All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Best- Great stuff - tested and approved in our top-secret labs.
COMPUTER SPEAKERS
First Class
Evett & Shaw's Elan and Flatte 50
Before you pull down another high-bit-rate MP3, check your PC's speakers. Can they do the fatter files justice? If not, you may want to install a proper sound system, such as the elegant Elan and Flatte 50. The wood, acrylic, and aluminum Elan cabinets each enclose a tweeter and a pair of downward-firing bass speakers. The companion 50-watt Flatte amplifier's distinctive round cutouts serve as heat sinks. Though the beautifully built system sounds plush in the middle range, response falls off at the extremes of the audible spectrum.
Elan and Flatte 50: $4,200. Evett & Shaw: +1 (801) 293 8286, www.evettandshaw.com.
Business Class
Acoustic Energy Aego2
This satellite-subwoofer system looks modest, but it delivers astonishingly dynamic, accurate sound, whether you're chillin' out or rockin' the house. The subwoofer puts out real music, not just rumbling bass, and houses an 80-watt amplifier that custom-contours its signal to match the acoustic properties of the satellites' toast-shaped drivers. Aego2's depth and rich detail could turn anyone into a full-fledged audiophile.
Aego2: $599. Acoustic Energy: +44 (1285) 654432, www.acoustic-energy.co.uk.
Coach
Altec Lansing ATP3
Many three-piece systems suffer from a mid-bass "hole" between 100 and 500 Hz - frequencies that are too low for the satellites and too high for the subwoofer. Altec Lansing solves the problem with 3-inch, down-firing mid-bass drivers that fill in the gap between the twin 28-mm tweeters and the 6.5-inch subwoofer. The 30-watt system goes surprisingly deep, but if you want to wake the neighbors, you'll have to pay more.
ATP3: $99. Altec Lansing: (800) 258 3288, +1 (570) 296 4434, www.altecmm.com.
DESKTOP SCANNERS
First Class
Epson Expression 1680 Pro FireWire
Epson's Expression 1680 satisfies the most demanding scanner users - even nitpicky artists. It reads 48-bit color at 1,600 by 1,600 dpi optical resolution, and is sensitive enough to capture slides, the ultimate scanner challenge. Letter-sized pages scan at 300-dpi color in 20 seconds. The flexible Expression connects via USB, SCSI, and firewire ports, and comes with great software for color management, graphics, and OCR. A transparency adapter is included; the optional automatic document feeder (ADF) costs $499.
Expression 1680 Professional FireWire: $1,399. Epson America: (800) 463 7766, www.epson.com.
Business Class
HP Scanjet 6350C
Designed for office use, the Scanjet includes a 25-page ADF and a 35-mm slide adapter. It works about as fast as the Epson, and scans in 36-bit color at 1,200 by 1,200 dpi. Five buttons on the front panel let you choose scan, copy, scan-to-fax, scan-to-email, or scan-to-file: Once the flatbed captures the page, it coordinates with other networked devices to complete the task. The Scanjet connects via USB or SCSI.
Scanjet 6350C: $499. Hewlett-Packard: (800) 722 6538, www.hp.com.
Coach
Visioneer Strobe Pro
Many capable scanners cost less than $100, but the ADFs for these basic models, when available, are frustratingly jam-prone. A better choice is the Strobe Pro, a little sheet-fed scanner that fits nicely between your keyboard and monitor. You have to slip pages in one at a time, but the process is faster than positioning them on a flatbed. The USB- or serial-connected Strobe Pro captures 30-bit color at an honest 300 by 300.
Strobe Pro: $199.99. Visioneer: +1 (925) 251 6300, www.visioneer.com.
UNIVERSAL REMOTES
First Class
Philips Pronto TSU2000
A truly universal remote tames the most ferocious jumble of A/V components. If you have a bear of a system, the Pronto TSU2000 is the whip to wield (and its 8-Mbyte color successor, due out in April, looks even better). With 2 Mbytes of memory and a huge built-in code database, Pronto commands any number of far-flung devices through virtual buttons you define for its backlit color LCD touchscreen. This wizardly wand also runs macros and auto-learns IR codes from other remotes. You can cook up the settings using the ProntoEdit app on your PC, then upload them to share online with other home-automation buffs.
Pronto TSU2000: $399.99. Philips: (800) 531 0039, www.pronto.philips.com.
Business Class
Sony RM-AV2100
Sony's top controller operates 12 devices with physical buttons and a touchscreen - the buttons control fundamentals like device selection, while the LCD handles the finer settings. As with the Pronto, it carries a database of codes for major products and grabs signals for other devices via IR transmission. You can define 15 macros for one-click command sequences, and the screen's backlighting is bright enough to illuminate your way to bed.
RM-AV2100: $179.99. Sony Electronics: (800) 222 7669, www.sel.sony.com.
Coach
RadioShack 15-1994
This six-device controller from RadioShack forgoes an LCD for traditional buttons, but packs plenty of power for standard home theater setups. Like the remotes above, it learns codes via IR and can operate an X-10 home-automation system. Device-specific codes - some of which perform functions you may not even know your equipment supports - are printed in the manual, to save into the remote as needed.
15-1994: $39.99. RadioShack: (800) 843 7422, www.radioshack.com.
