Pass Laboratories, renowned for high-performance audio products, is all set to introduce the new INT-30A Integrated Amplifier at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show, in January. The amplifier boasts easy operation, low-noise super-symmetry circuit and quality performance.

The INT-30A is based on the XA30.5 Stereo Amplifier and is Pass Labs’ second integrated amplifier. The amplifier is a combination of sonic performance with space-saving benefits of an integrated amplifier. It is rated at 30 watts-per-channel into 8 ohms, and 60 watts into 4 ohms. Designed to bridge the gap between high-end audiophile components and simple audio products, it boasts an excellent dynamic range and fast response. It presents recorded materials with a sense of realism and accuracy. The amplifier promises delivering clean, expansive sound at an inexpensive price.

The INT-30A is already available from authorized dealers at a suggested price of $7,150.

We’ve talked about some really sweet home theater setups up and down the dial, from bargain basement theaters to the spectacularly extravagant.  But very few home theaters breach that seven figure mark, and today, we’ve got one that did.

Ivan Messer’s home theater setup contains fully one million dollars worth of audio products alone. In fact, most every single audio component installed in the array comes in multiples.  What he’s got in there is downright shocking, and he built this setup mostly to prove that he could.

What does he have in there, you’re probably asking by now?  It’s downright phenomenal–here’s the rundown:  a one hundred twenty inch Stewart Filmscreen, a Sony projector, two Sony Bravia televisions (one forty inch and one fifty two inch), and two–yes, TWO–Sony HD receivers.

But here’s where it gets wild:  he’s got fully twenty four McIntosh MC-1.2KW amplifiers.  Your jaw might drop there, but hold it in–this home theater setup has a GRAND TOTAL of fully, unless I misread the spec sheet, thirty eight amplifiers. I had to do some MATH in there because there’s maybe eight different kinds of McIntosh amp in there.  There are another eight McIntosh speaker systems on top of that, plus an additional nine regular McIntosh speakers.

It’s a sound system that might be classifiable as a weapon if you pick the right song, and for that reason, it’s definitely one sweet home theater setup.

We have seen thin HDTVs so why not pair them off with ultra-thin speakers? If that wasn’t possible before, now it is very possible. JVC unveils a couple ultra-thin speakers measuring 31mm, the SP-FT1 and SP-FT2. To complete your ultra-thin audio setup, pair them all of with an AX-FT amplifier which can boost audio up to 80W over 4 channels and supports DTS, Dolby Digital and AAC formats. The speakers will retail for about $223 while the amplifier costs around $267. They will come in two colors. The black version will come out in Japan this November while the willowy white will be available by December. It did not indicate when it would be available in other regions.

(Source) Engadget

Out at Skywalker Sound, there’s a home theater setup that may well set the standard for home theater: George Lucas’ own home theater, The Stag.

We’re not talking about that one today.

What we ARE talking about today is the home theater setup made in RESPONSE to The Stag, made by a home theater installation company, Charisma Productions.

This six figure replica contains a superabundance of awesome components to show those customers sitting on the fence the kind of power and majesty they can have sitting in their very own basement if they’re willing to drop a check equivalent, in some places, to the value of an entirely new house.  The Stag replica, for example, includes THX home components and speakers, along with a JVC digital projector, JBL subwoofers and Crown amplifiers.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but the Stag replica is the sincerest form of sweet home theater setup.

Crestron has had a whole slew of product announcements to come out of the CEDIA show, but two of the unquestionably biggest revolved around the tandem release of the PSPHD surround processor and its companion ProAmp amplifier.

The PSPHD is a 7.3 channel home theater surround processor that’s slated to retail for a spectacular nine thousand dollars.  It’s meant to be sold with the ProAmp for an additional cost of eight grand.

Now, what do you get for seventeen thousand bucks besides a wicked case of buyer’s remorse and quite possibly divorce proceedings after you explain it to your wife?  You get the first ever Crestron system that offers decoders for all Blu-ray surround codecs, AND HDCP-supported HDMI. Plus, you get a whole slew of Audyssey technologies like, MultEQ room correction, Dynamic Volume to volume-level when source switching or commercials interrupt TV programs, and Dynamic EQ. It also features built-in DVD-Audio/SACD decoding, six HDMI inputs, and dual front-panel VFDs.

Truly, if money is no object and you desperately want the choicest of home theater input systems, then this should be exactly what you’re looking for.  Regular humans, however, will have little trouble making do with much, MUCH, lower end hardware.

Crestron, world’s leading manufacturer of advanced control and automation systems, recently unveiled its latest HD-DA-2-QUAD that integrates four independent 1-to-2 HDMI distribution amplifiers. The amplifier is compatible with DVI and DisplayPort Multimode.

The Crestron HD-DA-2-QUAD is a single rack-space unit perfect for presentation and home theater systems. The amplifier accepts eight HDMI sources and is HDCP compliant to ensure fast, uninterrupted HD switching.

Vincent Bruno, Crestron Director of Marketing says, “The HD-DA-2-QUAD is a great product for anyone in an HDMI environment. Besides handling every available HDTV format supported by HDMI the HD-DA-2-QUAD is so versatile that it also supports computer resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 WUXGA and is compatible with DisplayPort and DVI signals using a simple adaptor”.

For the people who want to bring out the best audio quality right for uncompressed music files, a special amplifier should do the trick. The Neuhaus T-2 Amplifier is perfect for these audio files which need all the boost they need to deliver the same sound quality as MP3 music files.

The Neuhaus T-2 Amplifier costs $800 which is a bit pricey. But don’t tell that to the audiophiles who don’t seem to mind as long as they can enhance the listening experience on uncompressed music files. This amplifier is perfect for people who want to perk up low quality music files play their PC.

The amplifier takes the old files from your PC, converts it to analog and then amplifies it using vacuum tubes. Through this process, you get warmer and richer sound playback on low end song files which can be improved.

(Source) Dvice

Denon, the specialized manufacturer of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment, is all set to launch its new 7.1-channel AV surround amplifier, the AVC-3310 by the end of August. The amplifier comes equipped with advanced connectivity and a user-friendly interface that will surely enhance your level of entertainment pleasure.

The AVC-3310 is compatible with Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio as well as Dolby Pro Logic IIz. It supports HD playback via HDMI port. The amplifier features AL24 Processing Plus technology and video up-scaling capability for DVDs and comes along with a remote control.

Available in black or premium silver, the AVC-3310 amplifier will be released in Japan for around 126,000 Yen ($1,346).

Coby offers a 5.1 channel DVD home theater system with an integrated amplifier which recognizes most CD formats today. It also has a digital DVD decoder, allowing it to play media files directly from USB drives and memory cards.

For inputs, it has a dual microphone input for karaoke functions and AV outputs for home theater use. It comes with 5 full-range satellite speakers, subwoofer with tuned port for deep bass response and a 5.1-channel surround sound system with 600W total output.

Price: $98.04

(Source) Amazon

Harman Kardon, a familiar brand in the world of home theater speaker complement for ideal setups presents 200W amplifier powered channel speaker system in the Kardon HKTS-18 5.1 Channel Speaker System. It features an eye-catching high-gloss-black finish and a sleek design, the HKTS 18 would be a stunning centerpiece of any home theater system based on looks alone.

The HKTS 18 uses advanced speaker technology and featuring a powered subwoofer. It will deliver an exciting and realistic theater experience from anything you choose to watch. It’s also the perfect system for delivering an incredible sound experience from today’s latest high-definition sources, including Blu-ray.

To deliver exceptional sound quality, the HKTS 18’s satellites and subwoofer have gone through Harman’s world-class engineering and design process, resulting in the use of advanced technology that delivers high performance and tremendous value.

(Source) Amazon

Here is another cheap home theater package that home theater setup people can check out. The package is the Yamaha NS-SP1800BL 5.1 home theater speakers package, a close-to-similar and economical way to enjoy home theater especially if you want to be wise in your approach.

For some people, putting up a home theater system may not be as hardcore in buying a complete set. Others may have already existing LCD or wide screen TVs and the usual DVD or Blu-Ray player. Hence the only thing missing is the audio setup complement which Yamaha can fully provide with this setup.

The NS-SP1800BL features advanced Yamaha active servo technology (Advanced YST) is a unique system in which the speaker and amplifier work together to cancel out impedance so the speaker unit has a perfectly linear motion. Advanced YST helps to ensure the highest levels of sound pressure and overall performance.

Price: $117.81

(Source) Amazon

LP records have long been gone but some people are still looking for them. And as far as the Void LP player is concerned, don’t get your hopes up. It is still a work in progress in Korea. But you have to wonder if this thing would really work and where you can get the old vinyl records to play on them.

What is amazing about this LP player is that it is floating. It is not a design or an effect but is really included in the concept. It is said to be because of some magnetic and auto-calibrating control system. That alone speaks highly of how much this thing would cost although no price has been divulged yet.

The record player uses a carrier and dock outfitted with a magnetic and auto-calibrating control system which carries the LP into thin air as it is playing music. A self-running record player shaped in the form of a red sphere, contains a needle, amplifier and speaker, spins around the record, bringing the music to life.

(Source) DVice

Powersoft Advanced Technologies, world’s leading manufacturer of superior quality power amplifiers recently showed its new Powersoft K2 amplifier at InfoComm 2009. Designed by Powersoft’s R&D team, the K2 is an extension of Powersoft’s signature K-Light Series. It is a power amplifier, exclusively manufactured in Italy. It comes with the capacity to meet the most stringent requirements of professional users in sound reinforcement, concert touring and professional fixed installations.

The K2 professional amplifier is a one-rack unit case, weighs 8 kg and provides 1000W per channel with an 8-ohm speaker load, 1950W at 4-ohms and 2400W at 2-ohms in stereo configuration. Further, the K2 sports the innovative and patented Powersoft universal switching mode power supply and Power Factor Correction (PFC) technology for low power consumption. For easy control of all settings, the unit features an LCD display with lockable user menu.

To know more about the innovative features of the K2, visit www.powersoft-audio.com

Bel Canto Design, Ltd., a popular manufacturer of analog and digital source components, has introduced the new Bel Canto S300iUSB Integrated Amplifier. This new amplifier has been designed for fast proliferating computer-based music systems.

The new Bel Canto S300iUSB Integrated Amplifier is capable of taking input directly from the USB output of your computer using the stand-alone USB Link 24/96. This one is a powerful hard-size integrated amplifier that uses the advanced technologies that are found in the popular S300 stereo amplifier.

Bel Canto S300iUSB Integrated Amplifier comes with easy to use features and multipurpose digitally controlled analog volume control. It also features all-encompassing parallel protection circuits. It can be yours at a price of $2,495.

Recently Pioneer rolled-out its latest VSA-LX52 7.1ch AV Amplifier. The amp supports many popular formats including WMA, MP3, Dolby NR TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and the list goes on! The Pioneer VSA-LX52 delivers jitter free PQLS multi-surround 190W sound and Linear PMC multichannel audio via HDMI.

The Amplifier can be connected to your iPod for ultimate media playback through its new Digital DAC. When connected to a TV, the Pioneer’s Advanced MCACC allows you to control your iPod without touching it

The birth of wireless solutions today is something that is under development and with this new wireless audio surround solutions from Focus Enhancements, you know it will just be a matter of time before other brands would follow their lead.

The benefits of employing a wireless audio system to complement the growing number of home entertainment systems is an important need especially for people who want an organized setup that does not sacrifice quality. Unlike its predecessor companies who have tried their luck, the goal is not purely to deliver wireless solutions but also to avoid sacrificing audio quality to which such setups are known to deliver.

Featuring advanced technologies and filters, Summit enables home audio systems to deliver high resolution, distortion-free audio with ease, using the newly opened 5GHz UNII band spectrum.

SpeakerFinder and MyZone technologies automatically locate each speaker’s position and enable users to set the audio sweet spot in seconds as opposed to hours. High-quality, programmable digital filters enables designers to optimize speaker performance for specific crossover, amplifier, driver, and cabinet characteristics.

(Source) Press

Onkyo Japan unveiled its latest C-S5VL SACD player coupled with their own digital amplifier A-5VL.  The player can record and play CD-R/RW,WMA or MP3 Discs. The player integrates jitter and noise reduction functionality to deliver crystal clear output. The A-5VL digital amplifier reproduces sound at 90W × 2ch (4Ω). The company plans to release the new SACD player on 27th June for 63,000 Yen and the A-5VL amp will be available for 84,000 Yen.  

Denon Japan recently rolled-out its latest 7.1 AV Amplifier. The Denon AVC-4310 Series boosts the audio with 190W X 7ch at 6Ω. It integrates 2 32Bit DSP and D.D.S.C-HD circuit (Dynamic discrete surround circuit-HD) to enhance the audio output. Other features include jitter reduction in HDMI voice transmission and DLNA compatibility. The Denon AVC-4310 Series AV amp will be released in June for a price of 252,000 Yen (2650 USD Approx.).

ATC P1

The ATC P1 Stereo Amplifier is capable of an output of 150 Watts of power into 8 Ohms or 200 Watts into 4 Ohms per channel, the he P1 dual mono power amplifier sports a Class A / B design which provides stability and impedence load control as well as a -95dB (≤0.002%) or better distortion figure. It can be tri-amp or bi-amp configured through the enclosed linking capabilities and the balanced phono and XLR inputs.

Each one of the P1s is hand-built in England, and is housed in a new chassis that features a brushed aluminum front plate measuring half an inch. Included is a six year warranty and retails for around $3,700 USD.

For better audio solutions in the classroom setting, Lightspeed has launched the new Infrared Media Connector. This small wireless transmitter is designed to allow teachers to easily integrate multimedia sound into their teaching day and is an ideal companion to Lightspeed’s popular no-installation REDCAT classroom audio system.

The Media Connector is another innovative product by Lightspeed designed to make the integration of classroom multimedia audio as easy as possible. Without the Media Connector, cables must run from various audio sources to an amplifier, often located in a remote cabinet or shelf. The expense of wire runs and conduit installations can sometimes be enough to halt the entire multimedia integration process.

With the new Infrared Media Connector, teachers are able to simply plug in their computer, iPod or any other audio device, and the signal transmits wirelessly to Lightspeed’s classroom audio system. The system then amplifies and evenly distributes the sound throughout the classroom.

The iR Media Connector is designed to work with all Lightspeed infrared classroom audio systems and is priced at $200.00. The Media Connector may be ordered now with delivery in early June.

(Source) Press