Atlanta – Harman’s High
Performance A/V (HPAV) group is coming to the CEDIA Expo with an expanded
selection of Revel-brand custom-install speakers, Lexicon’s first multiroom
amplifier, a new JBL Synthesis in-room speaker, and a stepped-up marketing
campaign.
Revel
plans to launch 21 new in-wall and in-ceiling speakers priced from $200 to
$1,749 each, expanding its
selection with square and round bezel-less designs and a patented
one-handed install process requiring no tools.
The
Revel line incorporates technology from the brand’s in-room speakers, including
waveguides. It ships in December.
For
its part, Lexicon is launching a 8×125-watt multiroom amplifier to join its
selection of home theater amps, a home theater preamp/processor, and Blu-ray
player. The $2,500 DD-8 amp uses the brand’s new DriveCore technology developed
in conjunction with Texas Instruments to deliver high power while using less
energy in less rack space, the company said. The DriveCore chip is more than 90
percent efficient with a signal-to-noise ratio of 110dB.
The
new Lexicon amp, shipping in January, will be single-rack-space in size,
convection- cooled, and compliant with new
half-watt standby-power-consumption standards. It’s promoted as consuming less
power while in use than most amps consume in standby mode. The DD-8 also
features automatic switching to standby mode when not in use.
Other DD-8 features include four
local inputs, bus input/output, selectable mono/stereo output, independent
level adjustment for each channel, and selectable triggers
Under the JBL Synthesis brand,
HPAV will show a new version of the flagship LCR-SK2 tower speaker used in the
top three Synthesis electronics/speaker home-theater systems. It’s available at
$11,000 each.
To help support the product
launches, HPAV plans what it calls an aggressive marketing campaign that will
include trade advertising as well as ads in luxury magazines.
“Advertisements in CEDIA-channel
trade publications are designed to educate dealers about Harman products and
how they can be easily integrated into systems,” the company said, “while
advertisements in luxury publications show the benefits and superior performance
of Harman’s home audio products to end users.”
HPAV will continue to drive its
1,000-square-foot truck with mobile showroom around the country to showcase its
brands to dealers, distributors, builders, architects, interior designers, luxury
consumers, and audiophiles. The truck logged more than 22,000 miles since it
first hit the road at last year’s CEDIA Expo, HPAV said.
