Product and Tech Discussion


Watt Box Power Protection and Conditioning

Watt Box

With the arrival of the winter season in Washington we are once again able to hit the slopes, build a cozy fire, or just enjoy the beautiful view of the majestic snow covered mountains. However, unfortunate side effects are the winter storms that can cause havoc throughout the area with heavy rains, high winds, and sometimes even electrical storms.  These storms routinely cause massive power outages and unwanted electrical disturbances, like surges. Fortunately there are products to help protect your valuable equipment.

One of the leading lines of surge protection and power conditioning is a product called Watt Box. Watt Box comes in several configurations to fit your needs. Whether you need just a 2-outlet conditioner, or a 12-outlet conditioner with IP control and USB charging dock, Watt Box has you covered with everything in between. With top of the industry surge protection, power conditioning to filter out those unwanted electrical noises, and 18-gauge steel construction, Watt Box will negate any fear of unprotected equipment, and allow you to enjoy the beautiful sounds of the season through your beloved system. So stop by or give us a call to show you how Watt Box can be integrated into your system.

An 11 Out Of 10

JVC-DLA-X900700

Here is our latest testimonial from Robert who is, as you will see, a very satisfied customer and thrilled with his new 3D Projector.

HOLY S&#%T!!!!! – 11 stars

I watched Gravity in 3D last night. I was BLOWN AWAY!! The color was great, no contrast issues, no black level problems. I must admit with this JVC Projector the picture with Blu-ray was better than my old CRT in every way.

I cannot believe I just typed that.

Long story short, I am glad I purchased all three pieces of gear. I am glad I got them all through you guys.

Once again, Nuts About Hi Fi scores an 11 out of 10!

Robert

Video Calibration

video-calibration

Have you taken a walk through your local Big Box store lately? Have you noticed all of the TV’s on their shelves are set to stun?! And not in a way that Captain Kirk would be proud of. What I am talking about is how they are set to their highest light output levels, color and tint are pushed to blooming levels. All of the processing modes that these TV sets have to offer are on. Edge enhancement, sharpness enhancement, cinemotion drive, any way that the TV manufacturers can get their TV’s to look brighter, sharper and make them stand out from the rest of the TV’s on display. But, that is not a good thing when you bring those TV’s into your home, unless you are in need of a sun tan.

I guess it’s a pet peeve of ours as video installers when we see a TV or projector that is set up incorrectly. Most people open the box, put their TV on a stand or on the wall, maybe fool with the picture setting a bit, and then call it good. That is where calibration software and tools like a colorimeter come into play. Being able to correctly calibrate a projector or LED/LCD TV is best left to the experts. Nothing worse than messing up those settings on your brand new TV and now Anderson Cooper looks like George Hamilton. Not only does calibrating your TV or projector make the picture look better, but it also prolongs the life of the TV or projector by not pushing the LED’s or bulb (in a projector’s case) to their inherent limits. Bulbs and LED’s have a lifespan… best not to use them up before their time.

Nuts About Hi-Fi now offers full calibration of your TV or projector, new or old, LED or LCD. We have the tools to do the job. We feel it’s an investment in your video system that will help you enjoy it for many years to come. Give us a call and set up an appointment… your TV will thank you!

A Loudspeaker for Every Budget

Focal Grande Utopias

As a dealer for high-end audio/video, our job is to provide our customer with what we think are the best products that we can find. We often get asked the question “Why do you only carry one line of loudspeakers?” Well, when you have heard as many loudspeakers as we have the pleasure (sometimes not so pleasurable) of listening to over the last 30 or so years, you get the opportunity to be a bit particular in your listening. We have expectations for what a loudspeaker should do and not do, and at price points that will fit our customer base.

We have in our showroom just such a loudspeaker…Focal. We think (and many experts agree) that the Focal Grande Utopia is the finest loudspeaker on the planet. It’s also one of the most expensive. But Focal also makes products such as the Chorus 705, which is a bookshelf speaker that retails for $550 and has no equal in that price based on performance, looks and build quality. There are loudspeakers from Focal that will fit every budget, and every taste from classical to metal.

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Streaming quality audio

Sooloos-Control15

If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.
~ Carl Perkins

If you have not heard, we turned 25 this year. That is a major milestone in the Hi-Fi world. We have seen a lot of things change in the Audio/Video business. One of the biggest changes is of course streaming and downloading music and movies. It has changed the way many of us listen and view our audio and video content.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is we still like our content to be of high quality. And luckily that is possible with devices like Sooloos from Meridian, and Marantz, who put things like Pandora and Spotify into their new line of receivers.

We have seen a large number of our customers that want to take advantage of these great streaming options, but they do not want to sacrifice quality over convenience.

Quality, that’s a large part of what we do here at Nuts About Hi-Fi. We try to carry what we think are the finest in audio and video components. But we also try to carry value in our products too. What good is it to carry a $160,000 pair of speakers if only a few can enjoy them? The great part is that a company like Focal loudspeakers uses the same technology in their magnificent Grand Utopias as well as their more modestly priced Chorus 706.

Build, design, fit, finish and above all uncompromised sound is paramount in our industry. Without those things you are not providing your customer with a product that you would own in your own home.

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