May 2016 New Gear

LG OLED77G6P Ultra HD OLED TV
Meet LG’s new flagship TV, one of four 2016 models that combine OLED’s dazzling color and perfect blacks with high dynamic range (HDR) capability to deliver what could be one of the most compelling home viewing experiences. Better yet, the smart TV—based on LG’s webOS 3.0 platform—supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 and is said to exceed the Ultra HD Premium designation reserved for products that meet the most demanding performance standards.
Stunningly Slim: The screen is only a tenth of an inch thick and framed in a super-skinny bezel supported by a stylish base that doubles as a soundbar. In addition to 10-bit image processing, the 77G6P employs LG’s Color Prime Pro technology to achieve a wide color gamut said to cover 99 percent of the DCI-P3 standard. As of early May, pricing for the OLED776GP was $24,999 but availability remained unannounced; its smaller sibling, the 65-inch OLED65G6P, is available at $7,999.
LG • (800) 243-000 • lg.com


Dynaudio Xeo 2 Wireless Speaker
Little brother to the Xeo 6 tower speaker—one of our Top Picks in 2015—the diminutive Xeo 2 is also self-powered and wireless (via the multiroom Xeo Hub) but adds a new twist: Bluetooth/aptX support for on-demand streaming from smartphones and other compatible devices.
Serious Sound: In addition to 65 watts per channel of power, Dynaudio employs active DSP, FIR (finite impulse response) filters, and adaptive bass technology to achieve big sound (down to 40 hertz) from a 10 x 7 x 6-inch enclosure with a 5.5-inch woofer and 1-inch tweeter. USB, optical digital, and analog inputs (RCA and minjack) are provided for wired hookups, and there’s an EQ switch to adjust response for placement in a corner or on a wall. The Xeo 2 is available in black or white satin. Price: $1,599/pair
Dynaudio • dynaudio.com


Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
If you’re an early adopter, Samsung’s state-of-the-art Ultra HD (UHD) Blu-ray player could be your next purchase. The first of its kind to reach store shelves, the player would make a perfect companion for any 4K Ultra HD display with HDCP 2.2 copyright management, although its concave design was conceived with Samsung’s curved SUHD TVs in mind.
HDR, Too: The UBD-K8500 supports HDR10 high dynamic range coding, found on most UHD BD discs to deliver blacker blacks and brighter highlights, and it offers a much wider color range than conventional Blu-ray players. With Wi-Fi on board, the UBD-K8500 is set up for 4K streaming and upscales lesser signals to “near-UHD” quality. Connections include two HDMI outputs (one for audio only) and an optical digital output. In case you’re wondering, the player also spins CDs, DVDs, and standard Blu-ray Discs. Price: $399
Samsung • (800) 726-7864 • samsung.com/us


Marantz HD-AMP1 Digital Integrated Amplifier
If you’re still chugging along with analog gear you bought to go with that vintage rear-projection TV you just hauled to the curb, it’s time for a digital upgrade. The HD-AMP1 packs powerful Hi-Res Audio processing, a 2 x 35-watt Class D amplifier, and a dedicated headphone amp into a compact chassis that occupies just over a square foot of space. Did we mention its spiffy brushed-alloy faceplate and wood-tone side panels?
File-O-Rama: In addition to handling a wide range of Hi-Res music formats at resolutions up to 384-kilohertz /32-bit—including all three flavors of DSD—the HD-AMP1 employs reference-grade ESS Sabre digital-to-analog converters (DACs) to accommodate the highest of Hi-Res signals. Connections include two USB ports (one on the front panel), three digital inputs (two optical, one coaxial), and two analog inputs. Price: $1,099
Marantz • (800) 654-6633 • us.marantz.com


SVS Prime Elevation Speaker
The trapezoid-shaped Prime Elevation is one clever speaker. Though it's not sanctioned by Dolby as an Atmos-enabled elevation module, SVS says it can be used to convey height information in object-based surround setups or serve as a surround or center speaker in rooms where conventional placement doesn’t work.
Count the Ways: SVS lists multiple options for the Prime Elevation. 1) Use it as a down-firing height speaker, mounted high on a side wall; 2) as an up-firing height speaker placed on a stand or atop a speaker; 3) as an up- or down-firing front or center speaker with projection screens (or in situations where placement at ear level isn’t possible); or 4) as side- or back-surround speaker. With a rated frequency response of 69 Hz to 25 kHz ±3 decibels, the speaker is acoustically engineered to deliver the “same performance regardless of how it’s positioned.” Finish options are gloss black, gloss white, or black ash. Price: $349/pair
SVS Sound • (877) 626-5623 • svsound.com

COMMENTS
jnemesh's picture

The Samsung UBD8500K player outputs UHD at 60hz with 4:4:4 color depth for it's menus...it's using the FULL 18Gb/sec bandwidth of HDMI 2.0. Active cables WILL NOT WORK with this player! Nor will Cat5/Cat6 extenders! For best results use a quality PASSIVE HDMI cable that is less than 20 feet long. If running longer lengths you will need to get a fiber optic HDMI cable. (Celerity makes an affordable one, Tributaries also offers some as well, at much higher prices)

If you get it up and running, though, you will find that the effort is worth it! I recently was able to preview both Mad Max and The Martian on UHD Blu-Ray, displayed on a JVC RS-600U "E-Shift" 4k projector...and the picture was OUTSTANDING! Highly recommended to anyone with a UHD TV or projector!

mikem's picture

Who the hell wants to jump through all these hoops and at a price like this? Certainly not the average consumer. I'll wait until the dust settles and then buy. I'm sick and tired of dumping down big bucks to be a beta tester.

jnemesh's picture

Samsung is making a solid product...I have sold several dozen and only seen one come back as being defective. The problem is that, just like when we transitioned from 1080i/720p to 1080p, the rest of the infrastructure isn't ready. It will be 2018 before we have HDBT extenders capable of passing UHD 60hz at 4:4:4 color (what the Samsung Bluray player outputs), and probably late this year to early next year before the Redmere chips capable of supporting the full UHD standard become available. You can't really blame the manufacturers either...UHD has been a moving target since day one! Last year, we were thinking HDMI 1.4 was all that was needed, but then Hollywood stepped in and wanted new copy protection (which has already been cracked, you think they would learn!).

In any case, if you have a UHD TV or projection system, there is no reason to wait. The content is here, the players are here...you just might have to run a new wire.

mikem's picture

Thank you for your comments. I agree that Hollywood (Disney especially) are so paranoid everytime they feel that everone in the world is pirating their movies, when in fact, it's probably less that 2% who do that. The worst piece of technology I've seen (and I've been an audiophile for well over 60 years) is HDMI, specifically the connectors. I happen to have a cat who loves to re-arrange all my cables periodically and you get the picture.............

javanp's picture

You guys have it listed as $5,999. The internet says it's $25,999. It is a 77" 4K OLED HDR TV afterall. I already had my credit card out.

utopianemo's picture

Read it again.

javanp's picture

You mean since they fixed it?

hk2000's picture

when you point out an error on this site, they usually fix it w/o bothering to acknowledge the person who pointed it out, they oftentimes just remove your post! I've learned to just ignore their mistakes instead of pointing them out.

javanp's picture

I'm awarding this reponse ^^ with a "Top Pick"

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