Audio Research showed their new DSPre pure-class-A, fully balanced preamplifier-DAC. The DAC section is said to be that of the DAC8, which sells for $5000, and the . . .
. . . rear panel shows a variety of inputs and outputs, including five digital inputs of various types that all support up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution. The DSPre's retail price is $7500. [www.audioresearch.com]
NAD showed an astonishing number of new products at this year's CEDIA. On top is the new M50 Digital Music Player ($2500), which will play music from a Compact Disc or network, and has wireless as well as Ethernet connectivity. The M50 will also rip CDs and store the data to the M52 Digital Music Vault (middle, $2000), which has a 3-terabyte RAID 5 disc array housed in a sturdy enclosure that suppresses vibrations. The M52 uses Seagate Pipeline hard drives and has no fans for quieter operation. The M50 and M52 will be available in November. [www.nadelectronics.com]
NAD also showed the M51 Direct Digital DAC, which has a bevy of features including: upsampling to 844kHz; a digital volume control that "does not truncate bits"; AES/EBU, S/PDIF, TosLink, USB (asynchronous 24/192), and HDMI inputs; and one 3D-capable HDMI output (to be able to pass the incoming HDMI signal along to a video component). NAD claims the M51's signal-to-noise ratio exceeds 130dB and that the jitter is unmeasurable. The M51 is $2000 and, like the M50 and M52, will be available in November. [www.nadelectronics.com]
NAD's T 567 3D-capable Blu-ray player ($600) is shown sitting atop the T 777 A/V receiver ($3000), which outputs 7 x 80W (NAD's Full Disclosure Power rating) or 7 x 140W (FTC rating). The T 777 is 3D-capable and HDMI 1.4 compliant and is designed using NAD's Modular Design Construction (MDC) technology, which allows for future upgrades. [www.nadelectronics.com]
Among the many new NAD products slated for November release was the Viso 1 Direct Digital Music System, which is priced at $700. The Viso 1 is designed for digital iPod playback, meaning it extracts the digital music signal from the iPod, bypassing the analog circuitry, and converts the digital stream internally using NAD's Direct Digital amplifier technology. The Viso 1 is also Bluetooth capable and can accept up to 24-bit/192kHz digital music signals with its optical input. The acoustic design comes from Paul Barton, PSB's founder and chief designer. [www.nadelectronics.com]
Definitive Technology of the United States showed three of the sharpest-looking bookshelf speaker models we've seen in a while. From left to right are the SM45, SM55, and SM65, which are all part of the StudioMonitor series and sell for $398, $598, and $998, respectively (all prices per pair). All speakers use Definitive Technology's second-generation BDSS midrange-bass drivers. The . . .
. . . SM55 and SM65 models have top-mounted, grille-covered passive radiators to help extend the bass. Definitive Technology plans to have these speakers to market by the end of this year.
The Devialiet D-Premier ($15,995) is considered by many to be one of the best amplifiers in the world. At Munich's High End event in May, Devialet showed a working prototype of the wireless digital link for the D-Premier that works asynchronously -- a master clock in the D-Premier controls the flow of music data from the computer. The . . .
. . . small board (two shown in front) containing the wireless-transmission circuitry installs into the D-Premier's main board (back right). New D-Premiers will ship with the new wireless board already installed, and Devialet will upgrade existing owners' D-Premiers free of charge. According to Devialet, the board is so easy to install that most consumers can do it, or, of course, the dealer can provide the service.
Focal of France showed a prototype of the Sub Utopia EM subwoofer (since it's a prototype, there was no price mentioned). The Sub Utopia EM uses a 13" electromagnet woofer, which is similar to that found in the top-of-the-line Grand Utopia EM loudspeaker.
Denmark's Steinway Lyngdorf sells unique, technically advanced "complete-room" systems that include components for digital amplification, crossover manipulation, room correction, and volume control, so no individual product pricing is available since the components must be purchased as an entire package. But their lineup is constantly growing, and at CEDIA Expo Steinway Lyngdorf introduced a few new in-wall speaker models, including the S-16IW (left) and S-15IW, as well as . . .
. . . the IW26V (V stands for vertical) and . . .
. . . the three-way IW26H (H for horizontal). All speakers are sealed-box designs that use AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeters. The company claims the speakers can play astonishingly loud in a room -- to about 115dB, measured at 1 meter! A unique feature is the way the speakers are mounted to . . .
. . . a bracket in the wall, effectively decoupling them from the room surface to minimize vibrations.
