Cheap Home Theatre Kits From B&W While not in the same league as its premium 800 series, Bowers and Wilkins new CT700 Custom Theatre range is claimed to provide the same kind of sonic impact, timbre and dialogue integrity, and sonic transparency as its larger siblings.
Sharp Racks Up New Home Cinema System Sharp has released a new home cinema rack system that can support LCD TVs up to 52-inches, comes with HDMI out, and comes with a USB port for instant MP3 playback.
Big Bass Micro Sound System From Sharp Sharp has released the XL-UH25H Micro Component System audio system, designed for rooms where space is at a premium - especially bedrooms, kitchens and offices.
5.1 Soundbars Set To Be Hot Hi Fi sound bars that deliver 5.1 channel sounds from a single device are set to be hot as several vendors roll out new offerings. Ideal for football or watching sporting events some of the new sound bars have up to 40 speakers.
Harvey Norman Scores Major AV Brand Coup Denon one of the hottest selling AV brands in the US is set to be sold in Harvey Norman after local distributor Audio Products Australia was put under pressure to sell the brand to mass market retailers.
B&W Subwoofer Adds Finishing Touch A new subwoofer is claimed to add the finishing punch to home theatre systems. With the release of the 600 series ASW610XP subwoofer, the Bowers & Wilkins 683 theatre is now complete.
Music Lovers Move To New Platforms To Listen Music lovers don't trust critics over recommendations from their friends and two thirds of those with a broadband connection reported regular use of a PC to play music while at home. Also emerging as a new music playing platform is the Blu ray player.
The Audio Visual Revolution Begins According to the MD of new AV company Audio Visual Revolution, Raffi Keverian, although the sector is highly competitive, there is plenty of room for distributors who are experienced, focused and know what they are doing.
New Format To Replace MP3 Under Consideration A new digital audio format is being discussed with the Motion Picture Group set to meet in Germany next month to consider the new format.
Samsung Crystallises Home Theatre Kit The new range of home theatre kits from Samsung complement the Series 6 range of Plasma and LCD TVs as it uses the same red hued Crystal Design.
Audio Products & Duran Audio Sign Distributor Pact The complete range of AXYS sound reinforcement systems is now available in Australia and New Zealand following the signing of a distribution agreement between Audio Products Group and Duran Audio.
JBL Loudspeakers Integrate With Entertainment Systems JBL Cinema Sound loudspeaker includes the CS680 and CS460, both of which include four wall-mountable satellite speakers and a wall-mountable centre channel speaker. The CS680’s 200mm subwoofer and the CS460’s 165mm subwoofer both utilise 125/250W (RMS/Peak) and feature long-throw, down-firing, front-ported designs.
4-Stream Digital Media Server From Harman-Kardon The DMC 1000 is a four-stream digital media server with DVD-audio/video playback and a 250GB internal hard drive. It digitalises catalogues, stores up to 60,000 songs and transfers this music for use in portable players, portable multimedia and navigation devices, card-equipped cars and mobile phones.
Logitech Releases WiFi Speaker System The Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile speaker system is designed to transform low-fidelity mobile-phone audio into high fidelity, stereophonic sound wirelessly.
Hidden Speakers The Next Big Sound Following the recent and successful DesignEx Expo held in Sydney, a number of new and exciting residential technologies were launched giving both consumers and integrators a peak into where technology is taking the AV industry.
Pioneer Launches Full HD Sound System The Pioneer HTP-LX70 is an ideal surround sound partner for Blu-ray with playback of the latest HD movie studio formats via its integrated receiver subwoofer and four speakers.
Sharp Rolls Out New 2.1 Home Theatre System Sharp has released a 2.1 channel home theatre system which, the company claims, will provide ‘state of the art sound and picture reproduction to enhance the home cinema experience.’
JL Audio Kit Now In Aussie Homes JL Audio home products are now available outside of the US, with the appointment of Ozhifi as the exclusive Australian distributor.
Slick New Pioneer HD Surround Sound Kit For Blu-ray The new 5.1 compact speaker kit from Pioneer is designed specifically to partner the playback of high definition Blu-ray discs, but also allows you to dock your iPod and claims to offer realistic 3-dimensional sound.
JBL Releases 5.1 Speakers In-A-Box JBL is now offering its ES series loudspeakers in three 5.1 home theatre packs, starting at just over $3000.
Is 5.1-Channel Sound Stuffed In Two Speakers? Stereo or 2.1-channel audio has been around since the year dot in terms of hi-fi gear, however with Dolby Surround Sound technology paving the way for 5.1, 6.1 and even 7.1-channel sound systems, companies like Harman/Kardon and KEF have developed systems that, while essentially 2.1-channel units, offer sound equivalent to 5.1-channel systems.
Five Into Two Home Theatre Speakers Does Go It seems that several vendors are dropping 5 and 7 home theatre speakers for small spaces in favour of two speakers. DTS added its name to the list of companies offering technologies that deliver multichannel surround sound through two speakers or through stereo headphones.
Lifestyle Is Over, Says Bowers & Wilkins Home theatre company Bowers & Wilkins has made a brave prediction accompanying the release of its latest audio/video loudspeaker, claiming that ‘lifestyle is over.’
TEAC Budget Home Theatre Kit TEAC has launched a range of new budget-priced AV gear, including a home theatre kit with DVD player and 2.1 speaker system, and a new set-top box.
Pioneer Rolls Out New Blu-Ray And Home Theatre Kit Pioneer is promising users of full HD experience with its launch of new audio and video products that the company claims will deliver 1080p and 24Hz picture performance.
LG Sells Individual Home Theatre Components LG Electronics is now selling individual home theatre components in a move to give Australian consumers various home theatre packages without the associated expense, the company says.
New Sony HiFis With Bluetooth And iPod Connectivity Despite having its own Walkman competitor to the iPod, Sony has rolled out a line of new iPod audio docks as well as a range of new Bluetooth-enabled home theatre and HiFi sound systems.
Mayor Calls For Restrictions On Subwoofer Use Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has called for stricter controls on the use of subwoofers in apartment buildings following complaints that residents were facing health concerns as a result of their use.
Five Into Two Speakers A Hit At KEF KEF has revealed its new Uni-Q technology that delivers five channels of sound via two speakers. The new system which is already on sale in Australia is impressive according to those that have seen it.
KEF Goes Wireless One of the more exciting prospects for home theatre enthusiasts to come out of CES 2007 was KEF's wireless surround sound system.
How To Boost Your Bass Want to add subtle depths to music? Crave sofa-shaking movie action? You need better bass – here’s how to get it.
Zvox Surround Sound In A Box The new Zvox Ingenious Audio range of home cinema speakers are styled in Italy and use patented technology to deliver surround sound from one box.
Budget 5.1 Home Theatre Kit Avatec has launched a Danish-designed 5.1 home theatre kit, complete with built-in Dolby Pro-Logic II and DTS decoder for well under $400.
Infinity Slim-Line Home Theatre Kit The new Infinity Cascade home theatre kit dispels the belief that speakers have to be big to sound good, the company claims.
New Home Audio Products A smattering of new home audio products tucked exposed at the recent CEATEC show in Japan recently included mini systems equipped with hard disk drives (HDDs) and connections to portable MP3 players.
KEF Delivers Five From Two So you want five-channel sound, but don’t have room for five separate speakers? The KEF Five-2 Series is an elegant solution to the problem.
Energy Announces RC-Mini Speakers Energy has announced the release of the RC-Mini speaker series to support the Connoisseur Reference series.
Titanium Adds Dimension The Nucleus Micro Ti is an update to the original Nucleus Micro home theatre and surround sound system, with the addition of a titanium drive to add more dimension to high frequencies.
New Niles Wall Mount Plasma Speakers Niles Audio has introduced a new range of wall mount speakers designed specifically for use with plasma or LCD TV's.
Sony Budget Micro System The Sony CMTEH10 entry-level micro system will enhance small spaces with a decent sprinkling of features, for less than $150.
Good Vibrations In Home Cinema Crowson technologies has built the TES (tactile effects system) 100 that is bound to get your home cinema experience moving; literally.
JBL In-Wall Sub JBL has added a new HTi88 in-wall subwoofer to its in-wall range. The dual 200mm (8”) In-Wall combines superb sonic performance with outstanding installation flexibility, making it ideal for a wide variety of custom installation applications.
New iPod Styled Wireless Radio Slim Devices will next week ship the third generation of its wireless digital music system, Squeezebox.the new version focuses more on looks than functionality.
Smarthouse gives you the low-down on all that HD TV has to offer - the best TVs both LCD and Plasma, plus peripherals. We also cover great ski gear and awesome in-car entertainment, as well as all the usual features…
