LATEST ADDITIONS

Wisdom Audio Sage L100i In-Wall Speaker System

Gary Altunian | Sep 27, 2010

Price: $88,500 At A Glance: A unique listening experience • Unprecedented detail and transparency • Exceedingly good bass

Jaw-Dropping Home Cinema Somewhere on the audio quality scale, a home theater system crosses an imaginary line and becomes a home cinema system, one that’s capable of truly extraordinary music and film sound reproduction. I’m not exactly sure where that line is, or at what price, but I know it when I hear it. A true home cinema system delivers music that rivals a live event and a movie experience that surpasses even some of the finest commercial cinemas. In this rarefied universe of ultra-high-end audio systems, I tested a no-holds-barred home theater speaker system from Wisdom Audio based on the company’s L100i and C150i in-wall speakers and Suitcase Sub. As you’ll read, the in-wall speakers are just the beginning with this unique system.

Not Your Father’s In-Wall Speakers
In addition to the Suitcase Sub, this review system featured two L100i speakers for the left and right channels and a C150i for the center channel (although you can use either model for the left, center, right, or surround channels). The L100i and C150i are sized for placement behind an acoustically transparent video projection screen measuring at least 50 inches in height and of adequate width. The L100i and C150i are designed to deliver high-performance audio from speakers that disappear from the audience’s view behind the screen. The L100i is a two-part speaker system that consists of a 48-by-8-inch planar magnetic line-source array for the mid and high frequencies (above 275 hertz) and a separate enclosure of the same size that contains eight 6-inch woofers for bass/midbass. The three-part C150i features the same planar magnetic driver array combined with two bass enclosures that each house eight 6-inch woofers. The additional eight bass drivers in the C150i signal the importance of the center channel for dialogue information, onscreen action, and overall system dynamics.

CEDIA 2010

SurgeX Smokes the Competition

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

Surge protection and power conditioning often seem like an industry filled with smoke and mirrors – and full of dubious, hard-to-verify claims of protection. SurgeX brought some heavy duty surge-generating equipment to demonstrate how other types of surge protection devices react under real-world electrically stressful situations. The brand-obscured surge suppressor being used here would have left some home theater owner heading to the repair shop had a real component been hooked up to the outlet when a bad surge came down the line. SurgeX claims their devices are designed to resist surges at much higher levels than the competition can handle without self-destructing – and they can do it repeatedly (like well over 30,000 times).

CEDIA 2010

Wizards of the Wall Mount

| Sep 26, 2010

Relatively new TV wall mounts company, WallWizard showed off their many minimal (materials and cost) mounts for flat-panel TVs. The new XM series of mounts are capable of holding 26-inch to 60-inch TVs (depending on the model of TV) and incorporate a special cam mechanism that allows the TV to be swiveled 90 degrees left and right, or tilted up and down +3/-15 degrees up and down with one hand – or even, the company claims, one finger. In addition to the much better than average articulation, the WallWizard mounts also sell for a much lower than average price. The $109 XM37 holds TVs up to 50 pounds, while the $249 XM60 supports up to 120 pounds. Both models are UL certified and carry WallWizard’s $10,000 equipment protection program.

CEDIA 2010

Subwoofer Comes Out of the Closet

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

Triad is an in-room/wall/ceiling speaker company that specializes in making solutions for problems that real people often run into when putting together anything other than the standard, run-of-the-mill home theater system. For example, the company’s in-room speakers are voiced to identically match the in-wall versions (both the 4-inch and 6-inch deep versions), which also happen to perfectly match the in-ceiling versions. That way you could, if you had to, use in-room speakers for the left and right with an in-wall center channel and a pair of in-ceiling rears – and all the speakers would respond as if you’d used the same model all the way around. At CEDIA, Triad was showing off a prototype of another solution, a subwoofer that can be hidden away with the bass output routed into the room via a large diameter tube that terminates in a standard wall vent cover. No pricing available yet.

CEDIA 2010

Phase Technology Does Small Swell

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

The five small satellites in Phase Technology’s new $930 CineMicro One 5.1-channel speaker system use all-wood “acoustically neutral” curved enclosures, Absolute Phase crossover networks, and long-throw woofers. The sub that’s included in the package incorporates an eight-inch down-firing woofer in a rear slotted-port design and a built-in 100-watt amp.

CEDIA 2010

Summit Wireless Reaches Aperion

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

Uncompressed wireless high-definition audio transmission along with a super-easy setup routine – and the ability to instantly realign the soundfield to accommodate changes in seating position are the hallmarks of Summit Wireless’ technology. After lots of development work, the technology is finally coming to a home theater near you. The first products to incorporate it will be the Aperion Audio Intimus 4T 5.1-channel ($2,499) and 7.1-channel ($2,999) systems. Pre-orders will be available beginning October 15th, with shipping beginning in December. Of all the wireless technology I’ve seen at the last couple of CEDIA and CES shindigs, Summit Wireless is the most exciting – and we can’t wait to get our hands on the first system to come from Aperion Audio. We’ll keep you posted…

CEDIA 2010

Whole-Home Wi-Fi

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

If you’re having trouble with routers and multiple access points in your home Wi-Fi network (as I am), Luxul Wireless says they have a solution for you with the company’s whole-home Wi-Fi network installation products. Luxul’s Pro-WAV products can increase the coverage area of 802.11b/g Wi-Fi gear by an astounding 400 percent; and Luxul says they can provide coverage for 10,000 square feet of home (or more) with a single access point. That means you’ll have seamless roaming of iPods/iPads, fewer wireless access points, and expanded usage of Wi-Fi throughout the home – all from products that can be mounted in a closet or attic.

CEDIA 2010

http://cms.blog.hometheatermag.com/

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

Jeff Graham, CEO of iSky, shows off a demonstration mockup of an iSky fiber optic star ceiling panel with blue LED lighting around the edges. iSky panels can be mounted directly to the ceiling or used with regular drop ceilings. Each iSky panel contains a built-in illuminator and only requires a low-voltage jumper between panels. The constant-voltage design is said to be simpler to install than a more complex constant-current system. In addition to looking incredibly cool, the iSky panels also be ordered as reflector or diffuser panels for acoustic treatment of your home theater’s ceiling.

CEDIA 2010

Kordz Bends Over Backwards

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

Upstart startup cable manufacturer from Australia, Kordz (evidently those Aussies can’t spell), demonstrated the company’s HDMI cables are not only high speed, they’re designed to be bent up to 90 degrees – something very welcome to installers and others who’ve ever had to deal with HDMI cables hanging off the back of a deep AVR.

CEDIA 2010

Professionally Emotivational

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 26, 2010

Direct-to-consumer Emovita introduced a higher-end line aimed at distribution through CEDIA installers. The PMC-1 (shown here on top) is a 7.1-channel pre/pro with a fully-integrated Control4 HC200 controller built-in. The PMC-1 includes only HDMI switching with no legacy video inputs, so you’ll have to get a component-to-HDMI adapter to connect your Wii to it. The PMA-7350 (on the bottom) is a matching 7 x 350 watts amplifier. Shipping is expected to start in the first quarter of next year.

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