remote, which controls the lighting, video, audio and even the fireplace in the living room.

Wot, no theatre?

Hardened videophiles may be shocked by the lack of a dedicated home theatre. “Oh I know,” laughs Antonio, “and I did try. But I couldn’t convince the missus to give up the gym and let me convert it into a dedicated theatre… it was the perfect space.” Not that the home is exactly short of entertainment spaces as it is. “In the living room, which is the main ‘media room’, if you like, we were able to wall-mount the main television, a 50-inch plasma, in an ideal position, and recessed into the timberwork,” says Antonio. “Aesthetics did come first, I have to say, and the room was very open, and had a lot of hard surfaces. And they didn’t want to see anything, they wanted it all concealed. We worked with the interior designer and with the cabinet makers so that we could incorporate the twin Velodyne 8inch subwoofers into the cabinet, along with the Integra AV receiver. All the other loudspeakers were mounted in the ceiling.”

Sonance Visual Performance in-ceiling speakers were used in all the internal rooms, with Boston Acoustics SoundWare speakers chosen for more exposed locations. In the family room, The Silent Butler opted for square Visual Performance units each incorporating a nested eight-inch woofer and 25mm silk-dome tweeter. As the name suggests, these in-ceiling speakers are designed for minimum aesthetic impact, their grilles having very small outer trim (micro-flanges, if you will), and sitting almost flush to the ceiling. The tweeters are pivotable, so that optimal imaging can be achieved for all seating positions. Control in the living room is via an RTI handheld touchscreen remote, which controls the lighting, video, audio and even the fireplace in the formal living room. In addition to the RTI remotes around the house, there are three large Vantage wall-mounted touchscreens — one inbetween the kitchen and family rooms, with two more upstairs — one in the master bedroom, one at the top of the stairs. Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 83

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Smart Homes

“I’ve been dealing with Vantage for a long time — six years or more,” says Antonio, “and one really cool thing is how we use the touchscreen as intercom units. When anyone outside hits the button on the intercom, all the screens change to show the front-gate camera, and there are touchbuttons for ‘Open Gate’ and ‘Open Door’. It means you don’t need an extra intercom handset cluttering the wall next to your screen.”

Screens rising

The main bedroom also gets the rise and swivel treatment.

So, back to the issue of keeping the big TV screens out of the way of those water views. With all the main rooms opening onto the river-facing pool and deck areas, outside entertaining was always going to be an important aspect of the house. Through the use of some cunning cabinetry and an Ultralift Titan riser, the Sony Bravia 46-inch HDTV in the family room can emerge from a hidden position within a cabinet — and swivel 180 degrees to face outside. “So you can see it from anywhere in the backyard,” says Antonio, “especially from the cabana area, where we’ve put the Boston SoundWare speakers so you can hear everything loud and clear. And you can bring out any of the RTI remotes, because they’re radio frequency and everything is RS232 interfaced — it’s brilliant.” Outside, even the pool mechanics and water feature are integrated with the home control systems. Water flows down over three red urns, into a moat with uplights and onto the pool. LED lighting was chosen both for effect and for its energy-saving potential. “We used LED throughout the house, for inwall lights and cove lighting — and by using the Vantage system it’s all dimmable as well, which is a big issue with LED lighting.” Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 85

Smart Homes

All the equipment is under RS232 control, meaning not only can it be operated from any of the remote controls or touchscreens in the home, the gear can communicate its status back to the controllers.

86 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Smart Homes The main bedroom also gets the rise and swivel treatment. The Silent Butler installed another Ultralift riser to bring a 40-inch Sony Bravia out of cabinetry, while audio here, as in the family room, is supplied by more ceiling-mounted Sonance Visual Performance speakers. The Vantage wall-mounted touchscreen and remote in the main bedroom provide a ‘Goodnight’ button, which turns off all non-essential equipment throughout the home, and lowers all blinds except those in the bedroom.

Central sources

Keen readers will note that we have mentioned no sources of any kind in the main entertainment areas. And that’s how it is, with all sources centrally located in a roll-out cabinet on the ground (middle) floor near the study. From there, any screen can access Foxtel IQ and DVDs from a networked Integra DPS 6.9 DVD player, while eight discrete multiroom audio zones can also tune into these, plus FM radio from a Xantech dual tuner. All the equipment is under RS232 control, meaning not only can it be operated from any of the remote controls or touchscreens in the home, the gear can communicate its status back to the controllers. “That’s the benefit of RS232 control over, say, a system using IR squirters”, explains Antonio. “Because RS232 is two-way, you can see what the volume level is, whether the TV is on and so forth; all this information gets returned to the system controllers. It’s probably the longest part of the job, integrating all the RS232 control.” The structured cabling also distributes the roof antenna signal to all rooms via RG6 outlets, “as a secondary system,” says Antonio, “given that the Liberty five-core already provides Foxtel IQ to every screen”. There are still a few components to be added. “The last thing will be a server for music and video,” says Antonio, who shares this magazine’s search for a competitively-priced but rock-solid server. Blu-ray will likely be added at the same time. The rack holds more than just the AV equipment, also being the location for the Vantage and RTI control systems, plus the multiroom switching components, and a digital video recorder for the security camera network. The cameras and recorder can all be viewed from any point through the distributed video system. A final technological treat is the use of Bio Scan fingerprint readers for keyless access to the property. “The first scanner opens the front gate, and the second one opens the front door,” explains Antonio. “But equally usefully when you’re leaving, if you hold your finger on the scanner for three seconds or more, it arms the whole house as you leave.”

Kit list +++ kit list +++ kit list +++ kit lis Basement Sonance Visual Performance 6.5-inch square speakers x 2 Audioquest 4-core speaker cable Gym Sony 40-inch Bravia XBR LCDTV Liberty 5-core mini RG59 video cable Audioquest 4-core speaker cable Sonance Visual Performance 6.5-inch square speakers x 2 RTI T1 remote control Family room Sony 46-inch Bravia XBR LCDTV Ultralift Titan motorised lift and 180-degree manual swivel Sonance Visual Performance 8-inch square speakers x 2 Audioquest 4-core speaker cable Liberty 5 core mini RG59 video cable RTI T2c remote control Living room Pioneer 50-inch plasma wall mounted Integra DTR 6.9 AV receiver Velodyne SPL8R subwoofers x 2 Sonance Visual Performance 8-inch square speakers x 5 Liberty 5-core mini RG59 video cable Chord UK Carnival speaker cable RTI T2c remote control

Cabana & terrace (each) Boston SoundWare Cub outdoor speakers x 2 Audioquest 4-core speaker cable Bedroom 2 Sonance Visual Performance 6.5-inch square speakers x 2 Master bedroom Sony Bravia XBR 40-inch LCDTV Ultralift Phoenix lift 180-degree manual swivel RTI T1 remote control Sonance Visual Performance 6.5-inch square speakers Audioquest 4 core speaker cable Liberty 5-core mini RG59 video cable

Underfloor heating: Comfort heat Equipment rack All zones have access to these devices Foxtel IQ Foxtel IQ2 Xantech dual tuner Integra DPS 6.9 DVD player Vantage master controller Vantage theatre point Netgear DGVF 338 wireless router Axium 452AV multiroom A/V matrix switcher x 2 Rack Technologies 45RU rack on wheels Rack Technologies dual whisper exhaust fans RTI RP6 processor Ness 16Ch DVR (12 cameras around property) Lighting control system Vantage Controls

Blinds Sompfi motorized Automated louvres Sompfi motorised x 2 Security system Paradox Bio Lock finger scanner Ness 16ch DVR Ness LED outdoor cameras Lights Supplied by Domus lighting

Architect Altis Architecture

Landscape gardener Land escapes

Photographer Tony Rabbitte

Installer The Silent Butler Tel: 0416 153433 Email: info@thesilentbutler.com.au Web: www.thesilentbutler.com.au

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 87

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HIGH-END SYSTEMS

HIGH-END SYSTEMS: 3 Our third outstanding high-end hi-fi system is dedicated to the Blues (because Blues is the truth, man)... Edgar Kramer: Do you have a first memory, a first unforgettable musical impression? PS: My first exposure to live music was when I was about 10 years old. A teenage neighbour took me to the old Stadium at Rushcutter’s Bay to see Little Richard perform. Also headlining was Gene Vincent with Johnny O’Keefe and the Dee Jays providing the warm-up act. This would have been in the mid-fifties. EK: What started you on the hi-fi quest? PS: I was a very late starter to the hi-fi ranks. While I have always had an interest in music, as a teenager, my interest was restricted to the radio and later on, a tape deck and a few cheap tapes. I was well into my thirties before I had heard a properly set-up hi-fi system at a friend’s home. I was so impressed that I decided then and there to dip my toe into the water and try it for myself. EK: Where do you think your system is going, or has it arrived? PS: Similar to most audiophiles, my system is also a work in progress. I think the direction I am heading now is more towards the integration of the sound and the vision. The recent arrival of a Pioneer Kuro plasma screen is evidence of that change in direction.

EK: What’s your favourite piece of equipment at the moment? Which is the component that you would not sell? PS: Without doubt it would be my Genesis 501 speakers. I just love the fullrange sound that they produce in my music room and also their beautiful Bird’s Eye Maple cabinets. The timber is both a joy for me to look at as well as to run my hands over the exquisite finish. EK: What do you see as your next hi-fi purchase or upgrade? PS: While I am generally contented with my current mix of electronic components, the next purchase will be to upgrade my Kimber 8TC speaker cable to something more exotic. After that I will concentrate on improving the acoustics of the room with some additional form of acoustic wall panels and traps. EK: What’s the most memorable pair of speakers you’ve ever heard? PS: I have clear recollections of getting goose bumps at a hi-fi demonstration at Campsie Hi-Fi. This was probably about seven years ago and I can still remember the CDs that were played as well as the accompanying electronic components. Whether they were the best speakers I have ever heard since is debatable, but they were certainly at that time for me, the most

memorable. The speakers were the (then) newly-released Quad 989 electrostatics and they sounded just fabulous. EK: Any component you regret selling? PS: A complete system rather than a single component. It was an originalowner Quad system that had belonged to my brother-in-law, who had passed away. It consisted of a pair of Model 57 electrostatics, a pair of Quad valve amps, Quad pre-amplifier, a Quad tuner and a Thorens TD124 turntable, all housed in a bespoke timber cabinet. As it had not been operated for about 20 years, I was fearful about starting it up and so I sold it to a local Quad aficionado, but I never actually heard the system in operation. These actual Model 57 electrostatics now grace the listening room of Bruce Candy of Halcro fame. EK: Do you use the same music for comparing components as you do for listening pleasure?

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 91

HIGH-END SYSTEMS

PS: Yes, because I am most familiar with those recordings. EK: What genre of music do you listen to mostly and who are your favourite artists? PS: My particular interest is Blues in all its variations as well as some forms of jazz. Some of my favourite artists include Doug MacLeod, Chris Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Sara K, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and the like. EK: In what way does music affect your life, your emotions and the way you feel? PS: Music is a big part of my life and I listen to music at home most nights of the week. It soothes me and gives me pleasure. EK: Where do you see the high-end audio industry going in the future? PS: Regrettably, I think that the audiophiles who support the high-end industry are like dinosaurs and will gradually decline in numbers and go the way of the dodo. Being one of these dinosaurs myself, I despair when I listen to the current mix of popular music being produced and played today, especially hip-hop. It seems to me that it really doesn’t matter how this music is being reproduced, either on an iPod or through high-end equipment, as to me it all just sounds the same and nobody really seems to care or give a damn. 92 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

EK: Where would you like the audio industry to go or to evolve to? PS: Today it is all about making noise, not music. And there is no escaping this noise — not on the roads, not on public transport, not at sporting events, not in restaurants, not in service station forecourts, not in retail shops or shopping malls, nor their car parks or even the sanctity of their rest rooms. In short, it is everywhere and I find it both obtrusive and offensive. In an ideal world, I would like to see a return to the simple joy of actually listening to real music being played on whatever is the current state-of-the-art equipment, but in your own space without inflicting it on others. While it may be obvious to some that I am showing my age, I can’t see this happening any time soon. Edgar Kramer

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Definitions

Coming to Terms

We get just a trifle technical sometimes in our articles — you’re a smart lot out there, of advancing such wisdom, we we reckon, and we’re keen to explain the tech as it happens. In the spirit cause confusion. Here’s some more... include occasional jargon-busting pages detailing terms and tech that can

Extended Display Identification 576i? No… Data (EDID) • Any device involved in digital communications can be 720p/24? No… easily enhanced to include a little Oh, 1080i/50? maybe… oh, descriptive data. A few numbers or a sorry, no… little bit of text add virtually nothing to the bandwidth required when what is being carried is primarily digital video or audio data. HDMI is one place that this extra level information. As the name implies, it also of communication has been used to assist in holds other information about the identity of the carriage of video. Have you noticed how the display, such as its name. modern Blu-ray players, HDTV receivers and It lists not only the preferred resolution HDMI-equipped DVD players have an ‘Auto’ (indicating the resolution, progressive/intersetting for the output resolution? If you laced status, frame rate, and aspect ratio select this, then most will query the display — such as 1920 x 1080p, 60Hz, 16:9 aspect), — your TV or projector — and ‘ask’ it what but also all the resolutions the display can resolution it would prefer to receive. handle. There are 34 different standards The display holds this information in its provided for in the basic EDID definition. ‘EDID’ datablock. ‘EDID’ stands for Extended In theory, anyway. It is up to the display Display Identification Data. This is a compact maker to include this information in their section of non-volatile memory in the display products. There are still cases where manuwhich can be programmed to hold this facturers fail to make use of this.

POWER HANDLING • How much power will your loudspeakers handle? There is usually a figure listed in the specifications, but let us be clear about this: estimating the power handling of loudspeakers is as much an art as a science. The reason is that it all depends on the frequency balance of the sound, and its duration. Blast 30 continuous watts of a 10,000Hz sine wave through just about any hi-fi speaker and very soon its tweeter will melt down. That’s because natural sounds, and musical ones, are neither continuous, nor so unbalanced. Normal music has the vast bulk of its power in the bass and midrange. The harmonics that occupy the tweeter are orders of magnitude lower in intensity. The bass drivers are much larger and therefore more robust than tweeters, and so can withstand far more power. Whatever the power rating of your loudspeakers, use it sensibly and you won’t have troubles. The key to sensible use is to employ an amplifier or receiver with an approximately similar output rating, and make sure that you never overdrive it. In other words, never force the receiver or amp into distortion. Because once that happens, all bets are off.

94 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

The datablock can also hold information about its ability to handle audio standards. That’s how a Blu-ray player knows, if plugged directly into most TVs, to decode sound internally and downmix to two-channel PCM: the TV has said that’s all it can handle. The data really is very compact. It isn’t recorded as text, but as individual digital ‘bits’ acting as flags. In general, if no EDID information is provided at all in the display device (or AV receiver, since these communicate their audio handling abilities), then the source device will feel free to use whatever video and audio formats the user selects, with some fall-back for ‘Auto’. But if there are any entries at all in the EDID, the source device will assume anything not listed is verboten, and will refuse to transmit it. So even if a display can handle, say, 1080p/24 video, if the makers failed to include that in the EDID, most Blu-ray players won’t output it.

HIGH-BANDWIDTH DIGITAL CONTENT PROTECTION (HDCP) • This is claimed by some to be a major problem with digital video. Perhaps it once was, but these days it is largely transparent, if

HDCP KEY quite pointless. It’s a system intended to stop the direct digital copying of video from DVDs and Blu-ray discs. You can see the concern of the originators of this — every time something analogue is copied, there’s some degree of degradation in the quality. With digital copying, there need never be any loss of quality. HDCP is a system that stops digital copying from consumer source devices. In brief, when a Blu-ray player is plugged into a display device, it encrypts the video before sending it over the HDMI cable. Only an HDCP display can decrypt the video and display it. Source and display have to pass onto each other variations of encryption/decryption keys. It’s all very complicated, but the net result is that to use HDMI output, a Blu-ray player or DVD player needs an HDCP-equipped display. Fortunately, all HDMI inputs on displays do indeed support HDCP. (Some older DVI inputs did not.) In the early days, there were sometimes ‘handshaking’ problems with initial communications, but this is now mostly ironed out. If there is a problem, it usually manifests as a white screen filled with dark ‘snow’, or sometimes fully-coloured lime green. HDCP is here to stay, despite being pointless, given pirates can copy from analogue outputs or rip whole discs on computer. However, it may rear its heads when 3D signals are fed into HDMI 1.3 equipment...

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current

Definitions

t bias curren

time

Class A amplification • Class A is a type of amplifier circuit designed to eliminate one form of distortion in the output stages of transistor amplifiers. That distortion is called ‘crossover’ or ‘zero-crossover’ distortion because it is generated at the point where the signal switches from positive to negative, or vice versa. Class A amplifiers deal with this by avoiding the zero value completely. This is done by ‘biasing’ the output stage (dotted

line, left) so that it always operates in the positive or negative domain. This restricts the output levels available for a particular transistor set, since the range is no longer from the maximum positive value to the maximum negative value, but just half of that. It is also horribly inefficient, and such amplifiers run quite hot because of the bias current running through the output stage all the time, even when there’s no signal. All definitions by Stephen Dawson

AV RECEIVERS: ‘Large’ and ‘Small’ speaker settings • You will find these terms in the set-up menu of an AV receiver and you can set each speaker to one of these — ‘Large’ or ‘Small’. These are designations for loudspeakers, but don’t necessarily refer to their actual size. The purpose is to tell the home theatre

receiver what to do with the bass sounds. This is necessary because little speakers can’t do bass properly. Physically small speakers can produce deep bass, but only at low levels, or they can produce high-level bass, but it won’t be very deep. This is an uncomfortable fact for many, but unavoidable. So we should at least optimise a system around this. If we tell an AV receiver that a speaker is ‘small’, it will redirect its bass to one of the other speakers — the subwoofer if you have one, otherwise the front speakers. In general AV receivers won’t allow you to set both ‘Subwoofer: Off’ and ‘Front L/R: Small’, otherwise there would be nowhere for the bass to go. If you don’t have a subwoofer, your front speakers will have to do, no matter how small they are.

But with modern receivers you may still want to set your large, floorstanding speakers to ‘Small’. Originally an AV receiver would use 80Hz as the dividing line. Frequencies above that would go to the ‘Small’ speaker and tones below it would be sent off to the subwoofer or the front speakers. Since many receivers now allow you to choose the crossover frequency — typically offering a range of 40 to 200Hz — and have different settings for different speakers, you have more options. Think about whether your front speaker may benefit by sending the sub-40Hz bass off to the subwoofer.

96 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

THX ● THX Ltd is a US company set up by George Lucas (of Star Wars fame) to improve the quality of cinema sound. It does this in two main ways: by offering ‘certification’ services, and by developing standards. This applies both to home theatre equipment and to cinemas. There are only two cinemas in the whole of this wide brown land which are THX certified, both in Victoria. Even America with its many thousands of cinemas only has 142 THX-certified cinemas. THX-certified home theatre equipment is far more common, and if a device carries a THX logo, you can be confident that it meets the company’s standards... for that level of certification. Originally there was only ‘THX Certified’. Then ‘THX Select’ — a lower level — was introduced, and what used to be standard THX certification became ‘THX Ultra’. Since then a broader range of standards have appeared. Some of the THX standards are very valuable, while others are more debatable. For example, the company assigns certain power output requirements for different amplifier levels of certification, but whether these transfer to good on-the-ground performance is always uncertain, especially if you are not using THX-certified loudspeakers. And THX prefers dipole surround speakers to produce more diffuse surround sound. These work, but only if installed with care. However, THX standards for bass management in receivers did lead to a significant industry-wide improvement in performance. THX also certifies DVDs and Blu-ray discs. These generally seem to be of good quality these days, but some early certification decisions were decidedly strange. For example, the THX-certified DVD release of Titanic was in non-anamorphic widescreen format, and consequently very low in resolution. However THX-certified discs do carry a ‘THX Optimizer’ section which you can use to adjust your TV and sound system to get the best results. The important point is that the presence of the THX logo is a mark of good quality. But the absence of a THX logo means nothing.

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Definitions

Contrast Ratio • This is the figure that we use to highlight one aspect of TV or display performance. Basically, it is the ratio of the brightest white to the darkest black able to be shown on the screen. You will often see it expressed in terms like 1000:1, or 20,000:1. In general, the bigger the number the better. A higher number doesn’t usually mean brighter whites, of course — it often indicates rast ratios ier power, cont darker blacks. And that’s As with amplif e Som different ways. in good. Brightness is rarely a d re su ea m can be hite should be w d problem for modern display an k ac bl e insist that th g a chequered in technologies, but improving us y, sl ou ne ta displayed simul screen te the black levels means hi w ll fu a measure pattern. Others that you get better detail ack screen. in night-time scenes against a full bl and so on.

Bass Reflex ● The hardest thing in audio reproduction is to turn an electrical system accurately into vibrations in the air — also known as sound. And perhaps the hardest part of the sound to create is the bass. The deeper, the harder. t. With bass, the vibrations in the air are slow and deep — strong, but infrequen The speaker cone pushes one way, then draws back again. As the cone goes forwards, it compresses air in front of it, and creates a partial vacuum behind. With higher frequencies, the time intervals are so short that the treble radiates time for from both sides of the cone out into the room. With bass, though, there is goes some of the pressurised air in front to go around to the back. When the cone the in the other direction, the air flow is reversed. The deeper the tone, the more air rushes from one side to the other, rather than radiating out into the room. But if you put the driver in a sturdy sealed box, the air can’t get from the

front to the back of the cone, so more of it becomes useful sound out in the room. Unfortunately the air sealed in the box acts like a giant spring that resists movement of the cone, and that in turn reduces bass output. Bass reflex speakers put a carefully-designed hole in the box. This allows the flow of air between the front and back of the speaker cone to be controlled and

DRIVER

limited. The ‘hole’ normally has a tube tuned to a particular resonant frequency designed to boost the bass output of the whole loudspeaker at that frequency. The tuned frequency is set just

below the point at which the bass output begins

PORT

to diminish, so increasing the range in which the system produces bass at an even level. The hole/tube is called the bass reflex port.

Play bass-heavy material through the speaker

and put your hand near the port, and you’ll feel the air rushing in and out.

98 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Many display technologies also use dynamic control of the black levels, so that they can turn down overall picture brightness in darker scenes so as to enhance blacks. Companies often specify these as ‘dynamic’ contrast ratios, and they are valuable figures. But do take the contrast ratio specification with a grain of salt. First, there are different ways of measuring it. None is really a ‘right’ way. Some insist that the black-and-white levels should be measured with a chequerboard pattern being displayed. This usually gives a relatively poor figure. Others say they should be measured with a fully white and a fully black screen. There are pros and cons for both. Note also that a contrast ratio of 20,000:1 does not mean that the blacks are twice as black as a 10,000:1 device. It is only a little better. In fact, what we really need is a ‘Contrast Decibel’ rating that reflects the nonlinear response of the human eye. But that’s unlikely to happen!

Decibel • A decibel is a very confusing unit. Unlike a metre or a watt, it has no absolute value. It is, in fact, merely a ratio. But it is a very useful ratio. An engineer designing an amplifier needs to be concerned with whether it produces 50W of power, or 100W. But for the listener, this should be of little interest — there is not really all that much difference in actual audible output. In fact, the difference is a mere three decibels. Decibel scales more accurately reflect the way we hear. Our hearing encompasses an enormous range of intensities. The power of sound at our threshold of pain is one thousand billion times greater than at the quietest level we can hear. From a subjective point of view, the scale is not linear, but logarithmic. To double the perceived intensity of a sound you need to increase its power by 10 times, not two.

Threshold of pain

Rock concert/ Mp3 player

Club

Busy road (kerbside)

Conversational speech

Residential background

Whisper

The decibel range from the threshold of hearing to the threshold of pain is 130. When someone says that a workplace Threshold environment has noise levels of 90dB, of hearing they are talking about a ratio, but just don’t realise it. The correct way of referring to this is 90dB SPL, where SPL stands for Sound Pressure Level. That means that the 90dB is with reference to the sound level at the threshold of hearing.

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Smart Homes

Happy

100 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

Smart Homes

Returns

Len Wallis Audio’s custom installation team creates a fine home cinema experience for a returning customer.

hey came into the shop to buy a battery. They left having ordered a high-specification home cinema. Nice upselling, you might think. But in fact the couple in question were hardly walk-in customers. They were already clients of the shop in question, Len Wallis Audio in Lane Cove, and they had already decided to seek advice from the team on the conversion of a poorly-utilised space into a home cinema and gym. “Our new home had been completed about 18 months earlier, and for that the Len Wallis team had recommended an eight-zone Sonos system, complemented by large speakers and amplifiers for the larger rooms,” says one of the owners. “The speakers and amps selected were perfect for the space, while the standard of professional advice was maintained with the selection of other componentry including several flatscreens and the use of a ceiling lift system for the television in the master bedroom. Based on that earlier experience, we knew that the Len Wallis team would work very well with our architects, interior design consultant and electrical trades.” Len Wallis Audio’s Systems Designer Juan Leon was happy to oblige. “Once they were settled into our best cinema room, in those lovely theatre chairs with a movie running, they knew that this would be the perfect solution,” he says.

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 101

Smart Homes MAIN IMAGE — Two pairs of Krell Reolution 4 speakers take up rear duties in this 7.1-channel system, ranged around the eight Topform Tennant Plus leather seats, one of them equipped with an inbuilt RTI control pad (see p104). The JVC projector fits neatly into the ceiling coffer DETAILS — the all-encompassing front cabinet provides a tight resonance-free fit to the front Krell Resolution 3 speakers and Resolution Centre, while also providing space for the owners’ software

“The only concern was whether the room would be large enough for all the chairs they wanted. During the first site inspection I also thought the room a bit small, but after taking all the measurements and putting them on a scale plan with the chairs, screen, projector, cabinets and so on, I found a way that it could be done.” Key to the solution was the cabinet around the screen, which has edges angled inwards, both to focus the viewer on the picture and to angle the front speakers into the room to avoid wall reflections. “I went to Bluegum Joinery for the cabinet,” says Juan. “Bluegum achieves a very high standard through their combina-

102 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

tion of professional CAD drawing design and great workmanship. I engaged them because of the extremely professional job they achieved on a cabinet for another project — for which we won Sound+Image’s Installation of the Year award for 2009!” The cabinet’s external panels use Sapele (crown cut) veneer, the leaves handpicked and specially pressed so that an even and consistent grain pattern was achieved, then finished in a semi-gloss polyurethane clear finish. Solid timber edges were shaped and fitted to the bench and bulkhead edges, to retain a high quality finish. Solid timber was also used to trim the speaker and storage cabinets, with a tight fit requested

for the speaker cavities to avoid any boxy sound, while the equipment sections are well ventilated by fans. Shelves were fitted to heavy-duty locking cam-style shelf rests to minimise vibration and movement, while cable voids allow easy cabling from one end of the cabinet to the other. For the screen and room aesthetics, the Len Wallis team worked with the clients and their team (architect Shahe Simonian and interior designer Sandra Zobel). “The Len Wallis team worked closely with the architects to overcome the size constraints,” says the owner. “They were able to fit eight fully-reclining chairs and to conceal a reinforced beam in the ceiling

Smart Homes

which necessitated a lower ceiling for part of the room, in order to completely hide the problem. It was initially a no-compromise approach to the finished product, but in the end, on their advice, we agreed to a small reduction in screen size in order to give high quality vision to all eight seats.” “After some calculations we settled on a 100-inch 16:9 screen,” says Juan from the Len Wallis Audio team. “That gives the back and front seats a 9º and 15º vertical plane and is, as a whole, within THX recommendations. With the excellent lens shift function (up to 80%) of the JVC DLA-HD750 THX-certified projector, and its vertical offset, we were able to locate it

in the bulkhead within the ceiling coffer, so it disappeared from view without using a projector lifter.” The chairs were made by Topform in Tasmania, using Tasmanian Hardwood Oak — “so durable that Topform offers an unlimited warranty on the hardwood frames” says Juan. “Warwick Macrosuede is the standard fabric they use, but our customers went for a black leather finish.” Topform installed an RTI RK3 control panel in the arm of one chair, and the panel was custom programmed with automation features so that after a couple of touches the whole system is up and running, including the dimming of room lights.

As for equipment, the client already owned a Krell amplifier and a high-quality set of loudspeakers. “That gave us a good indication of their requirement for quality,” says Juan. “Instead of going to a traditional surround receiver, I opted for a higher level approach — a separate pre-amp processor and multichannel power amplifier. The NAD T175HD is the only pre-amplifier under $10,000 that offers an upgrade option via plug-in modules [the company calls this MDC, Modular Design Construction], which gives the flexibility of upgrading in future to the latest features. The power amp is a handcrafted Australian-made Elektra

Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living / 103

Smart Homes seven-channel amplifier, with each channel delivering 185W per channel into eight ohms and peak power of 400W into two ohms, so there’s tremendous dynamic headroom. It’ll provide both lifelike soundtracks and dynamic special effects passages.” When it came to speaker choice, the clients were able to benefit from a special deal available during the design phase of the project on some of the best speakers available at Len Wallis Audio — the Resolution series from Krell. This home cinema uses a full set — the Resolution 3 front bookshelf speakers, the Resolution Centre, and two pairs of Resolution 4 small monitors to complete a seven-channel system. The Krell Resolution subwoofer is a powered sub with a 15-inch polypropylene cone driver in a sealed cabinet, backed by a purpose-built 800W Krell amplifier. The owners are extremely happy. “Beyond expectations,” they say. “It’s not

ABOVE — With Topform embedding an RTI touchpanel within the arm-rest of one of the seats, the home cinema can be controlled without waving a wand or leaving your seat

only about the picture and the sound, but also the ambience. We were lucky that Len Wallis Audio was able to work so well with our architects and interior designer — they all contributed to the fantastic space that has been created for our home theatre. The room is used regularly by us, our family and guests, and the comments are that it is amazing — we think people expect a great picture, but they are blown away by the sound and the acoustics.”

104 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

BELOW — The custom cabinet from Bluegum Joinery focuses attention on the 100-inch Screen Technics screen while also concealing the Krell front speakers in tightly-toleranced cabinets, with all the AV electronics housed in strengthened shelves with fan-assisted cooling. Len Wallis Audio specified a pre-power amplifier combination with NAD’s usefully modular T175 AV preamplifier and the 185W per channel Elektra Theatron (below)

Kit list +++ kit list +++ kit list +++ kit Equipment list JVC DLA-HD750 projector Screen Technics Cinema Snap 100-inch

projection screen Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-ray player Foxtel iQ2 PayTV PVR AppleTV Sonos ZP90 ZonePlayer NAD T175 AV pre-amplifier Elektra Theatron 7-channel power amp Krell Resolution Centre speaker Krell Resolution 3 front speakers x 2 Krell Resolution 4 rear speakers x 4 RTI RK3 touch panel RTI RP6 processor Lutron GRX-TVI Grafik Eye Interface

Lutron GRX3104T Grafik Eye control Lutron NTGRX2B keypad Topform Tennant Plus leather seats x 8 Interior designer Sandra Zobel Interiors 0412 248923 Architect MacCormick Simonian Architects

www.maccormick-simonian.com.au Custom installation Len Wallis Audio

64 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove, NSW 2066 Tel: 02 9427 6755 Email sales@lenwallisaudio.com.au Web: www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

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3D Tv

his year has seen the arrival of mainstream 3D televisions for the home. Samsung was first to the Australian market, LG was second. Sony rushed some sets here to claim third, Panasonic’s plasmas are imminent. With the majors like that all backing and promoting the technology, will 3D come to stay this time? Or in five years will we all be chuckling as much about Avatar as we do about Jaws 3D?

What do you need

A new television. You need a TV that is specifically 3D-capable. The good news is that for once in our technological lives, they’ve made something new without having a format war about it. All the 3D televisions will play all 3D formats (of which there are quite a few), even though you can’t take glasses from one TV (or the cinema) to another TV (or the cinema). Also good news is that you’re not paying a vast amount for the TV’s ability to play 3D. All the 3DTVs released so far are good TVs even when playing normal 2D material, and they’re not priced much over what we’d expect for a 2D telly of that quality. So even if you end up never using the TV’s 3D ability, you haven’t wasted too much cash. The glasses. Yes, all 3D TVs require you to wear glasses — and the glasses are expensive, varying from $99 a pair to $199 BELOW: Panasonic’s ‘How It Works’ diagram — twin images from Blu-ray are displayed sequentially on screen and delivered individually via active shutter glasses

The New Dimension Looking for a new TV and panicking about the new 3D? Do you need it? How does it work? What can you watch? depending on brand and ‘style’. Different sets come with different numbers of glasses, while there are redemption schemes to get more, and hopefully third-party glasses will soon arrive costing significantly less. Why so expensive when cinema Real-D glasses cost just a buck? It’s because cinema 3D uses differently polarised light for each eye, so all you need is polarised glasses, and they’re cheap to make. TV 3D needs ‘active shutter’ glasses, which have an LCD panel in front of each eye to block left and right frames in sync with what’s happening on screen. That requires active elecronics, batteries, infrared communication — hence the expense… The source. Until very recently, it was anticipated that Blu-ray players would be the major source of 3D material when 3D TVs launched. And yes, you need a special 3D-enabled Blu-ray player, although some existing players may be upgradable by a firmware update (as Sony is promising for the PS3 in October). In fact the number of 3D movies to be released in 2010 is looking pretty feeble, possibly as few as eight. But Australian TV networks are grabbing the 3D stick and beating about the bush with it, already screening State of Origin and soccer in 3D, with more to come. If they stick with this enthusiasm, 3D will look enormously more attractive to many viewers.

106 / Home Cinema and Hi-Fi Living

There are other potential sources of 3D. Gaming will be one, and home-produced content may be another. Fujifilm has released a 3D compact camera which shoots both still images and videos in 3D. Panasonic and Sony both have commercial 3D cameras, so it may not be long before they move to a consumer camcorder level. Sony has already snuck 3D interlacing into its panoramic stitching on the new NEX-3 and NEX-5 interchangeable lens cameras. The cables and receivers. Because 3D at home requires twice the information, it operates in formats some AV receivers may not be able to process, and at speeds that long cables may not be able to carry. Despite a lot of misinformation about the new HDMI 1.4 standard, HDMI 1.3 cables under five metres should handle 3D signals just fine. Receivers are a different matter, but if all else fails, you can run one HDMI cable direct from source to TV, and get audio to your receiver by another route. Ibuprofen? Some people get headaches watching 3D. Some people hate wearing glasses. Other just can’t see the effect. Since 3D is created by fooling your brain into seeing something that isn’t there, issues may arise. There’s an easy way to find out — get to a retailer that’s running 3D demos, and give it a go. You’ll discover the new depths to which television has risen…

In the forest of audio, only one reaches above the canopy to the stars of musical excellence.

REDGUM.

Time to unleash the fire in the belly of a REDGUM Tel. 03 9001 6788 or visit

www.redgumaudio.com

Multi Faceted, Multi Talented, Multi Room Audio. 7

indu stri al

New industrial design to complement existing AV equipment

Direct input from an iPod™ or MP3 player

AUX

USB

Play MP3s directly off a USB thumb drive

WEB Stream web radio stations

Stream MP3s from a PC hard drive

MP3

DESIGN

Seven digital, analogue & inbuilt sources

ZONES Eight separate zones with independent source selection

Built-in dual stereo AM/FM tuners

AMx FM

Display album art, playlists, artists and songs on a C-Bus™ Colour Touch Screen

Display source and radio stations on a DLT™ wall switch

Display playlists, albums, songs and artists on a C-Touch™ Spectrum or C-Bus B&W MKII touch Screen

New C-Bus Ripple™ software creates and controls playlists from a PC or web tablet

Introducing the new C-Bus MRA MKII C-Bus™ Multi Room Audio has always provided a simple and seamless way of delivering music throughout the home without the need for ugly wall controllers or big bulky speakers. Well now it’s a whole lot better, with features such as MP3 and web radio streaming, built-in dual AM/FM tuners, a total of seven sources, USB and auxiliary inputs and a brushed black metal design to complement your existing AV gear.

however now you can also enjoy dynamic display of radio stations on a C-Bus DLT™.

Of course you can still control your volume, source, bass and treble on your C-Bus™ wall switches, remotes and touch screens;

Speak to your nearest C-Bus Approved Installer or C-Bus pointOne Member for more details or log on to www.clipsal.com

And with Clipsal’s new C-Bus Ripple™ software you can create playlists on your PC and control them from your C-Bus B&W MKII or C-Touch™ Spectrum™ Touch Screen. And what’s more, you can even display album art on your C-Touch Colour Touch Screen giving you total control of your music!