SUMMER |
2000 |
 |
Page Four |
HOME THEATER
CALIFORNIA AUDIO LABS: If you haven’t
read the review of the new CAL home theater gear in Widescreen
Review, you should. If you have read it, then you are
no doubt as excited as I am about the stuff. Well, maybe
not quite as excited, as I have had the pleasure of actually
living with these goodies! I must say, the mountains of
praise heaped upon this gear in the pages of Widescreen,
is not hyperbole.
For me, the most serious failing of home theater systems
is their inability to stir me when playing music. Most do
the big and bold thing well, but miss out on the subtleties.
The system from California Audio Labs is unique in its ability
to walk both walks. It is without question (at least to
these ears) the first home theater gear that approaches
the quality audiophiles expect when listening to music.
So, are you interested now?
SSP - Surround Sound Processor. Call me simple
minded, but I like a processor that is easy to use. So many
of them today are not. In fact, many are cryptic examples
lacking intuitive ergonomics. While the CAL isn’t perfect
(until they build artificial intelligence with voice recognition,
I doubt it is possible to make such a complex product truly
user friendly), it is as good as it gets today. The front
panel control layout is straightforward and practical. The
pre-programmed Pronto remote control is a huge benefit –
simply touch a preset on the backlit LCD panel and you have
sound. From there you can get creative and program your
own custom configuration. That will require actually reading
the manual.
Ok, now let’s get to the meat – how does this thing sound?
Ah, well there is where you will find surprise, my doubting
friends. The CAL SSP-2500 is truly a wolf in sheep’s
clothing, or should we say an audiophile preamp hiding in
the chassis of a home theater surround processor! If you
try, as I did, the SSP in a two channel system, I
think you will be very surprised. Are there better two-channel
preamps? Yes, there are, but not by a mile, and not one
of them will do what the CAL will do in your home theater.
So, if you have made a commitment to do quality home theater
AND music, I don’t think you’ll find a better choice in
a processor than the CAL CL-2500 SSP. Richard Hardesty
in the May 2000 issue of Widescreen Review states:
“The CAL CL-2500SSP digital controller is my new reference
standard for home theater, and I can happily listen to music
through it as well. The price tag is more than reasonable
($5400.00) considering the level of performance offered.
In fact, I’d call it a bargain. I give this product my highest
recommendation. If you can afford it, don’t settle for less.”
MCA - Amplifier. This, my friends, is a BIG, POWERFUL
amplifier! By big, I mean 24” deep, 17” wide, and 10” high.
But then, you’d expect an amplifier capable of 500 watts
per channel (into 8 Ohms) to be large. The MCA is the
most powerful five-channel amplifier you can buy. An amplifier
of this power is possible thanks to a unique zero
voltage transition digital switching power supply. Using
traditional power supply technology, an amplifier this powerful
would be impractical, requiring more juice (32 amps) than
you could pull from a conventional home electrical circuit.
The MCA requires less than 20 amps to produce the
mountains of power it generates.
Microprocessor control oversees many functions in the
amplifier and provides a number of interesting features
as well. Amplifier function and status are continuously
monitored for output power, DC offset, thermal protection
and clipping. More, the circuitry monitors and adjusts
the bias on the output devices to deliver the best possible
sound quality and the greatest amount of headroom for any
condition. Commands from the SSP can turn on and off the
amplifier, and even deactivate and mute unused channels
(while listening to two channel, for instance). LEDs on
the front panel indicate presence of an audio signal, clipping
and protect status for each channel.
From the very first note you hear through this amp, you'll
know you are listening to something quite special. The power,
the control, the speed are remarkable. Power does indeed
make a difference, and the CAL seems limitless. But more
than just raw power, the CAL has finesse. Maybe that is
due to the fact that the amp runs in pure class A up to
fifty watts per channel, maybe it is due to the fact that
each channel was over designed to deliver 1000 watts but
is called upon to produce only half that, maybe it’s due
to the unique power supply, likely it’s all of the above!
I hear the phrase so often it has become cliché, “with
this amp you won’t need a subwoofer.” Those words may, for
the first time, be true when used to describe the bass performance
of the CAL MCA. Bass from the Aerial 10T in our theater
was astounding. Never better. Want some press? Try Widescreen
Review, May 2000, where Richard Hardesty notes: “You
can’t buy a better sounding, more powerful five-channel
amplifier, regardless of price. While $7500.00 ain’t cheap,
I’d have to call it a bargain. Highly recommended.”
So there you have it. In my opinion, the Cal stuff is
great. Certainly the best I’ve heard, maybe the best home
theater front-end available today. Our friends at Widescreen
Review agree, proclaiming the latest CAL gear
as their new reference standard. CAL
Home Theater
FAROUDJA: More than any other name, Faroudja
Laboratories is synonymous with state of the art video processors.
At the 2000 Winter CES in Las Vegas, the company debuted
a trio of groundbreaking new products. DVP-2000, DVP-3000
and DVP-5000.
The DVP-2200 has the unique combination of Aspect
Ratio and Scan Rate scaling which offers extensive image
control. Now both Letterbox and 4:3 sources benefit from
the added scan structure of the Anamorphic setting while
the projector stays in just one setting. Scan rate scaling
allows for optimizing the display. CRT, LCD, DLP or Plasma
units all benefit.
Scan rates for NTSC are 480p or 800 x 600 and for PAL
are 576p and 800X600. Inputs for RGB signals are also
added. 10-Bit color decoding and Time Base Correction
insure top performance with all types of sources. HDTV
and Computer inputs allow for compatibility with current
and future high-resolution sources. The Award winning Patented
Picture PlusTM circuitry upconverts signals to
high scan rates while removing or preventing typical video
artifacts, and creating images closely matching 35mm film
in color, motion and dramatic impact. $7995.00
The new DVP-3000 combines patented technology with
an extensive list of features to optimize any multi-scan
projector, providing the excellent video quality only Faroudja
can deliver for theater, commercial, and staging applications.
CRT, DLP,LCD and Plasma displays all benefit from the DVP3000
performance. The DVP3000 is also a convergence product for
new source technologies as it accepts inputs for HDTV and
Progressive DVD formats for improved image quality. The
unit provides Scan Rate scaling of 480i to DTV/HDTV rates
480p, 1080i, 720p, 960p (Quadrupling) and even 1080p and
Scan Rate scaling of 480i to computer rates VGA, SVGA, XGA
and SXGA. $19995.00.
The DVP-5000 DVP5000 produces the Ultimate Image
combined with all the features required to meet the demands
of the ever expanding projector market for Electronic Cinema,
and Home Theater applications. The DVP5000 adds significant
image performance to any multi-scan projector from any DTV
or HDTV source. $25995.00.
I have been spending time with the DVP-2000 here, and
have been exceedingly impressed with the superb image it
helps the projector to create. The Faroudja has a remarkable
ability to produce a film like image. No other scaler I’ve
seen betters the Faroudja products in this arena. Yes, they
are expensive, but the best always is. Faroudja
ENLIGHTENED AUDIO DESIGNS: The time
draws near for the introduction of the new EAD Theater
Vision P progressive scan DVD player. Debuted (as a
prototype) during the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in
Las Vegas, the Theater Vision P showed the advantages
of progressive scan technology.
Using the latest generation line doubler from DVDO, the
EAD piece produces a remarkably sharp, clean picture that,
according to EAD, will define a new standard in DVD players.
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The Theater Vision P outputs a 480p signal via
component, RGB and VGA connections.
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Latest third generation DVDO video processor
chip.
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The unit will play CD, DAD, Video CD and DVD-V discs.
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There is automatic, seamless detection of video sources:
distinguishes film, video and computer graphics or animation
source masters for optimized processing.
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Four-field processing for high-performance motion-adaptive
image enhancement.
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Low jitter reclocked digital output via 75 Ohm
coax and TOSLINK.
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Projected price, $2750.00.
Enlightened Audio
Designs
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