All Products Filed in Audio

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Over the past several months the momentum behind the HDBaseT transmission technology has grown with several manufacturers adopting the format and releasing new products into the marketplace.

The latest company to launch a new HDBaseT product into the professional electronics market is Audio Authority. The Lexington, Kentucky-based manufacturer's new HBT200KIT is a HDBaseT solution that electronics professionals can use to address long-range signal transmission issues in commercial and residential system environments.

Audio Authority says the HBT200KIT is capable of sending uncompressed HD video, lossless audio, IR and RS-232 control signals distances as far as 330 feet with a single Cat-5e/Cat-6 cable. The company says the kit includes a transmitter and receiver and the components are compliant with HDCP/EDID protocols to ensure the system's compatibility with a variety of displays and source components.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

In the world of networking it's not too often that a custom installer can say that there's a networking component specifically for the custom electronics industry.

In the case of the newly released Pakedge S8W 8-port gigabit switch however, electronics professionals will find a networking device with home theater, security and traditional networking in its DNA. Pakedge says the switch is equipped with eight auto-sensing 10/100/1000Mbps ports and it can be implemented without any preconfiguration. The Foster City, California-based company also says the high-speed, compact switch is compliant with all of the latest networking protocols to ensure its compatibility with all of the latest networking technologies.

Pakedge ships the 8-port gigabit switch with a wall-mounting bracket and it incorporates custom installation features such as the ability to automatically negotiate network speed and duplex mode with connected devices. The company adds the switch is made with a metal enclosure that can be placed on a table, in a rack or hung on a wall.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Ludacris is one of the sharpest and most successful entertainers in both the world of music and in movies. The entertainment mogul's latest venture is SOUL by Ludacris, which is a line of headphones and other audio accessories, and recently the line was upgraded with a new pair of headphones that are as sharp as the man they are named after.

The newly released SL150CS chrome silver Limited Edition headphones build upon the basic feature set of the company's SL150 products with the addition of a sharp chrome finish. The headphones are trimmed with black padding on the headpiece and gloss black accents along the ear pieces to provide music lovers, DJs and sound engineers with a stylish sound solution that also rocks.

SOUL by Ludacris has engineered the speakers to produce a balanced, full sound and the headphones can be used for a variety of applications. The headphones work with Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad products, as well as other portable devices, including Android products, and the SL150CS headphones ship with two cables and 1/4-jack accessories to allow music fans to use the headphones with traditional stereo components.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Mark Levinson is one of the most famous names in high performance residential audio and recently at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the respected American manufacturer announced several new products.

Arguably the most interesting of these products is the No.585 integrated amplifier. The No.585 marks a return to the integrated amplifier category, and according to Levinson, the new integrated amp is part of the company's 40th Anniversary Collection of products, which also includes the No.52 Reference Dual-Monaural Preamplifier, the No.519 SACD and the No.560 Digital Audio Processor.

The No.585 integrated amplifier's amplification section is rated to deliver 225 watts into an 8-ohm load, and it offers a choice of three line-level analog inputs, as well as a moving-magnet (MM)/moving-coil (MC) phono input. Levinson also includes a choice of HDMI 1.3, USB, AES/EBU, and coax S/PDIF inputs, along with USB and S/PDIF digital outputs. Internally the integrated amp incorporates 24-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converters (DACs); on-board bass management with high-pass filtering, low-pass crossover controls for use with a subwoofer and the company's SSP mode that supports the unit's integration into a home theater system.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

It doesn't matter if you are a die-hard two-channel enthusiast or a home theater lover when it comes to owning McIntosh gear. The company makes products that satisfies the demands of both markets without compromise.

Adding to its home theater legacy, the Binghampton, N.Y.-based company introduced its latest product to the home theater category: the MC8207 home theater amplifier. McIntosh says the new amplifier is engineered to provide the luxury, high-performance with a product that performs to the highest levels. McIntosh says the seven-channel amplifier incorporates its proprietary Dynamic Power Management circuit that allows for full power delivery into 4- and 8-ohm speaker loads. Aesthetically, the amp features the company's new "theater style" LED watt meters, which allows users to monitor the amount of power sent to their system's front three speakers.

McIntosh says the amp is rated to deliver 200 watts per channel, and it can be used with the company's line of A/V controllers to form a complete home theater electronics solution.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

With the vinyl format bigger than ever, long-time category supporters such as Audio Technica (AT) are benefiting through the increased interest in their respective products now that consumers are spinning records again.

One product that is receiving a lot of interest from Audio Technica is the AT 150ANV moving-coil phono cartridge. The product was released to celebrate its 50th anniversary as a company, and AT says the cartridge combines traditional phono cartridge design elements with new technologies to provide music lovers with a product that taps into the best qualities of yesterday and today. According to Audio Technica, the AT150ANV employs a Micro Linear stylus tip that's mounted to a solid boron cantilever. The cartridge also uses a machined-aluminum housing and dampening materials to eliminate resonances to ensure musical clarity and resolution.

Audio Technica states the AT150ANV's frequency response is 10Hz to 23kHz, and its output is rated at 4mV. In addition, the company says its vertical tracking force is 1.2 to 1.8 grams, and its recommended load impedance is 47k ohms.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A couple of years ago the suburban Boston-based company Atlantic Technology played a trick on the assembled press corp during its CEDIA news conference by playing its then new set of speakers next to a subwoofer. Later during the press conference company president Peter Tribeman revealed that the sub was never on and the bass output from the system was reproduced by the small footprint floorstanding speakers that were on display.

Using the same technology from its small footprint floorstanding AT-1 speakers Atlantic Technology recently launched its AT-2 bookshelf loudspeakers. Standing about 16 inches tall the AT-2 employs the company's H-PAS enclosure technologies, which it says are completely unique when compared to the industry standard acoustic suspension, ported and transmission line designs, and because it implements the H-PAS technologies it can play down to 41Hz. Handling the speaker's top end is a single Atlantic Technology Low-Resonance Tweeter (LRT), and in tandem with the cabinet technologies, 51/4-inch woofer and crossover network the speaker can create a frequency response of 41Hz to 20kHz.

The speaker can be used for a variety of residential sound applications, and Atlantic Technology says the 6-ohm speaker is 88dB sensitive, which means it can be used with a majority of A/V receivers and amplifiers.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is one of the most recognizable and unique manufacturers in the entire world of consumer electronics, and the Danish company is well known for its sleek industrial designs and pursuit of high performance.

The company's new BeoSound 5 digital music system is the company's latest product and it enables homeowners in new construction or existing structures to enjoy the benefits of whole-house audio without the need to pull cables. The BeoSound 5 incorporates B&O's proprietary playlist technologies, as well as a built-in CD ripper that allows homeowners to rip their CD collections into a digital library for easy access and management.

In addition, the BeoSound 5 can be used with one of the company's Encore components to create a whole-house audio system that employs wireless technologies to transmit audio and control signals. The BeoSound 5 can be wall mounted, stand mounted or it can be used as a tabletop unit.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Arguably no speaker company has done more to advance the decades old electrostatic speaker technology than MartinLogan.

Adding to its legacy of unique electrostatic speaker designs, the company recently rolled out its new Montis loudspeaker, which will be part of its Reserve ESL series of products. The approximately 5-foot tall speaker features a small footprint and a hybrid design that includes the incorporation of its XStat curved electrostatic panel, along with its Vojtko crossover network, and DSP engine that's used in conjunction with the speaker's 200-watt Class D amplifier that drives and controls its 10-inch cone woofer.

MartinLogan says the 4-ohm speaker produces a frequency response of 29Hz to 23kHz and that it is 91dB sensitive. The speaker is available in a choice of black ash, dark cherry and high-gloss black cherrywood, and electronics professionals can set the speaker up with its 3/8-16 ETC spikes that are designed to improve the speaker's stability on carpets, while also offering an added level of speaker positioning capabilities.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Until the new housing market picks up and shows long-term sustainability, the existing home market will be a key part of any residential electronics professional's business portfolio.

IOGEAR's new Wireless 3D Media Kit (GW3DMKIT) is the California company's latest connectivity solution that's engineered to provide electronics professionals a tool that can solve many of the common hurdles that installers run into when retrofitting a home A/V system in an existing home. The kit incorporates four HDMI inputs and a component analog input to enable installers to connect as many as five sources, which could range from a cable or satellite box and Blu-ray disc play, to a movie server and Apple TV to provide homeowners a full range of entertainment options without the need to open up a wall to pull HDMI, Cat-5 and RG-6 cables.

To support the reliable transmission of 1080p video IOGEAR employs the Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) protocol which runs on the 5GHz spectrum to navigate the increasingly busy wireless airwaves to ensure consistent performance. The kit includes a wireless transmitter, which has a range up to 100 feet, along with a receiver unit and built-in IR support.

Monday, January 16, 2012

The Canadian speaker manufacturer Paradigm is constantly tweaking existing products or simply introducing new products to ensure its speakers stay current with the latest residential audio trends.

At the recently completed Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the company announced that it has updated its Monitor Series of products. The new Monitor Series 7 speakers features the Atom Monitor, the Mini Monitor, the Monitor 7, Monitor 9, Monitor 11, Center 1, Center 3, Surround 1 and the Surround 3 speakers, and each one of the speakers incorporate a 20 percent smaller footprint along with 3/4-inch baffles, self-aligning magnetic grilles, and the company's state-of-the-art 1-inch S-PAL tweeter and S-PAL satin-anodized aluminum cone drivers.

The speakers also utilize co-polymer polypropylene woofers with new motor structures and they are available in a choice of black ash or heritage cherry finishes.

Friday, January 06, 2012

James Loudspeaker has consistently produced some of the most unique and best sounding loudspeakers in the specialty world of audio for a number of years. Just recently the company added to its legacy with the launch of its latest product series the Small Aperture line of architectural speakers.

Included in the Small Aperture line of products is the 63SA-7 in-ceiling product, which the California-based company says is designed to provide installers with a speaker that produces a wide dispersion pattern and deep frequency response. The three-way 63SA-7 incorporates a 20mm tweeter, along with a 50mm midrange driver and James' 165mm PowerPipe subwoofer all concentrically mounted to enable the speaker to provide significant low-frequency reinforcement. James engineered the speaker so that homeowners only see a 76mm round opening (or square) and the speaker grille is designed to allow the speaker to match its surrounding decor, which includes light fixtures.

Installers ordering the speaker will order it in two parts: The preconstruction kit, which includes the subwoofer. It is installed before the drywall is installed. After the construction is completed the tweeter/midrange module is installed into the 76mm (3 inch) opening. To complete the install an installer chooses a grille trim kit to finish the job.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

The Italian speaker manufacturer Sonus faber is one of the most revered companies in the entire world of specialty consumer electronics. The brand, which has been distributed in the U.S. by Sumiko for a number of years consistently produces products for the two-channel audio market, and to a lesser extend the home theater channel.

Recently the company introduced its latest product, the newly launched AIDA freestanding loudspeaker. The new loudspeaker is described by the Italian manufacturer as a product that is "as grandiose as a Guiseppe Verdi opera ... able to radically renew and at the same time express the unchanging Sonus faber values." Defining this statement in real-world terms the AIDA is a 3.5-way loudspeaker that incorporates a pair of the company's W22 XTR-12 woofers that are set up for mid-bass frequencies. Located above these drivers on the speaker's baffle plane is a single Sonus faber M18 XTR-08 midrange driver and above this driver is a single Sonus faber Arrow Point DAD 29 XTR-06 tweeter. Augmenting this driver array is Sonus faber's integrated SW32 XT-8 infra woofer, and this multi-driver array is controlled by the company's complex, non-resonant Paracross topology design crossover network.

All of this audio technology is housed in the company's furniture-grade cabinetry that's highlighted by the enclosure's Lyra shape dual-side curvature design. Sonus faber says the 4-ohm speaker is 92dB sensitive and it provides users with a frequency response of 20Hz to 35kHz.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Danish speaker company DALI has always been a respected manufacturer of audio products within the audiophile community.

This past fall the company introduced its latest speaker the Fazon F5 at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival in an exhibit conducted by its U.S. distributor The Sound Organisation. The Fazon represents a bit of a departure in design from the company's traditional products and the company's goal with the industrial design was to produce a product that offered a high level of sound quality within a form factor that would complement the decor of a modern home. The Fazon F5 stands approximately 3-feet tall and it utilizes a sleek, contemporary cabinet design that incorporates bass reflex technologies.

The 6-ohm speaker incorporates an oversized 1.1-inch dome tweeter along with two 5.5-inch woofers and together the speaker is stated to deliver a frequency response of 49Hz to 23kHz. DALI says the speaker is also 87.5dB sensitive and its standard color choices are black and white.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

As the popularity for home theater has grown it's been surprising that the furniture industry has never really adapted to the change that's occurred within the living room that's been the result of Americans blending electronics into traditional home settings.

Spectral by Cinematech is doing its part to expedite this ongoing process by releasing new products like its Scala Series of products. The Scala series of products offers homeowners a choice of two products that incorporate electronics and other options to dock an iPhone/iPod and to mount a flat-panel television.

The Scala Series BRA1 offers homeowners a 2.1 speaker system that includes an integrated subwoofer, connections for four digital devices and two analog devices, an integrated FM tuner and a learning IR remote control. The Scala SCA1 incorporates a 2.0 audio system with three analog inputs and an IR remote control.