December 2017 New Gear Part 2

Electrocompaniet Tana SL-1 Wireless Speaker
Recently introduced to North America, the Tana SL-1 from Norwegian high-end audio maker Electrocompaniet is built to deliver hi-res music over an existing Wi-Fi network. The two-way bass-reflex speaker is housed in a compact 10 x 7 x 7-inch aluminum cabinet along with a 150-watt Class A/B amplifier, 192-kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and 32-bit floating-point digital signal processor.
Ready, Set, Stream: The Speaker supports AirPlay and is ready to stream from a network-based music library, integrated internet radio, or one of several streaming services, including Spotify Connect, Tidal, Qobuz, and WiMP, with MQA decoding coming soon. USB and Ethernet connections are provided along with optical and coaxial digital inputs. Available with a copper, silver, or black aluminum base. Price: $949

Electrocompaniet • electrocompaniet.com


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Zvox SB380 Soundbar
Soundbar pioneer Zvox has lowered the price of admission for its Accu- Voice technology in the new SB380 soundbar by using a smaller but “highly efficient” digital amplifier and ditching Bluetooth, a feature most of its customers consider unnecessary for home theater. Otherwise, the SB380 is identical to the $400 SB400, with three 2-inch full-range speakers and a powered 4-inch woofer in a 36-inch-wide aluminum enclosure ideally suited for TVs with screens up to 65 inches.
Hear Me Now: Zvox’s proprietary AccuVoice system uses hearing-aid technology to clarify dialogue by lifting voices out of the soundtrack. Other handy features include PhaseCue virtual surround processing and output leveling to keep the volume of commercials in check. Zvox encourages you to try before you buy with its 60-day money-back guarantee. Price: $300

Zvox • (866) 367-9869 • zvox.com

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Sony VPL-VW285ES 4K LCOS Projector
You don’t normally think of five grand as “entry level,” but the VPL-VW285ES is, indeed, the least expensive 4K projector in Sony’s SXRD (LCOS) lineup. But that doesn’t mean it skimps on features. To the contrary, the 285ES can put up an 8 x 14-foot image and supports HDR10 and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) high dynamic range content at 60p with 10-bit color depth.
Quiet on the Set: Sony promises “whisper-quiet” operation, deeper blacks due to recent updates in SXRD technology, true-to-life color by way of its Triluminos display technology, and jerk-free motion thanks to an interpolation process that inserts extra frames during fast-moving scenes. The projector supports 3D video and has nine picture calibration modes and motorized zoom to ease setup. The lamp is rated to last up to 6,000 hours in low mode. See Tom Norton's review here. Price: $5,000

Sony • (239) 245-6354 • sony.com


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Trinnov Altitude16 A/V Processor
A scaled-back, more affordable version of Trinnov’s Altitude³² super processor ($18,000 to $33,000), the Altitude16 is no less impressive. Instead of being configurable up to 32 channels, it’s built to render up to 16 channels and incorporates many of the same technologies used by its big brother, including Trinnov’s Speaker/Room Optimizer and patented Remapping technology, which takes measurements via a 3D microphone and reconfigures the speaker outputs to compensate for less-than-ideal speaker placements.
Total Immersion: To take advantage of all those channels, the Altitude16 is equipped to decode all three immersive surround-sound formats: DTS:X (all configurations up to 11.1), Dolby Atmos (with up to 16 discretely rendered channels), and Auro-3D (up to 13.1). The processor is built to handle 96/24 hi-res audio and has seven HDMI 2.0 inputs and 16 balanced XLR outputs. Price: $16,000

Trinnov/Sound Developments USA • (310) 572-1070 • trinnov.com


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GoldenEar Technology Invisa Signature In-Wall Speaker
It’s not every day you come across a SuperSpeaker, but that’s how GoldenEar characterizes the new Invisa Signature Point Source, an in-wall speaker that borrows technology from the acclaimed Triton series of tower speakers. The goal: Create a compact speaker capable of matching the dynamic performance of the larger Tritons. The result is a svelte structure 27.5 inches wide, 8 inches tall, and 3.25 inches deep with four 5.25-inch drivers flanking the company’s signature folded-ribbon tweeter.
Same Only Different: The four large drivers might look the same, but they’re not. To achieve a point source radiation pattern, with the benefits of better dispersion and imaging, the upper range of the outermost drivers is limited to 500 hertz, while the two inner drivers reach up to 3 kilohertz to meet the tweeter—all accomplished with the help of a sophisticated crossover network. Price: $999 each

GoldenEar Technology • (410) 998-9134 • goldenear.com

COMMENTS
Hi-Reality's picture

I met with CEO of Electrocompaniet and their US Marketing Manager at T.H.E. SHOW in Irvine a couple of years ago and listened to their Electrocompaniet Tana SL-1 and was impressed. As I expressed to them, I think a speaker system of this performance/feature calibre deserves better media attention in this part of the world. I am glad this S&V staff report mentions them here.

I am also intrigued to experience and learn more about GoldenEar's new In-Wall Speakers.

Happy new year,
Babak (Bob)
Founder, Hi-Reality Project
www.hi-reality.com

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