CEDIA 2013

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CEDIA 2013
Bose Hits the Bars
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 26, 2013  | 
We hit the soundbar beat pretty hard at this show and our coverage wouldn't be complete without mention of two Bose products. The CineMate 1 SR ($1350) is said to be the bestselling bar in North America over the past nine months. It uses seven of the same tiny drivers that make the famous Bose "jewel cubes" sound pretty good (we know this, having reviewed them in another form). There are also two radiators providing side effects. And the bar's pretty control savvy, with multi-room control and Control 4, Crestron, RTI, and Savant compatibility. The same bar features in the Lifestyle 135 system ($2100) which adds a console with iOS dock and room correction.
CEDIA 2013
A Blast from Custom Installation’s Past
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 28, 2013  | 
Prominent among the Hall of Fame exhibit at CEDIA 2013 is Audio Design Associate’s (ADA) towering System 56, an expandable multi-zone AV system introduced before CEDIA even existed. Multisource/multizone capability and features such as electronic volume control and turn-on volume presets were cutting edge back 1977.
CEDIA 2013
A Cube Even the Borg Would Envy
John Sciacca  |  Sep 27, 2013  | 
When you think Definitive Technology, you probably think large, monolithic tower speakers or giant cube subwoofers. While the company would be OK with that, they have branched beyond the large home speaker into the portable market. Definitive Technology launched its portable speaker line-up with the terrific sounding Sound Cylinder, and they expanded their offerings this year by introducing The Cube. The Cube is a 7.7-inch black, uh, cube using tri-polar technology to deliver big sound across a large listening area. The cube features five 1-1/4-inch mid-high frequency drivers, one 5-1/4-inch woofer and 80-watts of total power. It can run off AC power, but for hi-fi on-the-go, the built-in Lithium Ion battery can deliver up to 10 hours of listening. Users can connect a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack or beam music to The Cube wirelessly via Bluetooth aptX technology. Also handy is an integrated rubberized handle in the back of The Cube, meaning that you can easily take your music with you when you get assimilated.
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CEDIA 2013
Able Planet Shows Eye-Catching Neon Headphones and More
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 28, 2013  | 
It was impossible to miss the neon burst of color as I walked past the Able Planet booth at CEDIA 2013. Choose between a variety of brilliant colors with NC180 headphones ($70) or opt for the True Fidelity BT400B compact, foldable Bluetooth headphones, featuring an on-ear microphone and controls ($90), or the True Fidelity IR310TM wireless headphones, featuring a 60-foot range and 40-hour battery life ($110).
CEDIA 2013
Acurus Previews Act 4
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 30, 2013  | 
The Acurus ACT 4 7.1-channel pre-pro sports all the latest audio formats and is expected to ship early in 2014 for $4000. The accompanying 7.1-channel Acurus amplifier is available now at $4299.
CEDIA 2013
Advice We Can All Use From the Women in CE CEDIA Breakfast
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 28, 2013  | 
Women in CE (Consumer Electronics) offers some tips on being a success and having a balanced life.
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CEDIA 2013
Anthem Shows Three Receivers
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 26, 2013  | 
Three new surround receivers from Anthem include the MRX 310, MRX 510 (shown), and MRX 710. The 310 has five channels while the 510 and 710 are seven-channel products. Power is 60, 75, and 90 watts times five (and kudos to Anthem for not merely quoting two-channel figures and calling it a day). Anthem has all the control angles covered including AMX, Bitwise, Control 4, Crestron, and Savant. The ARC 1M room correction has been improved, approaching the quality of that in Anthem's pre-pros, with more options and better filtering. The receivers boast the Dolby Volume low-volume listening mode to make movie sessions more painless. And 4K is supported for both pass-through and upscaling. Pricing is $1200, $1600, and $2000. The two upper models will ship this fall while the bottom model will ship in early 2014.
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CEDIA 2013
Anyone Can Install the Fire-FX Media Server and Player
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 29, 2013  | 
Unlike other custom installation, high end media servers, Fire-FX boasts that their system is easy to install. It auto detects the network, maps itself and connects
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CEDIA 2013
Artison Shows Off its Masterpiece
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013  | 
Artison has turned the soundbar concept on its ear at CEDIA 2013. The Masterpiece LCR DualMono MK2 on-wall speaker system produces three front channels from two speakers flanking the TV. Each enclosure is made of extruded aluminum and comprises a “curved line array” of 16 tweeters with a pair of carbon-fiber woofers mounted above and below for a system total of 40 drivers.
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CEDIA 2013
ATI's Signature Amp
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 30, 2013  | 
Morris Kessler knows his way around an amplifier. His name may be a little less well known to audiophiles than Dan D'Agostino, Nelson Pass, and John Curl, but he has been quietly designing great amplifiers for many companies at least as long as any of them--and longer than some. His current company is ATI, well known for producing solid-performing, high-value audiophile amps. This is his signature design, the first to feature his name on the front panel. Available from 2-channels at $4000 and $8000 for 7 channels, it sports 400 W continuous into 8 ohms and, in 7-channel form, weighs in at 143 lbs! It should be available in January.
CEDIA 2013
AudioXperts Press Event: Eva Blu Bluetooth Speaker & More
Brent Butterworth  |  Sep 27, 2013  | 

After launching last year with a couple of innovative under-TV sound systems, upstart company AudioXperts made a much bigger splash at the 2013 CEDIA Expo with a full line of audio products, which we saw in a press event this morning.

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CEDIA 2013
Autonomic Expands Capabilities of Mirage Whole-House Audio System
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 28, 2013  | 
Autonomic announced at CEDIA 2013 that its Mirage whole-house distributed audio system is now compatible with SiriusXM Radio 2.0, Slacker Radio, and Gracenote and supports remote diagnostics for troubleshooting via the Internet. The system comprises Mirage Media Servers with a choice of two digital amplifiers, two in-wall control options, and mix and match applications for iOS and Android devices.

The company has also enhanced the user experience by blending control across multiple rooms with music browsing. When a song is heard on Sirius XM, the TuneBridge feature allows listeners to jump to the entire album on Rhapsody or create a new Pandora station. Pricing for four- and eight-zone versions of the system is $4,945 and $8,350, respectively.

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CEDIA 2013
Bang & Olufsen Embraces WiSA, Unveils Wireless Speaker Technology
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013  | 
Bang & Olufsen returned to CEDIA after a several year absence to announce a high-performance wireless speaker platform that supports up to eight channels of uncompressed 24-bit audio at sample rates up to 96 kHz. The platform is based on the WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio Association) open standard and incorporates proprietary processing.

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CEDIA 2013
Bang & Olufsen's A9 Sound System Gets Spotify
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 26, 2013  | 
Bang & Olufsen announced that they will be adding the Spotify music streaming service to the BeoPlay A9 speaker/sound system. The A9 was launched in October 2012. Music is sent to the A9 using Apple's AirPlay streaming from iPhones/iPads/iPods and new Macs, or over a WiFi network as a DLNA media renderer (DLNA media controllers can send music to it). The problem with this setup has been that the music stops when a phone call comes into the controlling iPhone, or when the iPhone is too far from the A9.

Spotify Connect will be added to the A9 as part of a firmware update. It will be preloaded on new units and available for download for consumers who have previously purchased the A9. Bang & Olufsen worked with Spotify to create an iPhone app where users can pick songs, playlists, or radio stations from their Spotify streaming library and have them play on the A9. Because the software is loaded onto the A9's firmware, music playback will not be interrupted when a phone call comes in or when you take the phone out of range.

More on B&O here

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CEDIA 2013
Bass Egg Verb Gets Great Sound From Cardboard
Brent Butterworth  |  Sep 26, 2013  | 

The sound that most amazed me during Day 1 of the CEDIA Expo came not from a $50,000 speaker, but from a cardboard box. A cardboard box supporting the Bass Egg Verb, that is. We've seen devices like this before, that turn any box or table or whatever into a speaker. The difference between those and the Bass Egg Verb is that it doesn't suck and it plays loud as hell.

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