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Eclipse rolls out ultra-pricey TD712zMK2 space speakers
Eclipse is up to speed with this whole high-end gig, so it's no shock to see the company outing a new pair of speakers meant for millionaires and Martians over in Japan. The TD712zMK2 loudspeaker sports a 12 centimeter driver, playback frequency of 35Hz to 26kHz and a stand that just might be more sturdy than the beams holding your apartment up. Of course, with a starting price of ¥325,500 ($3,539) per speaker, that's totally to be expected.[Via Impress]
Vertu's overpriced Signature S Design gets hands-on treatment
We won't lie -- we've always been harsh on Vertu handsets. As a rule, they're technologically inferior to handsets that are a twelfth the price, and honestly, they're usually pretty unsightly. But you know, Boy Genius Report's hands-on experience with the stainless steel Signature S Design really has us back on the fence. Sure, it's the price of a decent subcompact, but man, it's as sleek as sleek could ever hope to be. Have a look in the read link for a hands-on gallery that's sure to make you envious -- whether you're willing to admit it or not.
Arcam gets really official with beastly FMJ AVR600 AV receiver
We already knew of the FMJ AVR600 courtesy of a telling Dolby Volume release, but now Arcam has come forward with the full details on this monolithic creature. Wrapped in a sleek, subtle but altogether intimidating enclosure, the AVR600 houses a "huge toroidal power transformer and high efficiency class G amplifiers" that deliver 120-watts per channel. There's also internal decoding of DTS-HD Master, DTS High Resolution, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus formats, and the 5 HDMI inputs / 2 outputs should keep you busy buying new components. For two-channel freaks (you're undercover, but we know who you are), the beast can be transformed into a stereo powerhouse with a single button press. Unfortunately, pricing is still listed as "TBD," but if you really have to wonder, chances are your budget can't handle the truth. One more look (in black) after the break.
Denon's luxurious AH-D7000 headphones are nearly too pretty to use
You think we're kidding, but after spending around £800 ($1,164) on Denon's absolutely stunning AH-D7000 over-ear headphones, are you really about to squeeze your sweaty noggin in there without feeling the slightest bit guilty? The cans, which vaguely remind us of Audio Technica's ATH-ESW9, tout wooden ear cups made from natural mahogany, microfiber diaphragms, Acoustic Optimizer technology, a cloth-wrapped cable, gold-plated connector, magnesium frame / duralumin slider and leather ear pads. You'll also get a fanciful box to house 'em in when you're not enjoying the sweet sounds of twin 2-inch drivers, but sadly, a set of handcuffs aren't included for wearing them while waltzing through the occasionally dodgy streets of London. Two more looks are after the break.[Via TechDigest]
Peachtree Audio showcasing first speakers at CES 2009
Peachtree Audio had a small presence at CEDIA last year, but it's looking to really catch some ears at CES 2009. The company will be showcasing its very first speakers -- the DS4.5 -- in Vegas here in just a few days, which aim to please audiophile-grade computer users or those in need of pristine sounding "mini monitors." Each of the speakers contain a 4-inch woofer and a silk-dome tweeter, and they were designed to match cosmetically with the company's line of integrated amplifiers with built-in USB ports. Speaking of amps, the two speakers are set to be sold in a bundle with the Decco for around $1,199. These puppies better sound like solid gold for that -- just sayin'.
Rotel's flagship 15 Series of home theater components ships this month
You know those 15 Series components you forced yourself to overlook at CEDIA? Yeah, those ones begging for your kids' college savings? The whole Rotel crew is just about ready to ship, and just in time for Santa, no less. Receivers, speakers, pre-amplifiers and power amplifiers -- everything should be shipping in December, with the prices ranging from £350 for a simple RB-1510 two-channel installation amp to £1895 for the RSX-1560 AVR. Check the read link for all the juicy details (if your wallet can stand it).
Pioneer CEO expects its flat-panel sales to prevail through economic downturn
While some boutique outfits are finding it hard to stay afloat during these cash-strapped times, many are faring just fine. At first glance, it's easy to say that Pioneer is certainly not one of those outfits with nothing to fret over, but according to Masao Kawabata, chairman and CEO of Pioneer North America, things aren't nearly as bad as they seem. In a recent interview, he explained that while he was saddened about the recent events surrounding Tweeter and Circuit City, he still felt that "strong relationships with independent channels" would spur sales. In fact, he noted that "premium products [read: Pioneer products] are not subject to too much of the ups and downs of the economy, and for those who can [afford] the very best they will go and shop for the very best." Make no mistake -- KURO flat-panels and Elite Blu-ray players aren't the cheapest on the block, but we're still hesitant to say they're recession proof.
Motorola's nearly unattainable AURA gets gobs of hands-on photos
When we hear "hands-on," we generally expect a smattering of images detailing the highlights -- you know, about as many as a fidgety PR person will allow, or about as many as one can take before they succumb to self-indulgence. In this "first look" of Motorola's ridiculously luxurious $2,000 AURA, however, the author not only took the time to detail his first impressions, but to also upload dozens of snapshots to show you exactly what this here handset looks like in just about every possible light. And that's a good thing too, because the chances of any of us simpletons actually seeing one in the flesh is slim to none.[Thanks, Drei Drei]
Motorola intros avant-garde $2,000 AURA, markets it like a Rolex
We can't remember the last time we purchased a phone because it possessed 700+ individual components, a stainless steel housing or a front plate that takes a fortnight to create, but Motorola's hoping you start to care about that kind of minutiae right about now. The admittedly gorgeous AURA (previously coined V70) is the world's first handset with a 16-million color circular display, and aside from making / receiving calls with the utmost clarity, it also boasts a Swiss-made main bearing, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens, a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, microUSB port, quad-band GSM connectivity, a microSD card slot, multimedia player and up to 7.3-hours of talk time (400-hours in standby). The 4.97-ounce handset is available exclusively from the MOTO STORE for $1,999.99, with pre-orders shipping out beginning December 4th. Who's in?[Thanks, Paulo and Jake]Read - Dedicated AURA websiteRead - Motorola AURA press release%Gallery-34990%
Chilton: We want "to outdo ourselves in every respect"
Gametrailers hit up Tom Chilton for an interview at Leipzig and here's the video. His main point is that Wrath is bigger and better than before -- more, better, cooler content. Intercut with lots of cool video from the beta (though some of it was seen as far back as BlizzCon last year), he lays down what's up with the next expansion.He says that Wrath is meant for high-end players, but that there's lots for lowbies as well: recruit-a-friend was actually designed as part of the Wrath feature set, and Blizzard thought it was better to release it earlier. Inscription is also seen as a "whole-game" feature, since you can pick it up right at level one, and Achievements will work for everyone as well.He also talks about how the new gameplay features Blizzard is building in let them do all kinds of things with quests and instances -- he specifically mentions one encounter in the Oculus where you'll get to choose a ride with different abilities, so it'll be a different experience than your normal class play. There's some great footage of air combat in there as well, and even a little tidbit about the official threatmeter. Nice interview, and it sounds like Blizzard is rolling right along with their progress in the beta.[via WorldofWar]
Rotel debuting 15 Series of receivers, amplifiers and more
Rotel really only comes out to speak to the press once a year, and it always seems to happen right around the September time frame as CEDIA draws near. This year, the high-end brand will be introducing a smattering of new products in the newly created 15 Series. For starters, we've got the flagship RSX-1560 7.1-channel AV receiver, which offers up 100-watts of Class D power per channel, four HDMI 1.3 inputs, 1080p / 24Hz Faroudja video processing and assignable 12V triggers to boot. It'll also be trotting out the RSX-1550 AVR, the RSP-1570 surround processor / preamplifier, the potent RMB-1575 amp and a number of other home components detailed in the read link. The whole crew should be available by Q4, and if you're scouting the stratospheric price tags, they're down there in the PDF as well.
Marantz showing off high-end SACD players, amplifiers and more
Though we're not exactly sure if Marantz will be a wholly owned subsidiary of D&M Holdings for much longer, the boutique brand is still planning to strut its stuff at the upcoming Audio Karma Fest in Michigan. Reportedly, the outfit will be showcasing a number of luxurious components from its Reference Series, include the $3,199 SC-11S1 preamplifier, $4,199 SM-11S1 power amplifier, $3,699 SA-11S2 SACD player and the all new $2,599.99 AV8003 Networking AV Preamp / Processor. For those lacking the requisite scratch, the slightly less magnificent SA8001 SACD player ($899.99) and PM7001 integrated amp ($599.99) will also be around. Word has it that all of the items will be demonstrated on Snell loudspeakers, which all in all should deliver a fairly blissful experience.
Denon's DVD-3800BD Blu-ray player delayed until March
Bad news for folks holed up in Japan and anxiously awaiting the release of Denon's forthcoming high-end Blu-ray player -- let's just say your patience will be tested even further. Reportedly, the relatively gorgeous DVD-3800BD will be missing its ship date by about two full months, as now it's not slated to land until sometime in "early March." Interestingly, no reason is given for the holdup, but rest assured, Denon won't be hacking back the price as a symbol of sympathy.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Runco intros ultra-pricey 1080p VX-22i DLP projector
Runco and expensive tend to go hand in hand, so we'd expect nothing less than a five-figure price tag accompanying the firm's new Video Xtreme VX-22i. This 1080p monster features a three-chip DLP design, O-Path technology, CinOptx premium grade lenses, Vivix II video processing, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, 2,850 ANSI lumens and comes calibrated to ISF standards. As expected, users with a completely stuffed bank account can opt for the CineWide with Autoscope edition ($54,995), but even those who go without the aforementioned option will be forking out $39,995 for the vanilla model. If you've managed to get over the shock, you can place your order now (or pick up a totally more useful BMW / college education / etc.) and expect it to arrive lickety split.
Marantz's new high-end Blu-ray player
Supposedly Marantz's new Blu-ray player was at CEDIA, but if it was, we missed it. We won't let that happen again next week and we guarantee we'll get our hands-on the new BD8002 at CES next Wednesday. This players seems it may be one of best players ever considering it includes everything we can think of -- as it should with a MSRP of $2,099.99. At the top of the list is the players ability to decode just about every new audio codec out there including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and output it via 7.1 analog outs or uncompressed via HDMI. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of the 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta video processor, which should help make it the best Profile 1.1 player yet when it's released the second quarter of 2008.
Vanguard's much-anticipated Game Update 3 is live
The new phase of Vanguard's one-step-at-a-time Game Update 3 has gone live just in time for the holidays. The update adds a major new raiding dungeon called the Ancient Port Warehouse, two outdoor raids, and full raid functionality so players can take advantage of all this new content.Additionally, the Vanguard team has overhauled the city of Khal to paradoxically look and perform better on all PCs. There are a few other more general performance optimizations in the update as well. Finally, six new housing areas have been added, and all the holiday content (flying reindeer!) is now in the game.It's an enormous and highly anticipated update, and hopefully it's a significant step towards recovery from the game's very disappointing launch.[Thanks, Ricky!]
Denon intros two new high end Blu-ray players
Denon cares about you, movie-buff, and you need only look at the company's two latest Blu-ray player offerings to realize that. Enter the DVD-3800BD and DVD-2500BT, the former supports 1080p, 12-bit DAC at 297MHz, the exciting acronyms of D.D.S.C-HD (or Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit-HD), and D.P.I.C. (Denon Pixel Image Correction), plus HDMI, RCA / BNC, and RS-232C connectivity. The latter is a slightly more stripped-down version which axes some of the capital-letter feature flourishes. Both players will be available in Japan in January of 2008, priced at ¥336,000 for the DVD-3800BD, and ¥231,000 for the DVD-2500BT.[Via Akihabara News]
Nikon getting set to unveil next-gen professional DSLR?
We'll admit, we certainly like where all this is going, but until we hear anything official, you'll still have to restrain yourself and take this tidbit with a spoon of NaCl. Just days after getting wind of D3 rumors galore, a "photo editor at a major newspaper" has tipped us on a phone call he received from Nikon in which his presence was requested at a meeting where a "new professional camera that is leaps and bounds better than anything Canon is offering" would be showcased. As expected, that's about all the details he could pry from the caller, but since the meeting is purportedly scheduled for June 26th, at least we've got some sort of timeframe to get our hopes up about.
Bowers & Wilkins intro Signature Diamond loudspeakers
Granted, there's no shortage of high-end loudspeakers to spend that mid-year bonus on, but Bowers & Wilkins is hoping you'll look its way if you've got (lots of) cash to spare and an ego to match. Sporting a Kevlar midrange / bass driver, Flowport porting system, marble enclosure, and a tube loaded diamond tweeter, these two-way towers handle between 50 and 120 watts, come in white or wakame color schemes, emit frequencies from 40Hz to 28kHz, and weight in at a hefty 55 pounds apiece. Of course, discerning listeners should expect to pay a premium for such top notch speakers, but since these will reportedly ring up at around $18,000 / pair, they'll probably remain reserved for those with more money than ways to spend it.[Via AudioJunkies]
Planar dives head first into high-end home theater market by acquiring Runco
Joining the growing array of recent acquisitions is Planar and Runco International, as just today Planar has written a check for $36.7 million to take on the assets of privately-held Runco International, Inc. Planar, while not a household name in the home theater biz, managed to hold its own amongst competitors in the HT market, and while the majority of its products catered to the mid-range consumer, we suspect that picking up Runco was the easiest way to launch into the high-end realm. As expected, it looks like the Planar, Runco, and Vidikron brand names will remain as they are, and just as Planar will continue to sell through its current network of distributors, it sure sounds like Runco will remain a niche offering rather than bleeding over towards the mainstream.
