LATEST ADDITIONS

It Sure Beats Walking. I Think...
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 13, 2007
There was one sure way to beat the long cab lines outside the Grand Hyatt. It was a bit breezy and sometimes a little nerve-wracking, but I never had to wait in line to take a bicycle taxi to dinner during the Show. Lane markers evidently don't mean anything to these guys. At least the open seat conveyance did have a seat belt. It's hard to get a receipt for your expense account, though.
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Crushed By Cinepro
Shane Buettner  |  May 13, 2007

Cinepro was here at HE 2007, and had everyone talking about its demo. And talking loudly, because after hearing the Cinepro Mighty surround system odds are you weren't hearing anything else unless you'd brought earplugs too!

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Definite Digital Dominance
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 13, 2007
There wasn't anything brand new in the way of announcements or products - just great sound and video. Meridian's room featured the company's DSP3100, DSP3100C, and SW1600 digital loudspeakers with the G91A DVD/controller/tuner and DVP1080MF video processor along with an unnamed plasma TV. The Meridian gear totalled about $20,000, which makes me remember why I need to make more money. In the back of the room was a static display of one of Meridian's custom install speakers.
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Do I Spy an Epos System?
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 13, 2007
The MI6 is Britain's equivalent of the CIA. The M16, on the other hand, is a floorstanding speaker from Epos that will sell for $1600/pair. An M8 center will be available for $600, an M SUB will complete the system, and of course you're at liberty to use any of the company's sterling monitors as surrounds.
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Separates Hail from Planet Krell
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 13, 2007
Surround electronics were thin on the ground at HES but Krell did display the S-1000 pre-pro ($6500) and S-1500 multi-channel amp. The latter can operate with five, six, or seven channels and sells for $6000-7000 depending on configuration. Both shipping now. Krell also showed an iPod dock.
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Silverline Displays Small Wonders
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 13, 2007
Would you like to base your surround system on a pair of slim towers, like the Silverline Preludes, at $1200/pair? Or would you prefer something smaller like the Minuet, at $600/pair? In either case, you can buy them one by one and please yourself. The Chinese silk dome tweeters kept cymbals from getting spitty and the 3.5-inch paper midwoofers mustered a surprisingly well-proportioned and tuneful string bass.
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Soundmatters Slims Down Surround
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 13, 2007
The soundmatters SLIMstage40 packs 170 watts from eight amplifiers into a 39-inch-long bar that sits below a video display. At $899, this speaker bar may be the simulated-surround solution for you. For more bass, check out the low-profile SUBstage200 ($399) or basketball-size SUBstage250Cube ($449).
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A Seminar Too Far
Fred Manteghian  |  May 13, 2007

I counted almost twenty questions in the one hour ask the editors session on HDTV. That's Geoff, Tom and Shane up there looking like Sadam's jury. The questions dealt with high definition TV, as expected, and overflowed to the high def format war, also unavoidable. Attempts to close us down before our full hour was up were, shall we say, unsuccessful.

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My Personal Favorite at the Show
Fred Manteghian  |  May 13, 2007

There were a lot of great sounding systems at the show, there always are, but some rooms just hit you right. For me, it was the Dynaudio / Simaudio room. In this small room, Simaudio Moon W7M monoblocks ($16,000/pr, 500 watt@8 ohm) drove the small Dynaudio Confidence C1 ($6,500/pr or $7,000/pr in black lacquer, stands were an extra $450/pair and bolted to the bottom of the C1). The system front end was from Sim Audio's Moon line as well, The Andromeda CD player ($12,000) and P-8 Controller and Preamp ($11,500) completed the front end. A seriously priced system, no doubt, but the sound was commensurate. From the overplayed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole that greeted me when I entered, to Sarah McLachlan's "Eyes of an Angel," to a Bruce Coburn / Lucinda Williams piece (this guy is seriously nihilistic – nobody sell him a rocket launcher, please!), the system sounded relaxed and totally involving. It had an uncanny ability to paint unique perspectives for each recording. I could have stayed even longer, but the show was calling. With a new found respect for Sim Audio electronics and an even stronger desire to get a Dynaudio Confidence system in for review, I begrudgingly walked away.

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Here's Looking At You KID
Fred Manteghian  |  May 13, 2007

Krell employees, three of them, and practically in unison, insisted that the iPod's dock attachment offers balanced outputs. That's why they, Krell, king of balanced amplification, are offering the new Krell iPod Dock later this year. If you can't tell from the picture, there are separate bass, treble and volume controls on the front. I glimpsed out back and the KID offers both balanced (XLR) and single ended (RCA) outputs. Oh, yeah, it's expensive at $1,200, but if you're in love with your iPod as much as I am (and if you're transferring music from your CDs down at AAC's max 320 kbps rate you should be), this KID may be your ticket to better music.

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