By John Sciacca

Quick….name a luxury automobile. Maybe you thought of Bentley, or Rolls Royce, or something sportier like Aston Martin or Ferrari. Now…..name a high-end watch. You probably thought of Rolex or maybe Omega or Patek or Cartier. How about a luxury kitchen appliance? There’s Viking, Sub-Zero, Thermador or Wolf…

Now, name me some high-end audio/video gear. If you thought Sony and Bose, then you are like the vast majority of the population. And while I have absolutely nothing against either of these companies, no one “in the know” would consider either of them to be high-end.

For all its bluster and billions, the consumer electronics industry has really done a poor job of promoting itself, especially on the high-end. In fact, most companies that are really considered to be performance leaders are totally unknown to the vast majority of people, even those that are looking to purchase them. When introduced to a brand that has the equivalent pedigree of a Bentley, Rolex or Viking, most people shrug their shoulders and say, “Never heard of ‘em.” So, I thought I would introduce you to some high-end manufacturers, and explain what they are…and what they are not.

In the electronics world, Wilson is not the volleyball from Castaway, rather the manufacturer of some truly stellar loudspeakers.

There is a Meridian in Santa Barbara, CA that makes affordable – yet drinkable – wines. However, the A/V Meridian is from the UK and a leader in digital audio processing.

Macintosh is an Apple computer; McIntosh has been making highly desirable audio gear that engenders fanatical-like loyalty since 1949.

BO is generally considered offensive and undesirable. B&O (Bang & Olufsen) is a Danish company known for world-class industrial design.

A kaleidoscope offers a complex pattern of constantly changing colors and shapes; a Kaleidescape is a media server capable of storing literally thousands of movies.

Ronco is the late-night huckster trying to sell you things like the Chop-o-Matic and the pocket fisherman. Runco makes some of the world’s finest video projectors.

Crestron and Lutron are not characters in the upcoming Disney Tron reboot. They are actually leaders in home automation and lighting control, respectively.

B&W is not BMW. B&W is Bowers and Wilkins, the British speaker manufacturer, whose speakers are used in places like Skywalker Ranch and Abbey Road. BMW is Bavarian Motor Works, the car company.

Theta is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet and the name of that Fraternity/Sorority you rushed in college. It is also the manufacturer of some terrific processors and amplifiers.

SIM2 is not a sequel to the popular “The Sims” video game, but an Italian projector manufacturer.

Oppo, Sonos and ADA are not merely examples of corporate palindromes. Oppo makes a highly regarded Blu-ray play, Sonos a terrific wireless audio distribution system, and ADA (Audio Design Associates) has been pioneering high-end audio and distribution systems for over 30 years.

Classé might sound like a term from the Urban Dictionary, but it is actually Canada’s leading maker of high-performance music and theater components.

My 13 year old son  sent me an email with a link to http://www.musicforrelief.org/ Rob knows I’m passionate about Dave Matthews Band, I collect their live recordings, and travel around seeing DMB shows every summer. Dave Matthews Band donated the July 5, 1997 live version of “Typical Situation”  recorded at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater,  Irvine, Calif.

The download is a compilation of unreleased music from, Linkin Park, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel, Alanis Morissette, Slash, The All-American Rejects, Hoobastank, Kenna, Enrique Iglesias and Lupe Fiasco.  There is a separate link to donate (It’s the honor system, donate whatever amount you want.)

I thought this was a great idea, and wanted to share it with you!  It’s also a great way to get the kid’s involved in the relief efforts. Please forward this to anyone you think would like some cool tunes and would donate a few bucks for the relief efforts in Haiti. Please kindly consider posting this link http://www.musicforrelief.org/ to your Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Website, Blog, etc.

If you download the music and donate any amount, EDG will donate an additional $20.00 to the fund. We’ve set aside $1,000.00 for this, so all we need is 49 people to donate. My son Rob was the first donor and my inspiration to send this out. (Thanks Rob!)  If you donate, please send me an email at bob.gullo@edgusa.com and we’ll match your donation right-away!

by Brent Butterworth

It’s rare that a professional audio/video equipment reviewer gets truly excited about a new technology—and even rarer when they all do.

The technology I’m referring to is Internet video streaming. It’s the ability to play video from Internet sources like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube right on your TV. Streaming used to require a computer, but now it’s built right into numerous home theater devices, such as TVs, Blu-ray players, and video game systems.

Streaming didn’t catch on when it debuted about a year ago, probably because it started with a motley collection of second-tier web video services nobody cared about. In the year since, it’s matured into perhaps the most exciting and useful new home theater technology of the last few years. All of the reviewers and editors I talk with regularly not only like Internet streaming, they’re using it several times a week.

I’d seen Internet streaming at press events, but never thought much of it. Recently, though, I upgraded to a Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player and it just happened to include Netflix and YouTube streaming. I was astounded to see Jackie Chan’s The Legend of Drunken Master appear on my TV screen in a matter of seconds—and in surprisingly good fidelity through my 6 Mb/sec Internet connection.

Since then, I’ve spent many a night enjoying some of the 12,000-plus movies and TV shows available on Netflix’s streaming service. And I’ve used the YouTube streaming to watch all sorts of old clips and TV shows—most notably a forgotten favorite, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.

None of these devices has enough internal computing power to run a browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox. I originally thought the lack of browsing capability was a crippling omission—but I now realize it’s an advantage. With no browser interface to accommodate, the Internet services can be reformatted so they’re properly cropped and zoomed to fill your TV screen, and so they’re easy to navigate using a TV remote. In fact, I find the YouTube interface on my Blu-ray player easier to use than the YouTube website.

To sum up: You get tons of great content, instantly available for free. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection and one of the new Internet streaming devices.