We’re a rather lucky bunch at Rapallo. We get to play with the best ‘toys’ available in the market, test them, compare them and show them off to our customers. The last few weeks, thanks to the good folks at JVC, Epson and Optoma, we have been able to see with our own eyes what is happening in the world of projectors. Let’s just say things are moving in projector world.

This week, we received the first production model to hit NZ shores of the Optoma UHD65 4K UHD DLP projector. We were sceptical, as we had never really been impressed with the price/quality point of DLP projectors before. Add to that that the BenQ 4K UHD projectors were a disappointment. So…. how did the even cheaper Optoma fare?

As you would expect us to do, we are constantly keeping up with what is happening in the industry: talking to suppliers, reading up on forums, testing new gear, visiting trade shows when time and budget allows, researching and learning (always!) new insights, and obviously keeping an eye on reviews and how to guides that are out there.

One of the articles that caught our eye was an article on ‘three awesome audio controls’ that was put out by Crutchfield (a massive USA retailer of AV gear amongst lots of other electronics). Well, believe it or not but their top 3 picks happen to be exactly our pick of the bunch.

A coincidence? We should think not! Of course, we need to share it with you… and add our own comments and thoughts.

Bass is the problem-child of the acoustics family. It’s unruly and difficult to handle. Which is why you might bump into all sorts of advice around bass management.

One of the most often recommended measures is the use two or even more subwoofers to handle unruly bass. While you might assume this is for added SPL, the greatest benefit will actually be taming the stroppy sibling with smoother and more consistent bass response as a result.

How to go about it? Let’s be clear: there is no 2 minute solution. But if you allow the time and effort, the rewards will be absolutely worth it. 

Rapallo’s new kid on the block Deano is making investments. Not in real estate or some fancy overseas bond. No, he’s putting some money towards his ever-evolving audio room. Not that it was in the plans.

Sometimes good audio equipment just finds you, rather than the other way around.

Here’s what happened: As part of his ‘training’, long-term audiophile Deano has made it a habit to take some of our demo material home for an in-depth familiarization with the products. After all, it is important for us to know the ins and outs of the products we recommend to our customers.

This is the story of how a pair of the ELAC BS403’s unexpectedly found a permanent place in his set-up. 

It’s been a good while since we published our first blog about wireless speakers. It is one of these areas that still has a plenty of room for growth (read ‘improvement’), which as a consequence means that things tend to move at a rather fast pace.

And they certainly do. Are we there yet? Nope, not by a mile. But we believe things are definitely progressing.

It has come to our attention that more and more customers ask for a wireless multi-room system when they come to us with their building or renovation plans or after they have purchased a new home.

So, it’s time to have another look at where we are at with wireless speakers of all kinds. What are our findings and recommendations? And how do you decide on what might work best for your situation and budget? 

It’s fast becoming Rapallo tradition to have a July demo night featuring what’s new in the world of projectors. This year, we couldn’t ignore the new JVC DLA-Z1.

If you keep an eye on reviews, you will have noticed that the superlatives fly aplenty. What Hifi calls it ‘the best home theatre projector they have ever tested’, and that is something that I would assume they wouldn’t say lightly.

So what is so amazing about this projector?

If you’re reading this, you know the truth: CDs are still an excellent music format.

In his previous blog, Ben talked about how much he likes streaming high-res files, but finds ripping CDs the smarter solution when it comes to finding middle ground between audio quality and budget. We completely understand what he is talking about: At the Rapallo home, Spotify Premium gets a lot of use for all sorts of reasons. But we’ve also got hundreds of CDs in the cupboard, and we’re not getting rid of them. 

We know: not everybody has 10K plus to spend on a brand new AV set-up. Fair to say, it’s a frustration for Ben too, Rapallo’s awesome marketing intern on a student budget. It doesn’t stop him from going on an audiophile adventure though. We love to see his budding passion and dedication for AV. It’s the beginning of a lifelong journey of love for AV, we can tell and it would be a shame not to share it with you.

Here’s Ben’s story and the set-up he has built with patient saving and hours of research.

‘A nice 5.1 home theatre system is not on the cards for me yet. But it’s not that difficult to build a quality audio setup for your computer on a budget. If you spend a lot of your time at your desk, as I do, you may as well invest in a set up to let you enjoy great sounding music.’

Multi-room audio is an awesome thing to have, but it can also potentially be a minefield. Whether you decide on a multi-zone AV receiver, a wireless integrated multi-room system, a wired multi-room audio system or a combination of those, there is a good chance that you are going to need help with implementation and installation.

You will remember a few months ago, we added the Dunedin based Perreaux range to our store. We like it when Kiwi’s are punching above their weight on a global scale. Award winning Axium ticks all those boxes and has joined our list of suppliers. Axium, …who?

Dolby is calling Atmos “the most significant development in cinema audio since surround sound”. We had a wee think about whether we agree with that statement. The answer is: ‘Yeah, I guess so.’

Dolby Atmos, may sound like the next marketing tool and really, all you probably care about is that the movie sounds good. We’re big fans of how Dolby Atmos makes you feel like you’re inside the story, with sound coming from all directions, including overhead.

But that in itself wouldn’t necessarily be enough to convert us at this stage. There is a bit more to the whole Dolby Atmos thing that makes it attractive beyond the overhead speakers add-on. Let us explain.