Canton Canton's Movie CD-1 5.1-channel speaker system is a shining beauty of a package. It consists of a center channel, four matching satellites for the left, right, and surround channels, and a 100-watt subwoofer that's rated down to 38 hertz. The CD-1 satellite measures just 5 inches tall and 4 inches wide and deep and has a frequency response of 80 Hz to 25 kilohertz. The center channel features drivers in a D'Appolito array and a tapered cabinet that allows you to tilt the speaker toward the listening position. All of the speakers have a gleaming aluminum finish, and the sub is finished in a complementary matte silver. The system costs $1,099 and comes with mounting brackets for all four satellites. The optional LS-90 speaker stands are available for $125 per pair. Canton (612) 706-9250 www.cantonusa.com
Morel You can't deny the appeal of twins, and Morel's new high-end Octwin speaker is no exception. The Octave/Octwin Series is a modular loudspeaker system based around the Ocatve unit, which houses a 5.25-inch rear-vented woofer and a 1.12-inch tweeter. The Octwin is simply a combination of two Octave units, which you can arrange vertically (as shown here) or horizontally to form a center-channel unit. The Octave's cabinet is made of Corian, a material that resembles marble but incorporates the acoustic qualities of more-traditional enclosure materials. Available in a black or white piano finish, a pair of Octaves costs $4,400, and a pair of Octwins costs $8,000. Morel (800) MOREL-14 www.morelhifi.com
Atlantic Technology The motto may already be taken, but we think Atlantic Technology ought to steal "Have it your way" from a certain fast-food chain. The THX Ultra 2–certified System 8200 is all about customization. This modular speaker system includes the 8200 LR three-way front speaker, the 8200 C three-way center channel, the 8200 SR bipole/dipole surround speaker, and the 8200 PedWoofer, a 12-inch subwoofer that's powered by the external SA 8200 amp. You can mate the 8200 LR with the 8200 PedWoofer to create a powered tower. Or, if you just want the look of tower speakers, you can get an empty pedestal to place under the 8200 LR or 8200 SR. Every piece is finished in Atlantic Tech's duraBlac speckled lacquer finish, and you can choose from accent-panel kits in high-gloss black lacquer, natural maple, oiled cherry, natural mahogany, or unfinished MDF that you can finish any way you please. Depending on the options you choose, the System 8200 can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $18,000. Atlantic Technology (781) 762-6300 www.atlantictechnology.com
Lowell/Edwards It's pretty. It's functional. It's Lowell/Edwards' Asymmetric Wall Unit. This elegant unit manages an entire A/V system. The central section is a matte-black-lacquered cabinet that houses all of your components, and you can add drawers to the 36-inch-high granite countertop to hold remotes, software, or whatever you like. The right section of the unit features a platform that can accommodate up to a 32-inch-diagonal display and swivels 180 degrees. Other nice perks are handsome display shelves, cherry-veneer pocket doors that open to reveal a dry bar, and space for three small monitors to suspend from the lower of the two horizontal top panels. This simply beautiful wall unit retails for $12,500. Lowell/Edwards (212) 980-2862 www.lowelledwards.com
V INC. You gotta love value, and V Inc.'s offering of a 46-inch plasma display for only $3,999 represents a value indeed. The Visio P4 display has a native resolution of 852:480, and it's compatible with 480p, 720p, and 1080i HD formats. It comes with an integrated 181-channel NTSC/PAL tuner, an attractive stand, and a fanless cooling system, which should provide you with nice, quiet viewing. The Visio P4 offers a good compliment of video inputs, including RGB, component, S-video, and composite, as well as a DVI connection. You'll also enjoy this 16:9 plasma's motion-adaptive deinterlacing, 3:2-pulldown recognition, and four adjustable aspect ratios. There's not much that the Visio P4 doesn't have on board, except, of course, a hefty price tag. V Inc. (714) 962-4848 www.vinc.us
Luxeon Luxeon proves that a DLP projector doesn't have to be big to be good. Their portable D520P projector weighs only 5.9 pounds and has just about every feature a theaterphile would expect from a DLP. Foremost among these features is Texas Instruments' Double Data Rate (DDR) technology, which is said to produce quicker micromirror movement and thus a higher-quality image. The D520P's light output is rated at 2,000 ANSI lumens, and it has a 1,500:1 contrast ratio and a native resolution of 1,024:768. Other tricks include a picture-in-picture function, manual zoom and focus, and vertical and horizontal digital keystone correction. For the asking price of $3,899, Luxeon also throws in a soft carrying case and a remote. Luxeon (866) 458-9366 www.luxeonusa.com
Bang & Olufsen For a widescreen plasma display, B&O's BeoVision 5 might at first appear to be strangely shaped. Upon closer inspection, though, you'll see that its beautifully finished aluminum frame incorporates a 42-inch-wide, 16:9 plasma screen and a pair of magnetically shielded, front-firing speakers mounted below the screen. The BeoVision 5 measures 42 inches wide, 45.25 tall, and 6.75 deep, and it arrives with a stand, as well as a wall-mounting bracket. With a retail price of $19,500, the BeoVision 5 might not qualify as a budget plasma; however, its unique industrial design and your choice of a silver, red, black, blue, or green brushed-aluminum frame are sure to appeal to the décor-conscious theaterphile. Bang & Olufsen (847) 590-4900 www.bang-olufsen.com
Onkyo How many of us have dreamed of owning a multidisc DVD changer? Well, Onkyo makes that dream come true with their affordable DV-CP701, a six-disc changer that's a steal at just $300. The DV-CP701 features 10-bit/54-megahertz video processing, a progressive-scan composite video output, and 24-bit/192-kiohertz audio digital-to-analog converters. When you use the rear-panel optical and coaxial digital outputs, you can also make use of Onkyo's Direct Digital Path, which ensures maximum integrity of Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM audio. All of this comes in a housing that measures a svelte 3.5 inches high and is available in a sleek silver or a traditional black finish. Onkyo also offers the DV-SP301, a single-disc model that sells for $150. Onkyo (800) 229-1687 www.onkyo.com
Salamander Designs Salamander Designs calls their TC2 theater chair a handsome, contemporary version of the movie-house original; but, if you ask us, these chairs look a hundred times more comfy than the seats we cram ourselves into at the local megaplex. The TC2 is available in sleek midnight-black leather and features a recliner mechanism, footrest, and adjustable headrest. It's the TC2's arm options that make this chair customizable for use in the home theater. Every arm has an integrated drink holder, made of either silver or black anodized aluminum. If you're interested in creating a curved row of seats, as seen here, Salamander offers wedge-shaped inner-arm pieces. An optional tactile sound transducer and push-button motorized recline mechanism are available as options. Each individual TC2 costs $1,299. Salamander Designs (888) 224-4113 www.salamanderdesigns.com
Tannoy Tannoy developed the Wideband SuperTweeter titanium-dome tweeter to take advantage of high-resolution audio. According to the company, the Wideband SuperTweeter works with SACD and DVD-Audio players to produce frequencies above 20 kilohertz. Well, the Wideband SuperTweeter is making an appearance in Tannoy's new line of Sensys loudspeakers. The Sensys range includes a tower speaker, a bookshelf model, a dedicated surround speaker, and the Sensys C center-channel speaker shown here, which features two 6-inch midrange drivers in addition to the Wideband SuperTweeter. The Sensys speakers are currently available in a black-ash or a maple finish (Tannoy plans to make them available in a rosewood finish, as well), and they range in price from a reasonable $250 to $500 each. Tannoy (519) 745-1158 www.tannoy.com
Vidikron It's not wrong to want a DLP projector that has professional features for your home theater without wanting to break your bank to buy it. Fortunately, the folks at Vidikron agree and offer their new Vision Model 20 DLP projector. The Vision Model 20 is based on Texas Instruments' HD-2 DLP chip and includes internal video processing with 3:2-pulldown detection. Are you an HDTV hound? Just add an outboard tuner, and the Vision Model 20 will give you full HDTV compatibility. With a rated light output of 850 ANSI lumens and a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, you can use the Vision Model 20 with a screen up to 96 inches wide. Vidikron offers this well-rounded DLP projector for $5,495. Vidikron (510) 324-5900 www.vidikron.com
MartinLogan MartinLogan's Cinema i center-channel speaker builds on the same foundation as the company's Cinema center channel, but it incorporates some new technologies and a supercool industrial design. The speaker includes ClearSpar technology, which is said to enhance the Cinema i's transparent aesthetic and increase both efficiency and dynamics. MartinLogan's MicroPerf design is also aboard. In this design, the stator's individual holes are smaller, which allows for more open space compared with that of the traditional ESL transducer. This 37-pound speaker is ergonomically friendly, too. Using its included stand, you can mount it on your display, on the wall, on the ceiling, or even on the floor. Just use the incorporated handgrips to aim the speaker at the listening position. This versatile center channel costs $1,795. MartinLogan (785) 749-0133 www.martinlogan.com
Proficient It's just not home theater without some kickin' bass, and that's what you get from Proficient's new subwoofers. The S10 model features a front-firing, 10-inch, paper-cone woofer and a 120-watt internal amplifier, as well as anticlipping circuitry, which is said to provide maximum output without audible distortion. Proficient's S8 model (shown here) is similar to the S10, but it houses an 8-inch woofer. Proficient says that the S8 features a driver, amplifier, and crossover network that are optimized for its smaller cabinet and that this more-petite sub has the gusto to provide enough bass output for most midsized home theater rooms. The S10 and S8 cost $450 and $350, respectively. Proficient (909) 787-9940 www.proficientaudio.com
Apex If you have the living-room space for a monster of a display, check out Apex's GB65HD12W 65-inch rear-projection TV. In addition to its 65-inch-diagonal, 16:9-shaped screen, this display offers features galore. A 3-D Y/C comb filter, scan-velocity modulation, dual-tuner PIP, automatic digital convergence, and 3:2-pulldown correction are all on board. This flexible display has an adjustable native resolution of 480p, 720p, or 1080i. The GB65HD12W's connection suite includes component, S-video, composite, and DVI video inputs, analog stereo inputs, monitor outputs, and an RF antenna jack. You get a whole lotta TV for the not-so-steep price of $2,000. Apex (909) 930-1239 www.apexdigitalinc.com
PSB You know that a product is going to be good when the designer is also the company's founder. Such is the case with PSB's new Platinum Series, designed and developed by founder Paul S. Barton. The line includes seven new models: the T8 and T6 towers, M2 minimonitor, C4 and C2 center channels, S2 bipolar surround, and SubSonic 10 subwoofer. The PSB Platinum T8, the flagship tower, uses three 8-inch woofers, two 4.5-inch midrange drivers, and two 1-inch tweeters. The front tweeter faces forward, while the other tweeter is rear-firing. The midrange drivers and front tweeter are arranged in a D'Appolito array. According to the company, this arrangement produces a large horizontal and vertical sweet spot with outstanding clarity. The enclosure measures 10.5 by 46.5 by 16 inches and is available in black ash or cherry, with a die-cast aluminum base, top, and side extrusions. The T8 is available at a suggested retail price of $6,500 per pair. PSB Speakers (888) 772-0000 www.psbspeakers.com