Doug Newcomb

2006 Volvo C70 Dynaudio Sound System

Top-drawer sound in a top-down convertible

By Doug Newcomb
Posted September 7, 2006

Convertibles aren't conducive to great sound - at least not when you're speeding along in one with the top down. But with its unique, three-piece retractable hardtop, the 2006 Volvo C70 (sticker price $47,307 as tested) isn't a typical convertible - and the Dynaudio Premium Sound package that's available as a $1,550 option isn't a typical OEM system, either.

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Eclipse AVN5495 DVD Receiver

Hard-driving sound

By Doug Newcomb
Posted October 4, 2006

NAV AT IT Car stereos with hard-disk drives (HDD) made a splash a few years ago - then quickly sank into obsolescence beneath the rising tide of iPods. But the double-DIN Eclipse AVN5495 DVD receiver is buoyed by its split personality: Its 30-gigabyte HDD doubles as a navigation database in addition to functioning as a music server.

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Road Gear: Focal Utopia BE No. 7 Component Speakers

By Doug Newcomb
Posted November 8, 2006

DOME IF YOU WANT TO So you need to pimp your ride with the ultimate speakers because your car tunes are that important - and you wanna shut up the dude down the block who goes on about his titanium tweeters (that match his titanium wheels, naturally)? Throw in a set of Focal's high-end Utopia BE component speakers, and tell that sucka that titanium is just so '90s.

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Polk Audio I-Sonic Tabletop Audio System

By Doug Newcomb
Posted December 4, 2006

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Road Gear: Blaupunkt PCA 465 Four-Channel Amplifier

By Doug Newcomb
Posted December 5, 2006

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Road Gear: VizuaLogic VMOD Mobile Media Server

By Doug Newcomb
Posted January 6, 2007

MEDIA À LA MOD Out of the thousands of products, hundreds of pimped-out vehicles, and dozens of partially clad... um, booth models at the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas in November, VizuaLogic's VMOD stood out from all the hubbub.

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Road Gear: Alpine PXE-H650 System Integration Processor

By Doug Newcomb
Posted February 8, 2007

MAKE MUSIC NOT WAR The car-stereo aftermarket has been engaged in guerrilla warfare with superpower automakers ever since the first Bose system salvo crossed the industry's bow.

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Road Gear: JVC KD-ADV38 Bluetooth DVD/CD Receiver

By Doug Newcomb
Posted April 4, 2007

BLUE WONDER You couldn't swing a cellphone at CES in January without hitting a car stereo with Bluetooth capability. Being able to connect a mobile phone to a head unit wirelessly isn't just a convenience that commuters crave; in many states, hands-free phone operation behind the wheel is the law, not a choice.

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High-Def Discs and Tapes

Hollywood Finally Goes High-Def

By Doug Newcomb
Posted April 3, 2002

Four of Hollywood's home-video heavies - DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, Artisan Entertainment, and Universal Studios - have thrown their weight behind a format for distributing films in high-definition, the JVC-developed D-Theater variant of D-VHS.

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Installations: Double Feature

This vacation home is surrounded by the beauty of the Mexican Pacific coast and immersed in the latest A/V gear.

By Doug Newcomb
Posted June 6, 2007

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