Martin Logan
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 3:37 PM ET
By Tom Norton
Martin Logan was featuring its flagship electrostatic speakers, but also in attendance was this small, stand/bookshelf design that incorporates An AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeter--a technology developed by Oscar Heil in the 1970s and made popular, briefly, in a series of speakers from ESS. The demo was brief, but the sound very promising. The speakers will be available in February 2010, with models at $400 and $600 and a pair of floorstanders also are in the works. Here they were used with a pair of the currently available Dynamo 700 subwoofers (wireless, $695 each--there's also a larger $995 Dynamo 1000))
Secret Rotel
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 3:27 PM ET
Well, not really a secret when the product is prominently displayed on the floor, but the new Rotel pre-pro with its large display screen should sell for around $4500 when it appears early in 2010 at around $4500.
Monitor Audio Silver RX Part II
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 3:15 PM ET
By Tom Norton
Monitor Audio announced the new SIlver RX series of loudspeakers, incorporating features developed for the company's more upscale Platinum and Gold lines (the Platinums are reviewed in the October 2009 issue of Home Theater). The Silver RX line includes seven models, from the small Silver RS 1 bookshelf ($675/pair) to the large floorstanding RX 8 ($1750/pair).
Shifty Optoma
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 2:27 PM ET
By Tom Norton
Optoma decided to forgo its usual huge demo booth this year (there was a lot of that going around) for a more modest setup, but its new HD8600 projector kept up the excitement quotient. It offers full lens shift and three interchangeable lenses, both of them firsts for the company's projectors. It also incorporates TI's latest DarkChip3 DMD, DynamicBlack, Pixelwork's DNX MotionEngine technology, a claime4d output of 1600 ANSI Lumens, and ISFccc calibration features. The projector comes with the standard zoom lens as part of its $7499 price. Prices were not yet settled for the long and short throw zoom lens options.
Special K2
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 2:21 PM ET
By Tom Norton
JBL's K2 loudspeakers, shown here in a conventional 2-channel setup on the show floor, is also a key part of JBL's latest Synthesis home theater system. But they can be had alone, if you prefer, for $30,000/pair.
Kaleidescape Mini
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 1:58 PM ET
By Tom Norton
The new, smaller Kaleidescape Mini System can hold up to 225 DVDs or 2500 CDs with expanded optional storage (75 and 825 respectively with the standard storage that comes with the unit. $7995 with standard storage.
The unit will not, as yet, support Blu-ray, though Kaleidescape reps were clear that the company is eagerly awaiting the launch of BD Managed Copy, which will allow lossless ripping of BD discs onto a hard drive server (with significant restrictions, however, and possibly an added fee, depending on the studio). This will NOT include discs currently on the market--the rip-able discs must be specially encoded.
Until the launch of Managed Copy, however, users will have to make do with plain old DVDs. But please, Kaleidescape, watch the hype in your literature. The handout for the Mini System states, "The Mini System creates beautiful high-definitionoutput from DVDs, providing a viewing experience that rivals Blu-ray." The italics are mine. No way, Jose. All the system can do is deinterlace andf upconvert--video process--the DVDs, and no matter how well this is done the result is not HD.
The Biggest Torus
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 1:31 PM ET
By Tom Norton
From Bryston in the Great White North comes the Torus RM100 BAL, a power line conditioner designed to not only totally isolate your system from garbage and spikes on the AC power line, but to provide higher instantaneous peak current, acting as a very low impedance current source, to juice-hungry components such as large power amps. This monster, with its humongous toroidal transformer, is MUCH bigger than the picture suggests (27"x 20.5" x 10.5", 220 lbs). $8500.
Don't need anything quite this large or expensive? I can't imagine why a domestic installation would--the obvious applications for this unit are on the pro side). Torus makes much more practical units, including the 15 amp RM15 and 20 amp RM20--the latter said to produce up to 50 amps instantaneous peaks from a standard residential wall receptical. The smaller models are also available with a more consumer-friendly faceplate, without the rack-mount extensions with bolt holes shown here.
The Biggest Torus II
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 1:28 PM ET
By Tom Norton
Here's the business end of the Torus RM 100BAL discussed above.
Digital Projection LED
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 1:09 PM ET
By Tom Norton
From Digital Projection we get the M-Vision Cine LED. This single chip DLP projector, if you're following the drift here, uses LED illumination to replace the projection lamp. As with the other digital projectors we saw at the show, from Runco, Projectiondesign, and SIM2, it's not a torch, is rated at a modest 600 lumens. Includes dynamic black for a rated peak contrast ration of 10,000:1 (2,000:1 native), and is best used on screens no wider than 8 feet. The screen it was used with at the show was 5.5' wide Stewart with a gain of 1.3. Or that's what a Digital Projection rep said. It did look a bit larger than that.
The images it produced were impressive, though the setup (with the screen high above head height in space that was dark but with many brighter projectors showing simultaneously on brighter screens) made critical judgments difficult. Price about $15K-$16K when it becomes available early in 2010.
The REL of Gibraltar
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 1:32 AM ET
By Shane Buettner
REL subs have produced some of the best bass performance I’ve ever heard for music and cinema. Thudpuckers that can crank out LFE are a dime a dozen. Subs like REL’s that can rattle the roof, but also keep up with the rhythm and pace of music are rarer by far. The Gibraltar is a concept piece with a gorgeous finish. Final specs and release date aren’t known, but a woofer that looks like this and sounds like a REL will be welcome. There’s a reason that most black box subs are often hidden from sight. A hot looking box like the Gibraltar might occupy a more prominent spot in people’s rooms!
Hydra Power
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 1:29 AM ET
By Shane Buettner
It’s not every show that I see a truly unique new display category emerge, but Seura’s displays are just that. Damned difficult to photograph, but fascinating. Building flat panel displays into pretty looking art and picture frames is one thing, and Seura does that too. But Seura is building flat panels seamlessly into mirrors, kitchens, bathrooms and even showers. Shown here is the waterproof Hydra and its color matching options. I tried to get a shot of one of the mirror displays, but the reflections were out of hand. You have to see it to believe it. Utterly unique. I can’t wait to shower with Monday Night Football!
Definitely Definitive
Posted Mon Sep 14, 2009, 1:22 AM ET
By Shane Buettner
Things are tough all over. This man is the prettiest model that Definitive Technology could afford to show off its new Mythos XTR-50 ($799 each). Bada-bing. Actually that’s Definitive’s man in charge, Paul DiComo. The new XTR-50 is Definitive’s answer to the flat panel’s ongoing bout with anorexia. Although the speaker also ships with attractive table-top stands, the XTR-50’s wow factor is its shocking 1.6” depth, which is all the more startling when wall-mounted around one of the latest wafer-thin flat panels. Wall mounting is ultra simple with the supplied brackets, and they can be oriented horizontally or vertically (even the Definitive logo detaches and re-attaches to match). Now all you need is a flat panel that doesn’t look fat when surrounded by two or three XTR-50s.
The Big Bad Wolf
Posted Sun Sep 13, 2009, 8:58 PM ET
By Shane Buettner
Home theater or digital cinema at home? Wolf Cinema’s DLP digital projectors blur the line. The biggest, baddest Wolfs (Wolves?) are three-chip DLP projectors with full 1080p resolution, constant screen height, and scalable light output configurations for a wide variety of screen sizes, materials and lighting conditions- including very large screens. They are custom install centric in that they run hot and require professional installation and ventilation. Wolf Cinema’s distributor seems open to getting us a review sample, so it looks like I might get to take this Ferrari for a drive!
Chord Don’t Need No Stinking Cables
Posted Sun Sep 13, 2009, 8:48 PM ET
By Shane Buettner
This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Chord Electronics’ Chordette Gem is a really cool USB DAC. But as cool as that is, that’s not even what’s coolest about it. Have an iPod Touch or iPhone? Yeah, me too. I opened my iPhone's BlueTooth settings and saw the Chordette right away and paired it with a 4-digit code expertly supplied by Sumiko’s Norbert Schmied (granted, it was the 1-2-3-4 default, but my man was all over it). Right away I was playing tunes through the stereo speaker system connected to the Chordette over BlueTooth (and Light Sabers, Star Trek phasers, and other, um, iPhone app related sound effects, some of which may have been regarded as unsavory). We don’t need no stinking white cables! $799 and you’re living the dream!
Hip-Swinging HDMI
Posted Sun Sep 13, 2009, 5:58 PM ET
By Darryl Wilkinson
Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to introduce this hip-swinging HDMI adapter at Las Vegas, but NextGen brought the company's twisting, rotating, 360-degree HDMI connector to the sparsely attended Hall B in the Convention Center. While there was plenty of room there, this connector will make it easier to hook up HDMI gear when space is tight. Pricing is TBD (which is "to be determined" not "two billion dollars"). If it's like the rest of NextGen's products, it'll be surprisingly inexpensive and will work exceedingly well.
Circular Argument
Posted Sun Sep 13, 2009, 5:40 PM ET
By Darryl Wilkinson
Walking around CEDIA, you'll see tools you never knew existed designed to solve problems you never knew anyone ever had. Although I've always believed that (1) you should always use the right tool for the right job,(2) you can never have enough tools, and (3) battery/electric tools are always better than ones that require my own muscle power; there are some tools on display here that even I can't justify having at home. My wife will probably say I have a hole in my head when I say I need this tool, but I can't help wanting the awesome Hole Pro Adjustable Hole Cutter drill attachment. It's capable of cutting smooth holes in all kinds of materials (dry wall, plywood, even some metal). But wait - there's more! As the name implies, it's adjustable; so this one tool can be used to drill anything from a 1 7/8-inch hole to a 17-inch hole. And the clear plastic housing not only catches all the dust and debris as you're cutting - it also serves as a support housing that makes sure you drill the hole perpendicular to the plain of the surface you're cutting. A built-in depth gauge prevents you from drilling too far into your wall and into a water pipe or speaker wire. Models range from $119.95 to $164.95 depending on the maximum size hole the tool will cut. Check out the videos of the Hole Pro in action at the company's web site www.holepro.com.
The ART of Speaker Alignment
Posted Sun Sep 13, 2009, 5:37 PM ET
By Darryl Wilkinson
Mark's already mentioned in a previous post American Recorder Technologies' speaker package that comes with a laser alignment tool, but you can buy the laser tool - plus a fancy sound pressure level meter - in a cool, aluminum carrying case from ART for $249. It's overkill for the one-time HTiB setup, but anyone who is into home theater enough to be reading our blogs about CEDIA will want one of these packages. If you're really serious about setting up home theaters - as in, you're an installer or would like to be - the Basic Home Theater Kit is just a start. Other professionally oriented kits include digital inclinometers, laser line generators (for visualizing dispersion patterns), and laser alignment glasses.
2+2=?
Posted Sun Sep 13, 2009, 5:28 PM ET
By Darryl Wilkinson
I really shouldn't make fun of this because there can be some serious math work involved in putting together a complicated whole-house A/V and automation system, but I couldn't help chuckle at the title of this CEDIA University course being offered for installers and designers. Maybe CEDIA should have picked a more impressive name for this course, something like "Beyond Fingers: Why a Calculator Should be in Your Toolbox" or "Mathematical Profitability: Making Cents out of Numbers".
While we're on the subject of out-of-context humorous bits at CEDIA, as I was walking by a booth selling an install tool designed to make it easy to locate a wire run in the wall after the drywall has been put up, I overheard the salesman telling the prospective buyers, "No you're no longer married to a stud." Talk about ruining the wife acceptance factor...
Do You Know This Speaker Company From Adam?
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 7:29 PM ET
By Shane Buettner
Adam speakers are well known in the pro audio world, and better in Europe. But they are crossing the seas and making a splash in the home audio/video market. I auditioned the high-end Tensor line in a two-channel setup but the company is preparing for US launch a diverse line of home theater and in-wall/on-wall speakers. The sound I heard was preternaturally clean, dynamic and rhythmically right. They’re coming.
The Biggest Damn Soundbar I’ve Ever Seen!
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 7:19 PM ET
By Shane Buettner
Leon speakers are all about audio- audio for your video. The company custom builds speakers around video displays of all kinds, there is nothing off the shelf about any Leon system. On display at CEDIA was this whopping 140” wide Stewart CineCurve screen (that’s almost 12 feet wide for those of you keeping score at home!) with accustom built Leon speaker system tracing the screen. I'm cheating calling it a soundbar, but I don't know what else to call it and I'm lazy. I don’t know how much the speakers cost, but if you can afford a CineCurve that size, and a projector to drive it, you don’t care!
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