Allwired Technologies

McIntosh and the Gratefull Dead Wall of Sound

At the dawn of huge outdoor concerts and music festivals where thousands and thousands of fans showed up in the early 70’s there was one band and one amplifier that make those early days mythical, The Grateful Dead and McIntosh amplifiers.

Chuck Hinton of McIntosh Tech Support has written an article about how McIntosh amplifiers played and important part of the Grateful Dead’s live show and an integral part in the legendary Wall of Sound that was the most powerful PA system in the country if not the world in 1974.

We at McIntosh Labs were pretty impressed with ourselves when we realized the McIntosh 2K reference system weighed in at close to one full ton. It never even occurred to us to imagine what kind of McIntosh system might weigh 75 tons. As it turns out, our imagination was not required. Nearly 32 years earlier, Owsley ‘Bear’ Stanley, Dan Healy and Mark Raizene of the Grateful Dead sound crew and Ron Wickersham and Rick Turner of Alembic Sound dared to dream of such a system.

Continue reading Chuck’s article >

Allwired Technologies is an authorized McIntosh dealer and authorized fans of the Grateful Dead.

Samsung LED TV Reviews

Samsung introduces a full line of LED flat panel TVs

When LCD TVs were first introduced into the flat panel market a few years ago, they were touted as the future of television. Maybe they were for the moment, while never being able to compete with good plasma televisions on color, contrast, and motion blur absence, now we have the first LED flat panel TVs showing up. These will be able to offer an experience rivaling, and in some cases exceeding that of a plasma TV.

Samsung is leading the way with the introduction of a complete line of LED TVs that are not only striking visually, but are high performance, and low energy usage. With a slim design (less than 2 inches thick), excellent picture quality and performance, while not quite as good as the Pioneer Elite Kuro, this TV is for the most discerning client.

At the moment there are few reviews available for this flat panel TV, but more will come. Here are a few links to learn more about the new Samsung LED TV.

• CNet Samsung LED TV review
• TopTen Reviews review of the Samsung LED TV
• Slash Gear’s first impressions of the Samsung LED TV
• Samsung CES Press Release

Please contact Allwired Technologies for more information or for custom integration of this product.

B&W Shipping Custom Theater CT8.2 Home Theater Speaker

As the market for home theater has matured, B&W has responded to the growing need for compact “stealth” solutions that still deliver a full measure of our celebrated performance, yet address the specific needs of large scale dedicated theater installations. The original all out CT800 package set the bar higher than ever before and is still the measure of ultimate home theater sound. However, we recognize there are cost and size constraints for many installations and we are pleased to introduce the latest member of the CT8 family, the CT8.2. The CT8.2 is, in my view, the anchor product for our CT offerings. In its category, I believe it merits the same respect as the iconic 802D. It’s that good!

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NuVision To Release Latest Line Of High-End LCD HDTV’S With Lucidium FX5 Series

Revitalized brand hits the market with an array of all-new products, a new management team and a triple-A rating

SCOTTSDALE, AZ, April 27, 2009—NuVision© U.S., Inc., manufacturer of high-performance 1080p Deep Black LCD displays, is expanding its product line with the release of the all-new Lucidium FX5 Series. The Lucidium FX5 Series combines proprietary Film Times Five (FX5) and Frame Forward Motion (FFM) technologies to create a true 120Hz picture. The 42” display will ship in May 2009, with the rest of the line to be introduced throughout the year. The line will ultimately span 42” to 65” in size.

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Runco Reaffirms Its Commitment To Custom Flat-Panel Displays

While other manufacturers abandon the custom flat-panel market, Runco remains focused on providing a broad range of premium plasma and LCD displays.

Beaverton, OR – April 28, 2009 – Runco, the leading brand in luxury video solutions, has confirmed its unyielding commitment to deliver premium flat-panel displays to the custom installation industry. In a marketplace where an increasing number of video display manufacturers are exiting the custom flat-panel market in favor of mass market retail or discontinuing their flat panel product lines altogether, Runco remains focused on providing its dealers with the highest-performing luxury video displays for custom application and viewing environment.

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Crestron MP Pushbutton Control Panels Now Available

The latest in the Crestron MPC line of simple room control solutions

ROCKLEIGH, NJ, April 24, 2009 — Now shipping, the MP-B10 (10-button) and MP-B20 (20-button) are enhanced pushbutton control panels designed for installation in a wall or podium. Ideal as a cost-effective user interface for any Crestron system, such as an MPS, or an expansion unit for a Crestron MPC Media Presentation Controller™, the MP-B10 and MP-B20 are perfect for everyday use in a typical classroom, meeting room, lecture hall or training facility.

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McIntosh Celebrates 60 Years w/ Limited Editions

McIntosh began in 1949, the company you thought this was, Apple, Inc. began in 1979. This year, McIntosh Laboratory is celebrating its 60^th Anniversary. Very few companies have made products that are as enduring. You will toss out your iPod soon after you replace the battery if not before. That 27 inch Sony Trinitron has made it to the basement and is gone this spring. That fancy new laptop will be gone and forgotten soon enough no matter how cool it makes you look.

Chances are that if you have ever owned a piece of McIntosh hi-fi gear, you still treasure it and only wish you had more. After 60 years, McIntosh still has the same appeal.

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B&W Zeppelin iPod Dock and Speaker System

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LifeSize Express 200 is Breakthrough in HD Video Communication

LifeSize presents another breakthrough in the world of high definition video communications systems - the newest addition to the LifeSize family of products, LifeSize® Express 200^TM.

Like all LifeSize video solutions, LifeSize Express 200 delivers a stunning, immersive, high definition experience over your existing broadband network and is the first video communications system to support dual video and content in High Definition for under $6,000. Express 200 makes superior video performance affordable for anyone within any organization to improve both quality of work, and quality of life. Features include:

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Managing Your Movie Collection w/ Media Center

A popular feature of the Home Theater PC (HTPC) with Media Center is the ability to manager your media, specifically music, photos, and movies. The built in features for managing music and photos of Microsoft Media Center is exceptional and easy to do, but managing movies is a different matter. To manage movies in a way that is easy, you will need to add additional software. We (Allwired Technologies) have been using MyMovies for sometime with great success in our custom built Tesla line of Home Theater PCs.

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Sooloos Music Server and Storage System Review

You probably have an iPod or similar device to manage your music on the go and you have found it convenient, but most suitable for jogging, driving or for teenagers. This is especially true if you are an audiophile or have found the compression of portable music files just doesn’t do justice to those drum rolls, guitar solos, a cappellas, or symphonies. Or maybe you just want something that integrates into your custom home theater or can plug into your hi-fi distributed audio system and give you the fidelity that your ears cry out for. If this is you, you are probably looking for the Sooloos music server system.

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Trade in Your Home Theater Equipement for Cash

If you ever thought about upgrading some of your speakers or electronics but thought they are still new and you haven’t gotten the value for them that you would like, you will soon be able to trade some of your old gear towards the purchase of new. This will allow you to upgrade the 720p plasma or LCD TV you purchased a year or two ago towards that new 1080p set to go above your fireplace. Or are your speakers a little small and your ready to step up to the next bigger size, this would be the perfect opportunity for you. Trade in value will be determined by the age and condition of each piece of electronic and speaker being traded.

Please contact us to assess you used equipment.