Coaxially Cool

The most common type of speaker design has a tweeter towards the top of the speaker and a woofer below it. Some speakers mix it up with a woofer above too, or maybe a mid-range in there somewhere.

The XQ40 from KEF, like most of their speakers, does something a little different. The tweeter is inside the woofer.

Something Old, Something New, Something Red, Green and Blue

I have this déjà-vu feeling that I've reviewed this projector before. And in some ways, I have. Much of this projector is very similar to the VW70 I reviewed last year, which itself was similar to the VW60 and the 50 and so on.

Each generation, though, has had notable and noticeable improvements, each a step up from its predecessor. The new VW85 brings us a big jump not just in contrast ratio or brightness, but in resolution.

RocknRolla

Sonus faber may be a small Italian speaker company, but you can literally see its influence in the curvy look of various B&W, KEF, Magico, Tannoy, Wharfedale and countless other speakers.

Thanks to Sonus faber, the box is out and round is in.

Sync Sounds

I don't drive big cars. Hate them. In my book, if a car's going to weigh 4,300 pounds it better have a second car sitting on top of it.

And despite all that, I was sad to see the MKS go. It's a fantastic ride, mostly due to the THX sound system and, gasp, Microsoft's Sync.

Clearly Different

If that pun made you roll your eyes, they only get worse from here.

There are cool speaker designs, and then there are cool speaker designs. Most of the designs we audiophiles drool over include words like "ribbon," "ultra-tweeter" or maybe "plasmawoofer." Drivers and crossovers with specs to make a techy salivate wrapped in a swoopy MDF and veneered cabinet.

Or maybe not so swoopy.

Worth the Effort

Being a serious beer connoisseur is a lot of work. Different styles of ales, for example, like to be cellared at different temperatures and all would rather be cellared upright, making the usual storage solutions available for wines unsuitable for us beer geeks. Then there’s all the shelf space required for glassware—because who would ever think to drink a Christmas Ale from a Weizen glass or an American lager from anything other than a plastic Dixie cup?

When less is more

Established just five years ago, NuVision has steadily expanded their line of premium flat panel HDTVs and are now offering this, their first LED-powered model, the 55-inch NVU55FX5LS (40- and 46-inch models are also available).

Serving Up Higher-Fi

The vast majority of the 4HD is the same as the 4 we reviewed last month.

But that's not to say all. The 4HD lives up to its moniker by offering storage and playback of high-resolution audio files, up to 24-bit/192Khz on its 2 terabyte hard drive. More bits are always good. As are a few cool new features.

The best gear of the year, as picked by the editors of Home Entertainment.

The 10 Best Designs of the Year