Tom Norton

Here's "The Poetry," the upcoming center channel for the Vienna Acoustics' Klimt line.

The Phase Technology dARTS system isn't new, but it has never been reviewed in <I>UAV</I> and this is the first time I have been able to actually hear it. It was impressive&mdash;and one of the few surround-sound setups, with video, at the Venetian Hotel. The system includes speakers and all DSP and amplifiers. There are 250W of amplification for each individual driver, and the system controls the crossovers, time alignment, and equalization. Separate room eq is performed via the included Audyssey multEQ system. $20,000 for the audio package, not including pre-pro or source.

VIZIO introduced more new flat panel displays at CES than any poor scribe should have to deal with. So I'll mention only the largest sets in both the plasma and LCD premier lines. The 1920x1080p VP504F is a 50" plasma ($1699) with Silicon Optix REON video processing. As of now the VP504F is the only set in the new VIZIO line, either LCD or plasma, that uses the REON, though more are possible before the new lines start showing up in stores in May and June. A contrast ratio of 30,000:1 is claimed.