Amazon is going Wal-Mart's current HD DVD promotion one better.

 

Etailer Amazon is matching Wal-Mart's 12 free HD DVD offer, and sweetening the pot by discounting all three third generation Toshiba HD DVD players. In addition to receiving two HD DVDs in the box, five free from the Toshiba rebate, and five free from Amazon at purchase, the players are being discounted 25%-33% off list. The HD-A3 is $225, the HD-A30 $269.98 and the HD-A35 is going for $359.98.

 

Yet another compelling reason to go get a player if you've been on the fence.

AV123 is developing two new line source loudspeakers, the Focus LS6 and Focus LS9.

 

Pre-orders are being taken on these two new loudspeakers, and we do have some details for you. The Focus LS6 is a 2 way, 14 driver line source consisting of six customized Bohlender Graebener midrange/tweeter panels coupled with eight proprietary 6.5" XBL2 woofers. The Focus LS9 sports nine Bohlender Graebener midrange/tweeter panels mated to twelve of the custom 6.5" XBL2 woofers. The units will be assembled in Colorado, and will be available in rosewood, palisander natural satin, palisander rosa satin, moho natural satin, cherry and ebony. Pricing on the standard finish models is $4495 for th LS6 and $5995 for the LS9. In addition the two models will be available in piano black, piano rosewood, and piano bird's eye maple, for an additional $400 on the LS6 and $500 on the LS9.

 

No specifications or photos of finished models as yet.

Nuforce has updated their highly regarded AVP-16 pre/pro with the newly listed AVP-17.

 

Known for it's great sound and spartan feature set, the AVP-16 was highly regarded as a music lover's pre/pro that wouldn't break the bank. The AVP-17 appears set to carry on that tradition as the only evident change is a new chassis design.

 

Nuforce rocked the AV web forums with their inexpensive AVP-16 pre/pro, a pre/pro that, along with Audio Refinement's Pre-2 DSP, was highly regarded as the answer to a poor audiophile's prayers for an inexpensive pre/pro that would handle home theater duty, but had music performance that far exceeded it's paltry price tag. The AVP-17 would perhaps have been better designated the AVP-16b.

 

As to whether or not Nuforce has plans for a pre/pro that adds support for newer Dolby and DTS codecs and HDMI, we'll just have to keep waiting.

 

If you are thinking about an HD DVD player or are on the fence, get to your local Wal-Mart this morning for a great buy on an entry level Toshiba HD DVD player.

 

Beginning at 8am Wal-Mart shoppers who purchase a Toshiba A2 or A3 HD DVD player will receive 12 free HD DVD titles, making the player essentially free. Two movies are packed in with the unit, five come as part of Toshiba's mail-in rebate, and Wal-Mart is ponying up and giving you five more on the spot. Wal-Mart sells the A2 for $198 and the A3 for $298.

 

It's a very good buy, and if you've been thinking about it, now's the time. Go. Now.

British loudspeaker stalwart Mission is about to take the wraps off their new 79 series of loudspeakers.

 

The 79 Series will be poised just below their high end Elegante line. The line will be wrapped in veneer as opposed to the vinyl clad their lesser lines receive. While sporting a more conventional look than the Elegante line, the 79 series does feature sleek, curved side panels on the enclosures. Also featured is Mission's trademark Inverted Driver Geometry (IDG), which places the tweeter below the midbass driver. The tweeters are mounted in a shallow waveguide, which may make for sound that is too forward for some, but likely gives the 79 Series the same prowess at home theater and harder music that it's predecessors enjoyed. The line consists of two floorstanding models, two bookshelf models, a center channel, a surround unit and a subwoofer.

 

Pricing is unknown at this time. As far as I know Mission, who is handled by IAG along with Quad and Wharfedale, does not have a distributor in the United States at this time. The 79 Series will be available in high gloss piano black and high gloss rosewood finishes.

British loudspeaker maker ProAc has revealed two additions to their Response loudspeaker line.

 

The Resonse TriTower is a slim floorstanding loudspeaker that stands 43" tall. Only 5.5" wide, the TriTower features three 4.5" aluminum woofers mated with a 4.5" midrange and 1" silk dome tweeter. ProAc claims the 4 ohm 90dB TriTower's frequency response covers 35-30,000Hz.

 

The Response D Two bookshelf model is a more conventional 8 ohm 88.5 dB design, utilizing a 6.5" woofer and a 1" silk dome tweeter. The woofer appears to be a Seas Excel unit, but with a glass fiber cone instead of aluminum. ProAc claims 30-30,000Hz response from the 17" tall bookshelf.

 

No pricing details at this time, the two models are available in standard ProAc maple, cherry, black ash and mahogany, with the Response D Two adding the options of ebony and bird's eye maple.