TWICE Staff On Feb 11 2013 - 1:00am

Audio Briefs

Meridian Ships In-Walls

NEW YORK – Meridian has begun shipping its latest in-wall active DSP speakers, the two-way DSP520 at a suggested $5,000 each and the four-way DSP640 at a suggested $7,500 each.

The two active full-range speakers, which feature integrated DSP module and amplification, can be mixed and matched with Meridian’s freestanding speakers to create a home theater audio system. With a Meridian Media Source 200 module mounted on back, the speakers stream music from the company’s multizone music server.

Compared with the single SKU previously offered, the new full-range speakers are long and slender instead of square, and they embed all electronics, including DSP and individual amplifiers per driver, in the speaker enclosure.

SVS Adds 1st Full-Range

GIRARD, OHIO — Subwoofer supplier SVS launched its first full-range speaker, a pair of tower speakers in the Ultra series.

SVS sells online, direct to consumers, and via select retailers. Pricing for the SVS Ultra Towers are $1,998/pair.

The 3.5-way towers feature a trapezoid-shaped cabinet whose non-parallel walls reduce standing waves inside the cabinet. A wedge-shaped front baffle and flush-mounted drivers reduce edge diffraction and improve on-axis high-frequency response.

The 3.5-way crossover design yields smoother in-room frequency response, enhanced radiation of total sound power, and a wider sweet spot in the vertical axis.

SVS offers a risk-free 45-day in-home trial, with free shipping both ways, whether purchased online or at retail.

Rocksteady XS Arrives

IRVINE, CALIF. — Killer Concepts unveiled a portable AC/DC Bluetooth speaker promoted as playing louder and longer than competing models and at half the price.

The $99-suggested Rocksteady XS, housed in an aluminum chassis, delivers 100dB of output and offers 10-plus hours of playback. Swappable lithium-ion batteries extend playback time.

The speaker also features a USB port to play back MP3 music files from connected massstorage devices. The USB port also charges phones, tablets and other devices. The speaker also comes with 3.5mm aux input, front-facing controls and Bluetooth AVRCP.