Audio Video News

Halcro, in case you haven't heard, makes some of the most bad-ass hi-fi gear on the planet. In a world gone mad for iPods and earbuds, Halcro is perfecting the art of really, really excellent componentry.  It's also really, really expensive componentry.

Case in point: their new SSP220 surround sound processor, shipping almost immediately (in August). It's built like a tank (and costs about as much as one) and is packed full of upscale technology. Since I'm not being paid by the word [ED NOTE: This is true], I will simply list the key words, and you can fill in the rest: discriminating, enthusiast, ultimate, unprecedented, performance, benchmark, reliability, make your neighbors jealous. The features are listed on the next page, but I'll just say: 1080p 24; multichannel linear PCM; true 7.1 discrete audio; lower noise floor, faster switching speed, and lower black levels. 

And the price? Are you sure you want to know? Really?

You just had to ask.  Well, the suggested retail price is $11,990.00. So suck it up and take out a fourth mortgage. The feature set:

SSP220 Features:

Audio: Multichannel linear PCM; 7.1 discrete channels; 7.1 channel balanced inputs and outputs with analog bypass and volume control; 7.1 channel unbalanced inputs with selectable unbalanced and balanced outputs; 4 special, programmable output channels; auxiliary manager for managing additional channels (channels 9 and 10 for stereo subwoofers, ceiling speakers, etc.); play music and/or video in two different rooms; patented High Dynamic Bass (HDB) circuitry for advanced bass management; choose size of speakers and route the bass information through the subwoofer; auto calibration of speaker levels and distances with calibration microphone; simplified setup for best in-room audio quality; adjustable Lip-sync function

Video: 1080p 24; 4 HDMI inputs; digital audio and video can be sent from the DVD player direct to the processor and/or projector/plasma display; 1 HDMI output; DVI supported via HDMI to DVI adapter; HDMI de-interlacing for improved video performance; 4 component video inputs; 1 component video output; composite and component video de-interlacing; component video bypass switching (up to HDTV 1080p compatible); analog video to digital, high definition video conversion.

Make sure you buy at least four of these babies. One for your home theater and one for the guest house, at both the winter and summer homes. Oh, I forgot about the yacht. Make that five. -Ken C. Pohlmann