“The best-sounding home theater I’ve ever heard”
You’re cordially invited to Lyric, Manhattan, to experience a truly transcendent home theater, one with sound quality above and beyond that of many commercial movie houses. Steve Guttenberg, a veteran hi-fi writer and qualified filmsound expert, auditioned this system during a visit to our Lexington Avenue showrooms and subsequently made it the subject of a CNET column that appeared under the above headline. Here are a few excerpts from that online review:
“When I dropped by Lyric Hi-Fi & Video (New York City’s oldest high-end shop), I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. There’s so much to see and hear, but then I was hooked into auditioning the Datasat RS20i surround processor with a full complement of Focal Electra series speakers, plus a pair of JL Audio F113 subwoofers. I’ve heard a lot of maxed-out home theater systems, but this one took multichannel sound to the next level.”
“The effortless scale of the presentation, seemingly unlimited dynamics, pantsflapping deep bass, and vivid transparency were all astonishing.”
“Datasat Digital Entertainment may be far from the most familiar name in high-end audio, but it used to be known as DTS Digital Cinema, and the name change dates back to 2009. Founded in 1993, DTS pioneered theatrical digital surround-sound systems for movie theaters. I was a projectionist at the time and as I recall, my theater’s sound was transformed with its first DTS processor. Today, over 30,000 cinemas worldwide use Datasat electronics.”
“Datasat is drawing upon its considerable cinema theater sound expertise to take home theater sound to the next level. Based on the demos I heard at Lyric Hi-Fi & Video the competition has a lot of catching up to do.”
Read the entire review HERE and scroll down for more information on this ultra-high-performance theater. Then visit our Manhattan store to experience it for yourself.
System components and the companies behind them
Datasat RS20i Surround Sound Audio Processor
Datasat, the name now used for the Oscar-winning film sound technology previously known as DTS, appears on a few choice home theater components as well as on professional products used by movie theaters worldwide.
Five Focal Electra Series Speakers
Thanks to its founder, Jacques Mahul, an engineer with a special gift for speaker-driver design, Focal is not only esteemed by audiophiles but has grown to become France’s leading loudspeaker manufacturer.
Two JL Audio Fathom f113 Subwoofers
The subwoofers produced by JL Audio, a Florida firm founded in the 1970s, have been consistent winners of The Absolute Sound magazine’s Editors’ Choice award. When used in pairs, these internally amplified powerhouses not only provide forceful, distinctly defined bass but expand a multichannel home theater’s listening area.
Kaleidescape Server & M-700 Disc Vault With Player
After two years of under-the-radar R&D led by company chairman Michael Malcolm, whose credentials combine advanced computer science degrees from Stanford with patents and a wealth of business experience, Kaleidescape burst onto the home A/V entertainment scene in 2003. It has gone on to accumulate dozens of awards for its products.
Lexicon GX-7 7-Channel Amplifier
Lexicon equipment is installed in nearly every one of the world’s recording studios. Backed by the resources of Harman International, its multi-billion-dollar parent corporation, the company was one of two recipients of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ 2014 Technical Grammy Award.
Nordost Cables & Connectors
Founded in 1991 and grounded in the fields of space flight and micro-surgery, Massachusetts-based Nordost produces cable for both the audio and medical industries. Its cables embody precision technology initially developed for the aerospace industry and, in conjunction with NASA, for America’s space shuttle program.
Sony 70-inch X850B 4K Ultra HD TV
Sony has been at the vanguard of home video imaging since the 1960s, when it introduced its Trinitron color TV line, with pioneering tube technology. Sony’s Trinitron models offered consumers substantially brighter pictures than contemporaneous sets with conventional shadow-mask tube technology.
About the columnist
Steve Guttenberg, who also writes for Stereophile, Home Theater and other publications, is a longtime columnist for CNET, the CBS Interactive unit that specializes in technology news and reviews.
