Combine Paradigm's Studio speakers with Anthem's AVM50v processor and MCA 50 amplifier for harmonious surround-sound.

Paradigm loudspeakers with A/V components, but they always sound more natural and commanding when Canadian sister company Anthem does the driving.

That’s good for Anthem and Paradigm dealers, because it provides a wealth of solutions. The latest combo in my theater pitted some of Paradigm’s latest-version Studio speakers (v.5) with Anthem’s AVM 50v processor and MCA 50 amplifier.

Over my previous Paradigm/Anthem setup, the speakers were a bump up to Paradigm’s Reference line, with the Studios a notch below the flagship Signature series, though size-wise the LCRs went from towers to bookshelf models. The electronics were a slight downgrade from Anthem’s Statement-branded D2v pre-pro and P5 amp.

Everybody seems to like speakers. I personally obsess about them. Maybe there are speakers better than mine. If so, I have to find them. But what about outdoors? Nobody seems to take into consideration good sound when you’re in your backyard grilling or throwing a Super Bowl party. Well we do… well, I do… and when it came time to review the Boston Acoustics Voyager 7 speakers - I had just the spot.

Up until these I had been running planter speakers - those are speakers that are cleverly hidden underneath a planter. Great product - different review. In any case, the emphasis with those was on style. With THESE speakers, Boston Acoustics is all about quality. I mean these are the largest outdoor speakers in their Voyager line. They have a 7-inch woofer (hence the Voyager “7” - there’s also a “6”, “5” and “4”) and they are designed to put out a lot of bass. The tweeter is a 1” model with a Kortec dome - that’s a durable soft-dome fabric that can handle being exposed to the elements.

3Dⁱ Audio Adventures Await Explorers of Desktop Entertainment

Antec, Inc., has announced the immediate availability of their new soundscience^TM rockus^TM  3D 2.1 speaker system, designed to create powerful, enhanced audio for personal (pronounced "small format") theater and gaming experience.

soundscience's 3D audio technology, 3Dsst^TM, is a suite of DSP (digital sound processing) algorithms that creates a virtual surround sound experience from 2.1 stereo speakers. 3Dsst actively analyzes incoming stereo audio signals and places them into a 3D sound field. The soundscience rockus also boasts a dedicated music mode optimized for organic stereo sound reproduction, letting users hear music with deep, visceral sub-bass; powerful, spacious mids and crisp highs.

The soundscience rockus 3D 2.1 speaker system's satellites are made from anodized aluminum, which reduces enclosure distortion that plagues traditional PC speakers. Additionally, its subwoofer utilizes passive radiator technology to deliver an expansive range of bass comparable to larger footprint subwoofers.

In late 2009, Silverman replaced his old monitors with Revel Studio2s. "When you're listening to the same record for ten hours a day, it's easy for your ears to get tired and when that happens, you can't miss important details that really affect the quality of the final product," said Silverman. "But with my Revel Studio2s, that doesn't happen. They have a really smooth treble, but it's not dark; the audio is clear, but it's not biting. I can listen to whatever I'm mastering at low or high volumes for long periods of time and still hear everything perfectly."

To learn more about Revel, click here: 

Note: the motto "The World's Finest Loudspeakers" is the manufacturer's.

 To check out Arf! Digital Mastering, click here

Ready for some heavy audio science? Placing speaker pods between your speakers and the floor is a known way to improve resonance distortion, especially important with high-end speakers. Enter Magico's QPods, a serious solution for serious listeners.

According to Magico, numeroud advances in the area of resonance management were made throughout the development process of the Q speaker platform. The QPods were developed by Magico to maximize front-end performance. Damping material is clamped between layers of milled, hardened stainless steel, oxygen-free copper and hard black anodized aircraft aluminum. Vibrational wave propogation created by the audio signal is converted to heat energy & dissipated.

To learn more about the QPods, click here:       To locate a rare dealer, click here:

QPods available March, 2011

MSRP:
3 QPods $1,310
4 QPods $1,680

"One of the characteristics of the Triolon Excalibur MK II is an extreme range of dynamics. Very low powered amplifiers of 15W / channel are sufficient to achieve an extremely high level of music reproduction. 4 very fast bass units per channel have been exactly adapted to the spherical horns concerning their dynamic behavior. Already with the small power requirements starting from 15 watts the volume range of a whole orchestra can be illustrated with this very efficient system."

MSRP: $205,000 per pair