The Infinity Prelude Forty ($6000/each) is a slimline tower with dual eight-inch side woofers, four flat-panel midranges, and tweeter. Wish my abdomen were as flat as those diaphragms.
Integra has upgraded its DTC-9.8 pre-pro to the DHC-9.9 ($2000). The latter now includes Imaging Science Foundation's Certified Calibration Controls (ISFccc), which here provide separate high and low adjustments for red, green, and blue--for each input. The DHC-9.9 also adds THX Loudness Plus, Audyssey Dynamic Eq, and Audyssey Dynamic Volume. In case you were wondering, however, the DTC-9.8 cannot be upgraded to DHC-9.9 specs.
All of these features will also be included in Integra's top two receivers, the DTR-8.9 and the DTR-9.9.
Now you can ISF calibrate each of the four HDMI inputs on Integra's new flagship DHC 9.9 pre-pro. Differences between your setup box, BD player and gaming machine can be leveled before hitting your display device. Prior to this, your choices were calibrate your device for the "best" of your sources., or calibrate them all in your display device and remember to switch between the memories manually (remember, they're hitting your display via a single HDMI cable), and that's only if your projector or flat screen had that many memories! Integra worked extensively with Joel Silver of the ISF to make sure this worked right and the DHC 9.9, as well Integra's two top AVRs, the DTR-9.9 and DTR-8.9, get this ISF capability and that elusive seal of approval.
Blu-ray players are popping up everywhere at the show this year now that the format war is over. Integra is dipping their toes into the water as well with their new DBS-6.9 Blu-ray players. It will make its debut this September as a Bonus View capable player but BD-Live does not look to be supported.
Integra follows up the winner of our processor of the year award with the new DHC-9.9 surround sound processor. This new version offers a few new features including an Ethernet connection and the first ever ISFccc feature.
Both the DTR-9.9 ($2,600) and DTR-8.9 ($2,000) offer the same ISFccc level internal processing found in the DHC-9.9 pre-pro along with a near identical feature set, minus the balanced outputs and with amplification. In the case of the flagship, DTR-9.9, that 7 channels that put out 145 watts into 8 ohm.
Not really, but two new power conditioners from PS Audio could keep your electricity from being at fault when it comes to better sound and picture. Sure, you might think AC is just AC, but if you’ve ever been to my house you’d know that minor fluctuations (not to mention major ones) can do some insidious things to electronics gear. PS Audio’s PowerPlay conditioners clean up your power company’s act – and they also are fully configurable, programmable, and controllable over the Internet. The web interface can show you cool stuff like the fluctuations in voltage and noise in the current. They can also let you know of unfortunate electrical goings-on in your home if you’re away. Ideal for the installer crowd here is the fact that the installer can also be notified of problems that might be fixed by accessing the PowerPlay conditioner over the web – instead of making a long, gas guzzling service call. Plan on spending $2,000 or $1,000, and then maybe another $1,000 for the controllable UPS. Shockingly expensive, you say? Not if you consider the sonic and visual benefits plus the long-term reliability and security aspects. I used to dismiss power conditioning as voodoo, but now that I’ve seen how a bad electric mojo can mess with your stuff I’m a believer.
I hate on-wall speakers because most of them sound awful. But James Loudspeaker defeated my expectations with the 64CSTOW ($4000/each). Their vertical slit enclosures are made of high-grade aircraft aluminum. There's no center speaker. Instead, the dual two-way design includes two drivers at top, which create a phantom center by summing to mono. The bottom two drivers handle the front left and right channels. Designer Mike Park said he decided to do on-walls because of demand in Europe, where it's inadvisable to poke holes in the walls of historic buildings. The demo featuring Chris Isaak was one of the sonic high points of the show. High-end consumers will want to demo these on-walls. Oh, and that thing in the picture? It's an in-ground sub -- imagine the terror.
JBL's Control Now all weather speaker comes in the form of a quarter circle. Use one as is, or two on the wall as shown, or four as a full omni donut. Comes in sugared (white) or chocolate (black).
Active monitors are a rarity in the market today but JL Audio makes their break into the loudspeaker market with a great new active LCR, the Primacy. This new design is an active three-way system that has an integrated 3-channel 1,000 watt amplifier. The speaker utilizes DSP crossovers and is corrected for frequency, time and phase response.
JL Audio showcased their impressive line up of subwoofers including the awe-inspiring Gotham. This beast features a pair of 13” drivers and a build quality that would make the Batmobile envious.
The Revel Ultima Voice 2 on it's equally Ultima Voice 2 Pedestal. Behind and to the left are Salon 2 and Studio 2 (smaller) as well. Not new, but still something to lust after.
New at CEDIA are two projectors from JVC that build on the success of its D-ILA (LCoS) technology. As in previous generations, both projectors are available through JVC's consumer and professional distribution channels. The DLA-HD350 (consumer) and DLA-RS10 (pro) use three 0.7" 1920x1080 D-ILA imagers and offer improved all-glass lenses with motorized zoom, focus, and lens cover as well as an HQV Reon-VX video processor from Silicon Optix. The native contrast ratio is 17,000:1 (no dynamic iris), and the list price is slated to be under $6000.
CEDIA 2008
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