Bob Ankosko

Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013  |  0 comments
If the bright red leather and distinctive stitching reminds you of an exotic car, it’s no accident. First Impressions Theme Theaters, the Miami-based architectural design firm specializing in home theater, custom built the $3,500 theater seat for the owner of one of the most stunning cars on the planet, the Ferrari 458 Italia. Note the carbon-fiber cup holders. Oh, and around back there’s even a tool pouch.
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013  |  0 comments
If you’re going to rock out in the backyard, don’t skimp on speakers. Among the dozens of products on display in the expansive Dana Innovations booth at CEDIA 2013, the one that caught my eye was the “SonArray by Sonance.” For $2,499, you get eight outdoor satellite speakers plus an in-ground subwoofer (that bronze mushroom top in the photo). With stealthily strategic placement in your landscaping, Sonance says you can serenade a 2,000 square foot area. The sound? Way better than you would expect.
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013  |  0 comments
Walk into MartinLogan’s demo room at CEDIA 2013 and you walk into the past—specifically, the ‘60s, maybe early ‘70s. All-too-familiar glowing psychedelic posters line blacklight-lit walls accented by lava lamps and glowing tubes. Music blaring. It could be 1967, if not for the lack of a particular aroma and the 7.4-channel sound system. It was quad on steroids: Seven ElectroMotion ESL hybrid electrostats powered by five PrimaLuna DiaLogue tube amplifiers and four BalancedForce subwoofers, each with its own 850-watt amp, anchoring the corners of the room. The demo I walked in on wasn’t music of the ‘60s or ‘70s but a 5.1-channel mix of the Dire Staits ’80s anthem, “Money For Nothing.” The slow build and swell that introduces Mark Knopfler’s electronically processed guitar was like you’ve never heard before…If only I had more time to stick around and maybe listen to a little Pink Floyd.
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013  |  0 comments
Orlando, FL based Automated Technology Control Partners introduced the TiO StealthStream 1 (AZSS1) digital audio zone player at CEDIA 2013. At 1.9 x 2.73 x 3.9 inches, the company calls the small black box (with a stubby antenna protruding from it) the smallest such player on the market and says it provides a simple, cost-effective multi-room music solution—one that is controlled and configured through the TiO Home Android App.
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013  |  0 comments
Salamander Designs, the Connecticut-based maker of fine entertainment furniture and accessories, introduced hand-crafted center and LCR speaker options for its Synergy and Chameleon AV cabinet lines at CEDIA 2013. Featuring high-quality Peerless woofers and cloth-dome tweeters, the speakers are built to order by Michigan-based Leon Speakers and integrated into the cabinets on mounting brackets that permit the angle of the speaker to be adjusted for optimal sound dispersion.
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013  |  0 comments
Bluetooth is fast becoming a fixture inside the house and now OSD Audio is taking the convenience of wireless streaming outside with two Bluetooth-enabled outdoor speakers: the BTR-800 rock speaker ($350/pr) and BTP-650 patio speaker ($290/pr). Both models are weather-resistant two-way designs with a reception range of 150 feet (unobstructed) and 75 feet (obstructed), according to the company.

The BTR-800 combines an 8-inch woofer and 1-inch soft-dome tweeter in a faux rock enclosure offered in three landscape-friendly colors: canyon brown, granite grey, and slate grey (shown). Available in white or black, the BTP-650 has a 6.5-inch woofer and includes speaker cable, a power cord, and mounting hardware.

Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013  |  0 comments
Bang & Olufsen returned to CEDIA after a several year absence to announce a high-performance wireless speaker platform that supports up to eight channels of uncompressed 24-bit audio at sample rates up to 96 kHz. The platform is based on the WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio Association) open standard and incorporates proprietary processing.

Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013  |  0 comments
Artison has turned the soundbar concept on its ear at CEDIA 2013. The Masterpiece LCR DualMono MK2 on-wall speaker system produces three front channels from two speakers flanking the TV. Each enclosure is made of extruded aluminum and comprises a “curved line array” of 16 tweeters with a pair of carbon-fiber woofers mounted above and below for a system total of 40 drivers.
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013  |  0 comments
Vantage demonstrated its Equinox family of home-automation control products in a posh 5,000-square-foot penthouse apartment at the Four Seasons hotel with spectacular views of downtown Denver. The homeowners are avid art collectors who use the residence as a second home when they’re in town and chose Vantage because they wanted an unobtrusive and easy-to-use control system for entertainment (music and TV), climate control, security, cameras, and—most important—lighting to accentuate dozens of prized paintings. Motorized shades and a TV lift are also covered under the Vantage control umbrella.

Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 25, 2013  |  0 comments
Nestled among the few dozen companies exhibiting at CEDIA 2013’s Media Preview was Soundwall, a Boulder, CO-based startup specializing in speakers that masquerade as art (or is it the other around?). The artwork of your choice is printed on a foam-core board mounted in a 2.5-inch-deep frame that hangs on the wall. Left- and right-channel exciters attached to the back of the board (and powered by a small amplifier), vibrate the “canvas,” turning it into a speaker.

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