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Yamaha brings the style with A-S700 / CD-S700 audio components

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 7:36AM


About this time last year, Yamaha treated us to its CD-S2000 SACD player and A-S2000 amplifier, both of which sported that timeless look that was just too dazzling to hide away in some AV cabinet. This year, the outfit is keeping with the trend by introducing the equally stunning (and even more silver) A-S700 amplifier and CD-S700 CD player (pictured after the break). The former features 90-watts x 2 of RMS power and gold-plated RCA inputs, while the latter includes a Burr Brown 192kHz/24bit DAC and a USB port for playing back MP3 / WMA files. Both units are destined to hit Japanese audio shops next month for ¥73,500 ($730) and ¥60,900 ($605), respectively.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Continue reading Yamaha brings the style with A-S700 / CD-S700 audio components

Panasonic gearing up for re-entry into the receiver market?

by Steven Kim, posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 8:03PM

Panasonic SA-BX500 AV receiver
If the appearance of Panasonic's SA-BX500 AV receiver had you scratching your head, you're not alone -- we were doing pretty much the same here at EHD. Panny dropped the Technics name for CE gear seven years ago, and since that time we've seen Panasonic move its audio offerings to the HTIB and mini-system markets. But according to the linked article, Panasonic feels that a return to the receiver game is "long overdue," and we agree. A quick look at the specs on the SA-BX500 shows that a CE giant like Panasonic can combine support for the latest technologies with economies of scale that keep things affordable -- if picture and audio quality can keep up with the likes of Denon, Onkyo and Yamaha, we'd welcome Panasonic's return to the fold.

Cambridge Audio reveals iPod-lovin' Sonata / Fusion audio systems

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 20th 2008 at 8:02AM


Not content with sneaking a dedicated Blu-ray player into CEDIA, Cambridge Audio has just taken the plastic off of two new HiFi systems in Milan. The Sonata, aimed squarely at audio junkies, consists of a 2.1-channel DAB receiver (£299; $547), which offers 40-watts of amplification per channel and your choice of an upscaling 1080p DVD player or a Wolfson-DAC-loaded CD unit for another £179 ($327). The all-in-one Fusion (£300; $549) includes 30-watts per channel, an integrated CD player, DAB / FM tuner, USB port, an SD slot and a customized iPod dock (which is also bundled with the aforementioned Sonata). Both units are slated to hit the UK in silver and black, though the November-bound Fusion will get a jump on the Sonata, which hits in February 2009.

Onkyo brings TX-SR876 / TX-NR906 THX Ultra2 Plus receivers to the States

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 16th 2008 at 11:45AM


Onkyo has already introduced the top-end TX-SR876 and TX-NR906 receivers over in the UK, but for USers awaiting word of their stateside release, let us do the honors. Both of the 7.1-channel THX Ultra2 Plus AVRs are now shipping in America, and as for specifications, you're looking at 140- / 145-watts per channel (respectively), audio decoding courtesy of three Texas Instruments Aureus 32-bit DSP chips, internal decoding for "every major sound format in use today," and HQV Reon-VX video upscaling to 1080p. The pain? $1,799 and $2,299 in order of mention.

CEDIA 2008 roundup

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 7th 2008 at 1:00PM


CEDIA 2008 was a whirlwind of new projectors, HDTVs and all sorts of other wares that home theater freaks just love. As always, we were here in the Mile High City covering every minute, but we completely understand if you missed anything. Just in case, we've compiled a summary of what all happened here in Denver, and make sure you head on past the break for the rest.

Hands-ons

Hands-on: Sony shows off prototype 400-disc Blu-ray Mega Changer
Hands-on with LG's BD300 Netflix / Blu-ray deck
Hands-on with the THX-certified QuietHome door
Hands-on with Niveus Media's Denali, Rainier and Cargo media wares
Hands-on with Sony's SXRD BRAVIA VPL-VW70 and VPL-HW10 projectors
Hands-on with Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick plasma prototype
Hands-on / a look within Pioneer's Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray player
Hands-on with Toshiba's SRT REGZA HDTVs (and other old crap)
Eyes-on with Sony's BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player

Continue reading CEDIA 2008 roundup

Harman International CEDIA 2008 booth tour

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 6th 2008 at 5:33PM Featured Story


Harman International is comprised of a great many companies, so it's no surprise that it took two CEDIA booths to hold 'em all. We took our trusty camera through the both of 'em to check out the latest from the likes of Infinity, JBL, H/K and Mark Levinson, and we spotted JBL's fresh LS Series, Infinity's wireless subwoofers / Prelude Forty and a $15,000 SACD player from Levinson that made Sony's new $1,500 SCD-XA5400ES look dirt cheap. Have a walk around, the gallery's right down there.

Gallery: Harman International CEDIA 2008 booth tour

Bowers & Wilkins / Rotel / Classe CEDIA 2008 booth tour

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 6th 2008 at 4:07PM Featured Story


B&W, Rotel and Classe didn't go out of their way to announce anything new this CEDIA, but we couldn't resist the urge to wade on through their combined booth and snap a few shots. Of course, the lovely Zeppelin was getting an uncomfortable amount of attention, but even the more obscure hardware was seeing its fair share of onlookers. Say, why don't you become one by hitting up the gallery below?

Anthem chooses CEDIA to reveal 225 integrated amplifier

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 8:56AM


Anthem may not have the presence of, say, Sony at CEDIA this year, but at least it isn't wasting all of our time by unveiling a $1,500 SACD player. Our apologies to any of you we just offended (yes, all two of you), but seriously, we have a feeling true audiophiles will appreciate the 225 integrated amplifier much more. Designed with music aficionados in mind, this amp provides a phono preamp input that supports Moving Coil (MC) and Moving Magnet (MM) applications and includes solid-state circuitry boards, seven total stereo audio inputs, a universal learning remote and an RS-232 port. The unit boasts 225-watts of pure, clean power per channel at 8-ohms, and while it will set you back $1,499, this $1.5k piece may actually be worth the price of entry.

Onkyo adds the TX-SR876 and TX-NR906 receivers to its UK lineup

by Steven Kim, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 7:30AM

Onkyo TX-SR876 receiver
Onkyo has added the TX-SR876 and TX-NR906 to its list of UK-approved AV receivers, and wisely chose to send them to England clad in black, just like we got here in the US. As we'd expect from the upper end of Onkyo's lineup, the spec list is piled high and includes: 7x200/220-Watts (TX-SR876/TX-NR906), 4xHDMI 1.3a inputs, 2x HDMI 1.3a outputs, ISF video calibration, THX Ultra2 Plus worthiness, HQV Reon-VX video processing and a slew of convenience features we've come to expect in a modern AV receiver. Unique to the TX-NR906 are networking features, a toroidal transformer, and separate transformers for audio and video paths. The Brits get pricing pretty close to the US -- £1,000 ($1,773) and £1,400 ($2,482) for the TX-SR876 and TX-NR906, respectively.

[Thanks, Anthony!]

Sony's STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES receivers hands-on

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 7:12AM Featured Story


Sony's ES line of AV receivers has been growing for months now, but it was the CEDIA-announced STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES that we were most interested in. As predicted, these buggers were pretty beefy, but it's hard to gripe with all those ports around back. We thought the no-frills styling looked pretty sophisticated in person, and when we got real close, we could almost feel those seven channels of amplification just emanating. You know the drill -- peep the gallery below when you're good and ready.

Panasonic introduces SA-BX500 AV receiver

by Steven Kim, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 1:48AM

Panasonic SA-BX500 AV receiver
Panasonic is using this week's CEDIA show to debut its new AV receiver, the SA-BX500, and even though we doubt the nameplate will get much attention from the audiophile crowd, this unit does have a bit of audio-geekery with its bi-amplification/bi-wiring feature. Other stuff that will appeal to a wider audience includes 7x130-Watt amplification, HDMI connectivity (3 inputs, 1 output) that's ready for your 1080p content, HDMI-CEC in VIERA Link form, support for Dobly TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and the ability to simulate 7.1-channels of surround in 5.1-channel systems, so you can hear what you're not missing. Available in October for $799, but you can grab a peek at the front and back right now.

Gallery: Panasonic SA-BX500 receiver

Sony's STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES receivers do HD streaming over CAT5e

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 3rd 2008 at 7:00PM


Sony's got a smorgasbord of new kit comin' atcha from the heart of Denver, so we'll get things started with two new ES-series receivers. Just when you thought you'd seen the last of Sony's 2008 ES lineup, along comes two more making their US debut. Both the STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES offer up second room high-def video / audio distribution via CAT5e wiring, meaning that you can zip along HD content over your existing home network. Additionally, the former unit packs two CAT5e inputs and is DLNA-compliant. Wondering what that means for you? It means that Sony now has an AVR that can stream music, photos and video from a DLNA-compliant PC while accessing online music content from Rhapsody and Shoutcast sans a PC. Beyond that, there's the Faroudja DCDi Cinema chips, support for x.v.Color / Deep Color, Direct Stream Digital decoding, BRAVIA Sync and a 120-watt x 7 internal amplifier in each device. Catch the full release after the jump, and catch whichever unit suits your fancy within the next month for $2,500 / $2,000.

Continue reading Sony's STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES receivers do HD streaming over CAT5e

Live at CEDIA 2008: bring on the pixels

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 3rd 2008 at 5:10PM


Now that IFA is behind us, the consumer electronics world is turning its attention to Denver, Colorado to see what CEDIA has to offer. We're expecting hordes of new HDTVs, projectors, speakers, AV receivers and even THX-certified soundproof doors (yes, really), but it never fails that at least something on the show floor completely takes us by surprise. We've touched down here in the Mile High City to bring you up-to-the-minute updates, and for the most obsessive coverage, be sure to point your browsers to Engadget HD for the next few days.

Dolby Volume featured on H/K AVR 7550HD and Arcam FMJ AVR600

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 3rd 2008 at 9:01AM

Dolby's homegrown volume controlling technology has wiggled into a few HDTVs here and there, but now the tech is finally maneuvering into devices that HT amateurs / professionals will end up seeing. At CEDIA, Dolby is announcing that it's Dolby Volume will be featured in the all new Harman Kardon AVR 7550HD and Arcam FMJ AVR600. For those that forgot, Dolby Volume is an approach to "delivering consistent volume levels across a wide variety of content, channel programming, or input sources," giving users fed up with those astonishingly loud MHD Palladia commercials a better, more lawful way to deal. Whole release is after the cut.

Continue reading Dolby Volume featured on H/K AVR 7550HD and Arcam FMJ AVR600

Integra unveils DTR-7.9 AV receiver, upgrades DTR-6.9

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 5:29AM


Integra's doing more than just adding ISF calibration into its receivers this year, it's also dishing out an all new unit and upgrading one of its more popular choices. The DTR-7.9 is a 7.1-channel AVR boasting 130-watts per channel, THX Ultra2 Plus certification, a Faroudja DCDi chip for 1080p upscaling over HDMI (or 1080i over component) and five HDMI 1.3a ports. On a related note, the DTR-6.9 has been upgraded to carry THX Select2 Plus certification along with 1080p Faroudja DCDi upscaling, "on board decoding for lossless and HD audio formats, multizone / multisource capabilities, and Integra's signature systems integration and control features." Hit up the read link for the laundry list of specifications (trust us, we've only brushed over the surface here), and expect to find the DTR-7.9 at local resellers soon for $1,300.

Read - Integra DTR-7.9
Read - Upgraded Integra DTR-6.9




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