Audio
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Receivers
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Monday, 21 January 2008 |
 Sherwood Newcastle has announced that their brand spanking new flagship AV receiver, the Sherwood Newcastle R-972, will be out in March.
The Sherwood Newcastle R-972 is a seven channel 100 watt AV receiver. The R-972 is an HDMI 1.3b compliant device, and will upconvert all incoming video to 1080p over it's HDMI output. The heavy lifting is done by a Silicon Optix Reon processor, and judging from past devices that have used this chip we know that the Reon upconverts better than just about any consumer solution going. Onboard decoding of all advanced audio codecs is handled by a pair of Texas Instruments 32 bit DSPs. I believe the Sherwood Newcastle R-972 marks the first consumer device that implements the Trinnov Optimizer Digital Room Correction we saw at this year's CES. The Trinnov system is a room correction processor "that uses
state-of-the-art acoustic analysis and digital filtering techniques to
compensate for the acoustic defects of the room where the loudspeakers
are located. It is designed for stereo and multichannel professional
control rooms, as well as for high-end hi-fi and home theater
installations.". -quote from the Trinnov website. Other features the R-972 boasts are dual mode (IR + RF) remote control, four HDMI inputs, 7 analog video inputs, RS-232, three zone functionality, and a USB port which will allow users to download before and after room optimization graphs for some visual evidence of what the Trinnov system did for their system's performance. No word yet on the DACs used in the R-972.
The Sherwood Newcastle R-972 is scheduled for a March release, and will list for $1799.95. The R-972 has an impressive feature set and will definitely be slated for audition. Sherwood, if you're reading this, sign me up for a pre/pro with these features. |
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Loudspeakers
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Saturday, 19 January 2008 |
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Under the terms of the agreement TC Group CEO Anders Fauerskov will be named COO of the new Gibson Guitar Corporation and will remain based in Europe. Gibson Guitar's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz offered "This merger will revolutionize the music industry for many years to
come. The
synergy between the two companies will allow us an enormous advantage
in the development of new audio technologies and brings together two of
the world's most powerful brands."
Tannoy was founded in 1926 by Londoner Guy Fountain, and produces loudspeakers both in their facility in Scotland and in Southeast Asia. Famous for their dual concentric loudspeakers, Tannoy has been one of the cornerstones of audiophile loudspeakers for decades. Nashville-based Gibson Guitar has been around since 1894 and has given the world many classic guitar designs that are instantly recognizable whether you're a musician or not. They also produce just about every stringed instrument you can imagine. |
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Loudspeakers
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
 Phil Jones' loudspeaker company AAD makes the front page twice in one day with another new loudspeaker line, the AAD Vi Series.
The AAD Vi Series consists of the Vi630 and Vi860 floorstanding models, the Vi410 bookshelf and the Vi420 center channel. The 3 way, 42 1/2" tall AAD Vi630 features two 6.5" composite cone woofers, a 6.5" kevlar and carbon fiber transmission-loaded midrange and a 1" textile dome tweeter. Monumental at 49" tall, the 3 way AAD Vi860 ups the ante to two 8" composite cone woofers coupled with the same midrange and tweeter, and plumbs down to 24Hz. Both the Vi410 and Vi420 utilize the same 1" tweeter coupled with a 4" composite cone midranges. The Vi Series are efficient (88-91dB) and range the same amplifier-friendly 6-8 ohm load.
The AAD Vi410 is a wallet-friendly $550/pair, and while pricing details aren't available on the rest of the line at press time, you can be sure they won't scare off price-conscious audiophiles. The AAD Vi860 is likely going to be one of the least expensive full range loudspeakers you'll find.
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Loudspeakers
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
 Phil Jones' loudspeaker company AAD has launched a new loudspeaker line, the AAD 3000 Series.
The AAD 3000 series is comprised of the 2 way 3002 floor stander, the 2.5 way mtm 3003 floorstander, the 2 way 3000C center channel and the 3000SR surround speaker. Both the AAD 3002 and AAD 3003 utilize pneumatic woofers, 6.5" for the 3002 and 8" for the 3003. Both feature a concentric ring diffraction tweeter, and utilize 5" composite cone midbass drivers, two in the case of the 41 3/4" tall AAD 3003. The 3000 series boasts average sensitivity (88-89dB) and presents a relatively easy amplifier load at 6 ohms. The 3000C center differs in that it is 8 ohm and utilizes two 4" midbass drivers flanked by two 4" pneumatic woofers. Veneer choices include black, maple, cherry and what appears to be rosewood or rosenut. The 3002 and 3003 floorstanders feature prominent, wider than average baffles, which American Acoustic Development claims creates more forward energy.
The AAD 3003 will sell for $3900/pair, no pricing yet on the other models.
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Separates
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Thursday, 10 January 2008 |
 Marantz has shown two new home theater separates at the 2008 CES in Las Vegas, the Marantz AV8003 pre/pro and the Marantz MM8003 multi-channel amplifier.
The Marantz AV8003 scales all sources for 1080p output via HDMI. The AV8003 is an HDMI 1.3a compliant device, and provides four HDMI inputs and two outputs. The AV8003 features onboard decoding of all advanced audio codecs, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The AV8003 also includes an ethernet connection for media streaming, and is ready for XM and Sirius satellite radio. Also housed in the Marantz AV8003's copper-plated chassis are XLR pre-outs, XLR inputs for SACD, and RS232c.
The Marantz MM8003 multi-channel amplifier provides 150 watts over each of it's 8 channels. The MM8003 features XLR inputs and a toroidal transformer.
The AV8003 and MM8003 mark Marantz' return to offering home theater separates after several years absent. Pricing has not yet been set on the Marantz AV8003 or the Marantz MM8003. Both are scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2008.
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TC Group. the Danish holding group that manages 
