Pete's Write

As our homes get smaller, the emphasis has changed from large multiple box sound systems to small more compact systems. We also demand portability and yet want good sound.  Many options exist for portable sound systems which can playback music from sources like your phones with down quality, but what if you want a system that sounds good, can integrate into an entire sound ecosystem and is also a smart radio.  Dynaudio, a company more renowned for its high end speakers used by many audiophiles has turned its attention to the wireless streaming market and has come out with not just one but four options.  The One and Three are portable whilst the Five and Seven require power to operate. The Seven also features a HDMI port with ARC as well as an optical input. Each can also stream music from external sites and features Apple AirPlay as well as Bluetooth. The latter two have present buttons and all models can be controlled from a phone app. A ...

As part of an Atmos equipped home theatre HT) system, many of us will have to choose between Atmos- enabled speakers, which bounce sounds off your ceiling, or mount speakers either in the ceiling or on it. I would suggest the latter if you are rebuilding a HT den. Most hobbyists prefer the sound when the speakers are mounted in or on the ceiling. If you choose in ceiling speakers, you can choose to mount them flush with the false ceiling, and you can choose those with directional tweeters that can swivel or tilt towards your listening position. Some of us use speakers which are mounted onto the ceiling rather than in it.  In any case some points that you should look out for  Speaker woofer size  Bigger woofer = more bass = more vibrations = more bracing needed to prevent vibrations = more cost = more building complexity.. OR Take the smaller woofer - direct the bass to your subs - cut a smaller hole - less bracing - lower costs Weight of the speaker ...

So, you've got a new home and are trying to put together a home theatre den so you can hide there for hours? What a great idea! Especially in the current time, an apt use of your time indeed. Let's go through a little checklist and we will elaborate on each item as you tick it off.. Budget: This is the most important as it determines what you can do. I would say, get a decent sized room, not square in proportion, spend more on equipment and more importantly on their placement, then budget for room treatment. The sofa or couch is also important, get one you are really comfortable in and good for your back too.  But don't forget the fun aspects, save some money for little touches, posters etc. Room layout: Whilst some of us may not be able to get the ideal room, we should try to avoid  - a square room or worse, a cuboid room with equal dimensions for Height, Width and Length - an arching or pitched roof or sloping roofs - unequal sides, s...

What? Buy a Blu Ray player? No 4k? Now for those who are into streaming only, this might seem like an archaic thing to do. Especially since there's no 4k playback capability. However many hobbyists still own a substantial number of Blu Ray discs, and require a disc player. And if you look online, Sony offers the most number of players that can be converted into region free players at a very accessible price. In fact just looking at Amazon.com, you will see about half a dozen offerings at least from Sony, ranging from basic to even those with 4k and Dolby Vision playback. The tech specs: https://www.sony.com/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/bdp-s3700 The 3700 sits near the bottom of the food chain, one up from the bottom, and offers built in wifi compared to the 1700. There is no 3D capability or 4k upscaling. But it is priced very affordably and provides a nice platform for modification to a region free player. Notable features: - has a coaxial out -...

A long long time ago, you had but a handful of choice of fans, and well, they mostly looked the same. The luxury fan market was almost non existent and then Haiku came along and all that changed. My original review is linked here:  Haiku fan review - how to choose a fan Since then, things have moved on and now we are into the fourth generation of the Haiku fan, or fifth if you count the more budget orientated version as well.  Well let's mention what is still present first. The cool, sleek design is still here. And you get both composite ABS blades, as well as bamboo options. It is still a DC motor, with the attendant energy savings, and the silent motor. But most importantly for most buyers, it still looks good. So what is new?  The size options have increased, from 52", 60" and now 84". You still get the option of a longer stalk for higher ceilings, but the longer mount  which extends from 40 to 70 cm comes with a rather bulbous base, instead of t...

So you have decided you want to commit to a new piece of equipment. There's no magic in it, each model, brand and even sub-model in the series can sound quite different. So what's the trick?  Audition, audition audition.. If you are starting from a clean slate, understand that it's a journey and if you have an empty room, know that when you fill it with furniture or acoustic treatment, it will sound different. If you are building a home theatre room, you will probably need a processor or AV receiver. The choice of this will be influenced by the feature set as much as how it sounds.   Each brand has a house sound, but and each amp can sound different, so open your wallet, see how much is in it, then read a few reviews, then go down to the stores.. I would say for amp, spend more on power, and understand that for HT, technology moves pretty quickly so if you are into upgrading, know that the gear gets updated pretty quickly, whereas for stereo gear, the evolut...

Bose Home Speaker 500 and 300 review Bose has been making speakers that either impress you or receive a lot of flak, depending on whether you like their marketing. I used to make fun of the Bose Jewels. They did sound bad, but they cost a lot more than other speakers and there have been exposes on what goes into their speakers. Many generations down, they have gone from strength to strength, and there are still detractors, but evidently there are sufficient fans who are willing to pay.  The Home Speaker series is their latest iteration, coming after the Soundtouch models, which interestingly are still in stock. The tech blurb on these speakers: Bose 500 Some key features: Airplay 2 enabled Bluetooth  3.5mm input 6 presets Phone app Internet radio and music streaming Alexa / Google enabled (depending on your region)  They have a rather small footprint, and the 500 comes with a screen, and stereo speakers. The body is made from a sturdy metal, a...

A blurb from their website: https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/lifestyle_audio/lsx-170/features.html Some interesting points 30W amp 3.5mm stereo input Ambient light A long time ago, a speaker was simply that. A speaker. It produced sound, and that’s that. Now, they not only give good sound, but in some cases, actually look good and become a fixture in your home, something you show off to your friends and when you walk past, you stop for a moment, admire it and smile. Well that’s what you do when you own this speaker. It does not resemble anything else, it’s conical structure, about a foot and a half, with a metal chassis, and you don’t see any visible speaker cone at all. These are hidden within the structure, with tweeters on top and a woofer pointing downwards. They fire to give you a nice thump, and the signal is steady with no drop off up to about 10m. You get impressive bass extension, and a good treble, with a decent mid. Do note ...