Magnolia THE AUDIO ISSUE | Bringing inspiration to your space™
Magnolia | Bringing inspiration to your space™
BRINGING A DREAM SYSTEM TO LIFE GOING THE EXTRA MILE FOR THE ULTIMATE TWO-CHANNEL SYSTEM MARTIN LOGAN MAKES A GIANT SOUND STATEMENT THE NEOLITH MAKES ITS MARK THE WALKMAN® IS BACK SONY INTRODUCES THEIR NEW HI-RES PORTABLE DIGITAL MUSIC PLAYERS Issue number sixteen | Fall 2015
Issue number sixteen | Fall 2015 Magnolia | Bringing inspiration to your space f o r over 6 0 y e a r s™
42
creative director/editor-in-chiefcontents 2 A passion for amazing audio adrian clift A chat with Magnolia’s audio merchants. senior writer/executive editor karl kozlowski 4 Building the ultimate audio system marketing manager A once-in-a-lifetime sound system. kathryn gliniany content providers 9 Product spotlight sara klarstrom | madeline plahn Oppo PM-1 headphones & HA-2 amplifier. | david barnett 4 editor 10 Transforming a legend rachel imbrock The all-new Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond. digital assets 14 How do you improve on perfection? julie eiden | ann johnson Taking one amazing two-channel system and making it better. feature photography alexhayden.com 19 Product spotlight additional photography & retouching Bluesound Gen 2 hi-res wireless multi-room audio. Best Buy Studio 10 20 More than just outstanding cables Want to know more? AudioQuest goes beyond cables to “do no harm.” Visit us online at MagnoliaAV.com, BestBuy.com/magnolia, 22 The MartinLogan Neolith or follow us at: facebook.com/ A new sound statement. MagnoliaExperience and 25 Product spotlight twitter.com/MagnoliaAV. Something you’d like us to know? The Sonus faber Chameleon: What’s your mood? M magazine welcomes your comments 26 The Senheisser HD 630 headphones and observations. Please send them to: Audiophile sound you can take with you. Magnolia Marketing Dept. Attn. Kathryn Gliniany 28 Taking two-channel audio for a spin 7601 Penn Avenue South, 20 A modern system with that vintage vinyl sound. Richfield, MN 55423 or via e-mail to [email protected]. 32 The Walkman® is back Sony introduces two hi-res Walkman digital music players.
BEST BUY, the BEST BUY logo, the tag design, 34 The choice of professionals MAGNOLIA and the MAGNOLIA logo are trademarks Magnolia brings on M&K speakers. of Best Buy and its affiliated companies. © 2015 Best Buy. All rights reserved. 36 Integrating great sound with great design 28 Sonance’s solution to premium audio and premium design. 650-0313761 40 Top audio gear for men and women The top 5 audio products no man or woman should be without. 42 Making sound invisible Giving a family impressive sound without a speaker in sight. 48 Keeping it simple 32 System Designer Jason Ladnier removes the confusion.
find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 1 Premium audio: it’s defined by decibels and hertz, be influential on product design, how you use the product, and the tubes and tweeters, the latest technologies and materials. But at timing for the launch. Magnolia, it’s also defined by the memories it stirs in your soul and Karin: We also get feedback and input from our engineering the emotions it brings to your heart. To help bring this emotion teams. They work directly with our field teams as well as customers, home, Magnolia has two dedicated audio merchants in Sara so they see first-hand customer pain points with technology. Their Klarstrom, Merchant for Magnolia’s Design Center locations; and input helps vendors refine their products to make them easier to Karin Grahn, Senior Merchant for Magnolia’s Home Theater stores. install and easier to use for the customer. This is something the &A Together, these two help take you from just listening to your audio, vendors simply don’t have – they build the product, then all they to experiencing it. see is the sales results, so there’s that gap, and that’s where we M Magazine sat down with Sara and Karin to get their come into play. insights into Magnolia and audio. Here’s what they had to say, in their own words. Music brings back memories – it brings out emotions and M: What makes Magnolia’s product assortment so unique? Sara: Like with most things, when you make a bigger investment, makes the whole listening and you get more in return. For Magnolia that means you get a lot more watching experience real. technology imbedded in the speakers, receivers and headphones Sara Klarstrom, Magnolia Design Centers Audio Merchant we offer. There’s also a lot of time that’s put into research and development. We’re not always pressed to hit deadlines to release M: Why Magnolia for Premium Audio? the latest thing; if it takes a little more time to make a product perfect, Karin: Service, knowledge, technology and of course our amazing our vendors will do that. You don’t always see that everywhere else. assortment of brands. We’re here to help customers no matter the All of this allows the products and brands we offer to give you size or scale of their audio needs, whether it’s a single room or their more of what the core purpose is when you’re reproducing audio: entire house. Magnolia offers a complete solution that’s going to to hear what the recording artist or recording studio intended you help you no matter where you are in your audio journey. to hear. That’s more depth, a broader soundstage, and a much Sara: We’re also associated with a very strong brand in Best Buy® more holistic listening experience. stores. This gives us a great storefront, so now customers can come Karin: We also offer the latest cutting-edge products and in, demo products and make an informed decision. For many, technologies in audio. For example, last year we introduced Dolby the products Magnolia offers could only be researched online, ATMOS, as a more immersive home theater experience. We also with limited brick and mortar presence; now they can actually expanded on our distributed audio category with HEOS by Denon experience them, instead of just shopping online and hoping they and Play-Fi with products from Definitive Technology and Polk. made the right choice. We continue to look for new and innovative options to meet the Magnolia customers also have their guy or girl they can call expanding needs of our customers as wireless streaming continues when they need something. Our System Designers are dedicated to increase in demand. to being with you for the life of your product. And with stores Sara: Magnolia Design Center locations have also recently launched nationwide, even if you move, we’ve got somebody nearby to help digital Hi-Res audio. So you can finally get audiophile quality sound – you’re not going to find that with many other custom integrators. from a digital source. It’s who we are M: What’s the relationship like with these vendors, do you give Audio, it’s instrumental to the Magnolia brand, so much so that input into these products? we’ve dedicated this issue of M Magazine to it. With products, A PASSION FOR Sara: At Magnolia, our vendor relationships are actually more like services and our audio merchants all ensuring you get the most partnerships, and in many cases, we’re their largest outlet. We’re out of your sound, we’ll help you love audio as much as we do. able to get feedback from our retail team and our customers so Welcome to the audio issue. we’re able to help them build a product that fits people’s needs. We AMAZING AUDIO typically see these products before they come to market, so we can MAGNOLIA’S AUDIO MERCHANTS TALK, WHAT ELSE, AUDIO.
2 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 3 There’s an incredible difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is a passive experience. We “hear” muzak on an elevator or in a department store. Listening, on the other hand, is an active, cognitive process. We “listen” to a symphony in a music hall. True audio fans have been able to make this transition. They are able to listen in such a way that every note, every beat, every nuance of sound enters their soul and fills them with an otherworldly joy. It’s a gift we all can experience, we just need to have that passion, that love and the discipline to become engaged with the music around us. And for those that are full-on audio aficionados, this passion and love is often taken to another level, where no measure is too grand to get them to achieve that perfect sound. Building an audio system that takes them to this world is their dream. Here’s how Magnolia helped one such audio aficionado achieve that dream.
4 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 5 “Ultimately, the goal is to get to a place where the stereo disappears...”
It all starts with a relationship Isaac added, ”It’s not every day that you get to build he was impressed, but was looking for something else. and while Dave had spent a significant amount of time When you’re looking to build one of the finest two- a time machine like this. This is my dream job. The reality Based on Dave’s preferences and feedback, Isaac searching for the perfect speakers, once he heard the Audio channel audio systems anyone will ever hear, you can’t is, in my entire career, I have three systems that are magic, strongly suggested that he look at Sonus faber and, Research Reference 750 amplifiers plugged into the Aidas, go at it half way. It takes time, patience, passion and and this is in a different league. It was just such a privilege specifically, the Aidas. But there was an issue: Magnolia he was sold. “When they plugged in those amps, that was it. an incredible amount of knowledge. Nothing can be to be able to build something so special, so unique and doesn’t carry the Aidas in store, but they do carry the It took all of 10 seconds to hear that natural, open voice and overlooked. Finding someone to go on this journey with so personal for somebody. If I could build one system, Olympica IIIs. To ensure Sonus faber was the right brand instruments and I knew that these were right.” you is as important as finding the gear itself. For Houston Dave already has it, he owns my dream system.” for Dave, Corey gave him a demo. “These were much Coming home from Minneapolis, Dave had his resident and audio aficionado Dave, finding a company It was a system built piece by piece, day by day, more natural-sounding to me,” Dave told us. Yet he was foundation, now he needed bass. They found that there like Magnolia, along with two people as passionate over a nearly two-year span of time. “We built a little and still looking for a bit more, so Corey set up a meeting in wasn’t enough control in the bass or bottom end, so they about audio as he is in Magnolia System Designers Corey listened, then built some more and listened. It’s been Minneapolis for Dave to hear the Aidas for himself. started building on a pair of RELs. “I remember talking to Harrell and Isaac Markowitz, was imperative in getting his a long relationship,” Dave noted. And it’s that step-by- Dave and Corey, along with Magnolia Audio John Hunter at REL,” Isaac told us. “He suggested using dream system just right. Together, the three of them went step process that got Dave the exact system he was Merchant Sara Klarstrom, met at the Audio Research 6 of these subs, and I thought, wow, that seems like too on a two-year journey to build an unmatched, once-in-a- searching for. facility in Minneapolis. Audio Research is part of the much. So we came in with 4.” But the more they listened, the lifetime system. Fine Sounds group, the parent company of Sonus faber, more they realized 6 might be just right. With the sixth sub “The advice and counsel I’ve gotten from Corey, PIECE BY PIECE: and at their headquarters they had a pair of Aidas ready in place, the room had all the bass it needed. “With that sixth Isaac and Magnolia have been wonderful,” Dave told The perfect speakers for demo. With a suitcase full of music, Dave sat down sub, we only added about 50% more woofer in power, but us. “Even the guys who deliver the stuff, they’ve all been Inside Magnolia’s flagship Design Centers, you can demo and quickly fell in love. His long journey for the perfect the difference is way more than 50%,” Isaac told us. great. They’ve become almost part of our family. I know some of the finest speakers the industry has to offer. It’s speaker was over, but the search for the perfect sound “Once I heard it, there was no question,” Dave that may sound weird, but that says something to me the listening that makes the difference. Specs, photos and had just begun. added. “The speaker is the right speaker, the tonality is the about how Magnolia selects and develops its people. reviews are great, but for a speaker, you have to hear it to right tonality, the amplification is the right amplification.” That’s part of my business, so I’m sensitive to that. It’s know if it’s right for you. So when Corey Harrell showed The right amps and subs been an enjoyable experience doing this.” Dave one of Magnolia’s premier floorstanding speakers, These speakers needed power, the right power,
6 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 7 This microphone is used to find the perfect spot to sit Cables, the unsung hero in a room. By calculating the amplitude of different Often an afterthought, Isaac has always put great importance on positions in the room, you can adjust your speakers cabling in completing audio systems. “Cabling was a huge part of and your seating so you’re this job,” Isaac told us. “We demo’d power cables right in Dave’s confident you’re in the “magic spot.” home. Dave and his wife, Nancy, sat in the listening position and we had them listen to AudioQuest’s WEL Signature Series power cables. I’m not exaggerating: it wasn’t 3 seconds into that demo and Nancy said, ‘This makes all the difference.’ It’s that difference that takes a system like this from almost right to absolutely spectacular. It was now like nothing I’d ever heard before.” “My engineer’s brain couldn’t come to grips with the fact that the power cable could make such a difference,” Dave told us. “But it’s extremely obvious. The cabling for this system is substantial and Isaac advocated a careful and critical evaluation of the cables. Because of our relationship, I never looked at him as the sales guy pushing something and that let me trust it was worth my time and effort to hear these differences. In a system that is able to resolve as well as this one does, you hear these differences, so we ultimately went full on WEL everywhere, from power, to every interconnect.”
So what does it sound like? “I’ve spent a lot of time trying to articulate the sound of this system in words,” Isaac told us. “This is what I settled on: Would you ask a grain of sand what it’s like to be washed over by the gestalt of the ocean – to have the whole ocean’s pressure over you? That’s what it’s like to listen to this system. To be overwhelmed by space and air and presence in a way that you’re not even part of. You’re just in awe of this experience. That’s the only way I know how to describe music from a system of this caliber. It’s so effortless, lifelike and natural. It does it a disservice to call it a stereo.” Isaac went on to say, “Ultimately, the goal is to get to a place where the stereo disappears, where you are not listening to speakers with drivers firing in a particular orientation. Where you Above: AudioQuest’s WEL Signature cables are used have a semblance of space that exists in front of you, and people throughout this system. just populate that space.” Named for AQ founder William E. Low, they are a And for Dave? “It sounds hokey to say, but it’s different than culmination of 30+ years of AQ’s best materials and listening to a system; it’s not listening to a stereo, you just don’t hear techniques, allowing you to get as close to the actual the speakers. It’s music, it’s performance, and it doesn’t matter the sound as possible. Right: Magnolia System genre: it’s just existing there. I’ve never had a system that did it so Designer and audio well. It’s pure enjoyment.” aficionado Isaac Markowitz.
8 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT OPPO PM-1 HEADPHONES & HA-2 AMPLIFIER
LARGER THAN LIFE SOUND TO HEAR THE SMALLEST DETAIL
The team at OPPO spent years perfecting both the sound and comfort of the PM-1 Planar Magnetic headphones to deliver high-resolution performance with minimal distortion. With its transparent and highly dynamic characteristics, the listening experience is both free of fatigue and capable of communicating every nuance of your favorite music. Luxurious in both design and finish, the PM-1s feature lambskin leather ear pads, metal trim and a wooden storage box. And when you add the HA-2 portable headphone amplifier, your playback reaches new levels of precision, taking the sound from outstanding to phenomenal.
find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 9 MAKING A LEGEND EVEN MORE LEGENDARY
The All-New Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond
Already known as the industry standard for accurate M: How do you improve on an already legendary speaker? Andy: It’s easy: you just try. More specifically, what you do is start a project cycle going, sound, Bowers & Wilkins took their iconic 800 Series then stand back to observe the fireworks that ensue. At Steyning we have the concept of ‘improvement’ hard-wired into our DNA. In loudspeaker design everything makes a Diamond and tweaked, changed and upgraded difference; from the behavior of large and apparently critical components such as drive nearly every aspect of it. Why? Because as Andy Kerr, units and cabinets, to tiny and outwardly invisible elements such as resistors. We’re all about better: we take the view that even if something is only 0.1% Senior Product Manager for Bowers & Wilkins at their better, it’s still better – and as a result, we’re still interested in utilizing it. True, sometimes
Steyning Research & Development Facility in England you come across a giant, quantum leap in loudspeaker design, such as the shift from aluminum-dome tweeters to diamond-dome tweeters. But, more often than not, what Andy Kerr, told us, “we’re obsessive in our pursuit of a better Senior Product you’re talking about is those small 0.1% improvements. The key is to put together 10 or Manager for 20 or 200 of those minor changes in one hit – then, suddenly, your overall increment in Bowers & Wilkins loudspeaker.” As someone involved with the new capability becomes a big deal. 800 Series Diamond project from day one, we were What’s special about the new 800 Series Diamond is that we can talk about change both big and small in the same story. We’ve got giant leaps like Continuum and fortunate to have the opportunity to ask Andy a few Aerofoil to shout about, but we’ve made hundreds of smaller performance-enhancing
questions about these amazing new speakers. changes too.
M: Kevlar® has been the iconic standard of the 800 Series for such a long time. How does the new Continuum cone improve upon Kevlar? Andy: Kevlar isn’t just iconic to the 800 Series: it’s iconic to Bowers & Wilkins full stop. But let’s be clear: Kevlar is DuPont’s technology (which means others can use it). Continuum is all ours. We designed it, we have a patent application under way for it and we do not intend to share it with anyone.
10 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 11 Its concept is based on the knowledge we have gleaned from all those years of using Kevlar so successfully. But with Continuum, we wanted to move from simply controlling break-up behavior, to making it barely discernible. So what is Continuum made from? Sorry, we can’t say – not until that patent is approved, anyway. But the essence is this: it’s a woven composite material, like Kevlar. Its design is based on the concept of optimized and controlled flexibility. And the resultant cone is immensely better-sounding than Kevlar in every regard, with much lower noise, quicker response and superior resolution. Admittedly it did take us over eight years of research to get it right, but no doubt the wait (and all the work) was worth it.
M: The shape of the 800 Series seems to have done a complete 180 with the reverse wrap cabinet, can you comment on how this influences the sound? Andy: We’re always trying to make our enclosures as stiff and as resistant to resonance as possible. In the case of the reverse wrap design, the major portion of the cabinet is now a single piece of curved wood composed of multiple layers of laminated beech wood. The drive units are coupled into the cabinet at its strongest point – across the front of the curvature. This curvature is further reinforced behind the wood by an additional bracing structure – a massive aluminum plate – and on our larger models, this structure is further reinforced by 10mm thick steel plates that link the aluminum directly into our new, thicker and stiffer internal Matrix bracing system. Finally, our low-frequency drive units are housed in discrete aluminum bass pods: these are then coupled directly into the wood and aluminum of the front of the cabinet itself. Why go to all that trouble? Because as a result of all that effort our new cabinet is much more inert than Opposite Page: before, which means acoustically the energy from the drive units themselves is utilized far more efficiently. From the 803 and 804 D3 floorstanding Now you hear bass as it was meant to be rather than bass that is being colored by the acoustic impact of the speakers (top row) to the 805 bookshelfs, low-frequency enclosure. As one key additional benefit, we also have less cabinet diffraction thanks to the new the entire 800 Series Diamond line has design, because there’s less visible baffle ‘edge’ to impair the effective acoustic propagation of each drive unit. gone through a host of amazing improvements - M: Can you talk about the Aerofoil cone and its influence on these speakers? 868 to be exact. Andy: Aerofoil is a triumph of computer-based simulation. We wanted our new generation of bass units to offer significant improvements over the highly successful Rohacell-carbon composite cone. Its low mass and high bending stiffness are ideal for a bass cone, where drive unit sizes are often considerable and pistonic cone behavior is always desirable. So, we decided to stay with the same approach for the new Aerofoil cone, but we set ourselves higher targets for performance. We worked on finding a way to change the geometry of the cone to deliver superior stiffness where it was needed most (so as to avoid adding mass to the system). The upshot is Aerofoil, which refers not to a material property but to a geometry: cut a section through the cone and you’ll see that its form follows that of an aircraft’s wing, in that its profile varies in thickness – and thus in strength – along its diameter. Aerofoil cones behave even better than our Rohacell designs. They’re stiffer but no heavier and, as a result, they extend the pistonic behavior of the drive unit further up the audible range.
Some things never change Bowers & Wilkins made a total of 868 changes to the new 800 Series Diamond – each well thought out and each improving, if even slightly, the acoustics of this speaker line. The one thing that didn’t change is the element that gave this range its name, the diamond tweeter domes. Bowers & Wilkins is yet to find a material that can deliver the acoustic detail, naturalness and spaciousness of the diamond, but that doesn’t mean they’re not trying. To experience the next evolution of the 800 Series Diamond, visit your nearest Magnolia Design Center where you can examine these amazing changes, one-by-one, for yourself.
12 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 13 HOW DO YOU IMPROVE ON PERFECTION? Final 9.28.15
HOW DO YOU IMPROVE ON PERFECTION?
Three years ago, California resident Hal Owen walked into a Magnolia Design Center As amazing as this system is, there’s always that lingering question, “can it be better?” So Nearly every inch of this room has been designed to place the ideal and walked out with one of the finest audio systems anyone will ever hear. This dream when Hal met Magnolia System Designer Peter Colato and recognized his passion for audio, sound of all of this amazing gear right at the nose of anyone sitting setup includes Bowers & Wilkins 800 Diamonds, 1200-watt mono-blocks and a full he invited him to his house to experience his audio system, but also to find out if he could in the chair in the center of this McIntosh stack, all aimed toward a single chair in the center of the room. Perhaps even make it better. A near impossible task perhaps, but one Peter had the solution to with some room. It’s a system where inches truly do make all the difference. more impressive, there isn’t a TV in sight—a pure audio room that Hal calls his sanctuary. help from a few friends in the audio industry. Here’s that amazing story.
14 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 15 “Superman has his fortress of solitude, Bringing in the big guns positions slightly, widening his left and right speakers “When I started calling on Hal, his system was the by about 8 inches outward for a better soundstage. this room is most impressive home system I had ever heard,” Peter Although this sounds both small and simple, it takes an told us. “I have been to Bowers & Wilkins International incredible knowledge and authority to make this kind of my sanctuary Headquarters in England. I’ve seen their corporate office recommendation. How much could this actually change that I use every day.” showcase. This was better. It was so good that it was the sound in a room of this magnitude? As Marc told us, Hal Owen intimidating.” Yet Hal wanted to improve on his system, “These little moves can make a night and day difference. which for many would seem insane, but for the true audio It’s really quite amazing when you can set up a speaker aficionado, there is always a way to make improvements, properly; there’s actually a bit of an art form to it. If you even in a system as complete and amazing as this. So really take the time to pull the speakers off the wall a Andrew concluded, “It is difficult to describe how do you do it? If you work for Magnolia, you call in few inches this way or that way, move them forward or the pure joy on Hal’s face and demeanor as we your manufacturers’ reps. They are the secret weapon of backward a few inches, it can really change the staging of swapped in and out better and better levels of Magnolia’s Design Centers, with unparalleled knowledge how the music sounds. It’s the difference between sitting cabling and interconnects. Hal thought he knew the of their products and performance. in the back row of a concert or being in the fifth row.” peak performance levels of his gear; we showed him To start, Peter invited Marc Schnoll from Bowers & The next vendor Magnolia brought to Hal’s home something new and delightful that day.” Wilkins to visit the home. In the Los Angeles market, there was from McIntosh Labs. John Mezzano is the Regional Being surrounded by great people is possibly no one else who could listen to, diagnose Sales Manager for McIntosh/Fine Sounds in the Los From bringing in experts in every field, to making slight and make recommendations at this level of the speaker Angeles market. If you have questions about current tweaks and upgrades, it’s the relationships Magnolia game. Marc recommended Hal move his speaker or upcoming gear from McIntosh, John is your man. has with its vendors that makes it the place to shop for John was able to make some small suggestions as to audio, video and home automation. “The Magnolia sales For cables, Hal chose connectivity and configuration that had been bothering people know that we are a resource and a tool to be AudioQuest Wild Blue interconnects, a set of Hal since the initial install. As Peter told us, “Not that it used,” Marc told us. “Being that we’re so close with the Redwood speaker cables, and an new set of Water was done wrong, but with AV gear, there are oftentimes sales staff of every store, whenever there is a sale like this interconnects for his left and right Diamonds. several ways of configuring it, as we all know, and John’s we like to get actively involved. Let’s face it, it’s not every insight into McIntosh equipment and how it works day somebody is going to buy a $24,000 set of speakers, together is unparalleled.” so when they do, they want to feel a little special about Finally, Peter brought over Andrew Kissinger, the it. I think that’s what we provide, it allows us to get out Regional Sales Manager from AudioQuest. He came up there and give these customers that little extra personal from their headquarters in Irvine to Hal’s house with what touch.” Peter called “a big box of goodness.” Andrew added, “Marc and I have the pleasure of “I brought with me an assortment of various high- working for companies that allow and encourage us to end speaker cables, power cords and interconnects; build relationships like this where we can go and help and we went through what AudioQuest calls a ‘shared out customers directly. Being able to work one-on-one It takes a special knowledge, listening evaluation,’” Andrew said. “We actively listened with Magnolia Design Center stores, and work directly passion and ear to create this level of audio system. and discussed the difference each cable made in each with their clients whenever it’s called for, ultimately yields Lower right: The team that helped bring it all together category. It was a very organic process where the fantastic results – elevating the level of performance in (from left to right) Andrew Kissinger, Regional Sales client got a chance to hear the benefits and technical these systems, and ultimately elevating the joy in these Manager from AudioQuest; attributes of the products. In the end, the process was customers’ faces.” Peter Colato, Magnolia System Designer; and Marc Schnoll, very refreshing, it was Hal telling us what he wanted in Regional Sales Manager from Bowers & Wilkins. his system.”
16 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 17 Finally. Hear Everything.
Nothing brings you closer to the quality of a music performance than Hi-Res Audio. It delivers the original, full range of sound from the master recording o ering a studio-quality listening experience you have to hear to believe.
Hear the future of sound at a Best Buy Magnolia Design Center near you.
For more details visit www.sony.com/hires
© 2015 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Sony is a registered trademark of Sony. NWZ-A17 & MDR-1A All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT BLUESOUND GEN 2
Hi-Res Wireless Multi-Room Audio Wireless digital multi-room audio and high-resolution audio are quickly becoming the belles of the audio world ball. While there are a number of brands that offer you one or the other, Bluesound is the first to offer a system with both. With a passion for musical detail, texture and volume, Bluesound has painstakingly designed a cutting-edge, pure digital platform that delivers unmatched wireless multi-room sound. Gen2 features a totally new, streamlined design, plus a host of new features including a TV Connect feature and an integrated headphone jack with dedicated amp. It’s a system you don’t need to be an audiophile to appreciate, but you might just become one once you do. Bluesound’s second-generation speaker line is on display at 25 of our stores, but available for order at all Magnolia Design Center locations.
find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 19 Final 10.8
AUDIOQUEST • MORE THAN JUST OUTSTANDING CABLES
For decades, AudioQuest has been known for one DragonFly 1.2 Digital-to-Analog Converter That’s not all folks Now in its second generation, the DragonFly DAC Version 1.2 is a simple to use AudioQuest is reaching new stratospheres thing – exceptional audio and video cables. The device that delivers superior sound from your desktop or laptop by bypassing the of sound with cables, headphones and
choice of both audio and videophiles, AudioQuest poor quality sound card that is built into your computer. The size of a flash drive, headphone accessories—many with animal it connects to the USB jack on your Mac® or Windows® PC, turning them into a and insect names just for fun. But AudioQuest has also been Magnolia’s first choice when installing true high-fidelity music source. Simply plug your headphones, desktop speakers isn’t stopping there. Still to come is the Beetle,
the finest home entertainment and two-channel or stereo system into the DragonFly and experience every nuance of your favorite an optical-Bluetooth-USB digital-to-analog music. It’s the easiest way get incredible sound out of your personal computer. converter, and perhaps even more exciting, systems into customers’ homes. As AudioQuest AudioQuest’s first power conditioner, the
continues their mission to “Do No Harm” to the Niagara 7000 Low-Z Power Noise-Dissipation JitterBug USB Data & Power Noise Filter System. If the goal is to make audio as pure as audio and video signals you encounter every All computing devices inherently generate a significant amount of noise and it can be and “Do No Harm” to whatever it is parasitic resonances that can easily find their way onto your USB cables and into your you’re listening to, AudioQuest is working on day, they’ve found even more ways to reduce this audio system. This noise and interference has many negative effects, like increasing a solution. Check out their latest innovations, “harm.” These solutions have brought AudioQuest jitter and packet errors, resulting in distortion that causes a comparatively flat and with even more coming soon to your nearest irritating sound. Noise-compromised analog circuitry also damages the sound’s Magnolia Design Center. beyond just cables into a world where audio depth, warmth and resolution. Enter the JitterBug. The JitterBug measurably perfection is closer than ever. Here’s a quick look at reduces unwanted noise currents and parasitic resonances. It also reduces jitter and packet errors (in some cases, packet errors are completely eliminated), for clearer what’s new from AudioQuest, and a little peek into and more compelling sound, music and dialog. Pair it with the DragonFly for an what’s on the horizon. unmatched computer-audio experience.
NightHawk AudioQuest’s first foray into the headphone game, NightHawk is the result of over two years of development. Using sustainable engineering, high-quality materials and creative thinking, NightHawk takes everything you thought you knew about headphones to another level, minimizing waste while maximizing performance and value. NightHawk’s materials are revolutionary. Starting with “Liquid Wood,” a combination of actual wood and reclaimed plant fiber, it is heated and liquefied then shaped into whatever you wish – in the case of NightHawk, an earcup that better resembles the human ear. This Liquid Wood also has far superior acoustic properties, giving these headphones better sound from a more sustainable source. Next, these semi-open headphones use a 3D-printed part (the first completely original headphone to do so) in the biomimetic grille. This grille diffuses sound and defeats the resonances that ultimately distort and damage your music. For fit, the flexible headband efficiently distributes the headphone’s weight, while the patent-pending suspension system allows the earcups to move freely for a fit you’ll enjoy all day. And the cables? They’re all AudioQuest, purposefully designed to minimize distortion, promote intense user satisfaction, and provide a deep emotional connection to the music.
20 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 21 THE NEOLITH MARTINLOGAN’S NEWEST SOUND STATEMENT
MartinLogan has never been afraid to push the boundaries of what a floorstanding speaker can be. In fact, they’re one of the only major speaker manufacturers to even attempt to make an electrostatic speaker, much less develop a brand around this technology. (For those who don’t know, the electrostat is, simply put, that large, cheese-grater-looking component that gives MartinLogan its unique look and sound.) It’s this unique feature that MartinLogan takes to a whole new (and perhaps extreme) level every decade or so. It all began with the giant Monolith speaker that got the brand off the ground in 1983. Fifteen years later, they shocked the audio world with the $120,000 Statement E2. Then, to celebrate their 25th anniversary, they brought out If you want to nerd-out over the technology in these the CLX. And now, more than 30 years after the Monolith made speakers, the Neolith doesn’t disappoint there either. The its debut, MartinLogan is shocking the audio world again with a exclusive advanced-topology Vojtko Crossover uses hand- speaker that measures 6 feet tall, 2.5 feet wide and almost 3 feet selected components for optimum power handling. The deep. That speaker is the Neolith, the speaker MartinLogan is passive speaker design of the Neolith gives you more control, touting as the heart and soul of their brand, delivering a limitless allowing single-wire or bi-amp connections with silver sound experience. filigree WBT Binding Posts, plus a unique system of audio adjustment jumpers. The incredible Neolith frame is made Not for the faint of heart of non-resonant Phenolic Resin Polymer, smoothly finished Neolith is a giant, but one with a voice and heart of pure gold (not in a premium automotive gloss and available in a handful of literally). It features MartinLogan’s largest electrostatic radiating colors. To compliment this design, its handcrafted woofer surfaces to produce a detailed, ultrarealistic soundstage. cabinet is wrapped in elegant soft leather. Now that’s one heck The Neolith’s proprietary curvilinear electrostatic transducer of a speaker! delivers nearly the entire mid-range and high-frequency audio spectrum. Smoothly blended low frequencies are provided It all comes down to sound The Neolith is available in seven amazing colors, from by a 15" rear-firing ported woofer and 12" front-firing sealed Specs, size, accolades: all of this means nothing if you don’t love Rosso Fuoco (pictured) to a more subtle Basalt Black. mid-bass woofer. Combined, they deliver powerful, extremely the sound. That’s why we’ve commandeered a pair of Neolith accurate bass. But, perhaps most amazingly, the Neolith is speakers for demonstration at our Galleria Magnolia Design completely uninhibited by room limitations—so nearly any Center in Texas. Now you can experience these amazing space big enough to house these speakers can experience the speakers for yourself, as you relish in this massive, no-holds- awe-inspiring sound of the Neolith. barred experience of breathtakingly articulate sound.
22 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 23 MAGNOLIA_ADZ_JULY_2015_FullPage_ALL.pdf 1 9/3/2015 4:30:19 PM
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Unfair
Yes, it’s unfair that no other headphones in this price range have our technology, nor our stunning sound quality. Our special planar magnetic driver gives you that “you are there” listening experience with an extended frequency response that opens up a new world of sound for you. Our unfair advantage goes even farther – industrial design by BMW’s DesignWorks, and aluminum construction for lifelong pride of ownership.
The new EL-8. Unfairly priced as well. PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT SONUS FABER CHAMELEON
What’s your mood? When you think of Sonus faber, power, performance, precision and musicality probably come to mind. And when you think of a chameleon, you most likely picture those little reptiles that change colors with their surroundings. Fittingly enough, these two definitions clearly define the Sonus faber Chameleon. These speakers deliver incredible performance to both stereo and multi- channel systems with a sound that’s all Sonus faber. Like most Sonus faber speakers, they’re covered in leather with drivers embellished with aluminum trim. But it’s the interchangeable side panels that make these speakers really stand out. Choose your mood, décor or personal style with colors that range from white, black and metal grey, to red, orange and blue. It’s all the serious sound you’ve come to expect from Sonus faber, with a totally new, fun and funky style.
find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 2515 AUDIOPHILE SOUND Most headphones are a one-sound-fits-all proposition. YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU You get what you get no matter what you’re listening to. But with the Senheisser around-the-ear audiophile headphones, you can adjust the bass while on the move, toggle easily between control of Android and IOS operating systems, even fold them up to fit neatly in the included carry bag for a SENNHEISER truely portable audiophile experience. Finally, you get what you want, and so much more than you ever imagined.
Audiophile quality, portable design HD 630VB The terms audiophile and portable typically don’t go hand in hand. Whether it’s the size of most audiophile headphones, the delicate nature of the materials or the price, most of these headphones aren’t built for portability. Until now. Optimized for portable devices, the HD 630VBs have an impedance of 32ohm, so volume is never an issue. Audiophile in every aural and technical way, they feature cutting- edge transducers for clear, powerful reproduction. With a frequency response of 10 to 42,000Hz, they will drive all your favorite tunes, including high-resolution audio files. Collapsible in design and crafted with strong, lightweight aluminum ear cups, yokes and sliders, the fear of damage is placed at a minimum. And with their well-cushioned ear pads and adjustable headband, they are amazingly wearable. Now you finally have a true audiophile headphone that’s also truly portable.
Choose your bass Most of us listen to a number of different genres of music: jazz, classical, rock, R&B, country. Because the bass you desire in each of these styles of music is unique, the HD 630VBs feature an easy-to-use, variable bass controller on the right ear cup. Working at 52Hz, it hits the very low frequency of a kick drum. Simply turn the dial to adjust the deep end of your music, then re-adjust it, if you wish, with each new track. Beyond controlling the bass, this ear cup controller lets you adjust the volume, select a track, or make and take calls via the inline microphone. So now you can leave your smartphone or music player in your pocket, purse or bag and still have complete control.
The all-in-one With most headphones, you are left choosing between one of the following: portability, sound quality or value. With Senheisser’s HD 630VB you get all three. And not just a bit of each; they are all magnificently present, giving you a pair of headphones that will keep you listening longer, better and anywhere you wish.
26 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 27 TAKING TWO-CHANNEL AUDIO FOR A SPIN
It’s the common denominator for anyone seeking the ultimate two-channel system. The same was true for California resident Arthur who set out to duplicate the opera music he’s enjoyed since he was a child. To bring this experience to life, Magnolia helped this fan of vinyl build a system with the finest speakers for his ear and his space, the right components to drive them, and a turntable uniquely installed into a rack for accessibility. The result: Arthur is sent to his favorite music hall, fifth row center, with the drop of a needle on his favorite record.
Even though this room houses a giant flat-panel TV, it’s the two-channel sound system that brings this room to life with two Bowers & Wilkins 802s powered by an incredible McIntosh stack.
Interior design by Elaine Biser, A.S.I.D. [email protected]
28 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 29 Getting the right sound There’s an interesting thing that happens when you go to demo a loudspeaker in most places; the sales person will put on his favorite record or CD and say, “Listen to this; doesn’t it sound wonderful?” The problem is, if it’s not your kind of music; your genre, your style, or something you’ve heard before; you really can’t make a proper critique of the speaker. That’s why at Magnolia, we encourage you to bring in your favorite record or CD, and give our speakers the once-over with the sounds you know best. Arthur knew this fact all too well, so when he stepped into Magnolia, he had his favorite vinyl in hand. “I remember bringing in my record to try out. I couldn’t believe the quality of sound in the audio room, and when I heard the Bowers & Wilkins 802s, I was sold.” Now all he needed was power. So System Designers John North and Brian Chan worked closely with Arthur to make sure his every need was met. “We wanted to make sure that if he’s making this kind of investment on Bowers & Wilkins flagship speakers, we also gave him everything he needed to get the most out of them,” Brian told us. “We’re in the business of making customers happy. So we aimed to build Arthur the type of system he really desired, and we wanted to make sure everything was tidy and spot on.” That meant bringing together a system that includes McIntosh 601s, AudioQuest cables, a Furman power conditioner and the incredible McIntosh MT10 turntable, all into a single rack. Oh yes, Magnolia integrated a turntable into his rack. “I talked to Mid Atlantic and learned they had a shelf that pulls in and out of their rack, and it could accommodate this 50-pound turntable. It worked out great – because there was really nowhere else to put it. It looks amazing,” Brian said with a smile.
Going for two The term two-channel means very little to the average audio fan, but as Brian put it, it takes a special kind of client to want this kind of system. “You really have to be an audio connoisseur to have the appreciation and dedication to have just two speakers. It’s kind of a lost art. The same is true with turntables – while they’ve made a bit of a comeback, people are just starting to realize that, if you want to replicate a studio master, you simply must have a turntable. You can’t get that from CDs. Sure, CDs are great, but no comparison to turntables. Digital hi-res can get you there, but a turntable gives you that full lossless audio that’s unbeatable.”
An investment in enjoyment This Page: The McIntosh stack is housed in a very special rack Any system is only as valuable as the amount of joy one gets out of it. For Arthur, the that allows the turntable to use outweighed the expense. “One of the things I like to do on Saturdays is stay at slide out when needed.
home, turn on this system, read a book and drink some wine. It’s very relaxing to me. Opposite Page: The team that brought this system together, So for me, this has all been a great investment.” (from left to right) Trevor MacMillan, Installer; Working with Magnolia made that feeling even more worthwhile. “I think the Henry Wong, Project Manager; people at Magnolia are great. I understand problems will come up with an install Brian Chan, Senior System Designer; David Espitia, like this, where several different brands are brought together in a custom setting, Installer. but Magnolia did a great job resolving those issues. I always knew I would be taken care of, and because this level of service was part of the job, it really made it great for me.”
30 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 31 Portability, Power, Performance even videos in rich, clear brilliance, while their interfaces Sony jumps into the future of digital audio with two make searching for the right song a breeze. Now you hi-res Walkman music players that are capable of can spend more time listening, and less time fumbling handling a variety of digital audio formats, ranging through your music. from standard CD-ripped tunes, to 192kHz/24-bit high- resolution audio, delivering sound that is up to 6-times Take them for a spin the resolution when compared to a standard CD. You can With the Sony high-res Walkman, it’s like going from enter this audiophile quality world with Sony’s A17 hi- a standard definition TV to ultra-high definition, and res music player that delivers 64 GB of built-in memory, Magnolia is primed to be the perfect place to experience with a microSD memory card slot so you can store even it. Beyond your ability to try out these high-res audio more music. Battery life is impressive as well, offering up players right in our stores, our selection of premium to 50 hours of music playback on a single charge. Or you headphones allows you to experience this amazing audio can upgrade to the flagship ZX2 and double that memory to its full potential. The future of audio is here, it’s high-res to 128 GB with 60 hours of MP3 playback and up to 33 and it fits in your pocket. We’re ready, are you? hours of hi-res audio playback. Whichever you choose, get ready for studio-quality sound that you can take with you anywhere. To bring you this incredible sound in such a compact design, Sony incorporated two new technologies: the S-Master® HX digital amplifier and the DSEE HX. The S-Master® HX digital amplifier delivers faithful, detailed, wide-frequency audio reproduction. While the DSEE HX restores the high frequency signals stripped by the audio compression process, accurately expanding the audio signal bit-depth, in real time, to hi-resolution sound quality to deliver natural, spacious sound. HIGH DEF With anti-reflective LCD displays, these FOR YOUR EARS players reveal album artwork, photos, and
strapped to the waist of the hippest kids, teens and adults at that time. While its portability delighted music fans, its playback ability left audiophiles desperately seeking more. Over the next three decades, audio quality never reached the superior sound of vinyl. While CDs took music quality a few steps forward
over cassette tapes, the digital music era took sound quality a few steps back when their convenience Magnolia is offering two models of the new Sony replaced CDs. It wasn’t until that digital sound finally moved into a high-resolution format that vinyl Walkman digital hi-res music had a worthy adversary, and true music lovers had something to rival the original recordings. The only player: the flagship ZX2 (left) with 128 GB of memory with problem—you needed a player that took up as much space as those large round discs to hold and play a 4.0 inch touch-sensitive screen, and the A17 with this hi-res sound. But now, we have Sony’s new hi-res digital music players, and they are bringing the 64 GB of built-in memory. Walkman brand we know and love from the ‘80s back and into the future, with two new players that encapsulate everything we loved about the original, while catapulting them into another stratosphere when it comes to sound quality.
32 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 33 M&K, THE CHOICE OF PROFESSIONALS
Just Like the Original Whether it’s the same brand of golf clubs as your favorite golfer to duff up your local M&K speakers create a sound that they simply describe as “right.” course, or playing the same brand of piano as your favorite musician to struggle M&K believes that “the only truly worthwhile listening experience is through Chopsticks. We like having what the pros have, even if we can’t play like one that transports you to the site of the original they do. Thankfully, when it comes to audio, you don’t need any special skills to get acoustic event with absolutely minimal the full enjoyment out of the same brand of speakers that the film, music and loss, addition or distortion.” This is broadcast studios use. Introducing M&K Sound, the speaker of why M&K speakers are designed to choice for Hollywood, now available at select Magnolia Design allow you to hear exactly what the Center locations. Now you too can experience the sound just as performers and recording engineers those who created it intended. heard: no more, no less. It’s this dedication to accurately deliver the Rock star beginnings original signal that has given M&K a “The choice of professionals” is a very apropos slogan for M&K fiercely loyal following among both Sound, not only because of who uses these speakers today, but professional users and music and also because of how the company got its start. In 1973, a world home cinema enthusiasts. Now, with famous L.A. rock band commissioned M&K Sound to design a line of speakers inside the family a studio reference subwoofer and monitoring system for their room setting of select Magnolia mixing sessions. The result: the world’s first balanced dual- Design Centers, you too drive subwoofer, and a sound that started to get a can experience these lot of attention. speakers in a true-to- Studios began to ask M&K Sound to create life setting, realizing the systems for their professional use, while producers, true essence of every directors, actors and recording artists wanted M&K recording. speakers for their home installations. M&K Sound’s professional monitoring systems rapidly became the standard for both music and film sound, and today can be found at Universal, Paramount, Lucas Films, Sony and Dolby studios. Yes, the studios that mix and master some of the top movies and audio soundtracks we enjoy every day rely on M&K speakers to ultimately bring this sound to you.
34 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 35 INTEGRATING GREAT SOUND WITH
the architect has a vision, the interior designer has a vision, and design consultants all have a vision. If you’ve ever been to a model home showcase you can see this vision; clean lines, GREAT clean spaces, everything placed perfectly where it should be without a chair, window treatment, plant or coffeetable book out of place. But where’s the technology? DESIGN You see, what Sonance found is designers and architects typically hate technology. It’s clutter. They keep as much of it out of these model homes as they can because it takes their perfect design and adds chaos. It’s that very chaos that takes these buildings and turns them into homes. So what do you do if you want high design, but still want premium audio in your home? Sonance has the solution, and it’s not just a solution that meets the needs of the designers: it’s a solution that also meets the demands of those that crave quality audio.
Eliminating the clutter & the compromise When you look at the layout of a home created by a designer or architect, you’ll rarely see rooms with two large floorstanding speakers, rear surrounds and a giant sub in the corner. It’s not part of their plan, it’s not on their radar. But if you’re an audio fan, these are necessary elements to have in your home. That’s where Sonance comes into play, by incorporating Sonance in- wall and in-ceiling speakers, these elements disappear into the room, allowing the room to be the focus, while still allowing great sound in the space. And with Sonance, when they say great sound, they mean it. While other architectural speakers may lose sound quality to be able to squeeze a speaker into your wall or ceiling, Sonance, the inventors of the in-wall speaker, have never compromised on sound. In fact, for this brand, the emphasis on premium sound has always come first, with research and innovations to ensure their in-wall speakers compete on an equal playing field as any giant floorstanding speaker. So even though you may barely notice Sonance speakers on your wall or in your ceiling, you’ll definitely notice the amazing sound when the system is turned on.
36 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 37 Lighting’s influence on audio dispersion and design For Sonance, the relationship between how you provide light in a room resonated strongly with how they wanted to provide audio for those same rooms. To accomplish this task, Sonance went about this idea of lights influencing sound in two ways: design of the speaker unit and the dispersion of sound. When looking at lighting design, Sonance was quick to discover that there are many different sizes and shapes of in-ceiling lighting. To incorporate speakers into this world, Sonance found it essential to have speakers that matched, with a host of sizes and shapes, so when you look up you’re not seeing large round speakers with tiny square lighting units. Now the design of the speakers matches the lighting design of the room, helping the speakers disappear even further into the architecture. For dispersion of sound, Sonance looked at how in-ceiling lighting was being used to light different rooms. One needs only look at their own home to realize how rare it is to have a single light used to illuminate an entire room. Kitchens, for example, have lighting over the island, under-lighting for the cabinets, and in-ceiling lights that scatter the space to properly light the entire room. Bigger lights in certain areas, smaller in others, but enough lighting to create scenes and groupings to fill the space with the appropriate amount of light from edge to edge. Looking at how this light filled the room, Sonance discovered audio should work in the same way. A single speaker couldn’t provide the proper amount of sound for an entire room. You needed multiple speakers properly placed to bring exquisite sound to the Top and bottom: By entire room. And like that lighting — more in some areas, less in others — allowed for “audio scenes.” Now using multiple speakers surrounding your room or sound permeates every corner of your house without loud areas here, and quiet areas over there. Instead, outdoor area, you get clean, even sound no matter where you have clean, even sound everywhere. This doesn’t just make for a more design-friendly space, it makes you are in the space. Hear it, don’t see it. Above: A good example of for a more well-balanced audio space. No longer do you have to be in the perfect seat in your living room matching the size and shape of the speaker with the size to truly enjoy your home audio system, you can be anywhere. That’s Sonance’s influence and shape of the lighting Sonance has also incorporated this thinking into their outdoor speaker line. Where once the only fixtures to help the audio on design. blend in. solution was to mount speakers on your house and blast the sound to your yard, Sonance’s Sonarray systems look at the yard as a whole. The Sonarray system uses eight smaller speakers to surround your yard with sound, pushing the audio in. Now, you can have even sound throughout your yard without blasting those near the house, or your neighbors. The Sonarray system also includes a sub for high- quality bass. And if you have a larger yard, multiple Sonarray systems can be connected together, so no area is without superior quality sound.
The dream solution for design and sound
Patio Magnolia Design Centers work very closely with Sonance to ensure solutions like these can be incorporated whenever Magnolia enters a home. While some will
Bedroom still want the latest floorstanding speakers and surrounds on display, those who want a more discrete solution will also have a great choice. Design
and acoustic brilliance, together without any compromise: that’s the Family Room Family
solution Magnolia and Sonance can bring to your home.
Bedroom
Kitchen
Bedroom
Room
Master Dining
Bathroom Master
38 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 39 Office While audio products aren’t Top Audio gender specific, there are certain products no man, or woman, should be without. Gear For HIM & HER Here are our Top 5:
1. Headphones: Exceptional sound 1. Wireless Speakers: Small and for one – designed, tuned, just for your portable, just like the perfect purse, the right ears. That’s what the right pair of headphones wireless speakers are something no woman would can do. From a statement of your audio prowess, to want to be without. From waterproof models you can the ultimate fashion statement – rich leathers, high-end take to the pool or the beach, to models you can place materials, sophisticated style – every man should have a pair throughout your home for wireless whole-home audio, wireless of headphones that shows off his individuality. speakers are a great accessory to any day’s plan.
2. Tower Speakers: The right tower speakers not only deliver 2. Earbuds: When your shoes match your nail polish, being fashionably audiophile quality sound you can share with your friends, they’re also synchronized is not an option, it’s a necessity. The same should be true a monument of style and design. Big box speakers are no longer in with your portable audio. Premium earbuds not only deliver amazing vogue; a sophisticated man needs speakers that are equally stylish and sound, but they also offer a sense of style and fashion. And let’s be honest sophisticated. – the fact they don’t mess up your hair is a big plus.
3. Turntable: It’s the refined gentleman who spins the large round platter. 3. Soundbar: For many women, bulky speakers just aren’t their style, but Audiophile or not, a turntable is not only a sign of being progressive while getting the right audio from their ultra-thin TVs is still vital. The right soundbar peeking at the past, it makes a nice conversation piece next to those ultra- can not only deliver amazing sound to your movies and TV shows, but many modern speakers. Premium sound never looked so intriguing. can now be used as Bluetooth or networked speakers for your digital music.
4. Outdoor Speakers: You don’t have to be a flannel-wearing 4. Architectural Speakers: You love audio, and you’d like it in every room outdoorsman to crave proper outdoor sound. Whether you’re having of your house. You’ve also spent countless dollars designing your home a party, playing with the kids in the yard, or just relaxing, having great to look just the way you want it. Architectural speakers hide themselves sound outside is essential for any man who loves music and loves in your ceiling or walls without taking from your décor. The perfect the great outdoors. compromise without compromising on sound quality.
5. Premium Receiver: Speakers may be the beauty of any 5. Hi-Res Audio Player: If you’re a woman on the go, who system, but the receiver is the brawn – and without the always wants audiophile music with you, then look no right one, your sights and sounds won’t live up to their further than a Hi-Res Audio Player. Small enough to fit promised billing. The right receiver really lets in a pocket or clutch purse, or strap to your arm for you show off your muscle. exercise, it’s the best way to bring incredible sound with you no matter where you may go. 1. Audeze EL-8 Open-Back Headphones 2. Sonus faber Olympica III Floorstanding Speakers 3.Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Turntable Turntable Debut Carbon 3.Pro-Ject Sonus faber Olympica III Floorstanding Speakers 2. Open-Back Headphones Audeze EL-8 1. Receiver Theater Home RSX-1562 Rotel 5. System SR1 Outdoor Speaker Sonance SONARRAY 4. Wilkins C5 Series 2 In-Ear Headphones Bowers & 2. Speaker Wireless Omni S2 Network Polk 1. Walkman® Sony ZX2 High-Resolution 5. Speaker VP62R In-Ceiling Sonance Soundbar 4. Vision Motion MartinLogan 3.
40 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 41 THE INVISIBLE SOUND
A 6.1-channel speaker system without a boxy speaker in sight. Why 6.1 and not 7.1? Because Magnolia created a phantom center using the right and left speakers to produce that center channel sound.
When working with modern homes, clean sight lines and uncluttered spaces are of utmost importance. In this Southern California home, the family wanted great sound, while keeping their home’s décor as pristine as possible. Magnolia Senior System Designer Brian Chan had a few tricks up his sleeve to give this family the impressive sound they wanted, with a nearly invisible look the homeowner found equally as impressive.
42 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 43 A great room to entertain By choosing the correct two side speakers, and placing With high ceilings, incredible art and them correctly on the wall, they would fool the ear into a giant couch fit for all, the only thing thinking a center channel existed. And the sound? Let’s this great room needed was – well, just say you’d spend days looking for a center speaker if “We wanted our entertainment. But as important as it was you didn’t know Magnolia had performed this little trick. to bring in the finest audio and video, Then Magnolia made the sub disappear by installing a music by the pool it was equally important that the room Bowers & Wilkins subwoofer into the wall that uses only a be the focal point, not the technology. small port to deliver the bass. without bothering To help look at this space and discover One last amazing aspect to this space is that it’s our neighbors. what might be possible, Brian Chan, Dolby Atmos® enabled. By choosing a Marantz Dolby This system really along with Project Manager Shawn Reed, Atmos receiver, when the family wants to watch Dolby accomplishes that.” did an onsite walkthrough of the home, Atmos compatible movies, the receiver will automatically designing and engineering a system that adjust the sound to the 360º all-around-you sound was big and robust on audio and video, of Atmos. The fronts, sub and ceiling-mounted rear yet subtle in design. speakers provide the surround sound, while the two But subtly has its challenges, ceiling-mounted mid speakers delivering the above-you especially when you’re dealing with such a sound of Dolby Atmos. large room with existing features that were equally as large. “The biggest hurdle,” Outdoor sound you have to not see to believe Brian told us, “was the fireplace. It puts out Located on a high-end golf course, outdoor speakers 50,000 BTUs, so the manufacturer recommended 6 feet might seem like an impossible option as silence is key of non-combustible space above it.” With an 85" TV to be when players tee off just 100 feet away. To solve this, mounted over it, six feet would leave your neck craning to Magnolia installed Sonance Sonarray outdoor speakers the sky. To fix this issue, the homeowner put in a custom that dot the outside of the property and push the sound deflector that pushes the heat away from the TV, allowing in toward the house. Not only do these speakers not Magnolia to mount the TV in the perfect spot. disturb the golfers on the course, but, like the speakers For sound, big bulky speakers were never an inside the house, they’re nearly invisible hiding among option, as it didn’t fit the home’s, or the homeowners’, the shrubs. design needs. So it was important to find the right For the front spa area, the noise volume isn’t as big architectural speakers to deliver the big amazing sound of a concern, but creating invisibility still is. So Magnolia the family wanted. Looking at the space, in-wall speakers brought in two rock speakers, which were placed into the would go on either side of the fireplace while four in- landscape, providing incredible sound without making ceiling speakers would be used for the sides and rears. a huge visual impact. But one issue still remained: where to put the center “We enjoy our music and we like to entertain
Above and right: Audio channel speaker? With the fireplace and heat deflector outside,” the homeowner told us. “We wanted our music outside was a must, seeing it was not. Magnolia used rock taking up the ideal spot for a center, Brian turned to a by the pool without bothering our neighbors or anyone speakers to hide the speakers bit of audio magic to bring the center channel sound to on the golf course. This system really accomplishes that.” by the spa, and hid the Sonance Sonarray speakers life. “I talked to David Baker, my connection at Bowers by the golf course in the shrubs. & Wilkins, and he suggested we do a phantom center.”
44 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 45 Above: The magicians Personal space, personal sound behind this project, Magnolia Project Manager As the homeowner told us, “We are a very social family, yet we all want our chill time.” Shawn Reed and So Magnolia helped family and guests relax in their own space by installing Samsung Senior System Designer Brian Chan. TVs with Sonos PlayBars in the two guest bedrooms. Now they can have their own Not pictured: Installer Napoleon Jackson individual entertainment – whether it’s music or Satellite or Apple TV. They can close the door and do what they want. Magnolia also installed this setup in the kitchen so the family can enjoy music and sound when gathering-time moves into the kitchen – which it often does. “Working For control, Brian chose a Control4 home automation system. Because this is the with Brian couple’s vacation home, having a home automation system that was easy enough for and Shawn we any of their guests to use was important. Control4 gives them that while also allowing got the right them to monitor the house while away. balance of A system with the right personality the quality we As understated as this system may be, it fits perfectly with the personality of this house wanted in the and the homeowners within. Less of a big screaming shout, more of a reserved golf equipment and clap, this house is ready to deliver the big roar when called upon. “The uniqueness of this job is that everything has been integrated in such a the subtlety we modern fashion,” Shawn told us. “We tried to keep things as hidden as possible. A lot wanted in the of people are more in your face with their electronics, but this house is much more design.” subdued. You don’t see the pop and the flash, but it’s all there, it’s just understated. That’s the homeowner to a tee, he’s sophisticated yet understated; it emulates his style and personality perfectly.”
46 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ find us online @ magnoliaav.com & bestbuy.com/magnolia 47 O SP TL I IA G
L H
O T
N KEEPING IT G M A SIMPLE
In the world of high-end home entertainment, things can get pretty complicated. The gear, the specs, the connections, the installation: it can leave even passionate audio and video enthusiasts baffled. But for Magnolia System Designer Jason Ladnier, taking away that confusion is the key to creating the perfect system. Here’s how he keeps things simple, in his own words.
Jargon free “My clients are very busy with their families and their jobs. So when I start working with them, I never try to explain the technical side of things, because they don’t have time for it. Instead, I try to paint them a picture. Because that’s what they really want. They want to be able to see this amazing stuff working in their homes. I’m able to take all the confusing acronyms and technical terms, and convert them into a system they’re going to love. “What I’ve noticed is that people look at TVs and speakers as objects, but what they really want to see is how it’s all going to come together. It’s got to be simple. So what I focus on is the benefit of customization and control through systems like Control4 and Savant. Everyone is on their phones, on their tablets, so to be able to control everything from that single device is the way to go, and it’s the easiest way for them to do it.”
Breaking it down “What drives me in this business is helping people, showing them what’s possible. To get that call, text or e-mail that says ‘this system is fantastic, you did a great job,’ that’s what “I want to know that I made a difference I look forward to. I love being able to show the client that in people’s lives by making it easier for this does not have to be complicated, and preventing them them to use their audio/video equipment. from making it so complicated. I just break it down; what’s important to them, what are the things they want to get out of That makes this job worth it.” their system, then we start working on it. I focus on what they Jason Ladnier, Magnolia System Designer need and what their family needs. It’s that simple.” “The Galleria” Store Houston, TX
48 | Bringing inspiration to your space for over 60 years™ Unexpected wireless performance: just what you’d expect from MartinLogan
The MartinLogan Wireless Series
Vision X Bravado Crescendo X Forte
Count on MartinLogan to set the bar higher. Like giving a luxury 5-channel soundbar the ability to stream wireless audio over your Wi-Fi network. DTS Play-Fi® technology streams high- resolution audio to the new Vision X Soundbar, or to any of MartinLogan’s new wireless ensemble. Build a whole-home wireless audio system, with easy app control for Android, iOS, Kindle Fire or PC devices. Finally, wireless products with MartinLogan performance.
Room Correction Technology www.martinlogan.com
MartinLogan-M.Mag-VisionX-Group-Ad-Nov2015.indd 1 2015-09-30 1:34 PM The all-new PLAY:5 with Trueplay. For music that’s pure, ferocious, tasty and true.
Step up to better sound in any room. The new Sonos PLAY:5 with Trueplay tuning measures the unique acoustics of any listening space, then fine-tunes all six of its custom-built internal drivers to sound great, no matter where you place it.