Tom Norton

I didn't spend a lot of time at the show scoping out in-wall speakers. Yes, they're big in the custom installation market, but don't really get an audiophile's juices flowing. I discussed this with one manufacturer of premium high-end speakers, who is pondering his first in-wall designs. The problem, he said, is not designing them, it's simply getting excited enough about them to actually sit down and do it.

You'd never know it by looking at its clean, non-intimidating front panel, but the new Primare SPA22 integrated AV amp houses all the features of a sophisticated AV receiver (it's called an AV amp rather than an AV receiver because it dispenses with AM/FM tuners). Proprietary class D digital amplifiers provide 5 x 100Wpc of amplification, the unit sports HDMI 1.3 and full video switching, the video processing upconverts to a maximum of 1080p via HDMI, and DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD decoding is expected by the time the unit ships in December at an anticipated price somewhere south of $6000.

The Cary Audio Designs' Cinema 11V High Definition Video Processor ($3000) provide thesvideo switching that the company's Cinema 11a preamp-processor ($3000) lacks. But it can also be used as a stand-along video processor with other gear. It has Faroudja technology to provide video upconversion to a maximum of 1080p. It also claims to provide an output refresh rate of up to 120Hz, though we know of no current video display that can accept a direct 120Hz input (the new displays coming on line with 120Hz capability produce 120Hz internally from a 24/30/or 60 Hz source). There are six HDMI 1.3 inputs and two HDMI outputs, plus a full complement of analog video inputs, including RGB inputs and outputs on BNC connectors. CRT projector owners, take note.

Sonus faber's new Cremona M floor-standing speaker (about $12,000/pr) was on static display, but it was obvious that it maintains that Italian manufacturer's reputation for elegant design. It is said to closely mirror the sonics of the more expensive Cremona Elipsa ($20,000/pr), which seriously impressed this writer at last January's CES. A new Cremona center channel is in the works, as well, though it will not be available until some time in 2008.