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CES 2010
Niro Isn't Fiddling Around
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 08, 2010
You can't call it a sound bar, but the goal of Niro Nakamichi's latest system is to eliminate the need for rear speakers in a home theater. The new system uses two speaker cabinets - one below the TV that produces the LCR signals, and one above the TV that creates the pseudo surround information. The system also comes with a subwoofer and processor/amplifier. The system uses psychoacoustics to create its effects and doesn't rely on sound reflections off the side walls as many other no-rear-speakers systems do. Although it still can't compete against a full-blown discrete speaker system, I must say that in the brief amount of time I had to listen, it blew away any other soundbar I've ever heard. Of course, at $1,899 for the system, it's more expensive than any other sound bar that I can remember listening to. The cosmetics are a little industrial for my tastes, but it's definitely a high-performance system to consider if you can't have rear speakers.
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CES 2010
You Can't Watch The Colbert Show on this TV
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 08, 2010
Hannspree brought several of their unusual TVs to one of the giant press soirees that are filled with cheery PR people, good food, open bars, and every now and then an interesting product. I feel safe predicting that this set won't become the official TV of the Colbert Nation. I didn't see the remote control, but someone please tell me that it's not shaped like a baby seal...
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CES 2010
Peachtree MusicBox Plots iPod Takeover
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2010
The iPod's plot to dominate the audio industry is now complete with Peachtree Audio's musicBox, a stereo tube amp decked out with three-inch full-range speakers. The DAC is hardwired to the iPod dock, so this baby can take a true digital signal off an iPod and process it with virtually no jitter. Price, maybe, oh, a grand or so.
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CES 2010
MK Keeps the Faith
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2010
The MPS-2510P active reference monitors from the rejuvenated MK Sound were sounding good, with their dual 5.25-inch woofers, trio of one-inch silk domes, and onboard dual 180-watt amps, one for the woofers and one for the tweeters. Price $2999. The MX-350 dual 12-inch sub ($2299) has improved 400-watt amps for each driver.
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CES 2010
Wharfedale Goes Achromatic
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2010
Achromatic is the name of a new line from the venerable (and underrated) Anglo-Chinese brand Wharfedale. In addition to the $399 sat/sub set, the line also includes towers, monitors, and subs. The existing Evo2 ($600-1900, shown) and Opus2 ($1700-5000) lines have been beefed up with aluminum-coated copper wire for better heat dispersion. They continue to have kevlar woofers and soft dome tweeters.
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CES 2010
Polk Caters to Your Rock Star Fantasies
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2010
Let's say you're playing Rock Band and pretending to be George Harrison. Wouldn't the fantasy be heightened by a speaker resembling a stage monitor at your feet? Polk knows how that feels and responds with the HitMaster, with dual horned tweeters, $100/each. Also shown was a new surround bar (we got our wrist gently slapped for saying sound bar) for $350. "Pro Logic like effects" are promised.
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CES 2010
Q Acoustics Flat Panel TV Speakers Pack a Punch
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 08, 2010
I always like going to the NXT suite during CES to see what new things they've cooked up. The three-room suite is filled with a variety of current, brand new, and concept products utilizing NXT's slim and flat transducer technologies. One of the most interesting items was a 2.1 flat-panel TV add-on speaker system from Q Acoustics. The Q-TV2 attaches to the rear of the TV chassis and can be used whether the set is on a stand or wall-mounted. The subwoofer is around an inch thick, and the slender side speakers are mounted on arms that can be adjusted to match the width of the TV. The system accepts analog or digital audio from the TV and has boundary compensation circuitry for use when the system is up against a wall.
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CES 2010
Morel Is Spot-On
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2010
Isn't this a sweet looking 5.1-channel sat/sub system? Morel's SoundSpot Music Theater 2 has a coaxial driver array, black or white gloss finishes, and a price of $1499.
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CES 2010
Anthem Goes Blu
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2010
The BLX 200 is not only Anthem's first Blu-ray player but its first source component. Price $799. Also new were two LCOS projectors, the LTX 500V ($8499) and LTX 300V ($5799). The difference between them is that the step-up model has 120Hz refresh and ISF certification. Sister brand Paradigm is now shipping the products we saw four months ago at CEDIA.
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CES 2010
Tiny Projectors
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 08, 2010
Tiny projectors - like this one from Microvision - are big this year, although picture size and quality isn't necessarily so. I overheard one presenter say you could project an image up to 200 inches with one of these types of projectors. Technically, I suppose you could send a photon from one of these projectors to Mars, but that doesn't mean it's watchable at that size or distance.
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