Sunfire has unveiled their new Theater Grand AV receiver, the Sunfire TGR-401.

 

The Theater Grand 401 powers seven channels via it's class H amplifier, which will push 150 watts and remain cool to the touch thanks to it's efficient design. New additions to this revision of the Theater Grand receiver are Sirius connectivity, two Ole2XL touchpad ports and a VIA!migo port for your iPod. The Sunfire TGR-401 offers three HDMI 1.3a inputs and one output. Unfortunately, decoding of Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD are not present in the TGR-401.

 

The Sunfire TGR-401 will set you back a cool $4000 when it becomes available this April.

 

Pioneer unveiled four new AV receivers on the eve of CES 2008, only one of which has support for advanced audio codecs.

 

The 130 watt per channel Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K features Pioneer's Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration, three HDMI 1.3 inputs, video upscaling to 1080p over HDMI and auto-level control for equalizing volume between sources. The VSX-1018TXH-K decodes all currently available flavors of Dolby and DTS, so HD DVD and Blu Ray owners will be able to between letting their player or the VSX-1018TXH-K do the heavy lifting.

 

The Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K is scheduled for a June 2008 release, and will retail for the wallet-friendly price of $599.

British loudspeaker maker Arcaydis has revamped their line of loudspeakers, adding some ribbon tweeter models to their lineup.

 

The new Arcaydis Cobalt is a 3 way design with an enclosure that features a sloped back to reduce standing waves. Bass duties are handled by a 10" Seas driver with copper phase plug, which covers from 20 Hz to 550 Hz.  Not specified is whether the unit features a magnesium or aluminum cone, just that it's metal. Midrange is handled by a 7" paper cone whose internal enclosure is sealed, separating it from the waves produced by the bass unit. At 7500 Hz the midrange driver hands off to a Visaton ribbon, which extends the frequency range up to 30,000 Hz. The 37.5" Arcaydis Cobalts tip the scales at 88 pounds apiece, and will set you back just under $24,000 a pair.

 

Also new is the Arcaydis AKR (pictured), a 2 way design utilizing a 6.5" mid-bass coupled with a ribbon tweeter in an inverted arrangement aimed at improving the dispersion of the ribbon tweeter and creating a wider "sweet spot". The 31" tall AKR is rated 88dB at 8 ohms, and presents an amplifier load that will accomodate tube or solid state power. The AKR sells for about $2700/pair at today's exchange rate. 

 

Also fresh to the line is the Arcaydis Excelsior, details of which are not yet available, and the Arcaydis 200T, a 96dB 8 ohm single driver model that will apeal to fans of SET tube amps. Arcaydis claims 40-20,000 Hz frequency response from the 200T.

 

 

French manufacturer of glass loudspeakers Waterfall Audio is set to begin offering their product to the U.S. market.

 

Two models are slated to debut in the U.S., the 3-way, 40 inch tall Victoria EVO floorstander, and the 2-way, 34 inch tall Iguascu EVO. Stunning in glass enclosures and die cast aluminum bits, the EVO models enclosures are strong as well as elegant. The downfiring driver in the base plate extends the low end performance but compromises on the side of appearances by being passive. 

 

No specifications on the two models at this time. Pricing for the U.S. market is set at $5400/pair for the Victoria EVO and $3900/pair for the Iguascu EVO.