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 devices. I mean… really?

It seems my own frustration is shared by many of you out there. Time to have a dig at what IR is about and how we can work as best as we can with the dinosaur technology behind AV remote controls.

An awesome Home Theatre at an affordable budget, with the wet weather we had over the weekend, we were very Read More

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 an exciting idea, but there could be a much simpler solution to this problem.

An often-overlooked fact is that aside from the technology inside a pair of speakers, slight alterations to their positioning within a room can make dramatic improvements to the overall sound.

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, vinyl sales last year were higher than those of ad supported music streaming services like Spotify. Seriously!

This trend has led popular artists like Adele and Taylor Swift to release their albums on the vintage format.

But whatever your reason for starting a record collection there are a few things to know before you dive down the rabbit hole. We break it down for you. 

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 well outside most New Zealand customers budgets.  

A decent 1080p projector by contrast sits around the $3,000-$5,000 mark. 4K resolution may make a glorious image, it’s hard to justify this difference in price for most of us. The main reason for that, is that 1080p chips are much less costly than 4K chips.

But -and here’s the good news- until the price of true 4K comes down, there is some excellent compromise to be found in pixel shifting.

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.

A great example is the Perreaux products. If you are a seasoned audiophile you will be familiar with the brand. If not, it’s about time you get to know them. 

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 after completing his new home.Gabe and his wife have moved away from the rat race now that the kids are grown up and have moved out. They went for the dream home and got exactly what they had it mind.  For Gabe’s wife that meant a kitchen with a sea view, for Gabe it was a home theatre that topped the list. Once they started planning the home theatre a multi-room audio system was added to the project.

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 THE spot for consumer electronic brands to announce new and potentially innovative products to the world. It tends to be an indicator of where the market is going and we intend to bring back a full report of what caught our attention as far as AV goes in a week or two.

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 are a few points that we think are important to consider when calculating an amplifiers power. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as looking up a couple of figures on the amp specs and comparing it to the speakers you intend on using it with.

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 subwoofer elevates the listening experience in a way no other audio component can.Below is a list of six different reasons why a properly engineered subwoofer, is important to music playback.