French loudspeaker manufacturer Focal knows how to run the gamut when it comes to products, providing options from the low hundreds to the six-figure Grand Utopias. One thing that always signifies to me, when speaker companies carry such a wide range, is that you can trust their technology to be superb at just about any level, because those $180K whopper speakers don’t just come out of nowhere. So I kept… View this story
Bookshelf Speakers • Speaker Systems • Subwoofers • Product News

Remote controls have come a long way in a fairly short amount of time. Today’s models have built-in touchscreens, can operate the lights and thermostats and can link to the Internet. They can be used in the swimming pool, can locate your favorite music CD and light up so you can find them in the dark. With so much going for them, it can be difficult to determine which features… View this story
Remote Controls • Product News

If you’re a home theater aficionado looking for larger-than-life visual experiences, the latest technology and a flexible setup, take a look at SIM2’s new modular projector system. The Grand Cinema C3X Lumis HOST pairs a reference-quality 3-chip DLP projector with a discrete outboard control module/video processor to provide some of the finest blacks and color you will see anywhere—and it better at its $40,000 to $42,000 base price. The C3X… View this story
Front Projection • Reviews • Product News

Now that summer’s in full swing, I find myself staying up way too late. In Michigan—which sits at the far west side of the Eastern Time zone—the sun doesn’t drop until after 10 p.m. That means I’m usually up well past 11 p.m. Needless to say, that 5:30 a.m. alarm has to work really hard to wake me up. In July, iLuv will release what just might be provide the… View this story
AM and FM Tuners • Docks & Cradles • Portables • Bedroom • Product News

What makes the best Blu-ray releases—is it the film itself, the prospects of incredible and improved audio/video, or the boatloads of extras? If you checked all of the above, sounds like you’ll be bolstering your collection when Paramount starts letting loose its “Sapphire Series” of Blu-ray releases in September that will receive special treatment for the format. From the looks of it, this series of releases will cover all the… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Product News

Want a projector that will deliver dazzling high-def images until 2064—and never have to replace the lamp? Rather than settle for the 2,000 or so hours of viewing you may get out of today’s projectors before you need a new bulb, you could consider a lamp-free model that uses LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). One of the attractions? A 60,000-hour lifespan with no LED replacement, meaning at a modest estimate of… View this story
Displays • Front Projection • Product News

Demonstrating the true effect of in-wall speaker prowess can be difficult when your speakers aren’t actually in the walls. It’s a good thing Jon Herron carries a traveling kit to replicate the experience as best as possible when he brings around his Wisdom Audio products and associated gear. Herron paid a visit to our Electronic House office recently to immerse us in Wisdom’s Sage Series—both musically and architecturally. Architecturally, because… View this story
Speakers • In-Wall Speakers • Product News

How will a video projector and a 100-inch screen fit into my family room? Is there a way to incorporate a suite of seven speakers into a space without interfering with my artwork? What colors will look best in the basement when I decided to put in a home theater? Custom electronics professionals are asked these questions daily by homeowners interested in outfitting their abodes with technology. Many people, no… View this story
Home Theater • Product News • Research

Apple began selling the iPhone 3G S this morning at 2,200+ AT&T locations, 211 Apple Stores and seven other countries. One analyst says Apple may sell 500,000 iPhones this weekend. Seems like a lofty number, but it would be only half as many as the iPhone 3G did in its first week. The iPhone 3G went up for sale in 21 countries on the first day. There are minor changes… View this story
Cell Phones • Internet • Telephones • WiFi • Product News

I keep thinking back to that day—that awful, terrible day. We had just gotten back from a weekend ski trip. It was late and everyone was tired. Nobody would be hitting the sack very soon, though. We had hours of work left to do. Seems while we were enjoying ourselves on the slopes, a pipe in our rec room had burst. Floors, walls—basically the entire room—was ruined. We’ve since renovated… View this story
Remote Monitoring • Web Cameras • Home Control Systems • Product News