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AVReview: Denon has launched its new reference headphones in the rather beautiful shape of the AH-D7000s, that Denon claims ‘redefines the ultimate in headphone listening’.

The AH-D7000s feature 50mm free edge microfibre diaphragms that provide extended frequency response from the ‘lowest bass notes’ all the way up to 45kHz so they can cater for every possible audio source.

High strength Neodymium magnets provide high efficiency and freedom from motor structure non-linearity.

The headphone housings are crafted from real mahogany with intricate internal carving to enhance natural tone balance.

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iGIZMO: It’s not enough for a TV to be just flat anymore. Now they’ve got to be the AV equivalent of pancakes before they grab anyone’s attention. Which is why the new range of AV gear JVC has just unveiled in Prague features two ultra-thin TV ranges.

The most complete of these ranges is the DV1 series. Due to launch in 37in and 42in screen sizes in March, with a 47in version emerging a month later, the DV1 range is even slimmer than JVC’s groundbreaking SuperSlim debutante, last year’s LT-42DS9, coming in at under 70mm even at its widest point.

Claimed contrast ratios of 1,000,000:1 for all three DV1 models caught our eye as well, but we’ve saved their best feature for last: the HandClap function. JVC has made it so that you can turn your DV1 on or off by clapping three times, or mute/unmute the sound by clapping twice.

The other flat TV ‘range’ from JVC is the WX70 series. Well, actually ‘series’ is a bit of an overstatement, as for the time being there’s only one model: the 42in LT-42WX70, due in March. This glamourpuss is just 43mm deep.

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CDFreaks: Want to embrace Blu-ray without abandoning all those episodes of M*A*S*H you recorded to VHS? Panasonic’s Blu-ray/VCR combo player could be the answer.

The DMP-BD70V is a BD-Live compatible Blu-ray player featuring a front USB port, memory card slot and amazingly, a “slot” for inserting your old VHS tapes. Otherwise, it offers the same features at the DMP-BD60 Blu-ray player, such as on-board Dolby TrueHD, DTS-Master Audio Essential decoding and networking functions such as VIERA Cast Internet content.

While it seems like a strange combination in one device, the upside is that the DMP-BD70V will upscale both DVD and VHS to 1080p.

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EETimes: Europe’s largest consumer electronics group, Royal Philips Electronics NV is to reduce its workforce by 6,000 worldwide this year after reporting its first quarterly loss for almost six years. It also halted an ongoing shares buy-back program.

The company suffered a net loss of Euros 186 million for 2008 after a fourth quarter loss of Euros 1.47 billion, partly because of a write-down in the value of its Lumileds diode light unit, as well as downgrading the value of its remaining stakes in NXP Semiconductors and LG Display Co.

Sales for the year were Euros 26.4 billon, down 1.5 percent, but fourth-quarter sales fell 8.9 percent to Euros 7.62 billion.

Gerard Kleisterlee, the president and chief executive, said that the fourth-quarter losses reflected “the unprecedented speed and ferocity with which the economy softened in 2008″.

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SlipperyBrick: Let’s say you still have a huge library of cassette tapes for some reason. Maybe you just hate to part with them. Maybe you’re cheap and treat yard sales like your own private iTunes. Whatever. Here’s a quick way to digitize those old tapes into MP3 formats.

It’s the TapeLink from Alesis. The recorder will do more then just make a copy. It will virtually remove all hissing or other abnormalities in sound quality and convert them to MP3’s.

Just plug it into the USB cable on your Mac or PC and you’re good to go. The bundled EZ Tape Converter makes transfer easy and convenient. The files can then be retrieved via USB on your computer to store on any device you want.

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TechRadar: While DAB technology has a number of vociferous critics, it seems that British consumers are still happy to buy into the format: more than half a million products were sold in December alone in the UK.

“One ray of sunshine in a gloomy Christmas season for retailers was DAB digital radio,” the Digital Radio Development Bureau release informs us.

Cumulative DAB sales through to the end of 2008 were 8.53 million units, with over 2 million products sold in 2008. This is up 3 per cent year-on-year when compared with total analogue radio sales, which were down 7 per cent year-on-year. The overall Consumer Electronics market is also down 5 per cent year-on-year.

The DRDB release continues: “Top selling products included DAB clock radios with docking stations, kitchen radios and an in-car DAB adapter. Other popular models were micro hi-fi systems with docking stations, handheld DAB radios and, for the first time, radios combining DAB and Wi-Fi.”

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HD News: Coming in at a svelte like 38mm deep and weighing just 16kg, the Philips 42PES0001D ‘Essence’ LCD has been designed to satisfy consumer demand for an ultra stylish wall mounted flat panel TV.

Philips are confident that hanging the 42PES0001D is a one person job. Weighing a lot less than virtually any other 42in LCD TV, the panel also features a self-levelling bracket.

With just a single cable (includes power) between the connectivity hub and screen, clutter is reduced to a minimum, leaving the 42PES0001D to show of its gloriously stylish lines. The slim sound bar underneath the panel can also be removed for replacement with speaker separates if required.

Under the hood is Philips’ Perfect Pixel HD Engine along with a 2ms response time and 100Hz processing. There is a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution and the 42PES0001 is DLNA compliant.

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AVRev.com: The XT Series loudspeakers from Bowers & Wilkins are a favorite among music and audio fans who appreciate both style and sound.  This classic series is currently undergoing some changes, and a new, sleek XT8 model has just been introduced.

Physically, the new XT8 model is similar to the XT4 – both are slim, stylish, and feature the signature “tweeter pod” perched on the top.  The interior is where all the changes have happened.  Bowers & Wilkins have used their FST technology to improve the mid-range frequency levels dramatically by removing most of the standing-wave resonances that hamper midrange sounds in many cone drivers. 

The Nautilus Tweeter atop the XT8 is also improved over its predecessor. It is a high-frequency driver that uses the low-order crossover to take advantage of the FST technology, and its design eliminates the subtle but audible back side internal resonances found in other speakers. 

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SlashGear: JVC has released its newest wooden housing finished headphone, HP-DX700, featuring one piece solid wood cabinet to form a cylindrical sound chamber equivalent to a fixed direct driver unit.

The high quality sound output, according to JVC, can be further reduced in vibration and resonance departments with its solid wood enclosure; despite having a infrasound range extended as low as 5hz, and ultrasound range up to 30khz.

The range of hearing for a healthy human being is 20 to 20khz.

The light weight headphone weights in a mere 380g, and comes standard with 24k gold-plated 3.5mm mini plug stereo jack.

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NaviGadget: KarKorder is what you may call an in-vehicle DVR. We checked this out CES 2009 and decided it would be worth mentioning.

KarKorder constantly records what’s going on in your car which may later be viewed for surveillance or investigative purposes. It comes with 4GB SD card memory which can record up to 8 hours in single lens mode.

This would be MPEG4 video at 10 to 20 fps VGA at 640×480 pixels.

It uses a CMOS sensor with 140 degree viewing angle and IR enhanced internal camera too so you can keep an eye passengers too.

KarKorder is also equipped with a GPS data logger.

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Electronic House: Klipsch announced three new home theater packages. All three are 5.1 systems, which include left, center and right front channels, two surrounds, and one powered subwoofer.

The HD Theater 1000 has five identical speakers, each with dual 2.5-inch fiber composite woofers and a MicroTractrix Horn-loaded 0.75-inch aluminum dome tweeter. Standing 8.6 inches tall, each one includes a stand or can be wall mounted.  

Nestled in the middle of the line is the HD Theater 500. Each of the front and rear speakers has a 2.5-inch IMG woofer and a MicroTractrix Horn-loaded 0.75-inch aluminum dome tweeter inside. The center channel, however, has dual woofers.

Last, but not least, is the HD Theater 300. That setup’s main and surround speakers include a 2.5-inch IMG woofer and a 0.75-inch MicroTractrix Horn-loaded textile tweeter in each. The center channel is almost the same, except it’s magnetically shielded. 

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TechRadar: After a week of poor financial results in the technology sector, the latest huge company to find itself in difficulties is, rather surprisingly, Samsung.

The South Korean chip and phone giant announced the first quarterly loss in its history on Friday, posting last-quarter numbers that are 937 billion won (approx. 520 million Euro) in the red.

The world’s biggest maker of memory chips had never before experienced a loss of any kind, so the results shocked analysts, who had predicted an easier time for the firm.

A large part of the loss comes from the slump in flash memory chips, which fell 42 per cent in the same quarter of 2008.

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