30
Sep
2011
Electronista: Bose has introduced its first sound bars for home theaters, the CineMate 1 SR and Lifestyle 135. Both offerings maintain the company’s focus on the high-end market, featuring compact speaker arrays built into a single sound-bar that can be placed in front of a television. The sound bars are paired with a wireless subwoofer to handle low frequencies. (more…)
01
Oct
2010
TechRadar: Pioneer has announced three new 3D-capable home cinema systems, with the ability to pass 3D signals over HDMI. Pioneer’s new line-up includes 5.1-channel HTP-610, the bar-style 3.1 channel HTP-SB510 and the 2.1 channel HTP-FS510 front speaker system.
Stylish and entertaining
Pioneer’s latest range of receiver subwoofer home cinema systems, provide what the company claims to be a “stylish as well as entertaining home cinema experience.”
At the top end of the new range, the new 5.1-channel HTP-610, is described as “a brilliant solution for immersive high definition home cinema sound in the home entertainment space.”
For those on slightly tighter home cinema budgets, Pioneer has also launched the 3.1 channel HTP-SB510 bar-style and the 2.1 channel HTP-FS510 front speaker system.
Pioneer HTP range
Pioneer’s “HTP” product range consists of a main subwoofer unit and a fully featured home cinema receiver, combined with three speaker set variations.
“All receiver subwoofer components are finished in a high-gloss, deep black, exuding a clean, minimalist feel that will enhance any living room environment,” adds the press release.
All three new systems include three of the latest specification HDMI (v1.4a with 3D) inputs and are all fully compatible with upcoming 3D TV broadcast receivers, Blu-ray Disc players and game consoles.
They also pack in integrated decoders for the latest HD audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, enabling “the systems to deliver sound to match the breathtaking depth and richness of high definition imagery.
Finally, Pioneer promises “the ultimate iPhone or iPod experience – without the need for a docking station” as all three systems come with a specialist cable providing a complete video and digital audio connection.
Pricing and exact release dates to follow. For now, head over to www.pioneer.co.uk for more.
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…
15
Apr
2010
Übergizmo: Struck the lottery and need a better subwoofer to irritate your neighbors? That’s what the upcoming BeoLab 11 from Bang & Olufsen is for. Aside from its stylish looks, it promises some awesome bass. It offers two 6.5-inch drivers facing each other in an aluminum shell, and will handle all your beats really well. It’ll be available in North America by mid-May 2010 and will set you back a good $2,000.
14
Apr
2010
Cnet: I suppose the “place the sub wherever” myth is based on the fact that low frequencies (80 Hertz or lower) are nondirectional, so it’s hard to tell where in the room the deep bass is coming from. That’s true, but that’s not the same thing as disregarding subwoofer placement concerns altogether.
Some experts recommend always sticking the sub in the room’s corner. I rarely do that, but corner placement will produce more bass at a given subwoofer volume setting. The corner’s two walls and floor reflections “reinforce” bass output, so sure, the sub would have to work harder to generate the same amount of bass when it’s not in a corner. But in my experience the bass is smoother (flatter) and better integrated with the speakers when the sub’s placed next to a wall. (more…)
29
Sep
2009
Engadget: Don’t get us wrong — we love subwoofers — but honestly we’ve been pretty satisfied with the formula that combines a driver, strong box and large amplifier into a more or less (we prefer less) inconspicuous cube.
Changing the physical design always looks kind of strange, even when the results are great. Horses for courses, however, as KEF has introduced its HTB2SE-W subwoofer that has us thinking of one George Jetson.
That impression is only enhanced by the wireless connection (hey, it was futuristic a few years ago) that promises “CD-quality sound,” which is probably more than sufficient for even lossless LFE tracks. If you don’t like the flying saucer look, simply put the HTB2SE-W on its side — the 10-inch driver and 250-Watt amp promise to deliver bass so non-directional that you won’t be able to tell the difference.
Available next month for $1,200 (€820).
04
Sep
2008
CrunchGear: Like the Rubik’s Cube? Also like booty-thumping bass in your face?
Then you are the ideal marketing segment for Elac, maker of the Rubik’s Cube-inspired MicroSub 2010 BT subwoofer.
It’s not as huge as it looks in the photo.
From a technical standpoint, the 2010 BT is a 2.1 Bluetooth-enabled speaker system.
There are two small satellite tweeters that go along with the subwoofer.
31
Dec
2007
Slashgear: Thiel Audio rolled out a new series of SmartSub subwoofers designed for ultimate bass reproduction in home theater and music sound systems. The 4 new lines of subwoofers, namely SS1, SS2, SS3 and SS4 is capable to generate a deep, dynamic and low distortion bass down to 10HZ. They are active-sub and powered by 500 watts (SS1) to 1000 (SS2-4) watts high efficiency mode amplifier with thermal overload protection.
The Subwoofers can be used with Thiel’s patent pending smartsub technology companion SmartSub Integrator or with the PX02 or PX05 Passive Subwoofer Crossovers. The integrator can be adjusted automatically to match the rest of the units with accurate and seamless sonic integration.
30
May
2007
Tech Digest: More places to park your iPod, this time from Sharp, which has launched the DK-A10H and DK-A1H docking stereo systems.
Available in pure white or piano lacquer black finishes, the DK-A1H and the DK-A10H both feature AM/FM radio with RDS, with the DK-A10H model also housing a built-in CD player.
And in terms of sound, they both carry two-way bass reflex speakers with built-in subwoofers, along with E-Sound technology and a digital signal processor (DSP) to enhance the sound quality of digital files.