Mark Fleischmann

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Integra Is Ultra2-Hip
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2007  |  1 comments
The Integra DTC-9.8 surround pre-pro is THX Ultra2-certified and features both the HQV Reon-VX video processor and advanced Audyssey auto setup and room EQ. Now available for $1600. Not as photogenic but possibly more exciting is the DHS-8.8 HD DVD player, the high-endish class act of the format for $1100 (November). Also saw the DSR-4.8 2.1-channel SACD/DVD-receiver, with 50 watts times two, and the DTR-8.8 receiver, with 140 watts times seven, built-in HD Radio, and several key features of the pre-pro ($2400, November).
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Marantz Receivers Do TrueHD, DTS-HD
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2007  |  0 comments
Among four new receivers from Marantz is the top-line SR8002 ($2450). Like several new receivers at the show, it includes on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and both versions of DTS-HD--a trend of which we approve! Look for it in October.
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Pioneer Unwraps New Monster Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2007  |  0 comments
Pioneer's new top-line receiver is the SC-09TX with 200 times seven watts of energy-efficient Class D ICEpower amplification and cool front-panel color LCD in lieu of the usual boring fluorescent display. It'll cost seven grand. Of course it has on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc. Also new are three other models: VSX-94TXH ($1600), VSX-92TXH ($1300), and VSX-91TXH ($1000). And then there's the X-Z9 system ($1799), with SACD drive, PC streaming via Cat5, and specially designed speakers.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-SR575 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 08, 2007  |  Published: Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
Getting Sirius—and XM.

Having hefted more than a few surround receivers into the spare berth on my equipment rack, I've earned the right to be blasé. This feeling usually turns to annoyance when I have to figure out which button on the remote control will get me into the setup menu. But all of these predictable emotions vanish when I hit my universal disc machine's play button and music starts coming out of five speakers (and a sub) in the Dolby Pro Logic II music mode. As someone who was weaned on stereo, surround still seems like something of a miracle. By the time I get around to playing a movie, I feel like a kid again.

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Bookshelf Speaker Reviews
NHT Verve IV Speaker System
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 08, 2007  |  Published: Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
Sats and sub and all that jazz.

One of my favorite wines is Riesling—German Riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. The grape is a noble specimen dating from 1435. NHT is like that hardy grape, which thrives in cool climates and stony ground. You'd expect a company that has changed hands repeatedly since its founding in 1986 to lose its identity, buffeted by the demands and indifference of successive owners. Instead, NHT has gone from strength to strength, entering their latest relationship with the Vinci Group of Colorado with a credible product lineup that represents several extended trains of thought, as well as a few new ones.

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Clark Synthesis Gets Our Attention
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
The Clark Synthesis Stringless Quartet actually had sound coming out of a stringless violin, viola, cello, and bass. There were voice coils in back making the instruments resonate like magnificent speaker drivers. Unfortunately it was an attention-getting tactic for a more prosaic seat-activating product.
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Yamaha Hits the Bar
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
Five new sound-bar products from Yamaha include the YSP-4000 ($1800), with 5.1 channels in one convenient box. It does XM, FM, and iPod with optional dock. And it offers a greater range of surround adjustments from the remote than previous products. Whizzing race cars illustrated how well it works.
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Tannoy Is a Good Egg
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
The Tannoy Ellipse is part of the Studio Monitor range. Long available in versions with eight- or ten-inch woofers for $4000-8000, this egg-like speaker's dual concentric drivers and top-mount super-tweeters are common fixtures in recording studios, we're told. It's been available for years but is new to us, and we like to make every CEDIA a voyage of discovery. What is in fact new is the i30 iPod docking system, not pictured, because we're perverse that way. It has two 4-inch drivers and will be out in October for $499. Worth it? We'd like to find out.
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Revel Looks Up, Sees Ceiling Speaker Potential
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
Revel's new in-ceiling line includes two 6.5-inch models, the round IC-65 and rectangular IW-65 (both $600). There's also a round eight-incher, IC-80 ($800). Advanced waveguides grace all three. The rectangular guy also has boundary compensation to tailor its response to the room. In addition, Revel has its own version of a flat-diaphragm speaker that also appears in other Harman International lines.
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Mordaunt-Short Sprouts Two New Arms
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
The new speaker lines from Mordaunt-Short include the Alumni, shown, with compact satellites, a fairly big center, and sub for $1000. Also new is the larger Mezzo, a step down from the Reference Series, with tweeter top-mounted in separate subenclosure.
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