BG's THX-certified BGX-4850 is an in-wall sub that fits into a 7 by 26.5 inch space with standard 2x4 construction. Backed with an external 2200-watt amp, it uses a series of four-inch cones paired off and facing one another, a strategy known as mass balancing. It was demoed amid the sonic chaos of the show floor and did produce good bass.
The new Canton Reference 3.2DC is a second-generation implementation with ceramic-aluminum tweeter and aluminum mid and woofers, with the mid on top. It and the new GLE line have rounder contours surrounding the baffle to improve dispersion. The Ergo has gone from black to silver cones and the Vento has added a very handsome curved center. Wood veneers on the glossy Reference and not-so-glossy Vento are furniture grade and would not mar even the nicest home decor. Canton is nailing the in-a-box crowd with the DM 2, a 2.1-channel system that will also be available in a 5.1-channel version with a wireless surround option. The bidirectional RF LCD remote looks pretty spiffy.
The TiVo HD XL ($599) records up to 150 hours in HD. It can even record two shows at once. Loaded with "DTV transition ready" ATSC tuner and a CableCARD slot, it has been voted The Product Mark Fleischmann Is Most Likely to Have Slipped into His Briefcase If the THX People Hadn't Been Hanging Around Him Trying to Tell Him Stuff.
Numinus can put a full star field on the ceiling in your home theater – or anywhere you want them to for that matter. If you ask them nicely, they’ll also create a sky dome for you that’ll change from daylight to nighttime whenever you choose. For the really star struck, Numinus can reproduce the way the stars looked in the sky on the day you were born, married, or, maybe, first discovered they could put a sky dome in your room. The stars can be set to twinkle (a little or a lot), and very realistic shooting stars can be programmed, too.
The three subs in Velodyne’s new Optimum series come with remote controls that have a built-in magnet letting you stick the remote control on the back of the sub when you’re not using it. The adjustment controls and display, on the other hand, are located on the front where you can actually see them and get to them much easier than if they were on the back.
Velodyne’s new in-wall subwoofer uses two active forward-firing drivers and two rectangular passive drivers. One passive driver fires upward at a 45-degree angle while the other fires downward at a 45-degree angle. Velodyne says this helps to cancel out vibrations that might transfer to the wall. It fits in a standard 2” x 4” wall and comes with an external 400-watt amplifier that includes a 5-band EQ, built-in test generator, microphone, and remote control.
Both the Auditor M and the Cremona M are part of the Cremona series characterized by their grill cloth which consists of fabric like strings. $5,500-$6,000 for the Center and $5,895/pr for the Auditor M.
Michael Kelly stands next to his updated 20T speaker. German manufactured speaker material includes carbon fiber. The cast ribbon guide is a custom piece as well.
Hidden in a hotel suite near the convention center, Taiwanese company Chi Lin Technology showed an early prototype of what the company claims to be the world's first LED-illuminated DLP front projector (though I doubt it will be the first to market; Optoma and Digital Projection are working on similar products). Based on the 0.95" DarkChip3 DMD, the illumination source is the PhlatLite LED module from Luminus. This puppy draws up to 3 amps of current to achieve a final peak light output of 600 lumens, requiring liquid cooling to prevent meltdown. It's worth it if the claimed contrast ratio of 100,000:1 can actually be reached. The unit I saw was an early prototype; the product is slated for sale in the third quarter of 2009.
The front panel LCD screen is an integral part of the new SSP220. It looks great, as does the rear panel connection which feature both single-ended and balanced outputs. Video processing includes converting component to HDMI up to 1080p. It's good to see some high end companies like Halcro getting into the home theater game, even if the SSP220 is $12,000!
CEDIA 2008
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