Our Blog – Technical Articles
The latest updates and product reviews from the team @ Rapallo. Includes insights and technical tips to help your Audio or Visual project.
Multi-room video demystified
On the back of a blog we wrote a few months ago about multi-room audio, we got the following question: Is there such a thing as multi-room video? You may scratch your head when you hear the term “Multiroom video” and think…what the heck is that? At Rapallo, we regularly receive inquiries from customers who…
How to Install a Home Theatre Projector and Screen
If you’ve never installed a projector or screen before, the process can be quite intimidating and maybe even confusing. The general idea is simple, and you probably already have a good idea of where you want each piece to go, but the specifics are unclear. Which is mounted first, the screen or the projector? How…
Meet the ELAC Vela speakers
We have some introducing to do. In the weeks before Christmas, Rapallo saw a small flood of new products that landed in the Rapallo showroom. But… the new ELAC Vela speakers kind went under the radar a little bit. I don’t know what it is with European brands (UK brands being the exception), but they…
Satellite speakers: Small size, good sound?
Just like soundbars, satellite speakers often get frowned upon by the audiophiles and AV enthousiasts. The problem they are referring to is the limited mid and lower range they are typically able to provide because of the small speaker cabinets. But satellite speakers do have a place in certain situations. We highly recommend them as…
Which projector is right for you: DLP vs LCD vs LCoS?
One of the most popular blogs on the Rapallo site is the one about projector technology. A lot of noise is made about the rise, development, benefit and cost of 4K projector technology. But projector bulb technology (LED, Laser and traditional lamps) and display technology are the bones of a home theatre projector and should…
The casual enjoyment of a turntable
It’s come to our attention how turntables are no longer a marginal option in a home entertainment set-up. More and more people from all ages and walks of life recognise the joy of having a turntable in a much more casual manner. Where say only a year ago, we would have people pop into our…
It’s outdoor speaker time
Us Kiwi’s do outdoor entertaining like nobody else. We love spending time outdoors; whether it’s pottering in the garden, reading on the patio, or firing up the BBQ with a bunch of friends, outdoor speakers make total sense with our outdoor Kiwi lifestyle. After all, the fun shouldn’t stop at the back door. Outdoor entertainment is…
Do audio cables go bad?
Last week, we got asked the following question: ’Do audio cables go bad?’ Now you may find the answer to that question a very obvious one, fact is that when you type in this exact question in Google, it comes up with quite a long list of exact this question on forums. Clearly, it’s on…
The soft dome vs. metal dome tweeter debate
There is no single thing that makes a good speaker. It’s a juggling act between so many things. Which is exactly why the design is done by highly qualified engineers. One of the contributing factors in the whole good speaker equation is tweeters. So, what makes a good tweeter? Shape? Material?
Let us introduce: the new Sony projectors
It’s no secret that that last year Sony was sitting on a handsome share of the LCD projector market. Fast forward a year and JVC has launched a cheaper version DLP 4K UHD projector and is waiting to land its answer to the Sony native 4K projectors: the DLA-N5, The DLA-N7 and the DLA-NX9 While…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
The Rapallo families have been on to it this year. You’re not going to believe this, but we have Christmas shopping largely sorted already. No, we’re not the sort of folks who put up Christmas lights before daylight saving and display the reindeer in the garden by mid-October. But we don’t enjoy the last minute…
Tracks to use when auditioning speakers
A couple of weeks ago, one of our clients came in for a demo of an amplifier. The wise man brought his own speakers in to see how they would match with the Yamaha he had his eyes on. The thing was, he wasn’t overly happy with his speakers, so he was tossing up between…
For your ears only: AV and hearing loss
It’s a common problem: due to hearing loss, some folks can’t hear sound in its full detail, contrast or richness. When we listen to music, frequencies are lost and nuances can’t be processed fully. And when it comes to watching television, even at a decent volume, many people can’t quite make out the dialogue. Turning…
Big – bigger – biggest: subwoofers
We have a bit of thing with subwoofers. It’s because adding a subwoofer can be one of the most powerful upgrades you can make to your home theatre or stereo system. Yet, a lot of people are not convinced of their merits. With a good subwoofer it’s like you can feel the room breathing. I…
Iconic speaker nostalgia
I don’t know if it’s just us who have noticed, but it seems that the latest thing in loudspeakers world is to release new versions of previously iconic speakers. I’m sure the right psychologist will come up with an explanation of some sort, but I wonder whether it ties in with the whole resurgence of…
Valve amplifiers on the ‘Wants list’
Like with anything in life, running a business is a balancing act between ‘The Wants’, ‘The Needs’ and ‘The Musts’. Valve amplifiers have been on ‘the Wants-list’ for quite some time. The thing with ‘Wants’ is that you have to time them carefully. After all, you don’t want to compromise ‘The Musts’ and ‘The Needs’.…
Moving Magnet vs Moving Coil Cartridges
After some umming and arring you have decided to join the ever growing group of people that is giving vinyl a renewed place in their home. No longer is it solely appealing to the audiophile elite that is willing to fork out many thousands of dollars for a high-end set-up. To more and more people,…
A chat with the new man behind Perreaux
Just a few months ago, Perreaux announced that they had changed ownership. After fronting Perreaux for 20 years Martin handed the company over to Edwin Nieman. So when a couple of weeks ago, we posted a review for the Perreaux 255i on Facebook, there was a fair bit of response from several long-term Perreaux customers. There…
Road testing the Beyerdynamic Xelentos
About a week ago, I got a message from Rapallo’s Ben: ‘We’ve got these earphones in. I have never felt so close to music before. Voices feel so real and intimate, like the singers are standing right in front of you or singing softly into your ear. It’s quite an emotional experience. I can only call it ‘silky smooth’.…
Is it time to upgrade your AV-system?
With CEDIA 2018 now finished, we are getting bombarded with new products. Just a couple of days ago, both JVC and Sony caused some stir in the world of AV with their newly announced home theatre projectors. If keeping up with all the new and improved AV products is doing your head in, you’re not…
A multi-room audio system: beyond Sonos
I speak from first-hand experience when I say that a multi room audio is awesome. It wasn’t until I ( under slight pressure from my better half) ended up with a 4 zone multi-room audio system in our own house that I actually got to appreciate it. But just like I did, a lot of…
AV Receiver Shopping Guidelines
Chances are pretty good that an AV receiver is amongst the audio visual items present at your home. Said AV receiver these days is packed with advanced technology and features that all carry some abbreviated letter name of some sort. Many of us will have to admit, half of the time that fancy letterword may…
Rapallo’s pre-wiring tips for a great audiovisual set-up
During our time as AV supplier and custom AV integrator, we’ve seen several home-owners placed in difficult situations because of incorrect pre-wiring by either themselves or a contractor. We have a few tips lined up that will save you time and money in the future, and allow you to have a better finished product. Most…
The ins and outs of our Rapallo Launch Event
The 1st of September is approaching fast and we have been very busy prepping for our Rapallo Launch Event. You see, mid-June we moved to our new location in 11A Allens Road and we thought it was about time we would have a little celebration with our customers. I hope you’re coming! For our customers that…
Dream set-ups for lottery winners
When we were working on last week’s blog about how budget speakers have really raised the benchmark in recent years, we kind of got carried away and started talking about what our set-up would look like in the unlikely event of winning the big lottery ticket. Silly exercise, you may say. But I have…
Budget Speaker Fiesta
Last week we had one of our headphone distributers walk into our speaker demo room. His response? ‘Wow! That’s a lot of speakers!’. And we do. It’s something we’ve been working on. When we upgraded our demo room, we wanted to offer our customers the opportunity to really check out options. Especially the budget bookshelf…
Crystal ball predictions on home theatre projectors
Lately, we’ve been chatting about a lot of things, but we’ve been a bit quiet on the home theatre projector front. It’s easy enough to think that nothing much is happening when it comes to projectors, but frankly, you couldn’t be further off the ball. Things are moving; and they are moving fast. In the last…
Yamaha RX-A or RX-V: what’s the difference?
Recently, we’ve added the Yamaha Aventage Series to our offering and we’re really stoked about that. Why’s that, you may ask? Isn’t Yamaha just Yamaha? And you’re right. We’ve been recommending the Yamaha RX-V series to our customers for a long time and for good reason. It’s just good, reliable ‘stuff’ that doesn’t tend to ‘play…
5 qualities that make a great subwoofer
ng of subwoofers SVS claims that whereas choosing a full-range speaker is a highly personal and subjective decision, choosing the best subwoofer for you is a complete objective process. Whether you agree with that or not, fact is that it’s fairly easy to break down a great subwoofer’s performance in five highly objective and easily…
The sound in the hall
Remember the assemblies, plays, performances, …. In your primary school hall? Whether the memories are fond ones or not, fact is that the traditional kiwi school hall is a place that takes a special place in the heart of many, many kids. And traditionally, you would not link a school hall with an impressive audio…
Duel between the Rapallo bros
Digital versus analogue….or Bart vs DeanoAt Rapallo, Deano and Bart represent 2 different (very subjective) views of the audiophile spectrum: Deano is all about vinyl, analogue, vintage, and stereo. Bart, on the other hand, is a firm believer in digital, CD, SACD, DSD, Dolby surround and DTS:X neural. The rest of the Rapallo team is…
How to set up a remote control extender
One of the products that flies out of the Rapallo doors on a daily basis is the wireless remote control extender. It means you can enjoy your music AND change the volume without running back into the lounge and while you’re listening to music in the room next door. Even better: you don’t have to install…
Ben reviews the Topping DX7 DAC and balanced amplifier
Rapallo’s Ben is on a budget… still. He may be no longer a student, but a full-fledged Rapallo employee… but until further notice, he remains on a budget when it comes to the purchase of his AV gear. And like so many audiophiles that have to work with limited funds, he is a big fan…
Cut the cord: wireless speakers
When it comes to wireless speakers, there’s a pretty simple way of looking at it, we think: wired speakers offer better sound, and wireless speakers tend to be more convenient.Of course, that’s a very broad statement and there are exceptions to that rule. And yes, wireless speakers are getting better. But there’s no going around that wires…
A word on in-wall and in-ceiling speakers
Here’s a story: some friends of Rapallo’s were building a new home. It was to tick some bucket list things; like a dedicated home theatre room and an awesome view. But when they were telling us about their plans, they weren’t really allowing for multi-room speakers for background music. They were thinking it didn’t really…
Emotiva Airmotiv speakers unboxing
We’ve mentioned earlier that we are very excited about the amount of affordable speakers that do an amazing job considering their price tag. A modest budget no longer means you have to put up with bad sound. If that is you, one of the options that is on the table is the ELAC Debut speakers…
We have a secret
When Rapallo moved to our Polaris Place location a few years ago, it was a first step in the transition from being an online store towards becoming a hybrid shop. We added a demo room and started inviting customers to come and see us, check out AV products, and engage in a conversation about what we…
The MQA Hooh-hah
Just this morning, a Munich High End article announcing new MQA hardware and software partners as well as the use of the format for CDs tumbled into our mailbox. Coincidence has it that we had a conversation with one of our Rapallo customers on the very same topic just yesterday. We took it as a clear sign it’s time to write…
How to Wall Mount Your Flat Panel TV
There are a few certainties in life when it comes to AV installations. One of them is that most people find it a bit daunting to mount their new flat-screen television on a wall. Not only do we know because of the amount of times we have people ask to do it for them, but…
Home Theatre Envy on a Budget
If you’ve figured out what wrong with the weather, make sure to let us know, because we sure have been puzzled about the on-and-off-weather last week. While it is a great excuse to get out of garden weeding and lawn mowing, we did enjoy some chronic binge-watching in our home theatre. Yes, that’s where you…
