Audio Video News

La-Z-Boy
So you've finally put together your dream home theater. The screen is just perfect, the components come together nicely, and you're all ready to settle in for that Rocky marathon this weekend. If only you could enjoy it all from the comfort of your favorite La-Z-Boy recliner. Say no more, my friend. La-Z-Boy has answered your prayers with their new Home Theater Collection. Seven pieces comprise the new Matinee group: right and left one-arm recliners; right and left wedges with armless recliners; a two-arm recliner; a console with a storage drawer; and a standalone wedge. You can customize the recliners with La-Z-Boy's power recline system, which lets you recline or extend to virtually any position. La-Z-Boy says that each cushion is placed at a 15-degree angle and positioned so that the seat back won't block the surround sound. The suggested retail price of the dividing furniture pieces (including the wedge and console) ranges from $299 in fabric to $799 in leather. Prices for the seating furniture pieces (including the one- and two-arm recliners) range from $599 in fabric to $1,899 in leather with the power reclining option.
La-Z-Boy
(734) 242-1444
www.lazboy.com

AudioControl
What if every product you bought was built with only award-winning designs? The world would be a kinder, gentler place, that's for sure. AudioControl is doing their part with their new Architect Model 950, which uses the same Class H Architect amplifier design that made the Model 1250 a past CEDIA Product of the Year. According to the company, AudioControl's Class H multi-rail design provides cool operation without using noisy fan mechanisms. The 16-channel, multizone amplifier features a five-band room-correction equalizer, and it uses BiMOS output channels for a dynamic, 4-ohm output of 55 watts. The compact unit takes up only 7 inches of panel height (four rack spaces), but a rack-mount adapter is also available. The Architect Model 950 is constructed on an all-metal chassis and retails for $3,250.
AudioControl
(425) 778-8461
www.audiocontrol.com

Theta Digital
Here's looking at you, Theta Digital; or, more specifically, your new Casablanca III Music and Cinema Controller. (Come on, that joke was just too easy.) The Casablanca III features Theta's Open Architecture, which consists of a motherboard for signal routing and several daughter boards for various function-specific circuitries. The company says that the Casablanca III takes customization to a new level, offering hundreds of crossover options like Linkwitz-Riley and phase-perfect. Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS ES (in both Matrix and Discrete 6.1 versions) are standard. Prices range from $9,000 to $20,000, depending upon configuration. The Casablanca III will definitely have you asking Sam to play it again. (Sorry, we couldn't resist.)
Theta Digital
(818) 597-9195
www.thetadigital.com

Harman/Kardon
A thing of beauty is a joy forever, as the saying goes. Truth be told, Harman/Kardon's AVR 630 A/V receiver is more than just beautiful. According to Harman, this 7.1-channel receiver is the first of its kind to feature a quadruple-crossover bass manager that lets you select different crossover frequencies for the front, center, surround, and rear speakers. The AVR 630 also includes A/V sync relay and RS-232 connectivity. Think we're done? Not even close. It also can handle all of the popular surround sound formats, including Dolby EX and DTS ES, and it has built-in MP3 and HDCD decoding. For $1,299, this thing of beauty truly will be a joy forever.
Harman/Kardon
(800) 422-8027
www.harmankardon.com

Niles
The kids finally came through this year and gave you a brand-new, wall-mounted plasma instead of another tie with dancing Santas. Life would be perfect if you didn't have to stare at a couple of nonaesthetically pleasing loudspeakers on either side of your new toy. Niles' new DS6500AT in-ceiling loudspeaker is just the ticket. The DS speaker line features a pivoting driver system that lets you pivot the woofer up to 15 degrees and the tweeter up to 17 degrees in any direction. This action ensures that the speaker can accurately direct the sound where it needs to go. The DS6500AT has a rated power handling of up to 200 watts and uses a carbon and glass fiber woofer with a 1-inch aluminum tweeter. The speaker will only set you back $625.
Niles Audio
(305) 238-4373
www.nilesaudio.com

Primare

KEF
What if you could get the same digital surround sound from a speaker system without running all of those wires across the floor of your home theater? If that's your wish, then KEF's new Instant Theatre, or KIT100, is right up your alley. The system—which features two compact front speakers, a hideaway subwoofer, and a DVD/receiver unit with an AM/FM tuner—utilizes NXT's flat-panel technology to produce surround sound from just two speakers. Each die-cast aluminum speaker is designed to minimize cabinet vibrations and features a 4-inch Uni-Q driver array with a 0.6-inch tweeter. It's nearly impossible to mess up the setup process, as the four supplied cables are shaped for their respective fittings. The progressive-scan DVD player is compatible with CD-Rs/-RWs and MP3-encoded CDs, and the unit includes Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and DTS decoding. The Instant Theatre is all yours for $1,500.
KEF
(732) 683-2356
www.kef.com