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San Antonio — The Progressive Retailers Organization was at the Westin La Cantera Hill Coun
Surround speakers? We don't need no stinkin' surround speakers.
Philips is launching its first home theater in a box (HTiB) system with two-speaker surround sound, and Sharp is unveiling a system that packs all speakers but the subwoofer into one set-top chassis.
They'll follow a handful of other two-speaker systems from Bose, Denon, JVC and Sherwood. They use a variety of technologies to deliver a virtual surround field.
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DENVER – Sonance has a few things to see and a few things it hopes you don’t see.
Installers will be able to see Sonance’s first on-ceiling speakers for MDU installs and the brand’s first Symphony Series in-wall LCR for horizontal or vertical mounting. Installers will hardly see any of the 25 speakers in the new Visual Performance Series, which features a low-profile, more opaque grille and a “micro-flange” that’s only 0.2-inches-wide.
LAS VEGAS -What could be the industry's first bookshelf speakers with built-in powered subwoofers will be unveiled by Definitive Technology to complement towers and center channels with built-in powered subs.
The three three-way Power Monitor series speakers are priced at a tentative $850, $1,200 and $1,600 per pair. They feature a side-firing subwoofer operating from 80Hz down. The smallest model features 8-inch subwoofer, 150-watt amp and a 14.5 x 5.75 x 12-inch cabinet.
A selectable bipole/dipole speaker launched by Atlantic Technology is the company's smallest to date, making it appropriate for use as a front height speaker, the company said.
Atlantic's shallow-profile 1400 SR-z, due in the second half of May at a suggested $425/pair, is suited for wall mounting above a surround-sound system's front left-right speakers, though it can also be used as a side-surround speaker, the company said.
In a component-speaker market whose sales are flat to down, flat speakers with flat response just might be the way to slow the decline — if the definition of flat speaker is broadened to include flush-mounted in-wall and in-ceiling speakers.
Canton has launched 22 new speakers, including a new series and two new home theater packages.
The new nine-SKU LE series consists of tower and bookshelf speakers, center channel, wall-hanging flat speaker and powered subs. The bookshelf models are priced at $350 and $500/pair. The two towers are $750 and $1,000/pair. The two-way wall-hanging speaker at $350/pair is 3.5-inches-deep.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Installers going to the CEDIA Expo will find expanded custom-speaker selections from select suppliers, a growing selection of in-wall subwoofers, new ways of making custom speakers more installation-friendly, and new designs that give installers more flexibility in where they mount speakers.
Here's what some speaker suppliers plan to exhibit:
Definitive Technology is among the speaker companies adjusting to the age of the flat-panel TV here at International CES, where it is launching its first two passive five-channel surround bars to complement two existing three-channel surround bars.
The company is also launching its second slim-design powered-tower speaker with built-in subwoofer to complement flat-panel displays.
Audio Products International will target high-volume retailers more aggressively with a new high-value, low-price speaker series targeted to high-volume chains, including NATM members, Best Buy and Circuit City.
The Audition series, part of the entry-level Athena brand, will demo well on a variety of high-volume sales floors because the speakers are efficient and don't need sophisticated electronics to be driven, the company said.
Startup company Regen is promoting solar-powered iPod-docking speaker systems and LED desk lamps as overcoming the practical drawbacks that prevent other solar-powered consumer electronics from gaining widespread appeal.
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