06
Jan
2012
iPodNN: Audio-maker Harman Kardon has introduced two new home theater sound systems, the SB 30 and the BDS x70 family, in anticipation of next week’s CES show. The SB 30 is a wireless subwoofer packaged with a soundbar speaker array. The BDS x70 series is a compact all-in-one component sound system available in several configurations with either 2.1-channel or 5.1-channel audio. (more…)
06
Jan
2012
Engadget: While it’s hardly pulling the curtain back on its entire CES 2012 slate of products, Samsung’s earliest preview for your AV pleasure is an updated range of HTIB systems and sound bars, as well as two new Audio Docks that support Apple devices as well as its own Galaxy S phones and players. (more…)
16
Sep
2011
Engadget HD: What can you get for $300 these days? A bunch of stuff, probably, including the latest soundbar from Yamaha. The YAS-101 Front Surround System offers up 7.1 sound, a built-on 60-watt subwoofer and support for Dolby Digital and DTS. (more…)
25
Jul
2011
Engadget: Been on the prowl for an audio solution with AirPlay to compliment your iDevice or Apple TV? Bid hello to Libratone’s ultra-chic Lounge and Live soundbars. Last year, the company introduced its eye-catchingBeat wireless speaker system back at IFA; we were intrigued by its active drivers and carry handle, but mildly disappointed that cord-cutting required pesky proprietary adapters. Apple users will be happy to know AirPlay’s been fully embraced this time, along with the signature adornment of cashmere wool. (more…)
20
Jul
2011
Engadget: No, that’s not some oversized Kinect KIRF. What you’re looking at is Klipsch’s latest soundbar, the Gallery G-17 Air. Seem familiar? If you’ll recall, back at CES it was known as the Gallery Studio — the smallest of three AirPlay-enabled speaker systems the company let us demo at CES. Although not totallynew, its full specs have been revealed and its price re-vamped from $400 to a slightly spendier $530. (more…)
27
Jun
2011
What Hi-fi: First there was the Model 20, then the Model 25, now comes news of the £450 TVee Model 30 soundbar from Boston Acoustics.
Shipping in July for £450, the slim 3.1-channel ‘virtual’ surround soundbar and matching wireless subwoofer is designed to deliver “powerful, room-filling sound”. (more…)
27
Jan
2011
iPodNN: Harmon Kardon has introduced a new 2.1 home theater soundbar, the SB16. It is designed for situations where users want a quality home theater experience but don’t have the room, or don’t want a multi-speaker surround solution. It can be connected directly to a television, DVD player or game console with the convenience of being able to place the subwoofer at any position within the same room as the soundbar, the result of its wireless connectivity. (more…)
04
Jun
2010
The Guardian: Orbitsound, the British audio company created by sound engineer and one-time session musician Ted Fletcher, will today unveil a new range of gadgets using its innovative spatial stereo technology that are likely to have audiophiles drooling.
Orbitsound’s T4 Radiopod Alongside the T12 – a new version of its “soundbar”, which sold out within a few months of being made available in John Lewis last year, amid widespread critical acclaim – Orbitsound is releasing a new gadget: a Wi-Fi-enabled digital radio and iPod dock, called the T4 Radiopod.
Both gadgets make use of the company’s airSOUND system, Fletcher’s patented technology that produces clarity and depth of sound wherever the gadget is positioned.
With a traditional stereo system there is a “sweet spot” a certain distance from the speakers in which the listener will experience perfect sound. Orbitsound maintains that its products produce fantastic stereo “spatial” sound with depth and clarity wherever the system is positioned, creating a so-called “infinite sweet spot”. The technology was developed by Fletcher in 2004, but the first devices were not unveiled until the Consumer Electronics Show in 2008.
Fletcher’s experience of the audio industry stretches back to the early 1960s, when he worked with music producer Joe Meek – whose most famous hit was Telstar by The Tornados – first as a session artist and then as a sound technician. He went on to set up his own sound mixer manufacturing company in 1969, called Alice, and his kit was soon in demand by the likes of Jethro Tull, the Eagles and the Who. He went on to sell Alice and set up an audio compression business, whose most popular line of stereo compression equipment Fletcher named after Meek. It was snapped up by PMI Audio Group seven years ago.
The original backing for Orbitsound came from John Cameron and Harvinder Hungin, two City financiers who were behind the 2004 multi-billion pound buyout of property group Chelsfield. They are both executive directors of Orbitsound. The company, meanwhile, recently finalised a fresh investment round and an overdraft with a major international bank, in order to fund its expansion.
23
Apr
2010
iPodNN: Sony today showed three upcoming sound systems for the home that have 3D sound capability. This includes the HT-CT150 and HT-CT350 3.1-channel sound bars and the 5.1-channel HT-SF470 surround sound system. All have a 3D pass-through with an HDMI repeater that includes three inputs and one output along with another HDMI pass-through connection.
The HT-CT350 is made to work with Sony’s 40-inch and larger BRAVIA HDTVs, thanks to a bracket that attaches the soundbar directly to them. It has 400W of power, evenly split between the three speakers and subwoofer. The HT-CT150 gets 340W of power, with 85W going to each speaker and the sub. Its design mimics that of 32-inch BRAVIA HDTVs.
The soundbars otherwise support lossless linear pulse code modulation (LPCM) Blu-ray Disc audio and BRAVIA Sync for controlling compatible Sony TVs from the same remote. They also get a coaxial and optical digital audio inputs. An iPod cradle for the two soundbars can be bought separately.
The 5.1-channel HT-SF470 home theater system is 3D capable in conjunction with a Blu-ray 3D player. It’s rated at 1,000W, with the five speakers getting 157W each, and the subwoofer 167W. It gets 3D pass-through from each of its three HDMI inputs, an HDMI repeater and audio return channel. The speakers can be connected wirelessly to the receiver with optional parts. In addition to the same BRAVIA Sync, two digital audio inputs and the optional iPod cradle as the soundbars, the system also gets digital cinema auto calibration for setting up.
The HT-CT350 and HT-CT150 will ship in May, priced at nearly $400 and $300, respectively. The HT-SF470 surround sound system is due in June for $550.
23
Apr
2010
Newlaunches: I’ll admit that when it comes to home theatre set ups I’m quite partial to the sound bar. It’s perfect for those who don’t have too much room for more than 2 speakers and the better the company that manufactures it, the happier you’ll be. Having said that, the SB 15 from Harman Kardon, would be at the very top of my list, if I could perceive to think that I could afford any part of it. This baby is slim, sleek and definitely a sexy piece of audio equipment. It can easily be hooked up to your television, DVD player or game console and what really does it for me is the wireless subwoofer. This makes it a seriously convenient option especially for those with more money but less living space, as contradictory as that may sound. It even offers 3D surround-sound processing. Of course the only thing Philips SoundBar has on the SB 15 is the built in Blu-ray player, but I do believe I’d go with quality over quantity on this one, sorry Phil…
11
Mar
2010
Dvice: While we like to think everyone is sitting in front of huge flat panel displays listening to massive home theater speakers, the reality is that most of us spend the majority of our time in front of computer displays, even for gaming and movie-watching. ASUS has just come out with what they claim is the world’s most compact five-channel speaker, the Cine5.
The 28-watt compact soundbar has five discrete channels to give a surround feel and in gaming, gives more precise imaging to help improve target location. The Cine5 will create a surround image even from a stereo source.
No word yet on US pricing or availability. Why bother with your computer’s built-in speaker or even external stereo computer speakers when you can add a clutter-free soundbar that also adds surround sound? Read more…
24
Dec
2009
Hot Hardware: Yamaha has been beefing up its home audio line here in the fourth quarter of 2009, and with CES in just a few weeks, it seems as if the company is looking to get a jump on everyone else.
Today, it has revealed its newest two-piece home theater package, which should fit perfectly in cramped studio apartments and in living rooms where space is at a premium.
The YHT-S400 combines a super-slim sound bar with a subwoofer-integrated receiver, the latter of which looks nothing like anything we’ve ever seen.
The kit provides HD Audio compatibility three 1080p-compatible HDMI inputs (and one output), the company’s exclusive AIR SURROUND XTREME, UniVolume and Extended Stereo technologies for immersive audio for movies, sports and music experiences.
The sound bar stands just 2″ high and can easily fit in front of most modern HDTVs, and it even supports the YDS-11 universal iPod dock and YBA-10 Bluetooth wireless audio receiver to stream A2DP audio from Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, PCs and Macs. It’s available now for $599.95 (€417).