McIntosh MC275 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Stereo Power Amplifier

McIntosh MC 275, 50th Anniversary Edition

McIntosh’s classic MC275 stereo power amplifier, first introduced in 1961 is now available, in a strictly limited 50th Anniversary Edition. 

According to Audio Perfectionist, the Malaysian distributor for McIntosh products , the MC275 50th Anniversary Limited Edition power amplifier is also known as the Version VI edition. The 50th Anniversary MC275 is endowed with a number of important features that will enable this 50 year old iconic amplifier to meet all the needs of today’s audio enthusiast while retaining all the key qualities that have made it the most sought after and revered amplifier even made.

Gold Plated Terminals with Balanced and Unbalanced Inputs

Audiophiles and collectors of McIntosh products will be able to audition MC275 50th Anniversary Limited Edition at the KL International AV Show 2012 at the Audio Perfectionist room at Starhill 9, Level 4, JW Marriott Hotel, July 20 – 22.

Set to retail at RM23,000 this Version VI MC275 differs from the others with features such as the high speed Sentry Monitor protection circuitry. This safety feature is designed to shut down amplifier operation in the rare event of a tube malfunction. The malfunctioning tube then flashes red to indicate a need for tube replacement. 

Stabilised and Warmed Up Vacuum Tubes

Other features include an operational stability design with the tubes warming up in an initial amber colour which switches to green when the amplifier is stabilised and ready for use.

Gold plated patented speaker terminals with balanced and unbalance inputs are also found on the 50th Anniversary MC275.

McIntosh conservatively rates the MC275 as being able to generate up to 75 watts of power per channel, both operating into any impedance from 4, 8 or 16 ohms. The 50th Anniversary MC275 can also be bridged to operate as a mono unit generating up to as much as 150 watts into a 2, 4 or 8 ohms load.

According to Kenny Lim of Audio Perfectionist the original MC275 and its many variants and editions were originally designed for optimum performance in an audio system but over the years its many refinements has actually made it just as effective when used in a high performance home theatre system. Just imagine, five of these prized pieces of Americana in a dream home entertainment layout !

For more information on the McIntosh MC 275, please contact Kenny Lim at 012 210 3810

Denon DBT – 1713 Universal Blu-Ray Disc Player

Built Like A Battleship with Solid and Hefty Construction to Match

Preferring to described its recently released DBT-1713 as a transport (hence the DBT designation) Denon’s latest universal disc player comes without any form of an-board decoders. All decoding is achieved in the AV receiver end which decodes the bitstream signal from the DBT-1713 via its HDMI output. The DBT- 1713 plays Bluray, DVD, SACD, CD and DVD- Audio discs.
Built like the proverbial battleship with a solid construction to match the DBT – 1713 is commensurately heavy weighing in at 5 kg.

The DBT – 1713 is however not just all good looks and boasts several serious audio/videophile features such as a fully shielded mechanism to separate the two key signals from each other. In addition, the audio and video segments are built onto separate blocks, further isolating any form of spurious electrical interference.

According to Denon as the DBT-1713 eschews most of the heat generating decoding electronics found in other Bluray disc players the heat generated is minimal.

This has enabled Denon engineers to dispense with the use of of fans which means its operation level is almost noiseless.

Key Input and Outputs (1x HDMI + 1x Ethernet)
In This Case, Less is More

The rear panel, perhaps as a direct result of its transport status is comparatively sparsely populated comprising of only one HDMI socket and Ethernet socket each. There is also a pair of analogue audio output intended for multizone application although it is not clear how one’s to do that.

A quick preview reveal that the picture quality of DBT-1713 is a high cut above most of the BD players of its class; being highly detailed and sharp yet surprisingly organic and rich looking with a gorgeous colour pallatte to boot.

Much the same can be said of the sound in both stereo as well as multichannel mode though I suspect the audio purists may well have something to say about it because it is only available via the digital HDMI connector.

Nevertheless we applaud its effective simplicity and in this case it is a matter of less is better. If you are looking for a high performance solidly engineered universal disc player for optimum performance in both home theatre and musical modes the DBT-1713 should be at the very top of your shopping list.

The DBT – 1713 which retails for RM2,199.00 can be auditioned at the KL International AV Show 2012 at Wo Kee Hong Trading's room at level 4, JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur from July 20 – 22.


For more information on the Denon DBT-1713 please contact Jason Ng at 012 325 0577

Panasonic Viera TH-P65ST50K 65" 3D Plasma TV

The affordable big screen craze that is currently sweeping the digital flatscreen market seems to be picking up steam locally as Panasonic joins in the fray with the recent introduction of its exciting new range of plasma TV, that include the 65” TH-P65ST50K set to retail at a benchmark price of RM10,999.

To be sure Panasonic is already well known among videophiles for its super large 103 – 152 inches plasma displays but as you might guess these giant plasmas are prohibitively expensive and not meant for mere mortals.

There were also previous Panasonic 65” plasma models but once again they were comparatively expensive bordering between RM25,000 to RM40,000 depending on the model.

As such one can understand the awe and excitement that the TH-65ST50K instills. Now it is possible for most of us ‘mere mortals’ to go big on the plasma screen without having to mortgage the children!

Although the TH-P65ST50K is not THX or ISF certified like its more upmarket VT series sibling, it is well endowed enough to please all except the fussiest of videophiles.

For your money these are what you get - NeoPlasma panel, 3D capability, Infinite Black Pro filter for the famed Panasonic plasma black, 24 frame per second video for both 2D and 3D, 3HDMI 1.4 inputs, full HD1080p, resolution, comprehensive networking features which makes the TH-65ST50K ‘Smart ‘, 2 USB terminals, 100,000 hour panel life and an attractive Crystal Frame bezel.

The TH-65ST50K and other Panasonic products can be viewed at the KL International AV Show 2012, July 20 – 22 at Ballroom 3, JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

PMC Twenty.C Centre Channel Loudspeaker

Designed to compliment its popular Twenty Series speaker systems first launched some six months ago PMC’s latest speaker edition is the Twenty.C Centre Channel Loudspeaker.

The Twenty.C will now enable users of the Twenty Series to transform their speakers into one for home theatre application.

Measuring a petit 6.75” x 20.5” x 10.6” the Twenty.C features dual 5.5” bass/midrange drives flanking a 27mm Sonolex soft dome tweeter. The drive units are identical to those found in the Twenty.21 out Twenty.23 models.

As with all PMC speakers the Twenty.C features its proprietary Advanced Transmission Line (ATL) bass loading technology which is said to offer a superior bass extension from a box of comparatively compact dimensions. The enclosure also features a sloped and angled dimension which, apart from aesthetics reasons, allows PMC to extract the lost ounce of soundstaging performance from the Twenty.C.

Claimed usable bass extension is 45 hertz, admirable for a speaker box of such a compact stature. With a sensitivity of 90db at a nominal 6 ohms impedance the Twenty.C can be easily driven by any high quality modestly powered amplifiers.

The Twenty.C can be auditioned along with the rest of the Twenty Series of other PMC speakers at the coming KL International AV Show 2012 from July 20 – 22 at the JW Marriott Hotel.

Sony VPL-VW1000 ES 4K Home Cinema Projector

Hailed as what’s probably the world’s first 4K home cinema projector Sony’s VPL-1000 ES is capable of delivering up to 4096 x 2160 native resolution. That is said to be more than four times the resolution of current full HD projectors at 1920 x 1080p resolution.

A 3D compatible design, the VPL-1000ES features 4K native SXRD imaging panel that when used in conjunction with its Advanced IRIS 3 technology is capable of achieving a claimed contrast ratio in excess of 1,000,000.1.

Loosely translated this means the VPL-1000ES should be able to deliver the blackest gradation of blacks to deliver a super vibrant picture.

To ensure that all the stunning 4K images are brought successfully to fore the VPL-VW1000ES is equipped with Sony’s proprietary All-Range Crisp Focus (ARC-F) lens that is made from a unique Extra Low Dispersion Glass.

The ARC-F lens and 4K SXRD chip is further supported by another proprietary Sony video technology, its 4K Reality Creation upscaler.

All input signals including BluRay’s 1920 x 1080p video are upscaled to output at 4K resolution.



The VPL-VW1000 ES’s other notable features include a super bright 2,000 ANSI LUMENS light output which makes it powerful enough to be used in a mid to large room and deliver bright, vibrant 3D images.

In addition there is a picture memory that enables the VPL-VW1000ES to be used with a 2.35.1 aspect ratio constant height video projector system.

The Sony VPL-VW1000ES which comes with a pair of active shutter 3D glasses reatails for RM75,000/- and can be auditioned at the KLIAVS 2012 at room Starhill 9, Level 4, J.W. Marriott Hotel, on July 20 – 22 .

Toshiba 55" RZ1 Regza Glasses-free 3D TV

Toshiba recently announced the launch of its unique 55RZ1 LED/LCD TV. What’s so unique about the 55RZ1 ? Well, at the point of writing the 55RZ1 is probably the world’s first 3D TV that eschews the use of glasses. In another word you do not need cumbersome glasses to get 3D effects from the 55RZ1.

In addition, it is also one of the world’s first 4K resolution digital flatscreen TV to hit these shores. Yes, the 55RZ1 is capable of producing a native 3,840 x 21160 pixel resolution that is approximately four times the resolution of a 1920 x 1080p full HD TV.

The 55RZ1 which will be on special preview at the KL International AV Show 2012 this July utilizes a powerful Regza Engine Cevo Duo 5 video engine in tandem with a specially designed set of lenticular lenses to deliver a selection of nine viewing zones for optimum glassless 3D performance.


It achieves each of this nine zones via an inbuilt face tracking algorithm that optimizes the face of the viewer and therefore his eyes, to adapt them for best 3D performance possible.

The 55RZ1 which utilizes edge let LED backlights also feature the company’s proprietary 4 x Super Resolution + video upscaler that upscales all standard and 2D HD resolutions images to 4K resolution.

The Toshiba 55RZ1 retails for RM54,000 and can be auditioned at the KL International AV Show 2012, July 20 – 22 at the JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.