Yana :: Imaginative Audio and Video Solutions

Moon i3.1, Integrated Amplifier
"...while Simaudio rates the i3.3 at 100 watts per channel, this is into 8 ohms. Into 4 ohms, they claim a doubling of power to 200 watts per channel. Most manufacturers shy away from claiming 4 ohm power ratings, and fewer still will claim a doubling of power, the sign of a truly powerful amp. Then again, you probably should expect nothing less from a company that also makes a 170-pound, 500-watt-per-channel monster. Even running CD and SACD analog to the i3.3, the sound was full, rich and very addictive. Then there's the build quality. "Tank-like" is one description...And for all those old fashioned CDs you've still got, the DAC and M-AJiC work their, ahem, magic on those as well.

There are some audiophiles who would never touch digital. There are others who don't even own a record player. For either group, or for those thinking of testing the waters on the other side of the fence, the MOON i3.3 offers something for both: fantastic sound, digital or analog.

If you're looking to build a great sounding two channel system, look here first."

Home Entertainment, by Geoffrey Morrison, May 4, 2009

Elite Pro-141FD , Referance 1080p Plasma Monitor
"The Pioneer Kuros may soon be gone, but videophiles—Kuro owners or not—will not forget them. Hopefully Pioneer will license the Kuro secret sauce to another company to live again in another guise. But whether that happens directly or not, other manufacturers who genuinely seek to provide consumers with the best performance will take a very close look at what Pioneer has accomplished in its last, and sadly final, generation of sets. Their challenge will be to bring their own sets’ performance up to where Pioneer left off—and beyond. Hopefully the competition to be not only the cheapest, but the best, will drive that effort.

Whatever happens in that regard, we all owe a debt to every member of the Pioneer team who was involved in engineering and building the Kuro plasmas. They significantly advanced the state of the art in modern flat-panel displays. They all have much to be proud of."

Home Theater, Thomas J. Norton, April, 2009

Arcam AVR-600, Home Theater Receiver
"Arcam’s new AVR600 marks a huge advance over the previous state of the art, in all sonic parameters, and also boasts of video superior to most other A/V receivers. It’s human nature to believe that the state of the art, at any given time, is as good as things can ever get. But when we experience something that, like the AVR600, goes far beyond what we have heard (or seen) before, it expands our horizons of what is possible, and it literally re-defines the state of the art...
You want to get the AVR600, whether you have seven loudspeakers, or five, or two, to experience the best magic your system can deliver. It doesn’t matter what you have in your present system or how much it costs––just try putting the Arcam AVR600 into your system, and you too will be an amazed convert. Performance is everything. Any questions?"

Widescreen Review, Peter Moncrieff June 2009

Canton Vento Reference 5 DC, Loudspeakers
"It’s sometimes hard to quantify what makes a loudspeaker "worth it" when you’re looking at a five-figure price tag. But there’s no conversation going on in me about whether or not the Canton Vento Reference 5 DC is a good value. It simply and obviously is. I have seldom heard any speaker give such a complete and satisfying presentation of the music from top to bottom, without gaps, weaknesses, or compromises...

Canton has decades of experience in making loudspeakers, and has taken their business seriously by investing in the development of new technology. Auditioning the Vento Reference 5 DC should be something like test-driving a BMW: You needn’t worry about quality or even performance compared to other speakers in its price range, only whether or not the style of it suits you.

So I’m delighted to designate the Canton Vento Reference 5 DC an Ultra Audio Select Component. Few of the audio components that have come through my listening room have given me as much pleasure. There are many words to describe the 5 DC, but ultimately, it’s not about words. The musical food this speaker serves up is just delicious -- sit back and enjoy."

Ultra Audio, September 2008