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High-end audio on the cheap from NuForce

NuForce makes pricey preamplifiers and power amps that sell for thousands of dollars, but it's one of the few American high-end audio companies that also offers truly affordable gear. Most of the products NuForce sells are upgradable; it provides its customers with the most up-to-date technology, as well as value.

The NuForce uDAC-2 is a tiny (2.75 inches by 1.5 inches by 0.75 inches) USB Digital Audio Converter (DAC) that connects your personal computer's audio with your home stereo, desktop sound system, or headphones. The uDAC-2 processes incoming data via a USB audio receiver, which … Read more

iSuppli: iPad costs something like $260 to build

The traditional iSuppli component breakdowns that attempt to put a neat little number on what a product actually costs to build appeal to a primal part of us, the part of us that wants to know, "Did I get screwed?"

"How much is a company making off of me? Was I a sucker?" It's a clever gambit. Because everybody wants to know. You can't help it.

It's a tricky thing, though, to finger how many dollars were poured into, for instance, each and every iPad out there. Even if you don't want … Read more

Getting started selecting a car-audio system

In case you didn't know, my articles this week are all about car audio. Today, we start at square one with picking out your most basic components for your car stereo: the head unit and speakers.

Rich Richards of Utah-based Innovative Home and Car Audio explains some basic things to look for and consider when designing your car audio system. Rich discusses the importance of getting a deck with high-voltage output through the preamp for better sound, the benefit of component speakers (midrange and tweeter) being as close together as possible, coaxial rear speakers, amplifiers, wiring, fuses, and everything … Read more

This week is all about car stereos, baby!

I ended last week's blog with a video and blurb about the new lightweight, energy-efficient stereo system designed for the 2011 Chevy Volt by Bose. And then I realized that I'd never done a full-fledged blog theme week about car stereos. But better late than never, right?

And so here I start a new theme all about car stereo systems, how they work, and how they're installed. And just to whet our appetites, I have a video of European cars being made over into bass-thumpin' beat machines. Unfortunately I don't have any specs on the components … Read more

Einstein Audio: 'Genius' vacuum tube amp maker

We're not talking about Albert Einstein, the legendary theoretical physicist; we're talking about Einstein Audio Components, a Germany-based high-end audio manufacturer.

Its advanced audio equipment designs use vacuum tubes. Its latest stereo preamplifier, The Tube MKII, uses a total of (gulp) 19 tubes. That's a lot of tubes! Most tube preamps only use four, five, or six tubes. However, here's the cool part about the new Einstein preamp: only 10 of the 19 tubes operate at any given time. Eight are used all the time, and two are selected for whichever audio source happens to be … Read more

Marantz' $6,000 Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-Audio player

Marantz currently offers a full line of stereo and home theater components, but in the 1950s, the company was one of America's most prestigious hi-fi brands. Early Marantz products were designed and built by Saul B. Marantz in his home in Kew Gardens, New York. Those hand-built components now fetch huge dollars on the used market.

So naturally, I was interested in what Home Entertainment magazine's Richard Ames had to say about the Marantz UD9004 "universal" player. The $6,000 machine spins Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-Audio, and CDs.

It certainly looks the part: the Marantz UD9004's … Read more

Ikea's hi-fi component 'rack' runs just $7.99

Made of particleboard and ABS plastic, the Lack rack comes in a variety of painted colors (and "birch effect"); it's 21.3 inches wide and deep, and 17.75 inches high. Ikea doesn't present the Lack as audio furniture; it's a side table, but audiophiles all over the world have used it to support their prized possessions. Build quality is surprisingly sturdy.

Granted, the Lack won't handle macho 100-pound high-end amplifiers, but it'll be just right for a CD player stacked on top of a cool running receiver or integrated amplifier. Or get … Read more

Microsoft warns of attacks on new ActiveX hole

Attackers are exploiting a new critical ActiveX hole in Microsoft Office to take control of PCs by luring Internet Explorer users to malicious Web sites, Microsoft said on Monday.

The zero-day hole, the third one announced by Microsoft in less than two months, is in Office Web Components ActiveX controls used to display and publish spreadsheets, charts, and databases to the Web.

It affects Office XP, Office 2003, Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004 and 2006, as well as Office Small Business Accounting 2006.

The security advisory details a manual workaround, or people can use Microsoft's Fix-It tool to … Read more

PCNation has the Impact Acoustics 3x5 Component Video Matrix Selector Switch for $162.68, after $187.31 savings, plus free shipping.

Save $187.31 on the Impact Acoustics 3x5 Component Video Matrix Selector Switch from PCNation >> Regular price is $349.99 >> Sale price is $162.68 >> Savings $187.31 (53.52%) >> Click here for deal