Dynaudio
If George Lucas can do it with his Star Wars movies, why can't speaker makers come out with "special editions"? Dynaudio's Audience 72 Special Edition (SE) includes a few features above and beyond the standard model, such as a resonance-damping chamber behind the tweeter to improve treble clarity, a pair of high-performance 6 3/4 -inch polymer woofers, and a redesigned crossover to accommodate the new drivers. The 38-inch-tall speaker is rated for deep bass (down to 28 Hz ±3 dB), and its sensitivity is spec'd as 86 dB. Real wood veneers come in maple (right), rosewood (left), cherry, or black ash. The enclosure is ported, but port plugs are supplied. Price: $2,500 a pair. dynaudio.com, 630-238-4200
Maxx
Fifty inches of plasma for just under 7,000 bucks? That's only about $140 an inch, dawg - not a bad deal for Maxx's TruVision 50HD widescreen plasma TV. The set displays video at 1,366 x 768-pixel resolution, and sources are converted to match. Contrast ratio is rated as 3,000:1, which means deep blacks should have the darkness they crave. HDTV signals can connect to the monitor through its DVI (Digital Visual Interface), VGA, and component-video inputs. There's also a VGA output for hooking up an external computer monitor. The 50HD is only 4 inches thick, but the supplied table stand is 10 1/2 inches deep. Price: $6,995. maxxproducts.com, 866-410-9751
Sanyo
A swarm of transportable satellite-radio tuners have hit the market, including Sanyo's CRSR-10 (inset), which receives Sirius radio's 120-plus channels (a subscription costs $12.95 a month). It comes with cradles for both your home and your car, and you can get an optional, take-anywhere boombox (top, $100) that's designed specifically for the tuner. The CRSR-10's built-in FM transmitter lets you listen to Sirius's channels through any FM radio, although it also has line-level outputs for a direct connection. There's enough room on the display to show the artist, song, channel name, number, genre, and time simultaneously. Price: $150. sanyo.com, 818-998-7322
Key Digital
Much more than just an HDTV tuner, Key Digital's HD Hanna video processor will adjust high-def signals to any one of nine formats that best matches your display. All outputs are simultaneously active, so Hanna can send plain 480i to an analog set even while it converts the same signal to super-high-def 1080p resolution. There are two antenna inputs as well as one VGA and two S-video inputs, and BNC-style connectors for the two component- and two composite-video inputs. Outputs include VGA, component/RGB+HV, and DVI, plus two bidirectional FireWire ports. A programmable remote control is supplied, and the RS-232 port will help Hanna get along with your whole-house system. Price: $2,500. keydigital.com, 718-796-7178
