New Products - Feb. 2002
Hot gear from the world of home entertainment
Marantz
With its silver finish and flat, brushed-aluminum faceplates, the Marantz Duetto
stereo music system has an elegantly futuristic look. Both the SR110 two-channel
receiver (top) and the CD110 CD player measure 8 1/4 x 3 x 12 2/8 inches and
have drop-down covers over their front-panel controls. The receiver, rated to
deliver 25 watts per channel into 8 ohms features proprietary virtual surround
sound processing and has 30 AM/FM station presets. The CD player can output
data at 2x speed for synchronized dubbing on compatible Marantz CD recorders.
It can play CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and discs with MP3 files and has two coaxial and
two optical digital outputs. Though designed to complement each other, the components
are available separately for $380 each. www.marantz.com,
630-741-0300
Mirage
The newest member of Mirages OM speaker clan is the OM-9, a floor-standing,
two-way model using four drivers in the proprietary Omnipolar array. Its radiation
pattern is similar to a bipolar speaker, but the shallow enclosure shortens
the distance between the front and back drivers, which is said to improve off-axis
response. With two 1-inch titanium tweeters and two 61/2-inch woofers, the OM-9
has a frequency response rated as 38 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB and a sensitivity
of 90 dB. It measures 11 5/8 x 43 3/4 x 12 1/8 inches and weighs 55 pounds.
Prices: $1,300 a pair in cherry veneer; $1,400 in high-gloss black. www.miragespeakers.com,
416-321-1800
SIM2
Sèleco
Bring your dreams of huge high-definition TV and DVD video images into reality
with SIM2 Sèlecos HT 300 Grand Cinema projector. Using Texas Instruments
Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, the projector creates images with
resolutions of up to 1,280 x 720 pixels, native for 720p-format HDTV signals.
Its rated contrast ratio is 1,000:1, and a built-in scaler with 2:3 pulldown
is said to clear up motion artifacts while compensating for differences in film
and video frame rates. A six-segment color wheel helps reduce color-separation
artifacts. The projector accepts component-, composite-, and S-video, VGA, and
RGB+H/V input signals. Price: $14,995. www.sim2selecousa.com,
954-442-2999
Samsung
With a download speed of up to 7 megabits per second, Samsungs Yepp-30S
MP3 player can fill up its 64 megabytes (MB) of built-in memory in less time
than it takes to find and play a song. Music files are transferred through its
USB port, and song titles and artist names are shown on the LCD screen. The
player measures 1 3/4 x 2 1/2 x 5/8 inch and weighs 2 ounces. It also features
a voice recorder, a four-preset graphic equalizer, and a bass boost. Rio-Port
Audio Manager software for ripping CDs and downloading online music is supplied
along with a neck strap, a belt clip, and an arm strap. Price: $170. www.samsung.com,
800-726-7864
