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Naim's NaimNet to bring audiophile-quality sound to your whole home
There aren't too many audiophile firms that really take a whole-systems approach, but Naim has been at it for years. The firm is adding new models to its whole-home audio systems, but sadly for us, the pricing is pretty much the same -- too expensive. New to the NaimNet music server lineup are the NS01 ($6,800), NS02 ($7,900) and the NS03 ($9,575). For your dollars, you get one-touch CD ripping, an easy-to-use UI, database information from AMG, support for six simultaneous streams and storage of your precious bits on mirrored 400GB drives. Oh yeah, and the system will offer up non-DRM'ed music files on your plebian networked or USB-attached devices, too. Having spent some time with Naim equipment, we're not complaining about the functionality or build quality, but these prices make us consider Sonos, Slim Devices, Apple, or even sprinkling dedicated PCs throughout the house.
Soundmatters reveals foxLmb portable Bluetooth speaker
Soundmatters already has the living room taken care of, so it makes sense to see it aiming for those times when you need sound everywhere else. All set to debut at CEDIA, said company has unveiled its foxL portable speaker, which measures in at 5.6- x 2.2- x 1.4-inches and promises "audiophile" grade sound quality. The foxL is also available with integrated Bluetooth (foxLmb), and both flavors include a pair of 1-inch "Twoofers" (yes, we're serious) and a Li-ion battery good for around five hours on a full charge. Expect these to surface in early September for $199 and $249, respectively.
John Mellencamp to release high-resolution audio DVD
Just days after we pondered the eventual fate of Blu-ray audio discs, we're faced with John Mellencamp's attempt to deliver high-resolution audio on a format that nearly everyone in America can handle. Reportedly, the artist's "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" will arrive in a CD / DVD combo package, the latter of which will hold tracks with "twice the sonic detail heard on most CDs." The secret lies within CODE, a process developed by the album's producer, T-Bone Burnett. According to Mike Wanchic, who has played guitar in Mellencamp's band for more than three decades, the end result "is comparable to sitting in on the original, in-studio performance," and he hopes that the release will "bring listeners into the room." Better still, anyone with a standard DVD player can reap the benefits of the $10 (street price) set. It'll be interesting to compare sales figures between this and Neil Young's Blu-ray release, wouldn't you agree?
Krell intros the KID -- another expensive iPod dock you'll never buy
"Hey man, check out my $4000 combo iPod dock / Class A amp playing a 128kbps MP3 file! Listen to that brittle high-end... it's like you're in the room with the computer that compressed this file!"[Via Crave; Image courtesy Audio Junkies]
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.
Goldmund's $300,000 Epilogue Speaker System joins Media Room
Personally, we can only imagine what a $300,000 speaker setup sounds like. But you -- we know you're eager to pick up the Epilogue Speaker System (previous edition shown) and rub it in the faces of everyone else, right? Regardless of whether you answered that truthfully or not, Goldmund (those same cats who actually had the nerve to create a $17,000 Blu-ray player) has introduced the latest version of the aforesaid system, which will now be built specifically for integration into the Goldmund Media Room. Pretty though they may be, we have a sneaking suspicion you won't be getting much bang for your buck with these -- but then again, what do our virgin ears know, anyway?
Naim offers up HDD-based HDX network audio player
Naim Audio, a name synonymous with high-end, has recently launched its very own hard drive-based music server, and on paper, it's a fairly mesmerizing piece of kit. The HDX packs a pair of 400GB hard drives (one primary and a back-up) and claims to be a "fully integrated CD ripping and data storage system." Aside from giving users a way to catalog their gargantuan CD collection in digital form, it'll also play tracks back in the finest of detail. Packed within is a Burr-Brown PCM1791A DAC, 24 bit/192kHz internal architecture, ultra-low jitter re-clocking circuits and a built-in touch panel, too. Best of all, any tunes stored on network / USB drives can also be played through the device, and it can send up to six different streams of music simultaneously over a home network. The rub? At £4,500 ($8,772), you're probably better off hiring Daft Punk to just play at your house.[Via CNET, thanks Andrew]
Copulare's $2,350 iCoral iPod dock is just as absurd as you think
To be honest, JVC's P-Series LCD line may still hold the crown for most expensive iPod dock, but at least it comes with an expansive 1080p panel, right? Pushing aside a number of a worthy opponents on its charge to most absurd / unnecessary iPod dock evar, the iCoral supposedly features a top plate constructed from artificial coral and is proudly decorated with a "very artistic design" (Copulare's words, not ours). 'Round back, you'll find USB, S-Video and stereo analog outputs, but we're simply not seeing the slit in which your currency of choice comes out of at the press of a button. Due to that unfortunate omission, we're suggesting you hold tight to your €1,500 ($2,355) -- unless you're one David Beckham, of course.[Via UberReview]
Onkyo unveils another audiophile PC, the APX-2 HD
Onyko's cranked out a couple slick little audio-oriented desktops and media PCs, and its latest carries the tradition on in fine form -- the new APX-2 HD audiophile PC actually looks more like a high-end shelf system than a PC, if you ask us. The compact unit houses a 1.66GHz T5500 Core 2 Duo, 1GB of RAM, a vibration-isolated 500GB disk and the same digital amplifier found in the PCI-200 sound card, which bypasses Vista's sound mixer and channels audio directly through to avoid HD Audio signal loss. Sadly, this one looks to be Japan-only, but if you're headed out that way, you'll want an extra couple grand in your pocket to snag one of these bad boys.
Wadia Digital intros iTransport: the audiophile's iPod dock
We've seen some fairly snazzy aftermarket iPod docks before, but Wadia Digital is hoping to lure a few C-notes from the wallets of bona fide audiophiles with its iTransport. This Made for iPod device reportedly bypasses the PMP's "internal D/A conversion and output stage," which enables the music to stream through "clean and unadulterated." Hailed as the "market's first digital player dock to retrieve a direct digital signal from an iPod," it relies on a S/PDIF digital audio out (as well as analog outs) and even includes a set of component outputs for video. Notably, the iPhone and iPod touch will work here too, but unless you've got some mighty fine loudspeakers (or cans) that can take advantage of such clarity, we'd suggest holding tight to your $349 when it ships next month.[Via AudioJunkies]
Genesis 2 loudspeaker system isn't for the faint of heart
If you thought a 6.5-foot tall loudspeaker was a touch too much for your needs, we've all ideas the Genesis 2 system will also exemplify overkill in your mind. For those who don't mind pushing the envelope (and emptying their wallets in the process), the four-speaker G2.2 could be just what you're after. The system actually places the tweeters and midrange ribbon transducer in one 6.25-foot tall cabinet while the eight 8-inch ribbed-aluminum cone subwoofers reside in another tower of equal height. As a whole, it can handle up to 1,000-watts of pure solid state power, and considering the 720-pounds of heft this thing's packin', we highly doubt you'll be rearranging the foursome whimsically. For those champing at the bit to place their order, we certainly hope you've got copious quantities of cash to burn, as the G2.2 setup will run you a cool $63,000 in the traditional high gloss black motif.[Via Widescreen Review]
iTrax.com delivers DRM-free HD Audio downloads
Just in case you don't have enough digital download choices, here comes iTrax to give you another. This site, however, deviates from the beaten path by offering up DRM-free HD Audio tracks for those with more discerning ears. Granted, the music selection is quite limited, but for the albums that are available, users can download individual songs or entire records in a variety of encoding formats / mixes. Among the options are MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA Pro, WMA Lossless and even uncompressed PCM 96/24, and most songs can be downloaded in 2.0 stereo, 5.1 "stage" and 5.1 "audience" perspectives. Currently, the available music all stems from AIX Records, but more options are purportedly on the way, and if you're curious about pricing, most albums look to run you anywhere from $9.99 to $24.99, depending on quality / mix.
Bel Canto's Ultra-Dock preys on iPod / iPhone owners
We've no doubts that Bel Canto offers up some mighty fine equipment, but the firm's forthcoming Ultra-Dock just reeks of gimmicky. We're reserving final judgment until we find out a bit more than we know right now, but it seems this iPod / iPhone docking station can pull fidelity out of thin air. Reportedly, the unit utilizes Sonic Focus technology to "to upscale and refine compressed music and soundtracks to 96kHz / 24-bit quality," but we're pretty sure you're going to get out what you put in, generally speaking. Nevertheless, we'll keep you posted on any developments.
Consonance's Droplet CDP3.1: the kidney-shaped CD player
Considering Consonance's reputation, we're not all that surprised that its latest CD player is shaped unorthodoxly, but mimicking the proportions of a kidney was an interesting choice. Nevertheless, the Droplet CDP3.1 is a 24-bit, oversampling top-loading player that features gold plated RCA outputs, a wireless remote and a digital buffer to eliminate jitter. It's available in a number of luscious finishes, but considering the $2,495 to $2,995 pricetag attached to this thing, we highly doubt you'll be picking this up solely for use as a conversation piece.
Rise audiophile CD player ships in three separate cases
What can we say? We love when super-high-end audio companies try to convince us of whatever voodoo they're selling -- so this three-part CD player from Rise is right up our alley. The Philips CD Pro 2M transport is protected from pesky interference like vibrations and magnetism (really, that's what it says) by being mounted in a custom aluminum chassis, away from the power supply and controls. We're not sure what D / A converter is involved, but the unit does ship in three separate cases -- one for each component. No details on price, but something tells us that Rise isn't exactly giving these away.[Via Audio Junkies]
OINA bringing lossless audio to Bluetooth devices
Audiophiles hoping to get a bit more clarity out of those Bluetooth cans can officially get excited, as Open Interface North America (OINA) has just announced plans to introduce a new lossless codec for stereo audio known as SOUNDabout Lossless. Unsurprisingly, the firm is keeping its secrets on the DL for now, but recent demonstrations showed that it will have a latency as low as two-milliseconds and never exceed ten-milliseconds. Additionally, power consumption was intentionally kept low in order to preserve that precious battery life, and just in case you couldn't guess, it'll only stream properly with Bluetooth 2.0 gizmos. Sadly, there's no firm dates to mark on your calendar just yet, but the company is currently estimating that the codec will be ready to rock in detail never before heard over BT "as early as 2008."
Rare Plasmatronics helium-driven speakers on eBay
As you know, helium (He on the periodic table of the elements) has many fine uses, such as: filling up your birthday balloons, making your voice higher, and creating totally pristine treble on your $4200 Plasmatronics speakers (available right now on eBay). Sure, you could just keep on using the stuff for celebrations or hilarious gags, but wouldn't it be more of a gas to drop four-large on a pair of these 1970's behemoths? "Buy it now" before your chance to own a piece of helium-powered audiophile history passes you by.[Thanks, Ryan W]
Red Wine iMod: audiophile iPod mod
Audiophiles are a picky bunch and willing to pay out the nose for the privilege of (perceived) improvements in audio quality. Audio Junkies has the story that Red Wine, a purveyor of "battery powered purist hi-fi," is planning to offer their iMod modification for 5th generation iPods (they previously offered an iMod for 4th gen iPods). Basically, they bypass the iPod's built-in (relatively low quality) audio amplifier and send the line-out signal straight from the internal Wolfson Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) to the iPod's Dock connector. Together with a proprietary Dock cable this allows for improved audio quality using an external amplifier.The iMod will be offered at the end of this month for $249 and you have to supply the iPod. Obviously this isn't intended for all those 128kbps MP3s you got from Napster years ago, but for high quality encoding using something like Apple Lossless.[via Engadget]
Red Wine Audio's iMod hack tweaks the iPod for audiophiles
Granted, the untouched iPod doesn't sound half bad to the average ear, but for the audiophiles in the house, you all somehow know better. Enter Red Wine Audio, which took its discerning ways and channeled them into a nifty iPod hack that "reduces the analog signal path by taking the signal directly from the internal Wolfson DAC and then hard-wiring it to the dock connector." Additionally, the original case was stripped in favor of a bulkier, roomier aluminum shell that could house the new electronics, and "high-end Black Gate non-polarized NX-Hi-Q coupling capacitors" were used to ensure the highest audio fidelity. Onlookers noted that they "couldn't tell a difference" between the iMod iPod's WAV playback and a normal CD player, and while the company looks to be readying these pre-modified units for sale by the end of the month, there's no telling how many hundies you'll be throwing down for it. Click on through for a few more snaps.Update: Looks like Red Wine Audio will actually be modding user-provided 5G iPods for a charge of $249 (plus $15 for shipping). Be sure to hit the read link for the latest.
Elipson Planets tease audiophiles, sport A2DP Bluetooth
No, a decent Bluetooth-enabled sound system isn't impossible to find, but tracking one down with "audiophile" potential is understandably tougher. High-end French boutique Elipson has teamed up with Bluetooth guru Parrot to bring us the self-proclaimed answer to the audiophile's quest in locating a simple, wireless, BT-enabled set of speakers. The Elipson Planets boast a sleek, black (or white), spherical design scheme, and sport a "custom built" Bluetooth 2.0 EDR module which enables each speaker to automatically pair up when turned on. The tunes flow from the two-way 60-watt drivers, and while it only reaches down to 48Hz, it purportedly rocks a "bass-reflex" design to handle the thumps. Aside from plugging in your standard stereo cable, these orbs can receive data from any A2DP-compliant device, be it your PDA, cellphone, or third-party Bluetooth adapter. Although we're digging the design and wouldn't mind a nice set of perfectly precise speaks ourselves, whether or not they're honestly worth the €999 ($1,323) price of admission is certainly debatable.[Via TrustedReviews]
