Bob Ankosko

CEDIA 2013
Knoll Intros 4-Zone Audio Kit with Balanced Inputs
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 28, 2013
Knoll Systems used CEDIA 2013 to introduce the Q450 digital multiroom amplifier that accommodates four sources and uses fully balanced input plates to combat noise and interference for music sources in distant rooms. The 4 x 50-watt amp comes in two versions: one with simple keypad control and one based on RS232 that can be controlled by iOS and Android smart devices and whole-home controllers. A four-zone kit with in-wall keypads will be available in October for $1,200.
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CEDIA 2013
Off the Beaten Path: Xandem’s Party Detector
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 28, 2013
You never know what you’ll find nestled among the home automation and audio/video products that dominate CEDIA Expo 2013. Salt Lake City-based Xandem is demonstrating the Tomographic Motion Detection (TMD), which it describes as a market-ready technology for a variety of applications, including home automation and security.

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CEDIA 2013
Ferrari Lovers Take Note: The F1 Lounger
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013
If the bright red leather and distinctive stitching reminds you of an exotic car, it’s no accident. First Impressions Theme Theaters, the Miami-based architectural design firm specializing in home theater, custom built the $3,500 theater seat for the owner of one of the most stunning cars on the planet, the Ferrari 458 Italia. Note the carbon-fiber cup holders. Oh, and around back there’s even a tool pouch.
CEDIA 2013
More Backyard Fun: The SonArray Sound System
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013
If you’re going to rock out in the backyard, don’t skimp on speakers. Among the dozens of products on display in the expansive Dana Innovations booth at CEDIA 2013, the one that caught my eye was the “SonArray by Sonance.” For $2,499, you get eight outdoor satellite speakers plus an in-ground subwoofer (that bronze mushroom top in the photo). With stealthily strategic placement in your landscaping, Sonance says you can serenade a 2,000 square foot area. The sound? Way better than you would expect.
CEDIA 2013
MartinLogan’s Psychedelic Setup...Man
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013
Walk into MartinLogan’s demo room at CEDIA 2013 and you walk into the past—specifically, the ‘60s, maybe early ‘70s. All-too-familiar glowing psychedelic posters line blacklight-lit walls accented by lava lamps and glowing tubes. Music blaring. It could be 1967, if not for the lack of a particular aroma and the 7.4-channel sound system. It was quad on steroids: Seven ElectroMotion ESL hybrid electrostats powered by five PrimaLuna DiaLogue tube amplifiers and four BalancedForce subwoofers, each with its own 850-watt amp, anchoring the corners of the room. The demo I walked in on wasn’t music of the ‘60s or ‘70s but a 5.1-channel mix of the Dire Staits ’80s anthem, “Money For Nothing.” The slow build and swell that introduces Mark Knopfler’s electronically processed guitar was like you’ve never heard before…If only I had more time to stick around and maybe listen to a little Pink Floyd.
CEDIA 2013
TiO Unveils StealthStream 1: “World’s Smallest” Audio Zone Player
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 27, 2013
Orlando, FL based Automated Technology Control Partners introduced the TiO StealthStream 1 (AZSS1) digital audio zone player at CEDIA 2013. At 1.9 x 2.73 x 3.9 inches, the company calls the small black box (with a stubby antenna protruding from it) the smallest such player on the market and says it provides a simple, cost-effective multi-room music solution—one that is controlled and configured through the TiO Home Android App.
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CEDIA 2013
Salamander Designs Teams with Leon Speakers
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013
Salamander Designs, the Connecticut-based maker of fine entertainment furniture and accessories, introduced hand-crafted center and LCR speaker options for its Synergy and Chameleon AV cabinet lines at CEDIA 2013. Featuring high-quality Peerless woofers and cloth-dome tweeters, the speakers are built to order by Michigan-based Leon Speakers and integrated into the cabinets on mounting brackets that permit the angle of the speaker to be adjusted for optimal sound dispersion.
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CEDIA 2013
OSD Audio Bows Bluetooth Rock Speaker
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 26, 2013
Bluetooth is fast becoming a fixture inside the house and now OSD Audio is taking the convenience of wireless streaming outside with two Bluetooth-enabled outdoor speakers: the BTR-800 rock speaker ($350/pr) and BTP-650 patio speaker ($290/pr). Both models are weather-resistant two-way designs with a reception range of 150 feet (unobstructed) and 75 feet (obstructed), according to the company.

The BTR-800 combines an 8-inch woofer and 1-inch soft-dome tweeter in a faux rock enclosure offered in three landscape-friendly colors: canyon brown, granite grey, and slate grey (shown). Available in white or black, the BTP-650 has a 6.5-inch woofer and includes speaker cable, a power cord, and mounting hardware.

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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
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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