Home Theatre Reviews

by Rodica
(British Columbia, Canada)

So I am an audiophile; I like music, I like good sound and obviously I am on the market for a machine that can play everything and then something on top.

What do I have so far and I am pretty happy with?

A Linn Unidisk SC (System Controller) that plays everything you can think of in 5 inch format, meaning audio CD, DVD, SACD, DVD audio, MP3 and the list can go on and it is a very good stereo preamplifier and 5.1 decoder.

It does not play avi files and it does not take advantage of HDCD enhancement. Price wise you can pick a second hand one for about $3000 or less. Warranty wise Linn is very good and it provides you with constant upgrades for free on the software. Because of the versatility of the Unidisk you can use it in stereo and 5.1 system.

It’s a very good idea to have speakers made by the same company, in my case I use Dunlavy Athena for the front channels and SC I for center and rear channels. Price wise you can find them on the range of $2000 to $2500 on the second hand market.

Let’s not forget about the subwoofer. I am using a Rel Stadium III, that is very versatile and easy to integrate, both in stereo and 5.1.
If you really want to get picky about the sound, you can ad a pair of Super tweeters, either made by Townshend or Elac. Townshend has a wider frequency range going up to 100 kHz, while Elac has the advantage of being omni directional.
Amplification is ensured by 5 Naim mono blocks NAP 135.

Some good interconnects and speaker cables for the system: Harmonic Technology.