CEDIA Expo 2009 Atlanta – Zvox will go to the CEDIA Expo with four new single-chassis
TV-audio systems, all designed to connect to a TV’s audio outputs to amplify TV
output, widen the stereo stage, deliver deeper bass and provide virtual
surround effects.
The company will show the products at the Hyatt Regency.
All are designed to offer high-quality sound at affordable price
points while simplifying setup and operation, said Zvox founder Tom Hannaher.
All connect to a TV via its analog stereo outputs or headphone jack. All
feature signal-sensing auto on/off circuit to automatically turn the unit on
when a TV is turned on. All are biamplified, and all feature PhaseCue virtual-surround
circuitry to widen the sound stage and, from surround-encoded soundtracks,
deliver a virtual surround-sound effect. They also feature wood MDF cabinets.
Two of the new products are wall-mountable sound bars, expanding
the company’s sound bar selection to three from two. The other two new products,
part of the Z-Base family, double as platforms for stand-mounted flat-panel
TVs, expanding the Z-Base selection to three SKUs from one.
In the Z-Base family, the company will show one model larger than
its current Z-Base 500 and one model that is smaller. The smaller model, the $399-suggested
525, fits on a 12-inch-deep shelf. Its 3.5-inch by 24-inch by 12.5-inch chassis
incorporates 60 watts of amplification, five 2-inch full-range speakers and a
5.25-inch subwoofer. It shipped Sept. 1.
The other new Z-Base product, the $799-suggested IncrediBase 575,
is larger, delivers deeper bass down to 35Hz and delivers more power output. It
packs 133 watts of amplification, five 2-inch full-range speakers, and two
6.5-inch subs into a 5- by 36- by 16.5-inch cabinet. It ships Oct. 1.
In wall- and shelf-mountable sound bars, the company will show
the $449-suggested Zvox 430, which replaces the Zvox 415 and is already
shipping, and the $549 Zvox 440, shipping Oct. 1. Both feature 60 watts of
amplification, three 3.25-inch full-range speakers and a long-excursion 4-inch
subwoofer. The only differences between the two are chassis width and bass response.
The 430’s cabinet is 5.5 by 5 by 30.5 inches, delivering bass response down to
48Hz and making it ideal for use with 32- to 42-inch TVs. The 440’s cabinet is
5.5 by 5 by 39 inches, delivering bass to 43Hz and making it ideal for 40- to
52-inch TVs.
Zvox also offers three other TV-audio solutions that it
classifies as neither sound bars nor TV bases, bringing the company’s total
selection to nine SKUs.
For the Zvox 430 and
carryover Z-Base 550, Zvox has begun offering an optional digital input package
at $100. The package adds coaxial digital and optical digital input, plus Dolby
Digital decoding, to the systems’ standard analog inputs.
