Ajani
09-17-2008, 05:24 AM
There were some very interesting announcements at CEDIA for audiophiles with more 'realistic' budgets from numerous brands (including KEF, Musical Fidelity, NAD, Anthem, Marantz, Cambridge Audio and Rotel)...
For a summary of all the major announcements check this link:
http://forums.avguide.com/viewforum.php?f=143
The products the most intrigued me (and that I haven't already posted threads about) were:
ANTHEM: Demonstrating that two-channel audio is also still important, Anthem also announced its first-ever stereo integrated amp, simply called the Integrated 225. The Integrated 225 is a high-performance, 225-watt/channel stereo integrated amp, complete with a built-in moving coil/moving magnet phono preamplifier. The Integrated 225 will be priced (value-priced, actually, for what it is) at about $1499.
KEF: But back in the realm of products that fit the budgets of normal mortals, KEF showed an entirely revamped line of iQ-series speakers, which incorporate tweeters featuring a so-called “tangerine” waveguide and which have been revised for higher sensitivity, more robust dynamics, and better extension at both the treble and bass ends of the audio spectrum. The top iQ model is the iQ90 floorstander, priced at $1500/pair. Also shown by KEF were the new value-priced C-series speakers, said to make the firm’s traditionally warm, natural sound available at an unprecedented low price. For example, the top C-series model is the C7 floorstander, priced a modest $800/pair.
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MUSICAL FIDELITY: The British firm Musical Fidelity is probably best known for its high-end stereo components, but at CEDIA the firm debuted a new range of V-series audio products so affordably packaged that they’re solid in clear plastic blister packs (yes, really). Each V-series model aims to address a particular audio need and to provide extraordinary performance/dollar. In order to meet this goal, though, the V-models house exceptional circuits in what are, by design, very modest-looking chassis. As a company spokesman put it, “this is a product where 90 percent of what you pay for is on the inside—not on the outside.”
V-series products will start appearing in September, with new models appearing each month until the entire family is released. Eventually, offerings will include the V-CAN headphone amplifier ($249), the V-DAC high performance DAC ($379), the V-LPS phono stage ($199), the V-10D class A solid-state analog buffer (price TBD), the V-S2B single-ended-to-balanced signal transconverter (price TBD), and the V-PSU power supply unit (price TBD).
Also this one (though not a 'budget' product at $4K, it offers so much and is definitely fascinating to read about):
YBA DESIGN: One of the most fascinating products rolled out at CEDIA was YBA Design’s Encore YS-201($3995)—a component that in ever so many ways defies easy categorization. Depending on how you look at it, the YS-201 is A) a WiFi-enabled audio/video media server with either 500GB or 1TB of onboard storage, B) a two-zone AM/FM/RDS stereo receiver, C) a high-end CD player, D) a high-end upscaling DVD player, E) a high-performance 24-bit/192kHz DAC, and F) the hub of an archiving system that is expandable via off-the-shelf, add-on USB storage drives.
But wait; there’s more. The real draw, apart from all the good stuff mentioned above, is that the Encore YS-201 incorporates one of the prettiest, slickest, and most intuitive Web-enabled user interfaces you could ever hope to see. This means—you guessed it—that you can control the YS-201 from WiFi-enabled devices (PDAs, iPhones, etc.) that are able to run a Web browser.
For a summary of all the major announcements check this link:
http://forums.avguide.com/viewforum.php?f=143
The products the most intrigued me (and that I haven't already posted threads about) were:
ANTHEM: Demonstrating that two-channel audio is also still important, Anthem also announced its first-ever stereo integrated amp, simply called the Integrated 225. The Integrated 225 is a high-performance, 225-watt/channel stereo integrated amp, complete with a built-in moving coil/moving magnet phono preamplifier. The Integrated 225 will be priced (value-priced, actually, for what it is) at about $1499.
KEF: But back in the realm of products that fit the budgets of normal mortals, KEF showed an entirely revamped line of iQ-series speakers, which incorporate tweeters featuring a so-called “tangerine” waveguide and which have been revised for higher sensitivity, more robust dynamics, and better extension at both the treble and bass ends of the audio spectrum. The top iQ model is the iQ90 floorstander, priced at $1500/pair. Also shown by KEF were the new value-priced C-series speakers, said to make the firm’s traditionally warm, natural sound available at an unprecedented low price. For example, the top C-series model is the C7 floorstander, priced a modest $800/pair.
&
MUSICAL FIDELITY: The British firm Musical Fidelity is probably best known for its high-end stereo components, but at CEDIA the firm debuted a new range of V-series audio products so affordably packaged that they’re solid in clear plastic blister packs (yes, really). Each V-series model aims to address a particular audio need and to provide extraordinary performance/dollar. In order to meet this goal, though, the V-models house exceptional circuits in what are, by design, very modest-looking chassis. As a company spokesman put it, “this is a product where 90 percent of what you pay for is on the inside—not on the outside.”
V-series products will start appearing in September, with new models appearing each month until the entire family is released. Eventually, offerings will include the V-CAN headphone amplifier ($249), the V-DAC high performance DAC ($379), the V-LPS phono stage ($199), the V-10D class A solid-state analog buffer (price TBD), the V-S2B single-ended-to-balanced signal transconverter (price TBD), and the V-PSU power supply unit (price TBD).
Also this one (though not a 'budget' product at $4K, it offers so much and is definitely fascinating to read about):
YBA DESIGN: One of the most fascinating products rolled out at CEDIA was YBA Design’s Encore YS-201($3995)—a component that in ever so many ways defies easy categorization. Depending on how you look at it, the YS-201 is A) a WiFi-enabled audio/video media server with either 500GB or 1TB of onboard storage, B) a two-zone AM/FM/RDS stereo receiver, C) a high-end CD player, D) a high-end upscaling DVD player, E) a high-performance 24-bit/192kHz DAC, and F) the hub of an archiving system that is expandable via off-the-shelf, add-on USB storage drives.
But wait; there’s more. The real draw, apart from all the good stuff mentioned above, is that the Encore YS-201 incorporates one of the prettiest, slickest, and most intuitive Web-enabled user interfaces you could ever hope to see. This means—you guessed it—that you can control the YS-201 from WiFi-enabled devices (PDAs, iPhones, etc.) that are able to run a Web browser.