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The Yamaha True X Bar 50A is a low-profile, elegant soundbar that'll look good under any TV. The Yamaha True X Bar 50A is available now at a discount, with surround speakers sold separately (and individually). The sound produced by these speakers is rich, deep, well-blended, and spacious. I just wish the setup process was more seamless and simple. For months, I was one hundred percent certain the JBL Bar 1000 soundbar couldn't be beat. It offers incredible clarity of sound, rich bass, and brilliant surround via two wireless speakers. When Yamaha sent me the True X Bar 50A to review, I assumed it wouldn't be able to stand up to the sound the JBL delivered. Given that the Yamaha sells for roughly half the price of the JBL, that assumption was a fairly safe bet. And even though my audiophile ears could easily tell the difference between the two (with the JBL coming out on top), for the money, the Yamaha True X Bar 50A is hard to beat. Also: One of the loudest Bluetooth speakers I've tested is not made by Sonos or Bose One thing to remember is that I was also sent a True X Speaker 1A , which is sold separately and runs for $150 each. If you want surround (which you should), now you're talking about $850 for the whole kit. Another thing to keep in mind is that I only reviewed this connected to my television and didn't opt to test how music might sound via this speaker. For me, a soundbar serves a single purpose... to replace built-in TV speakers that rarely offer sound of much quality. With that in mind, let's dive into the review. Yamaha True X Bar 50A soundbar You'd be hard-pressed to find a better sounding soundbar at this price. The specs Drivers - Front L/R: 4.6 × 6.6 cm (1-3/4 × 2-5/8") cone × 2, Height L/R: 5.2 cm (2") cone × 2, Built-in Subwoofer: 7.5 cm (3") cone × 2, Wireless Subwoofer: 16 cm (6-1/4") cone Output power - 280 W (Front L/R: 30 W × 2-ch, Height L/R: 30 W × 2-ch, Built-in subwoofer: 30 W × 2, Subwoofer: 100W ) Dimensions - Center unit: 1,015 × 63 × 112 mm (40" × 2-1/2" × 4-3/8"), Subwoofer: 187 × 407 × 409 mm (7-3/8" × 16" × 16-1/8") Inputs - HDMI, digital optical Sound technology - Dolby Atmos with stereo, standard, movie, and game modes. Bass extension Wireless streaming The Yamaha sub is on the left and the JBL Bar 1000 sub is on the right. My experience The first thing to note about this soundbar is that the setup can be a bit finicky. It took me several attempts to connect the subwoofer and surround speakers. The issue with the surround speakers turned out to be a low battery -- they needed to be fully charged via USB-C before they would connect. Even then, the setup process is somewhat confusing, requiring you to download a manual on your phone using a QR code for guidance. Also: This stereo amp made me feel like I was hearing my favorite band for the first time For some reason, the subwoofer wouldn't connect right out of the box either. I had to go through the manual setup a few times before it finally linked with the main speaker. But once everything was connected, the difference was impressive. Many soundbars in this price range (without the additional surround speakers) tend to overemphasize midrange frequencies, which makes sense since that's where vocals sit. However, too much focus on the midrange can result in tinny or harsh sound. That's not the case with the True X Bar 50A. Instead, it delivers a well-balanced mix that adds richness to the sound. When the subwoofer kicks in, it adds depth and punch for a more immersive experience. Once everything is set up, the True X Bar 50A is easy to use, thanks to a well-designed remote that lets you switch between modes (Standard, Movie, Music, Game, and All), adjust the bass, and control surround levels. While this soundbar does advertise Dolby Atmos for a more immersive sound experience, mid-range systems like this aren't quite capable of delivering the full effect. The True X Bar 50A gets close but doesn't fully achieve the true Atmos experience. That said, it still fills the room with sound beautifully, and when you add the surround speakers, the sound really comes to life. Also: Philips Fidelio FB1 soundbar is just for audiophiles My only gripe with the surround speakers is that they lack the volume power of a JBL system. With JBL, the sound is so immersive that you sometimes wonder if it's coming from the speakers, somewhere in the house, or even outside. In comparison, the Yamaha is more subtle. Even with the surround speakers set to max, the effect is more understated. However, the All mode, which sends sound to both the main and surround speakers, is a great solution -- especially for watching TV or movies where dialogue can be hard to hear. These surround speakers are small but they produce impressive sound. Hit the All button, and you'll have no trouble understanding dialogue. There's also a Clear Voice option that enhances vocal clarity. I tested it with a few films where the dialogue is notoriously hard to hear, and the Clear Voice feature easily solved that issue. In particular, Oppenheimer —which is known for its challenging dialogue -- sounded crisp and clear with Yamaha's Clear Voice technology. You'll likely find yourself using this feature often, especially with more films leaning into complex sound design. The only downside As I mentioned earlier, setting up the True X Bar 50A isn't as straightforward as it should be. With JBL, it was as simple as unpacking, plugging in, and getting started. The Yamaha setup, on the other hand, requires a bit of patience and luck. But once it's up and running, you're good to go. Also: This is the soundbar I recommend if you have limited space at home (and it's $100 off) Here's a tip: if you purchase the surround speakers, keep the soundbar on once everything is connected. When you turn the soundbar off, you'll have to manually switch each surround speaker back on. While the speakers offer around 12 hours of battery life, I recommend keeping them plugged in via USB-C, especially if you mount them on the wall. If you choose to use them wirelessly, be sure to charge them regularly. Otherwise, you risk losing sound mid-movie—like during Prometheus —and ruining the experience. ZDNET's buying advice If you don't have the budget for a $1,000+ soundbar, but you still want high-quality sound, the Yamaha True X Bar 50A is a brilliant option, especially with Amazon's current discount. And if you can afford it, add the surround speakers for a much more immersive experience. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time for setup, and don't be surprised if you have to go through the steps a few times before everything connects properly. If it weren't for the exceptional sound of the JBL Bar 1000 , the Yamaha True X Bar 50A would easily be my top pick. With its deep, rich bass, well-balanced mids, and crisp highs, this soundbar is a significant upgrade from your TV speakers and will likely outperform any midrange soundbar you're currently using. When will this deal expire? Deals are subject to sell-out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We're sorry if you've missed out on this deal, but don't fret -- we're constantly finding new chances to save and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com . Why I pick this ultraportable Lenovo tablet over the iPad Air for multimedia consumption I tested the new Kindle Scribe for two weeks, and it beat my ReMarkable in several ways One of the best QLED TVs I've tested isn't made by Samsung or Hisense These Beyerdynamic earbuds delivered glorious sound for any kind of music I played
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Embecta Corp. (NASDAQ:EMBC) Shares Purchased by Barclays PLCThe Latest: Former President Jimmy Carter is dead at age 100The Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple will reopen on Monday for this year's makaravilakku festival , the temple authorities said. The temple will be opened at 4 pm by Melshanthi S Arun Kumar Namboothiri , in the presence of the head priest, Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru . ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for Pilgrims can ascend the sacred 18 steps for darshan after the Melshanthi performs the ceremonial lighting of the fire at the fireplace (aazhi) in the sanctum. The temple was earlier closed on December 26 at 10 pm following the mandala puja , accompanied by the recitation of Harivarasanam. Thousands witnessed the mandala puja, marking the culmination of the 41-day-long first leg of the annual pilgrimage season . (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
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A bold, multi-billion-pound infrastructure project in South Africa promises to deliver a "truly post-apartheid city", complete with a cutting-edge water-treatment plant. The country's President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his 2020 State of the Nation address that the country would be getting a smart city near Lanseria Airport in the western part of Gauteng, as per MyBroadband . “A new smart city is taking shape in Lanseria, which 350,000 to 500,000 people will call home within the next decade,” Ramaphosa said. Plans for project, intially known as Cradle City began in 2007 with the idea of creating the country's first city built around an airport , in this case Lanseria International Airport, which serves the Johannesburg metropolitan area. Under the plans, estimated to cost 500billion South African Rands (around £21billion), the airport would be at the heart of the city, functioning as an economic driver the growth of the city. The airport currently sees around 3.5 million passengers per year, but its hoped a major revamp will see it once day accomodating 18 to 20 million. As well as limiting how much residents need to use transport by prioritising walkable streets, the plans also include up-to-date infrastructure for cell phones, Wi-Fi, information networks as well as high-speed broadband connectivity to make it easy for businesses and locals to work and connect. Authorities expect strong residential growth in the surrounding areas supported by improvements to existing road network, according to the outlet. Authorities foresee a sustainable and technologically advanced city being built around the travel hub, the goal of creating a smart city that "uses current technologies and innovative urban design to improve citizens' quality of life, infrastructure, and economic growth", TR Media reports. The city envions the creation of an "integrated urban ecosystem", with a focus on environmental sustainability and efficient transport links, the outlet says. The development of a high tech water-treatment plant was set to commence in October, promising to produce two megalitres per day (2MLD). The facility is designed to address both the lack of bulk infrastructure in the Lanseria region as well as markedly reducing environmental impacts, IOL reports. It was revealed that the works as a whole would take around 25 years to complete once contruction was greenlit. Property investment firm Crosspoint is implement the construction of the Lanseria Airport City Mega Project in cooperation with the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, over a ten-year-period, according to reports. As part of the project, Crosspoint also partnered with the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) for the building of a mixed-use commercial precinct known as the the Lanseria Business District, spread over 90 hectares. However, the City of Johannesburg only adopted the provincial government’s plan for the epic metropolis in May 2021, meaning it may be some time before the smart city begins to take shape, according to MyBroadband . Earlier this year human settlements minister Mmamoloko Kubayi revealed that the Greater Lanseria Master Plan, of which the first phase includes the high-tech city, had been completed, but acknowledged that the bulk infrastructure to support the area still needed significant amounts of investment.
40 Great Movies From 2024 Now Streaming: ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Conclave,’ ‘Dune 2,’ ‘The Substance,’ ‘Twisters’ and MoreI don’t imagine many people would contradict me if I said that Halcro’s Eclipse power amplifier – in either its or stereo version – is the most immediately recognisable amplifier in the world. It is so recognisable that in a pitch-black room it can quickly and easily be identified by touch alone. The Halcro Eclipse is also – albeit this time arguably – the most beautiful amplifier in the world, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons it has featured on the front covers of so many hi-fi magazines around the world, including here in Australia. The story behind the amplifier’s design is also one of the most interesting and unusual in audio. The intellect behind Halcro’s creation, and indeed the brand’s name, was South African physicist and engineer Dr Bruce Halcro Candy (you can see why he used his middle name!), who after founding the company and becoming world-famous for the very first amplifier he built (the Halcro dm58) was then head-hunted by Minelab, famous for its hand-held metal detectors, after which the company languished as no more than a listing in the Australian government’s official register of company names. It languished on that list until one sunny Saturday morning, when Lance Hewitt, who had been Candy’s lead engineer, was adding to his collection of vinyl at a South Australian record store. The store’s owner, who knew that Hewitt had formerly worked for Halcro, introduced him to Mike Kirkham of Magenta Audio, an Australian audio equipment importer, retailer and distributor who also happened to be at the record store buying vinyl that very same morning. Hewitt told Kirkham not only that he had been personally responsible for building and testing Halcro amplifiers but also that he happened to know that all of the circuit diagrams, PCBs and tooling required to build them were gathering dust in a storage facility – indeed, one not far from where they were chatting. The result of this serendipitous Saturday morning meet was that Halcro became resurrected as a going entity. Kirkham contacted Dr Peter Foster, a friend of his who holds a PhD in physics from the University of Adelaide and was formerly a Senior Laser Physicist at Norseld Pty Ltd and a Guest Scientist at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. The result was the trio founding a new company, Longwood Audio, which in 2015 acquired all of Halcro’s assets, including the brand name, the company’s portfolio of patents and the all-essential machine tooling along with a batch of unsold mothballed stock. Foster is now Longwood Audio’s CEO; Kirkham is its Head of Sales and Marketing; and Hewitt is in charge of development and manufacturing. Build & technology The ‘look’ of the Eclipse Stereo is directly copied from the design of the original Halcro dm38, which was the work of Adelaide designers Tony Kearney and Max Dickison. Candy’s brief to them was that, to ensure the correct operation of the amplifier, the electronics had to be separated into four heavily shielded modules – an audio power module, an audio drive module, an inductor module and a power supply module – and that, in order to remove the heat passively without using fans, the heatsinks for the output devices had to be extraordinarily large. Those very design elements have been incorporated in the Eclipse Stereo. One important change, however, has been in the execution of the heatsink design. the original’s design was microphonic so that at certain frequencies it could vibrate so significantly that its resonances were audible in the listening room. The heatsinks on the Eclipse Stereo, however, are non-resonant by virtue of being completely redesigned. The new design sees each section fabricated from up to 10mm-thick folded aluminium, with the winged sections fully damped and the joins connecting the horizontal chambers to the wing sections. The non-wooden sections of the chassis now come in either a ‘Standard’ powder-coat finish or a premium hand-painted ‘Signature’ finish, too. If you are at all familiar with Halcro amplifiers, you will already have an inkling of how large the Eclipse Stereo’s chassis is; if you’re not, let me point out that a person of average height, when standing upright, will not need to lean down to touch one of the amplifier’s vertical wings. Checking out the amplifier’s proportions in the images accompanying this review should also give you an idea of how wide the amplifier is, but just to make it perfectly clear, the Halcro Eclipse Stereo power amplifier is not only 79cm tall but also as wide as it is deep (40cm). It’s not lightweight either, tipping the scales at 62kg. (And, when eyeing the images, don’t miss the fact that the shape of the chassis actually forms the capital letter ‘H’, which is pretty clever!) The internal circuitry of the Halcro Eclipse Stereo inherits DNA from the original Halcro dm38, as well as from the , but according to Hewitt, while some things have been lost (such as the current mode inputs), many other aspects of the circuitry have been improved – some are the natural result of improvements in technology, some are the result of improvements in circuit layouts, and some are the result of research and development by Longwood Audio itself, for which Hewitt says the company has been awarded four patents. Candy was always secretive about the circuitry of the Halcro dm38, and Longwood Audio is continuing this tradition. CEO Peter Foster told Paul Miller of : “We never release schematics [and] every circuit has the component designators engraved off and the boards are coated in an epoxy layer to further mask what’s going on”. he was nonetheless able to glean the following information about the Eclipse Stereo: “ ” Further details of how the circuit might work are revealed in US Patent 6,600,367, which was granted to Candy and is currently assigned to Longwood Audio: " " Also interesting are some of the patent’s citations, which reference an active bias circuit for operating push-pull amplifiers in Class A mode (granted to one Nelson Pass), a distortion-free complemented error feedback amplifier method (granted to James Strickland), and reducing amplifier distortion by comparison of input and feedback from output (granted to Barry Elliot Porter). The patent also directly cites one Douglas H. Self. (For readers who are unfamiliar with these names, any audio engineer asked to name the world’s top five audio amplifier designers of the last 50 years would include three of those names.) Input and output connections are made on the module at the top of the amplifier, at the rear. The Eclipse Stereo has both unbalanced (via gold-plated RCA) and balanced (via gold-plated XLR) inputs, plus a ‘low gain’ unbalanced input. The speaker cable terminals are absolutely huge, and while they’re supposed to be combination spade/banana types, the only way I could see to use banana plugs was to remove the rubberised cap on the knob – but I wasn’t prepared to risk damaging it trying to pry it off! Halcro has built several sophisticated automated protection systems into the Eclipse Stereo to prevent it from being damaged by a variety of issues that could impact its performance, covering everything from power supply stability to problems that could affect the output stages. Longwood Audio says that the Halcro Eclipse Stereo amplifier “ ”. Even the standby switch is air-pressure activated rather than a traditional electrical switch, to minimise interference. It’s good that there’s such a high level of overkill on the protection front, because the company’s secrecy about its circuits, including the values of the components used in those circuits, would mean that any fault could only be addressed by a technician with insider knowledge. Otherwise, the amplifier would need to be returned to South Australia – and given its size and weight, that would be rather an expensive exercise! Listening sessions My first audio experience of the Halcro Eclipse Stereo during testing was by way of an initial warm-up using music from a band with which I have a love/hate relationship: GoGo Penguin. Delivering amazing sound for what is essentially just a trio (percussion, bass and keys), the band’s music has been described as a form of jazz for the modern age – but then again, is it? I love the sound but hate not being able to define exactly why it’s so mesmerisingly great, and find the group hard to recommend to others because their music is so polarising. What I can say with certainty is that it really helps if you are listening to their music through an amplifier with the high performance of the Eclipse Stereo. For example, the double-bass on (from the album ‘A Humdrum Star’) is not only beautifully captured in terms of sounding just like a double-bass should, but it’s also just a lovely bass line – so inventive that you really can’t foretell the next note, as you can with performances by many lesser bassists. In delivering this line so well, Nick Blacka provides a unique counterpoint to Chris Illingworth’s gloriously grand pianism, even though you can sometimes foretell what note Illingworth is going to play next because he plays so many that are the same! The complexity of the sound is jaw-dropping, and the scattergun drumming of Rob Turner (who’s since been replaced by Jon Scott) is epic, and beautifully delivered by the Halcro. On , the following track, you’ll hear Blacka’s double-bass sounding like nothing you’ve ever heard before, as he delivers miraculous high-frequency overtones that make a mockery of the instrument’s normally accepted frequency range. The Eclipse Stereo delivers the entire gamut perfectly – the delivery is sonically contiguous, despite the rarity of the nature of the sound. When the drum kit comes in, at about 1:30, the accuracy with which the amplifier delivers the kick drum sound in exact syncopation with the high-hat strikes, all while keeping each in its own sonic envelope, and with no unwanted overhang, is an object lesson in the importance of state-of-the-art amplification in an audio reproduction chain. The Halcro Eclipse also maintained the ‘airiness’ of the acoustic as a constant throughout – a subtlety that eludes lesser amplifiers. The buzzy, insect-like opening to highlighted for me the complete lack of background noise from the Eclipse Stereo’s circuitry – the amplifier makes no noise at all other than what is actually in the audio signal delivered to it. There is no low-frequency hum, no high-frequency hiss, and absolutely no modulation of the lowest-level background sounds on a track. Such sounds issue from an inky-black silence that is so silent it’s almost mesmerising in and of itself. The simplicity of the percussion and piano on this track is a musical antidote to what has gone before, and the crystalline clarity of the sound I heard from the Eclipse Stereo was simply amazing, a testament to the complete lack of audible distortion. I do need to warn you that I think GoGo Penguin has gone somewhat off-piste with their latest album, ‘Everything Is Going To Be OK’ – both sonically and musically – so if you want to hear what I heard, I recommend sticking with the four albums the band recorded with Blue Note, which include ‘Man Made Object’ and the aforementioned ‘A Humdrum Star’. If you’d rather test out the Halcro Eclipse Stereo’s enormous power reserves and bass delivery with music that’s not so ‘out there’, I recommend revisiting – or listening to for the first time! – Talking Heads’ 1983 classic album ‘Speaking In Tongues.’ The funky bass sound is deep and tight, and Chris Frantz’s drum, beautifully captured on this recording, sounds as real as can be. Obviously, you’d listen to opener at a high volume, but you should also crank up the dial while listening to in order to hear how well the Eclipse Stereo can deliver the eclectic and varied synthesizer sounds on this track at any volume level you care to listen at. Listen, too, to how well the left and right channels are separated. Indeed channel separation is so complete that I could easily have been convinced that I was auditioning a pair of Eclipse Monos instead! You can hear not only the channel separation but also the beautiful stereo imaging of the Eclipse Stereo on where the vocals are trademark Talking Heads timbre and the purity of the percussion sound is exemplary, particularly the ‘found instrument’ sounds delivered by David Van Tieghem. I had lots of fun working out the various ‘found instruments’ he was playing. I have often written in the pages of magazine that the piano is the best instrument with which to evaluate audio components due to its enormous pitch compass, supreme dynamics and the fact that it’s a stringed percussive instrument, and you could have no better music to hear all of this than that on French pianist Alexandre Tharaud’s 2009 recording of more than 70 works by Erik Satie. This, of course, includes the famous Gnossiennes, but here they are strangely interwoven with other lesser-known works, in such a way that it’s as if you’re hearing them for the first time. Indeed some of these works you may actually be hearing for the first time, because it was Satie, not John Cage, who invented the ‘prepared piano’, and unlike many pianists, Tharaud follows Satie’s instructions to the letter in by placing sheets of paper on the upper octave strings. I can’t say I liked the result, but the Eclipse Stereo certainly reproduced it faithfully. Elsewhere on this recording, Tharaud’s playful execution of Satie’s more conventional scores is certainly more entertaining than the performances delivered by more sedate pianists. Verdict The Halcro Eclipse Stereo is not only the most recognisable amplifier in the world, along with being one of the most beautiful, but it is also the quietest and has the lowest distortion of all. If you think that is part and parcel of what makes it one of the best-sounding amplifiers in the world, I’m not about to disagree. You may, however, be surprised to learn that the Eclipse Stereo is not one of the most expensive hi-fi amplifiers in the world. In fact, it’s not even close – dozens of its competitors have price tags in excess of $150,000! In light of this information, you should realise that the Halcro Eclipse Stereo could be considered good value even at twice its price. Laboratory Test Report Steve Holding, Newport Test Labs. Halcro rates the per-channel power output of the Eclipse Stereo as 180 watts into eight ohms and 350 watts into four ohms. With the Eclipse Stereo on its test bench, measured the 1kHz power output at 202 and 386 watts per channel into eight and four ohms respectively, so the power amplifier bettered its specification for both test loads. As you can see from the tabulated results, power output dropped to 196 watts into eight ohms when the test frequency was dropped down to 20Hz (when driving two channels), and to 365 watts when both channels were driven into four ohms at this same 20Hz frequency. While these are lower than the 1kHz power output results, they’re still comfortably higher than Halcro’s specification. measured the frequency response of the Eclipse Stereo as being 3dB down at 3.5Hz and 280kHz, so this is a very wide-band amplifier design. It’s also a superbly linear one, as evidenced by the 1dB down-points of 6.5Hz and 90kHz, meaning the normalised frequency response is 6.5Hz – 90kHz ±0.5dB. As you would expect, the frequency response was even flatter across the audio band. This response (Graph 1 above) shows that it’s around 0.1dB down at 20Hz and 20kHz, for a normalised response of 20Hz – 20kHz ±0.05dB. This frequency response was, as per industry standards, measured when the Eclipse Stereo was driving an eight-ohm test resistor. On this graph you would normally expect to find a second trace showing the amplifier’s response when driving a more complex load, one that simulates the load that a loudspeaker would present. In fact, that trace is there – you just can’t see it because it perfectly overlays the response into a resistor. This is the first time has ever measured this theoretically ‘perfect’ result! Separation between the two stereo channels was outstandingly good, as you can see from the accompanying result table – 86dB at 20Hz, 101dB at 1kHz, and 78dB at 20kHz. Also outstandingly good was the level matching of the two channels, with measuring a difference of just 0.01dB. Inter-channel phase accuracy was also exceptionally good, with errors of only 0.02° at 20Hz, 0.08° at 1kHz and 1.17° at 20kHz. The result at 20kHz may seem to be an outlier, but you should bear in mind that a result of 1.0° at this frequency would be a world-beating achievement. Measuring the level of distortion on an audio signal that is introduced by a Halcro amplifier is a near-impossible task because it is so low that it is supremely difficult to measure. You not only need a test instrument capable of making the measurement but also a signal generator that has lower distortion than both the amplifier and the test instrument. To illustrate the difficulty, look at Graph 2 above, which shows the distortion components inherent in the output of ’ best signal generator. You can see that there’s a second harmonic distortion component at –117dB (0.00014%), a third HD component at –122dB (0.00007%) and a fifth at –128dB (0.00003%). So if we used this generator to provide the signal to measure the Eclipse Stereo’s distortion and saw a result that exhibited these same distortion components, at around the same levels, we would know only that the Halcro was not adding unwanted distortion. Indeed this is exactly what we see in Graph 3, which shows the output spectrum of the Eclipse Stereo when it’s delivering this same 1kHz signal but amplified to a level of one watt into eight ohms. Essentially, the only difference is that the amplifier has added just a little distortion at 3kHz, so that it is at –120dB instead of –122dB. (The result was exactly the same when the Eclipse Stereo was driving a four-ohm load.) The other thing to note with Graph 3 (because it will be significant later) is that there is some noise visible at the bottom of the graph, however as you can see from the scale at the left, the noise is 140dB below the one-watt reference level, which is so low that it would be totally and completely inaudible under any conditions. Graph 4 shows distortion (and noise!) levels measured by when the Halcro Eclipse Stereo was delivering 1kHz into eight ohms at a power level of 20 watts. Again, you can see that the distortion ‘signature’ is essentially that of the test signal generator, so the Eclipse Stereo is not adding any distortion to the test signal itself. Note, too, that there is now no audio band noise visible on the graph, so the Halcro’s audio band noise is now well below 140dB. There is some noise visible (the single narrow peak at the extreme left of the graph), which is from the amplifier’s power supply, but it’s more than 120dB down. Again, the result when the Eclipse Stereo was tested into a four-ohm load at this frequency and power output was exactly the same as it was into the eight-ohm load. Graph 5 shows an extreme test case for distortion, which here is shown when the Eclipse Stereo is delivering 1kHz into an eight-ohm load at its full rated power (180 watts). The result is mind-bogglingly (and I mean that in its truest sense) good. As you would expect, there is absolutely zero noise in the output other than that tiny leakage from the power supply, and the distortion levels are almost unchanged from that shown in the one-watt and 20-watt graphs. The level of the third harmonic has risen slightly so that distortion component is now sitting at –117dB, which is 0.00014%. The fifth-order component has also risen by 1dB to –127dB (0.00004%). The result of ’ testing aligns with Halcro’s claims that the Eclipse Stereo’s THD levels are “better than –120dB”, a lever that it points out is “lower than 1000 parts per billion”. The distortion result shown in the accompanying test result table tells the THD story in an easily understandable numeric form: 0.00006%. The level of intermodulation distortion (CCIF-IMD) measured by is shown in Graph 6 above, when the Eclipse Stereo was delivering twin 19kHz and 20kHz test signals at a level of 20 watts into eight ohms. There are only two high-frequency sidebands, at 18kHz and 21kHz, that are each 110dB down and so would contribute 0.0003% to the output – insignificantly small. There is a tiny regenerated signal down at 1kHz too, but it is also insignificantly small – 117dB down, contributing only 0.00014%. All other signals are more than 120dB down, which is the level specified by Halcro for this particular test. The overall wide-band signal-to-noise ratios measured by were, as we’re sure you’ve already guessed from the noise floors shown in the graphs, spectacularly low. Noise relative to an output level of one watt was measured at –101dB unweighted, and –107dB A-weighted. We can’t think of a single amplifier the lab has measured that has ever come within cooee of returning a noise figure better than 100dB when referenced to this power level. The noise figures were better again for the measurement at rated output, with the Halcro returning results of –124dB unweighted, and –130dB A-weighted. As one who is ‘experienced in the art’ would expect from Graph 1, the output impedance of the Eclipse Stereo was incredibly low, with measuring it as 0.002 ohms at 1kHz, which is an order of magnitude better than almost all other amplifiers and means a damping factor of 4,000! Square wave testing reflected the results returned when measuring the Eclipse Stereo’s frequency response, with the tilt on the 100Hz square wave reflecting the –3dB point of 3.5Hz (Halcro specs it at 3Hz). There’s no bending so there’s no low-frequency phase shift. The waveform at 1kHz is so squared-off and clean that it may as well have been issued directly from the lab’s function generator, and is therefore a perfect result. At a 10kHz test frequency there is some rounding evident on the leading edge of the waveform, reflecting the high-frequency 3dB down-point of 280kHz, but the overall rise time shows a very, very fast slew rate. The Eclipse Stereo’s ability to drive extremely demanding loudspeakers, as well as electrostatic designs, is shown by its performance when delivering a 1kHz square wave into an eight-ohm resistor paralleled with a 2μF capacitor. That performance was outstandingly good, with the initial overshoot being less than one-quarter wave height, and the small amount of resultant ringing being damped within five cycles. This amplifier will be completely stable into any loudspeaker. We rather hope that this test report gives the average non-technical reader an appreciation of just how well this amplifier performed on test bench, but we suspect that ultimately it will be only those readers with a degree in electrical engineering who will truly appreciate the outstandingly high levels of performance delivered by Halcro’s Eclipse Stereo. It is a truly mind-bogglingly good amplifier!
Dartmouth sorority, two members of fraternity face charges after student who attended party drowned HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — A sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity faces charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party. The Hanover, New Hampshire police department, where Dartmouth is located, said Friday that Alpha Phi was charged with one count of facilitating an underage alcohol house. Two members of the Beta Alpha Omega face a charge of providing alcohol to a person under 21. Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had attended an off-campus party in July hosted by Alpha Phi sorority. Police said the alcohol was provided by Beta Alpha Omega. Tens of thousands of Spaniards protest housing crunch and high rents in Barcelona BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards are marching in downtown Barcelona to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living." The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States. The average rent for Spain has doubled in the last decade. In cities like Barcelona, rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Jason Kelce's wife announces she is pregnant with the couple's fourth child Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce's wife is announcing she's pregnant with the couple's fourth child. Kylie Kelce posted a photo on Instagram on Friday of the couple's three young daughters reacting to the news. The oldest daughter, Wyatt, appears to be cupping her head in shock. The middle daughter, Ellioette, is smiling. The youngest, Bennett, is in tears. A caption attached to the photo reads: “I feel like we captured a very accurate representation of how each of the girls feel about getting another sister. At least Ellie, mom and dad are on the same page!” Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in UAE is missing. Israeli officials fear he may have been kidnapped DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in the United Arab Emirates has gone missing, with Israeli authorities raising the suspicion he may have been kidnapped as tensions remain high with Iran. The Israeli prime minister’s office said that Zvi Kogan has been missing since noon Thursday. It said that against the backdrop of information that this was a terrorist incident, an extensive investigation has been opened in the country. Emirati officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. State-run media in the UAE, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, did not immediately report the incident. Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in an MLB game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the majors’ first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Nakken, 34, will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Officer kills pet dog mistaken for a coyote in Massachusetts town. The owner says it was unnecessary An animal control officer shot and killed a pet dog in a Massachusetts town after mistaking it for a coyote in an incident local police are describing as a sad mix-up. Police in Northbridge, Massachusetts, say the shooting happened on Tuesday after police received a call of a report of a coyote in a residential backyard. Police say the animal control officer went into the woods to look for the coyote and found what they thought was the animal in a threatening position and shot it. The incident happened as communities around Massachusetts and the country have dealt with an uptick in interactions between coyotes and people. Kendrick Lamar surprises with new album 'GNX' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present with a new album. The Grammy winner released his sixth studio album “GNX” on Friday. The 12-track project is the rapper’s first release since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Lamar’s new album comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. The rap megastar will headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. The 37-year-old has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict.
I love and use many of the suggestions you and others have printed in your column. — Jackie, Colorado Springs, Colorado Shredded paper Dear Heloise: You’re a big fan of recycling items, so I thought you might be interested in what we do with shredded paper in our office. Three of us have family in other countries, so we often have to mail Christmas gifts. We have a paper shredder, and when it comes time to empty it, we dump the paper into large plastic bags and save it in a closet. We later use that paper when we mail gifts for various occasions such as weddings, birthdays and Christmas. The word got out, and now there are a couple of other offices in our building that come down for some “packing material.” — Anne H., Milford, Delaware Microwave fudge Dear Heloise: When I lived at home, my mother insisted on doing the cooking. She said I always made a mess of her kitchen. In college, we had our meals in the dining hall, so I never really learned how to cook. But now I have my own place, and I would like to make a recipe I saw in your column a couple of years ago. I don’t know the name of it, but it was a fudge recipe where you could microwave the ingredients. It sounded good and so easy to make. Would you reprint this recipe? I want to take it to a family gathering for Thanksgiving. — Jeffery M., in Boulder, Colorado Jeffery, the recipe you’re thinking of was called “Matthews’ Microwave Fudge,” and it was indeed very easy to make. Here is the recipe: 1 pound of powdered sugar 1⁄2 cup cocoa 1⁄4 teaspoon butter or margarine 4 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped pecan or walnuts Combine all the ingredients except the nuts in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until all the ingredients in the mixture are melted and smooth. Remove and stir periodically. When the mixture is smooth, remove it from the microwave and stir in the nuts. Spread the fudge into a buttered 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and allow it to cool completely before cutting it into bite-sized pieces. — Heloise Reusing stockings Dear Heloise: Last week while I was making soup, I wanted to put certain spices in a square of gauze or cheesecloth and found that I had neither in my house. I looked around and finally found a clean nylon stocking I no longer wore or needed. I placed the spices in a square I had cut from the nylon stocking and tied it at the top! It worked very well! — Louella T., Livingston, MontanaGeode Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Gorman-Rupp Company ( NYSE:GRC – Free Report ) by 8.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 474,066 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 41,867 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 1.81% of Gorman-Rupp worth $18,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Gorman-Rupp by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,611 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its stake in Gorman-Rupp by 3.3% during the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 563,422 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,683,000 after acquiring an additional 17,977 shares in the last quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gorman-Rupp by 2.9% in the second quarter. ClariVest Asset Management LLC now owns 18,920 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gorman-Rupp by 12.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 32,411 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,190,000 after acquiring an additional 3,622 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Schweiz AG acquired a new stake in shares of Gorman-Rupp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $7,876,000. 59.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Gorman-Rupp from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Gorman-Rupp Stock Performance Shares of GRC stock opened at $38.23 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $40.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.95. The Gorman-Rupp Company has a 12 month low of $30.47 and a 12 month high of $43.79. Gorman-Rupp Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.185 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This is an increase from Gorman-Rupp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.74 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. Gorman-Rupp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.03%. Gorman-Rupp Company Profile ( Free Report ) The Gorman-Rupp Company designs, manufactures, and sells pumps and pump systems in the United States and internationally. The company’s products include self-priming centrifugal, standard centrifugal, magnetic drive centrifugal, axial and mixed flow, vertical turbine line shaft, submersible, high-pressure booster, rotary gear, diaphragm, bellows, and oscillating pumps. Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Gorman-Rupp Investing in Commodities: What Are They? How to Invest in Them Buffett Takes the Bait; Berkshire Buys More Oxy in December Low PE Growth Stocks: Unlocking Investment Opportunities Top 3 ETFs to Hedge Against Inflation in 2025 What Are Earnings Reports? These 3 Chip Stock Kings Are Still Buys for 2025 Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GRC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Gorman-Rupp Company ( NYSE:GRC – Free Report ). 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With this year drawing to a close and schools shut for holidays, the 48th edition of the Chennai Book Fair, organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), saw a steady stream of visitors over the weekend. Over 900 stalls have been set up at the fair. With a melting planet Earth on an ice cream cone in one stall and a cut-out of Charlie Chaplin at another, the book fair was brimming with people browsing through the stock to find their perfect pick. “Considerable awareness has been generated about the book fair’s new schedule, resulting in a significant increase in footfall. Fiction has always been a big draw for the crowds, and we have stocked up on the frequently picked up titles too,” said S. Bavani, owner of Eswar Book Centre. Several stalls are offering discounted books to entice customers. “We have a range of books priced at ₹100, and a special promotion where customers could buy 10 books and get two of them free of charge,” said Swurnambal S, owner of Sakthi Book House. The Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation was abuzz with about 119 titles of children’s books in Tamil and translated works by Indian authors from across the country. “The children’s set for ages 5-14 is the highlight of the year as it is based on various values a child can relate to,” said Appansamy. M, advisor to the Corporation. Apart from this, stalls by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department and Chennai International Book Fair have also been set up. A stall by the State Prison Department has set up a drop box encouraging people to donate books. The American Center has also set up a booth showcasing educational and exchange opportunities in the United States, offering resources and exclusive programme for students, experts, researchers, and faculty. Patrons can also avail of an American Center discounted membership fee and eLibrary USA orientation. “This year’s fair has seen a welcome increase in family attendance, with many children joining their parents,” said Manikan, a volunteer at the Pure Cinema stall. They have as many as 15 titles that are bestsellers this year. In addition, most people this year are very happy about the resting area available within the book fair. “We come every year, and I have a severe back pain making it difficult to walk around the stalls. The rest area with chairs has been very useful,” said 65-year-old S. Sathiyavani from Avadi. Published - December 29, 2024 07:26 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Chennai / books and literatureProsecutors have shot down Sean “Diddy” Combs’s insistence that he should be afforded the same free speech rights as President-elect Donald Trump when the rap star tried again to be released on bail following his indictment on sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation for prostitution charges. After Combs was accused of trying to influence jurors from jail in an orchestrated online and phone campaign through friends and family, his attorneys argued in a filing Monday that he should have the same rights Trump enjoyed when he badgered law enforcement officials publicly and online in the election interference case following the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The case against Trump, brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith is being dropped because there is no precedent for such an action against a sitting president. Combs’s attorney cited the District of Columbia Appeals court decision in United States v. Trump last December in which the court ruled that the former president could only be constrained in his attacks in the case in the event of a “significant and imminent threat to the administration of criminal justice.” The court ruled that Trump is “free to make statements criticizing the current administration, the Department of Justice , and the Special Counsel, as well as statements that this prosecution is politically motivated or that he is innocent of the charges against him.” Combs’s attorneys argued that the “court should apply Trump’s heightened standard when considering” restricting their client’s speech. But prosecutors in the Brooklyn case weren’t buying it. In a response filed later Monday they argued that Trump’s judges “faced the unique task of balancing the right of a current candidate for the presidency to speak publicly about his charges against the public’s right to a fair trial.” They said that Combs’s communications “are not protected by the First Amendment.” The defense team filing was in response to US District Court Judge Arun Subramanian, who last week asked both sides to explain if Combs’ public communications do or don’t constitute obstruction of justice. Combs has already been denied bail twice. The judge said Friday that he would decide on his latest bail application sometime this week. Combs’s trial is set for May 5.
(The Center Square) – State and national officials lauded former President Jimmy Carter for his public service after learning of his death Sunday afternoon at the age of 100. President Joe Biden said an official state funeral would be held for Carter in Washington. "He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism," Biden said. "We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism." President-elect Donald Trump urged everyone to keep the Carter family in their thoughts and prayers. "The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans," Trump said in a statement released from his campaign. "For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude." Former president Bill Clinton gave Carter and his wife Rosalynn the Medal of Freedom in 1999. "From his commitment to civil rights as a state senator and governor of Georgia; to his efforts as President to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David; to his post-presidential efforts at the Carter Center supporting honest elections, advancing peace combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn's devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity--he worked tirelessly for a fairer, better world," Clinton and his wife Hillary said in a statement. Former president George W. Bush hailed Carter as a man of deeply held convictions. "President Carter dignified the office," Bush said on social media. "And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn't end with the presidency. His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations." Carter served as Georgia's governor from 1971-1975 before becoming president. Under his leadership, the European and Japanese state trade offices were launched, as well as the Georgia Film Commission," Gov. Brian Kemp said. "He and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter's support of the civil rights movement in the place of its birth is also remembered with deep appreciation." Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said Carter exemplified what it meant to be a public servant. "I had the honor of meeting him and his wife, and I will never forget that day," Jones said. "They were kind, wonderful, accepting and exactly what they portrayed every day, two people devoted to lifting up those in their community who needed help the most. President Carter's legacy will live on in the numerous nonprofits, charities and organizations Rosalynn, his family and him started."This midrange Yamaha soundbar holds its own against systems that are twice its price