LATEST ADDITIONS

New at CEDIA from Mark Levinson is the No.500H series of power amps, including the No.531H (mono, 300W, $6500), No.532H (two channels, 300Wpc, $8000), and No. 533H (three channels, 300Wpc, $10,000), and No.535H (five channels, 200Wpc, $12,000), all with a frequency response from 10Hz to 20kHz and THD less than 0.5%. A new circuit design emphasizes current-mode operation, which is said to be much faster than conventional voltage-mode operation. Independent power-supply components for each channel maximize isolation and improve imaging, and all models provide both single-ended and balanced inputs.

JBL's Synthesis is among the finest integrated audio systems available, and it's about to expand with the addition of three new power amps—the S7165 (seven channels, pictured), S5160 (five channels), and S280 (two channels). The S7165 and S5160 each produce 160Wpc into 8 ohms, while the S820 delivers 200Wpc into 8 ohms or 400W in bridged-mono mode, all with a frequency response of 20-20,000Hz with less than 0.03% THD.

In its continuing quest for perfection, JBL is introducing the K2 S9900 speaker ($22,000 each) for the discerning—and well-heeled—audiophile. This full-range floorstander is an update of the K2 S9800 with greater bass extension down to 33Hz (topping out at 50kHz) and 35 percent more power-handling capacity. The driver compliment includes a 15-inch fiber-pulp cone woofer; 4-inch, horn-loaded, mid/high compression driver; and 1-inch supertweeter.

As <A href="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/news/toshiba_to_make_blu-ray_players/">repo... here</A> in July, Toshiba recently decided to enter the Blu-ray fray after its defeat in the high-def-disc format war. At CEDIA, we'll finally see the first fruit of that decision&#151;the BDX2000, which should be available in November for $250. This Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) player offers 1080p/24 output, decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, AVCHD playback, and an SD card slot, into which you must insert a module with at least 1GB for BD-Live operation since the player doesn't have enough onboard memory.