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.

Last week we received a list from a great customer with a ranking of his favorite blu-ray concerts, it got us thinking. A little search on forums and the likes revealed that our customer is by no means the only person rating concert blu-rays or blu-ray movies for that matter. The internet is buzzing with people’s opinions on this.

Just to change things up a little, and go for a blog with a little more lighthearted topic for a change, we thought we would have a go at this too. After all, we probably are not the only ones taking refuge behind the projector/television to escape the ongoing deluge.

When choosing interconnects and speaker cables, we really want brands that don’t promote expensive pseudoscience or make semi-scientific statements. With a background in science and engineering (Master of Electronic Engineering) Bart is a strong advocate of provable engineering principles . He believes that unscientific claims do not have a place in any sales environment, including AV and with that AV cables. Especially not when it is spread by companies who are knowingly trying to make money out of ordinary people like you and me, spending their hard-earned bucks on something they feel passionate about.Yes, we know that we will rub some people the wrong way with this statement. It is by no means our intention to upset people. We do however believe that as a supplier who often hands out expert information, we have a responsibility to ensure accurate information that is backed up by science is provided.

I am an audiophile.  You could say I’m a very intense listener. The audio encapsulation of my life is not just a hobby it’s my life literally: I eat, sleep and dream audio, and as I work in an audio-visual environment you can say I have the dream job. Yes, you can be jealous now.

Apart from my home reference system, a lot of the listening happens on headphones and my everyday journey to and from work provides the ideal opportunity for me to listen intently to portable music players, portable amplifiers, Digital to analog converters and of course headphones

So, when FiiO announced their new X5 3rd Gen and released info of the product launch I was interested.

Conventional wisdom out there says that a new home theatre should have a 16:9 projector and a 16:9 screen. While for some people that might absolutely be the right choice, it is good to be aware that there are other options worth considering and they could potentially provide a more dramatic viewing experience. Almost all of the current televisions are in the 16:9 format and just because of this 16:9 seems to have become the de facto standard. There are two alternatives worth considering depending on the type of material you prefer to watch. Which of these formats is best for you? We’ll lay out the options and help you decide which way to go.

In these days of 9.2.4 Dolby surround speaker set-ups and wireless speaker sets, it’s easy to lose sight of some of the basics. The fact remains, when it comes to great sound, nothing does the trick like a good pair of floorstanding speakers. They’re the solid bedrock upon which you can build the stereo system of your dreams.

Floorstanding speakers have been a cornerstone of home audio systems for decades. Also known as tower speakers, they are able to deliver a big and full sound that’s difficult to match. Even as more complex home theatre systems have become common, they remain the go-to workhorses that arguably provide the most important part of surround sound. Or at least,… they should be.