Letters to the Editor - July 2004
Anthem
D1 review?
July 26, 2004
Can you tell me when the Anthem D1 processor review will
appear? I am trying to decide whether to order it or buy a used Theta Casablanca, but I
don't want to make a decision until I have a little more information on the Anthem.
Parnell Rhodes
The Anthem D1 review will be published on August 15th.
You might also be interested, however, in an article that will appear on SoundStage! on August 1st. Alison
Aulph's "Getting Technical" column will be all about the D1 and its technical
side, straight from the engineers at Anthem/Paradigm...Jeff Fritz
B&K still competitive?
July 12, 2004
Editor,
I just read your
article about the B&K AVR307 published in Home Theater & Sound back
in 2001. Since I'm interested in buying it, I thought I'd check for the validity of your
views about it now.
I've been on a lookout for the right processor for a
while, but have come to the conclusion that I think I could live with a decent receiver as
well, especially with the time available to me for watching movies these days. For my
music, I might get a hefty two-channel power amp later (Sunfire 600W x 2, Citation 7.1, or
Carver ZR1600). Any recommendation from you would be highly appreciated and could end my
misery real fast. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Regards,
NS
This is a pretty simple question: The processing
features on the B&K AVR307 might be superseded by some of the latest and greatest
models. If you need the very newest of these, you might be disappointed with what the
B&K lacks. However, if the feature set looks good to you, I'm confident that the
B&K still offers excellent power and functionality competitive with the newest
receivers. In fact, that's the B&K's strong points: a very clean amp and user
interface, which translates into great sound and pleasant day-to-day use....Jeff Fritz
Propensity
to upgrade?
July 6, 2004
To Jeff Fritz,
Editor,
I've often wondered how often reviewers upgrade their
systems. It seems that you guys have so many opportunities to try new components that the
urge to upgrade to the best new thing would be hard to ignore. I guess my question is: Is
there a propensity to upgrade amongst your staff?
Roger
Reviewers, like any other enthusiasts, are likely to
upgrade for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they simply find a better-performing piece of
gear than what they own, while other times it is more technology oriented. For instance,
it seems that within the past year about half of our staff has upgraded their video
displays to some form of high-definition device. But looking at market trends, it seems
that a record number of general consumers have done the same! So although I won't deny
that we have great access to new gear, I'm not sure it translates into more upgrades than
the average reader....Jeff Fritz |
