LATEST ADDITIONS

In addition to the Performance 2 bookshelf, Mordaunt-Short is unveiling an entire line of home-theater speakers at CEDIA. Dubbed Aviano, the line includes two floorstanders, two bookshelf models, one center, and two subwoofers. All feature curved front baffles and proprietary driver designs with prices ranging from $500 to $1400 per pair; the center and subs fall within this range for single items.

Complimenting the new 650BD Blu-ray player from Cambridge Audio is the 650R A/V receiver. This 7.1-channel AVR provides 100Wpc in an acoustically damped chassis and supports all current audio formats. It also transcodes analog video to HDMI and offers a pure analog stereo-direct mode. That's a lot of AVR for $1800.

Here's an interesting item—a 3-channel, class-D integrated amp from a French company called Micromega and US distributor Audio Plus Services. The AP180 provides full HDMI audio decoding and 180Wpc for three speakers in a home-theater setup, all for $2500. To complete a 5-channel system, Audio Plus Services recommends pairing the AP180 with the PW400 ($2800), which provides 400Wpc of class-D power for the front right and left speakers while the AP180 powers the center and surrounds.

If 65 inches isn't big enough for you but 103 inches is too big—or too expensive—how about an 85-inch plasma? At CEDIA, the Panasonic Professional division is introducing the TH-85PF12U, which is equivalent in screen size to four 42-inchers, though the total resolution is still 1920x1080. It incorporates the company's new NeoPDP plasma panel that is said to exhibit a native contrast of 40,000:1. How much, you ask? Only $30,000, I reply.