CEDIA 2010

Coaxial driver arrays lay beneath the Granite-52 outdoor rock speakers from Earthquake Sound. They go for $450/pair plus another $799 for the Granite-10D subwoofer. A spokesperson said reliability in the tough outdoor environment is one reason to go with Earthquake. The company also showed the SWAT 2.4 wireless transmitter/receiver combo, $349/pair, which can be powered by USB or wall wart. Maybe just the thing to make the leap from your main rack to the sub or surrounds when conventional speaker cabling is inconvenient.

Epson has become well known as a major producer of high quality, relatively affordable LCD projectors. Now, using its expertise as a premier imaging chip producer, it has produced an offshoot of LCOS, which differs in that it grows the active elements onto quartz rather than silicon. The result is a reflective LCD, or in Epson's words, RHTPS, for Reflective High Temperature Polysilicate.

High-end speaker maker Focal brought the company’s new highly affordable Bird speaker line to spread its wings at CEDIA. The three different Bird-series 2.1-channel packages include a pair of satellites and an amplifier with a built-in subwoofer (yes, that’s an amplifier with a built-in sub, not the other way around). Look for 5.1-channel versions next year.

The 2010 CEDIA Expo may be over, but the memory lingers on. In fact, I saw so much that I couldn't post all of it during the show, so I'll be posting more stories—along with my photos from the floor—all this week. Meanwhile, here's my take on the event as a whole.

When chip giant IDT bought the HQV technology form Silicon Optix almost two years ago, I was a bit concerned for its future. But I needn't have worried—IDT has continued to develop the algorithms with spectacular results. At a breakfast demo today, we saw a prototype of IDT's latest algorithms, which provide motion estimation and motion compensation (MEMC) frame interpolation for 120Hz ad 240Hz LCD TVs.

At the Integra booth were a half-dozen new receivers: two THX Ultra2 Plus certified, two THX Select2 Plus certified, and two non-THX certified. There was also an Ultra2 Plus pre-pro. But what got our attention was the top receiver, the DTR-80.2. For a mere $2800 it offers a massive toroidal power supply which accounts for much of the $600 difference between it and the next model down. Power is rated at 145 watts per channel. Also on board is Audyssey MultEQ XT 32, the newest version with the highest-resolution EQ filters, and DSX height/width enhancement. Video prowess includes Reon processing and ISF calibration modes. The product is Made for iPod/iPhone, certified for Windows 7, and boasts various internet radio portals and subscription music services including Pandora, Rhapsody, Sirius, Napster, Mediafly, Slacker, and vTune. Sorry about the flash-marred picture, but it does show the navigation controls just to the left of the volume knob, which is kind of cool for us old-fashioned front-panel-oriented folk. Please also note that Integra stuff is sold exclusively by people qualified to install it.

Why is a handle protruding from this cutaway mockup of JL Audio's Fathom IWS in-wall sub? It's to demonstrate how the enclosure floats in a padded chamber, thus reducing bass-ruining resonance. Fathom IWS is available in two versions, one with a single amp and cabinet ($2500) and one with dual amps and cabinets ($4500). Both 2x4 and 2x6 construction are accommodated. This product was first demonstrated at CEDIA two years ago but is finally shipping this year.