Ken C. Pohlmann

If you know what an API is, then this news will interest you. Everyone else can skip it.

Iron Man was one of the hottest releases of the fall season, and was supposed to be a coming out party for the triumphant Blu-ray format. Instead, it's turned into a headache for Paramount. In particular, sometimes success is your own worst enemy.

What better way to celebrate a 40th anniversary of producing audio components, than to debut a new flagship loudspeaker? Infinity Systems did just that, showing off its new Prelude Forty loudspeaker. This high-end tower features Maximum Radiating Surface (MRS) flat-panel transducer technology (as pictured, they are the silver midrange panels set on the black bezel).

Denon showed off its new line of AV receivers, no fewer than 10 of them, to complement its flagship AVR-5308CI (pictured). All of the new models feature Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Audyssey Dynamic Volume, and Audyssey MultEQ, as well as HDMI 1.3a capability supporting Deep Color.

Has this happened to you? You proudly demo your sound system to your friends, and they yawn? I mean, sound from speakers - how boring. Well, with speakers from Madison Fielding and StereoStone, you can impress those friends, and turn yawns into wows!