New Products / June 2001 Page 3

Russound

Get ready for some extreme outdoor listening with the latest additions to Russound's OutBack line. These water-resistant speakers are said to be able to withstand temperatures from -50 to 200°F, while gold-plated binding posts supply rust-free connectivity. The 8 x 117/8 x 7-inch OB-6.1 (shown right with grille on and off) has a 6-inch polypropylene woofer, a 1-inch Mylar/titanium tweeter, and a rated frequency response of 55 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB. The OB-5.1 (second from left and front) and OB-4.1 (left, grille off) have smaller drivers. All come with swivel-mounting brackets. Prices per pair: OB-6.1, $399; OB-5.1, $299; OB-4.1, $199. 603-659-5170, www.russound.com

Visteon

On a long drive but don't want to clutter the car with dozens of CDs? Burned as MP3 files, 10 hours of music will fit on one disc, but you'll need an in-dash player like Visteon's Mach MP3 to play it. The 30-watt-per-channel double-DIN-size CD receiver can be set either to treat all MP3s on a disc as if they were in a single directory or to recognize layered folders. Normal CD functions like scan, seek, and shuffle play are compatible with MP3 discs. Choose from five different faceplate finishes to complement your dash styling. Price: $369. 734-666-2096, www.evisteon.com

Proton

A flat screen and 650 lines of horizontal resolution -- not bad for a 32-inch analog TV, and Proton's HT-34PRO throws in biamplified stereo speakers, a subwoofer, an autoprogrammable 181-channel tuner, and a clock/timer. Composite- and S-video inputs are on the front for easy hookup of a camcorder or game console, while two composite-, one component-, and two S-video inputs are around back. Select between two color-temperature settings, 6,500 K and 9,300 K. Defeatable scan-velocity modulation and a channel-block function give even more flexibility. Price: $1,600. 562-404-2222, www.proton-usa.com

Parasound

Whether you want to provide sound to 12 different rooms or simply want a versatile power amplifier for your home theater, Parasound's ZoneMaster Z-12 is up to the job. The 85-pound amp is rated to deliver 50 watts to each of its 12 channels, and output pairs can be bridged to deliver 100 watts. Each channel has its own signal input but can also accept a left, right, or summed L + R signal from the amp's master stereo bus. All of the input jacks and multiway speaker binding posts are gold plated. Need still more channels? You can daisy chain as many Z-12s as you like. Price: $2,000. 415-397-7100, www.parasound.com

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