| Editorial January 2007
Home Theater & Sound's Products
of the Year for 2006
JL Audio Fathom f113 Subwoofer
 After years of anticipation,
JL Audio finally released their first effort in the realm of home audio: their Fathom line
of powered subwoofers. Having already established a reputation for low-frequency
excellence with their car-audio products, the bar JL set for themselves was extremely
high. I was lucky enough to secure one of the first f113s ($3200 USD) for review, and all
of my expectations were exceeded. Clean, tight, deep, powerful
-- all of these adjectives apply to the f113. With bass output that is unrivaled in my
experience, the JL Audio f113 is making quite the impression on home-theater enthusiasts.
"The JL Audio Fathom f113 is the single best A/V
product I have experienced. The improvement it made to my home-theater system was
stunning. I’ve never heard better." Many people have commented on those two
lines from my October 2006 review, accusing me of loving the f113 a little "too
much." My advice to you is to go and hear it; then you will understand why it is the
2006 Home Theater & Sound Product of the Year.
Read
the full review.
…Randall Smith
randalls@hometheatersound.com
NuForce Reference 8.5 Monoblock Amplifiers
 If you want to witness the march
forward of technology in the world of home-theater audio, look no further than the NuForce
Reference 8.5 monoblock amplifier ($995 USD each). While the basic technology of switching
amplifiers has been around for years, the advances that have made it viable for
high-performance audio components are recent. Switching technology is almost certainly the
future of amplifier design, making possible amplifiers that are smaller and electrically
more efficient. However, the technology is merely the means to an end -- great sound -- if
it didn’t perform well, NuForce would use some other technology.
NuForce has put switching technology to good use in the
Reference 8.5, producing an amplifier that excels in control, resolution, and speed. From
the staccato thump of spinning helicopter blades to the subtle background rustle of
leaves, the NuForces performed minor sonic miracles with virtually everything I threw at
them. The NuForce Reference 8.5 raises the performance bar to a level that I bet few will
be able to match with conventional amplifier designs. That’s what makes it the Home
Theater & Sound Product of the Year for 2006.
Read the full review.
…Jeff Van Dyne
jeffd@hometheatersound.com |
