New Products

Polk Audio has launched its latest soundbar, the $249 React. The 2.0 model supports Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 virtual surround sound and, according to Polk Audio, is the most advanced Alexa-enabled sound bar available today. It can also be mated with the company’s React Sub ($199) and SR2 surround speakers ($199/pair) to create a full wireless surround system.

Once upon a time, CES was a huge show for audio but those days are long gone and showed no signs of returning in the virtual world that was CES 2021, with one possible exception: Wireless headphones, a category that has made incredible strides in just the past year or so. A number of companies — some familiar, many not-so-familiar — used the world-class venue as a showcase for new headphones you can buy now and models you can expect to see online and in stores in the coming months. Prominent among the new entries were earbuds and full-size headphones with active noise canceling and features designed to improve wireless performance and the sound quality of music and phone calls. Wired models, as you might expect, were few and far between. Here’s a look at what a few of the more familiar brands are bringing to market.

JBL is upping the ante on its Synthesis Custom range with the addition of two flagship models: the SCL-1 loudspeaker and SSW-1 subwoofer. The new offerings are designed to complement each other in custom-installed “ultra-premium, high channel count immersive audio deployments” that also feature the company’s SDP-75 immersive surround processor and SDA amplifiers.

China’s Hisense announced plans to launch a range of TriChroma Laser TVs with 55- to 100-inch screen sizes in 2021 at its virtual CES press conference. The announcement, made by Fisher Yu, Vice President of Hisense Visual Technology, is the first indication that the tech, which has been displayed in prototype form at previous CES events, will make it into actual ultra short throw projection TV products destined for the U.S. market.

Panasonic used CES to announce a new OLED TV for 2021, the JZ2000. Available in 65- and 55-inch screen sizes, the company’s latest TV will serve as its flagship model and is aimed at both gamers and movie fans alike.

TCL today announced its 2021 TV lineup. The range includes the company’s first 8K UHD TVs for the North American market, its largest screen sizes ever for the continent at 85 inches, and third-generation contrast-enhancing mini-LED backlighting that slims down the profiles of bigscreen TVs.