Al Griffin

British manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins has introduced Signature versions of loudspeakers from its 700 Series: the floor-standing 702 Signature and standmount 705 Signature. With upgraded crossovers and a luxurious cabinet finish, both models “represent the apex of current Bowers & Wilkins design, engineering and manufacturing processes.”

CEDIA was packed with plenty of pricey options for transmitting audio over the air, but at least one company was showing wireless gear at a down-to-earth price. Monoprice’s Wireless Speaker Transmitter ($88.11) is a transmitter/receiver system that sends CD-quality audio over the 2.4 GHz band at distances up to 98 feet. And since were talking Monoprice here, a no-frills cables/accessories e-tailer that places a premium on value over marketing, I will also note the system’s product number: 10601.

PRICE $700

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Dolby Vision compatible
High-quality Blu-ray video upconversion
Plays SACDs, DVD-Audio discs, and Blu-ray 3D discs
Minus
No analog audio outputs
Remote control not backlit
Pricey compared with competition

THE VERDICT
Cambridge Audio’s CXUHD provides faultless video performance in a streamlined package.

Cambridge Audio is a British manufacturer known for their sleek, well-built, affordable audio components and speakers. They are also known for their universal disc players, which are based on Oppo Digital units but sold minus the built-in digital-to-analog converters and analog audio outputs. According to Cambridge, this is meant to “decrease interference to the signal, improving quality by reducing video noise.” Since the brand makes A/V receivers with built-in DACs designed to mate with their players, there’s some sound reasoning behind that strategy.

Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I am in the market to buy a high-end Dolby Atmos AV Receiver for my basement home theater and have shortlisted the following receivers: Yamaha RX-A3050, Denon AVR-X5200W, and Marantz SR 7010. I also have a Sony receiver that powers a KEF 5.1 speaker system in my living room.

I was looking at the manuals for these receivers online and they all have second-zone HDMI and preamp outputs. Would it possible to use the new receiver’s Zone 2 HDMI or preamp outputs to send surround to my 5.1 system upstairs? —Bhaskar Vooradi