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 Mirage’s 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 Sèleco’s 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, Samsung’s 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
Terapin
With Terapin’s MCR-TX3300 dual-tray MP3 CD recorder, you’ll never
again need to boot up your PC to rip a CD to MP3 — or vice versa. The standalone
deck can encode standard CD tracks (PCM) into MP3 format at 128 kilobits per
second and burn them onto a CD-R or CD-RW. It can also record MP3 files in PCM
format for playback on non-MP3 CD players and dub both audio and data CDs at
4x speed. Its USB port accepts MP3s from a Windows PC; software upgrades will
allow it to interface with portable players. It also has an Ethernet port, a
coaxial and an optical digital input, a coaxial digital output, and an RS-232
serial port for upgrades. The headphone jack has a level control. Price: $499.
www.goterapin.com, 888-654-0645
Sony
A 5.1-channel speaker system together with an integrated DVD player/receiver
capable of Super Audio CD playback for only $700 sounds like a dream. It is
— Sony’s DAV-C700 DVD Dream System. The player/ receiver is a five-disc
changer that can play DVD-Video discs, CDs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and both stereo and
multichannel SACDs. Its amp is rated to deliver 50 watts per channel to the
five satellites and 100 watts to the bass module’s 7-inch woofer. Each
satellite has a 5/8-inch tweeter mounted coaxially with a 2 3/4-inch midrange
driver. Component-, composite-, and S-video outputs give you video-hookup flexibility,
and there’s an optical digital audio input, too. Price: $700. www.sonystyle.com,
800-222-7669
Lexicon
Whether you think five main speakers are enough for your home theater or want
to go all the way with seven, Lexicon has a power amp just for you. Its THX
Ultra-certified LX-7 (shown) and LX-5 amps are both rated to deliver 200 watts
into 8 ohms for each of seven or five channels, respectively. Channel pairs
can be bridged for up to 400 watts of continuous average power, and computerized
temperature controls ensure that nothing overheats. Both amps have line-level
RCA and balanced XLR inputs as well as gold-plated multiway binding-post speaker
outputs. Prices: LX-5, $4,995; LX-7, $5,995. www.lexicon.com,
781-280-0300
Electrograph
Electrograph’s 17-inch DTS17V flat-panel LCD multimedia monitor makes desktop
video modern, colorful, and sleek. The tiltable screen can display images at
SXGA resolution (1,280 x 1,024 pixels) and has a rated contrast ratio of 200:1.
The picture is said to be bright at angles up to 80° off-center. You can
select programs from its built-in 181-channel tuner or sources connected to
its component-, composite-, S-video and two VGA inputs. The 13 1/2-pound monitor
comes with a VGA cable and remote control, and it’s available in a black,
white, or silver finish. Price: $1,795. www.electrograph.com,
800-776-5768
Linn
The Komri speaker from Linn uses six drivers — more than you’ll find
on some Scottish backroads — to divide the audio spectrum into five frequency
bands. A 3/4-inch supertweeter, 1-inch tweeter, and 3-inch midrange — all
soft-dome designs — are mounted on a bridge in front of a 6-inch upper-bass
driver that sits above two 10-inch woofers. The speaker’s four-way crossover
network is passive, and its rolloff characteristics are adjustable through rear-panel
controls. Frequency response is rated as 20 Hz to 28 kHz ±3 dB. Available
in black, cherry, or maple finish, each Komri measures 16 5/8 x 45 7/8 x 20
1/2 inches and weighs 185 pounds. Price: $40,000 a pair. www.linn.co.uk,
888-671-5466
Canon
At only 6 pounds, Canon’s LV-X1 portable LCD video projector lets you travel
light. It can project images at its native XGA resolution (1,024 x 768 pixels)
and can also accept SXGA signals. You can connect the projector to either a
Windows or Macintosh computer via the supplied VGA cable, but it also has a
wideband component-video input for display of progressive-scan DVD or high-definition
TV signals. Composite- and S-video inputs offer more hookup options. The LV-X1
can handle both NTSC and PAL input signals, its contrast ratio is rated as 300:1,
and it has 16x digital zoom. A carrying case is included. Price: $3,499. www.usa.canon.com,
800-652-2666
Toshiba
Want a DVD-Audio player but turned off by high prices? Toshiba’s $400 Cinema
Series SD5700 not only handles DVD-Video and DVD-Audio discs with ease, but
also plays CDs with MP3 files and has a progressive-scan video output with 2:3
pulldown. The player decodes Dolby Digital soundtracks and has a six-channel
analog output as well as both coaxial and optical digital audio outputs for
CDs and DVD-Video. The silver faceplate will make you feel like you paid a lot
more. www.toshiba.com/tacp,
800-631-3811
Triad
The Silver Monitor series from Triad includes a bookshelf satellite speaker
that’s available in more than 20 standard real-wood veneers as well as
“unlimited” custom finishes and two matching in-wall speakers whose
grilles and frames can be custom-painted to match any wall color. All three
models have the same 1-inch tweeters and dual 5-inch woofers and a rated frequency
response of 70 Hz to 20 kHz +0, –3 dB. The InRoom Silver Monitor measures
73/8 x 16 1/8 x 8 3/8 inches. The InWall Silver/6 has a 6-inch mounting depth
and measures 8 3/8 x 19 inches, while the InWall Silver/4 measures 10 3/4 x
19 inches with a 4-inch mounting depth. Prices: InRoom, $4,000 a pair; both
InWalls, $4,400 a pair. www.triadspeakers.com,
503-256-2600
Accusonic
Is it just us, or are power-amplifier classes starting to sound like the planet
types in Star Trek? It may be just a cosmic coincidence, but the five-channel
Accusonic MDB1000 is specified to operate in Class G, meaning that it uses a
low-voltage power supply most of the time but switches to a separate high-voltage
supply when needed to handle musical transients. It’s rated to deliver
a hefty 200 watts each to five channels into 8 ohms and has individual gain
controls for each channel. Total harmonic distortion is rated as 0.08%. Separate
Accusonic amps are easily daisy-chained, and the MDB1000’s buffered speaker
outputs are provided through gold-plated multiway binding posts. Measuring 16
5/8 x 5 3/4 x 16 inches, the amp weighs 35 pounds. Price: $2,999. www.accusonicaudio.com,
215-699-9261
B&K
From B&K’s CT Series, the CT-610 multizone receiver can deliver stereo
sound to as many as six listening zones with a rated 55 watts each for 12 channels.
The receiver can be controlled by keypads (such as from Xantech and Vantage)
in each area while providing power to them, eliminating the need for external
power supplies. The receiver can relay infrared signals to up to nine source
components. Two AM/FM tuners let you listen to different stations in different
rooms. Dimensions are 19 x 7 1/2 x 14 3/8 inches, and weight is 51 pounds. Price:
$3,498. www.bkcomp.com, 800-543-5252
Wright
Audio
Pay attention to the speaker system behind the curtain — Wright Audio’s
Grand Master, which includes a decorative façade complete with drapes,
hides some serious hardware back there. Two bass towers, each with dual 12-inch
subwoofers, are powered by a 150-watt-per-channel stereo amplifier, and two
other transmission-line cabinets each have dual 6 1/2-inch Kevlar-composite
midranges and a 1-inch titanium tweeter. Overall frequency response is rated
as 20 Hz to 18 kHz ±2 dB. A separate active-crossover controller includes
a graphic equalizer. The decorative front is made of solid red oak with beveled
glass and black chiffon curtains, and the overall size of each side is 50 x
84 x 21 inches. Price: $14,500. www.wrightaudio.com,
541-343-1413
Sherbourn
It’s five in one — Sherbourn’s 5/1500A power amplifier is really
five mono-block amps, each with its own power supply, heat sink, and transformer
and rated to deliver up to 200 watts continuous power into 8 ohms. The black
faceplate is marked only by the power button, its blue LED, and the Sherbourn
logo, but the back panel is filled with balanced XLR and gold-plated RCA inputs
for every channel and gold-plated multiway output connectors. There’s also
a 12-volt trigger input. The 5/1500A measures 19 x 7 x 17 3/4 inches big and
weighs 80 pounds. Price: $2,000. www.sherbourn.com,
978-663-7385
irock!
The irock! 520 from Motorola spinoff First International Digital nixes your
last excuse (high player prices) for not getting with the MP3 revolution. For
just 100 smackers, you get a player that measures only 2 1/2 x 7 x 2 7/8 inches,
weighs only 2 ounces, and has 64 megabytes of flash memory built in, plus a
SmartMedia card slot if you need even more. Earphones, a USB cable, and a carrying
strap are supplied, and more than 1,000 songs are ready for download at the
company’s Web site. www.myirock.com,
847-202-1900
Onkyo
Pick up Onkyo’s HTS-L5 system, and you’ll only need to add a TV to
have a fully functional home theater. It comprises the TX-L5 A/V receiver, DV-L5
DVD player, and SKS-105 speaker system. The receiver has Dolby Digital, DTS,
and Dolby Pro Logic II decoding and sports one coaxial and two optical digital
inputs and three S-video inputs. The DV-L5 can play discs with MP3 files and
has component-, composite-, and S-video and optical and coaxial digital audio
outputs. The speakers have 3 1/2-inch midrange drivers (two in each front speaker)
and 1-inch tweeters. The 60-watt subwoofer is rated down to 30 Hz. System price:
$1,300 (components also sold separately). www.onkyousa.com,
800-229-1687