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.
HDR10 and Dolby Vision explained
It’s not the first time we’ve grumbled about the war on formats going on in the home entertainment world. It’ll be no surprise that we can announce a new one: two types of high dynamic range (HDR) video technologies – HDR10 and Dolby Vision. We’ll dive into the differences between the two in a…
Frustrations around remote controls
This week’s blog is rooted in frustration. It baffles us that in this day and age, many high end (and not so high-end) AV devices still rely on IR (infrared) or RS-232 (a serial computer protocol that dates back to 1970 and that was for instance used for the first computer mouse) for operating these…
An awesome Home Theatre at an affordable budget
An awesome Home Theatre at an affordable budget, with the wet weather we had over the weekend, we were very…
Speaker placement for improved sound
Many people assume that the only way to improve the sound they hear from their speakers is to change something around in your system. A new DAC? Sure, that might work. A better amplifier? If you can afford one, absolutely! Amplifiers are important in your AV system. Perhaps a new pair of speakers altogether? Definitely…
The ABC of turntables
If you can’t tell, we’re big fans of vinyl and we think you might be, too. There is just something incredibly satisfying to the act of watching that arm go down and listening to music that is full of soul. A report on Forbes says vinyl sales are at a 28-year high. To put this into perspective,…
4K is not 4K is not 4K
No one in his right mind would argue that true (native) 4K projectors are cheap. There is no denying that the Sony’s VPL-VW5000ES is a truly amazing projector. But at a price of more or less $80,000, it’s not for the average Joe. Admittedly, there are much cheaper true 4K’s around, but they still remain…
Experience the Sound of Perreaux
We Kiwis are a lot smarter than we give ourselves credit for. I know, it is quite a statement, but I keep having jaw dropping moments when I look at the amount of talent we hide in all corners and nooks of the country. And it goes well beyond the number 8 wire ingenuity. …
Gabe’s Home Theatre
There is no job more awesome in this world than the one that helps people realize a lifelong dream. We at Rapallo are in the business of just that and we love it!‘This is the best place ever!’ are Gabe’s words as soon as we walk through the door for this interview, a few weeks…
Rapallo’s Speaker Cable Vlog
To start off with, we would like to wish you all a happy and healthy 2017.As we are sporting a bit of a tan behind the computer and still getting the sand out of our togs, we at Rapallo are currently watching what is the talk of town at CES in Las Vegas. CES is…
Is this the right amplifier for my speakers?
Some of the questions we get asked most often is: Do these Speakers pair well with this Amplifier? Will this Amplifier power my Speakers? How do I know these Speakers will sound good with this amplifier?As speakers and amps are such an investment, you want to make sure they work effectively and sound good! There…
6 Reasons why subwoofers are important for music
There’s a lingering sentiment in the audiophile community that subwoofers are only for home theatre and the benefits to music playback are suspect or even negativeIt’s true that lesser subwoofers are not designed to optimally handle the speed, detail and nuance of certain music, but it’s certainly not the rule for subwoofers in general.A great…
The ultimate AV-receiver buying list
A new AVR or AV-receiver might be on the top of your Christmas wish list. It is arguably the most important part of your AV set up and home theatre. Brands seem to launch updated version of their AVR’s just about every year. But deciding on what you really need as opposed to being pulled…
An update on sound bars
TVs don’t tend to sound great. That’s one of their disadvantages: as they get slimmer and more beautiful, there’s less room for proper speakers. The result is usually something that looks very nice but sounds a bit weak. Whether you have top-end 4K TV, a HDTV or something more basic, the problem is the same.…
Top tips for outdoor speakers
Summer has arrived, Christmas is only weeks away, so now is the time to think about those BBQs you are going to have outside. Or here’s the ultimate question: how are you going to spice up the parties with music? Excellent outdoor speakers are just a must for any Kiwi who remotely cares about their favourite…
The case of height effect speakers
SVS recently launched their long awaited Prime Elevation Speakers. While brands like Elac, Klipsch and Definitive Technology subscribe to emerging audio formats such as Dolby Atmos®*, DTS:X® and Auro 3D®, Ed Mullen from SVS has made a different argument from the very beginning of height effect speakers. What’s interesting is that Gene DelaSalla from Audioholics…
Network Audio Players: CD’s, NAS, Streaming join forces!
So you have a bookcase full of CDs, you have thousands of songs downloaded on your computer at home, maybe you have spent some time ripping the CDs to your PC and subsequently you have a music streaming subscription such as TIDAL, or Spotify. Here is your dilemma, you don’t want to totally forget about…
Are lasers the future for home theatre projectors?
Once the stuff of the future, these days laser projectors are becoming more and more commonplace in the world of home theatre. Sure, they are still quite a bit more expensive than traditional light bulb projectors. But a lot is moving when it comes to projectors. Terms such as “laser”, “LED” or “hybrid” are used…
Headphones 101
A headphone is just a headphone, right? I mean, yes there are in-ears and the ones that go over your ears and some have wires and some don’t but… really how different can one headphone be from the next?There are many similar terms used to describe headphones, an everyday (almost commodity) item of technology. Categories…
How to choose the perfect subwoofer
Most people equate subwoofers with the thump-thump they hear from other cars at stoplights. Volume at the expense of quality. There is no sugarcoating the message: it’s called bad bass. In the world of the dedicated audiophile, this is what gave the subwoofer (and with it bass) a bad rep. But the idea with any…
Rapallo’s Amplifier Glossary
The world of amplifiers is riddled with terminology that-unless you been wandering the audiophile jungle for years- does your head in. It should come as no surprise really, considering amplifiers are complicated electronic devices where a lot goes on. While we have no intention whatsoever to make this blog a highly technical piece of reading…
Does my audio system need to be balanced to be any good?
A few weeks ago we received a request from a customer who had balanced audio on his wish list. If you read much promotional literature for high-quality equipment, you’ll notice the phrase “balanced connection” tossed around. Balanced inputs and outputs are sort of a must for audio equipment that has any claim to quality. The…
The AV receiver vs. Separates Matchup
If you’ve ever spent any time browsing the forums, the odds are good you’ve run into a discussion regarding the benefits of AV receivers versus separates. This rivalry has proponents and valid arguments on both sides of the table. Long story short: we can see valid arguments on both ends of the table. But what…
Should you buy a DAC?
The days of analogue music are long gone. ‘Yes, but vinyl is getting a revival’, I can hear you argue. True, but in the greater scheme of things, there is no going around the fact that while the vinyl market is growing, it is still a niche market reserved for the audiophiles and nostalgic few. …
The Francis Family Home Theatre – A dream in the making
Twenty years ago, while living in the UK, a dream was born: James was living in an apartment with a simple CRT TV, as most of us did. But being an engineer and a lover of all things digital, he wasn’t satisfied with that. He was dreaming of a lot more. The day James drove…
Why a white sheet on the wall won’t do
How do you go about selecting a projector screen? Can’t you just blast the image onto a white wall? How about getting a big white sheet stretched onto your wall? What exactly do you need to know about choosing a projector screen for your awesome new home theatre system?
Opinions on Surround Speakers – Bipole, Dipole or Monopole?
The problem with all-encompassing generalizations is that even if they’re correct in some cases, they’re wrong in other cases. In our desperate quest for definitive conclusions, we often seek for black-and-white answers. When someone asks us what the best amplifier is, we have to ask them what speakers they’re using, what their budget is, how…
5 tips to improve your home theatre experience that won’t cost a cent
Now summer has turned its back on us, for many time has arrived to tackle the house rather than the garden. While I’m sure there are many bathrooms waiting for a revamp, there is plenty to be done to improve your home theatre experience that won’t cost you a cent (!!!) and is far more…
ELAC Debut-Excellence on a budget
If you are anything around my age, you remember the Elac logo from a long and distant time ago. German brand Elac goes back 90-years to be exact. Last time we heard of them was a few decades ago as purveyor of the long-extinct Elac/Miracord turntables. But Elac is back and we are about to…
The latest and greatest on HDMI at Rapallo
Despite the proliferation of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile (GSM), there is still plenty of cable around. HDMI cables and products in general are core to our offering and with the advent of more affordable 4k TVs and (hopefully soon) 4k projectors, it is time to give you an update of where the future lies for…
Meditations on multi-zone speaker impedance
Quite often we meet people who want to connect 4,6,8 or more speakers to their amplifiers. Only a few days ago, we were asked to help someone who had bought a house that had 8 speakers built in the ceiling. The customer wanted to have 6 of those speakers (spread across the kitchen and dining…
Which subwoofer is better-sealed or ported?
Which subwoofer type is better – sealed or ported? An ever returning and extremely popular discussion topic on the forums and blogs, there is no shortage of opinions on the subject. Add in a few die-hard myths and generalizations, and it’s no surprise this is one of the most commonly questions asked. You might hear…
It’s all about the bass
Last week we posted a blog on the bookshelf vs floor stander dilemma. We briefly touched on bass management and by golly did we open a can of worms! The amount of questions we received about digital bass management is dizzying – and it certainly can be a confusing subject. But you know how we…
All you need to know about 4K Blu-ray players, discs and the rest
While Ultra-HD and 4K gets us all pretty excited, it probably also gets your head spinning with all the audio-visual lingo and new technology that goes with it. You sure are not alone in this frustration. Who’s got the time to keep up with everything the audiovisual world comes up with? We know first hand…
War of the Projectors: DLP vs LCD vs LCoS
War of the projectors: DLP vs LCD vs LCoS. Projectors are awesome. Ultra-huge screen, reasonably low price. If we can…
Everything you need to know about sound bars
Everything you need to know about sound bars… at Rapallo, we love discrete multi-channel goodness. Unfortunately, we also understand that…
The enviable 5.1 home theatre on a midrange budget
If you spend any time at all on AV forums, you’ll run into hundreds and hundreds of posts along the lines of “Help, I have x amounts of dollars to spend on a home theater, and I haven’t got the first idea of what I should buy.” Leave it to Rapallo to set you on…
Working home theatre magic in a non-ideal situation
A few weeks ago we talked you through home theatre speaker placement in the ideal case of having a separate rectangle shaped room that is dedicated to the joys of home theatre shenanigans. While this is all very nice for some, most of us don’t have an ‘ideal room’ and have to double function the…
How to identify good speakers?
Many a word has been spoken on the topic of speakers. They are probably the most ‘in your face’ aspect of an audiovisual set-up and prices can range from plain cheap to astronomical price tags. Apart from reading reviews and deciphering specs, what actually makes a good speaker? The obvious thing to look at is…
Home Theatre Speaker Placement
Lets talk home theatre speaker placement. After our customer story a few weeks ago, we received several questions from you…
Do or Don’t: Dolby Atmos for home theatre
It’s been a little while now since Dolby Atmos quietly made its entrance in the world of cinema. The Hobbit and Gravity were one of the first movies with an Atmos soundtrack and a lot has happened since. A few years on and Dolby Atmos has become the ‘it’ word for home theatres too. A…
