AV Enthusiast

Epos Reveals Encore 50 Flagship Loudspeakers

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:43:48 +0000

Epos Acoustics has announced a new flagship loudspeaker, the Epos Acoustics Encore 50.

Specs on the new floorstander from Epos Encore 50 have them tipping the scales at a whopping 108 pounds including plinths. The Encore 50s are tall at 48 inches with plinths and spikes. Internally the 4 ohm 89dB Epos Encore 50 is capable of 500w peaks, is recommended for amplifiers from 50 to 600 watts, and reproduces 28-30k Hz, so they will be more than capable of satisfying two channel listeners without the addition of a subwoofer. The Encore 50 is a three way design, with crossover points at 250 Hz and 3500 Hz. The Epos Encore 50 sports two 8.66" kevlar/carbon fiber/paper woofers, a 6.22" midrange of the same material, and a 1" metal dome tweeter. The midrange is isolated in the enclosure, and the Encore 50 allows the user to attenuate the midrange and tweeter output in 1.5dB increments to allow for listening room adjustment. The only finish is the familiar Epos cherry.

Epos Acoustics have a reputation for making loudspeakers that are extraordinarily neutral at their price point. No price point yet on the Epos Encore 50 floorstanding loudspeaker, but you can be sure that they will offer performance on par with competitive offerings costing much more.

ProAc Adds Ribbons And New Flagship

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:56:41 +0000

I have a secret. ProAc is one of my very favorite loudspeaker makers. Despite the fact that Stewart Tyler turned me down for an interview a couple of years ago, ProAc is still my first choice when I win the lotto. His speakers are beautiful, sound even better, and he is the single most copied loudspeaker designer in the DIY scene.

Two new events in ProAc loudspeaker news this month. First, ProAc now offers ribbon tweeter versions of two of their venerable floorstanders. The ProAc Response D38R and ProAc Response D80R are the two models that receive the ribbon treatment. According to ProAc, the only thing these two share in common with their conventional predecessors is cabinet size. Polypropylene bass drivers, the new damped 60mm x 10mm ProAc ribbon tweeters, and new crossovers fill the traditional looking enclosures.

In addition to the above refreshes, ProAc has launched a new flagship, the ProAc Carbon Pro 8. The 49" 147 pound ProAc Carbon Pro 8 uses a pair of brand new 8" polymer impregnated carbon weave bass drivers. Two 3" midrange domes are mounted in a polymer impregnated carbon weave horn, or waveguide, and the complement is rounded out by ProAc's new ribbon tweeter. The conventional looking cabinet design sits atop a carbon composite plinth. According to ProAc, the 4 ohm 88.5dB ProAc carbon Pro 8 sounds like an electrostat without the drawbacks, and will handle as little as 10 watts, or up to 500 watts, making it very amplifier friendly. $40,000 let's you join the club.

The two way ProAc Response 2.5 is arguably one of the best loudspeaker designs of all time. It's certainly the most copied. The ProAc Response D38 has long been an object of my speaker lust, and the addition of the ribbon is an intriguing hook. The ProAc Carbon Pro 8 looks like a more than worthy scion to that heritage. Now I just need to find $40,000 in the sofa cushions.

3 New Onkyo AVRs Dressed To The Nines

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:44:37 +0000

Onkyo has added three new AVRs to their lineup, the Onkyo TX-NR1007, the Onkyo TX-NR3007 and the TX-NR5007.

All three models are Windows 7 compatible and meet the DLNA 1.5 spec. All three provide support for streaming internet audio via the onboard ethernet connection. What really makes these three units stand out is that they are all 9.2 channel units. That's right, nine channels of amplification and support for two subwoofers. This allows the user to setup a nine channel home theater to take advantage of what Audyssey DSX and Dolby ProLogic IIz offer, or the power from the additional two channels can be used to beef up the power supplied to the mains in a 5.1 or 7.1 system. The TX-NR3007 and TX-NR5007 up the ante by offering 7 and 8 HDMI inputs respectively. Video processing in both units is handled by a Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX, which provides 1080p24 upscaling for all sources. Fill out the list with TI Aureus DSPs and Burr Brown DACs, and the TX-NR3007 and TX-NR5007 have impressive credentials indeed.

Available in September, from top to bottom the new units from Onkyo are slated to sell at $2699 for the 145 watt TX-NR5007, $2099 for the TX-NR3007, and $1599 for the TX-NR1007. The addition of the extra channels is interesting, but even without the extra iron Onkyo has packed these units with some pretty nice audio and video features at their price points.

Klipsch Sells Aragon And Acurus Brands

Tue, 26 May 2009 02:45:02 +0000

Klipsch has owned the Aragon and Acurus brands of electronics since 2001 when they bought out Mondial. On April 27 it was announced that the rights to both brand names had been acquired by Indy Audio Labs, a hi-fi startup launched in late 2008.

Klipsch had ceased production of the Aragon line of electronics separates in 2005. Indy Audio Labs, formed by two former Klipsch engineers Rick Santiago and Ted Moore, will be announcing new product under both brand names in early 1010. The Aragon line will remain their high end solid state separates collection, and the Acurus line will feature value oriented electronics. In the meantime, Indy Audio Labs will support existing Aragon hardware.

It's nice to see another mid-fi separates contender (re)entering the ring after such a long, dry spell of inactivity in that sector. With no new product from the likes of ATI, Adcom, Sherbourn and Audio Refinement, here's hoping that the new Aragon and Acurus lines offer discriminating hi-fi enthusiasts on a budget quality equipment with modern features. Looking forward to more announcements on these lines, and they'll be on the front page of AV Enthusiast when they come.

Tannoy Quietly Adds Definition Series Loudspeakers

Mon, 04 May 2009 13:56:06 +0000

Tannoy has quietly added the Definition line of loudspeakers. The updated series now consists of two floorstanding models and a bookshelf.

The new models in the Definition line return Tannoy to their roots, as all three models use Tannoy's dual concentric design with no additional tweeter. The Tannoy Definition DC8 bookshelf utilizes a single 8" Tannoy dual concentric driver, comprised of a treated paper cone with rubber surround, and Tannoy's 1" titanium tweeter mounted in their tulip waveguide. The 88dB Tannoy Definition DC8T goes down to 42Hz, and will handle up to a 175 watt power source. The 40" floorstanding Tannoy Definition DC8T ups the ante by adding a second 8", and plumbs down to 33Hz at 89dB with amplifiers up to 200 watts. The 44" Tannoy Definition DC10T gets down to 30 Hz at 92dB with amplifiers up to 250 watts. All three models are rear ported, and come in high gloss black, cherry or dark walnut. Notable are the curved enclosures of these units are constructed with plywood instead of MDF, so these cabinets are bound to be very rigid.

No pricing info yet on the new Tannoy Definitions. These are good looking loudspeakers, somewhat reminiscent of Wharfedale's Opus series. I happen to use Tannoy loudspeakers, and I can't praise them enough. If you have a dealer near you, go listen to a set of these new Definitions, or one of Tannoy's other lines. Tannoy may not be one of the manufacturers you have in mind for your new loudspeaker purchase, but they will be after you go audition a pair.

Warner Announces Red2Blu Program

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:41:16 +0000

Better late than never. Warner Bros. has put up a web page announcing a trade-in program that will allow HD DVD owners to get a bit of a break on upgrading the HD DVD titles in their libraries to the Blu Ray versions of the same title.

HD DVD owners looking to move to Blu Ray can mark the titles they want to convert on the site, mail in the HD DVD cover inserts, and for $4.95 plus shipping Warner will send them Blu Ray versions of those titles. Sixteen months after Warner ended the format war, this program may be a little late in coming. However, those still in possession of their HD DVD collection with an interest in going Blu may find this program an attractive incentive.

Ah, the halcyon days of the format war. Chalk me up on the losing side of that one. A year into Blu Ray ownership, I have no big gripes against the format. It's caught up to where HD DVD was during the format war, and extra storage capacity certainly isn't a detriment.My HD DVD collection is long gone, but if you're still hanging on to yours the Warner offer may be of interest.

NHT Falls Victim To Economy

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:11:12 +0000

In what may likely be the first of many such announcements, NHT Loudspeakers has announced that they are shutting their doors.

The letter released yesterday by NHT states that after 22 years in business they will be selling through existing inventory and closing their doors approximately March 31. They state that they will continue to offer customer service and repairs. Bankruptcy is not stated as the reason for this drastic announcement, and it appears that their motivation is a reinvention of the NHT brand. Nevertheless, the doors at NHT will be closing, and one wonders whether we'll see another product with the NHT badge ever again.

AV Enthusiast wishes those at NHT the best. Hopefully they will emerge from this with a direction that ensures their future success. I hope that I don't have to write any more articles like this one, but in this economy I'm afraid that NHT won't be the only one, just the first.

RBH Sound Adds Two To Signature Series

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:41:54 +0000

RBH Sound has added two models to their Signature Series of loudspeakers, the RBH Sound 8300-SE and the RBH Sound 8300-SE/R.

The front ported RBH Sound 8300-SE loudspeaker towers over most floorstanders at 55 3/8" in height. Driver compliment includes three 8 inch aluminum woofers, two 6.5 inch aluminum midrange, and a one inch textile dome tweeter. The RBH Sound 8300-SE/R loudspeaker ups the ante by utilizing upgraded 6.5 inch midrange drivers with phase plugs, a liquid cooled Scan Speak silk dome tweeter, and a modified crossover optimized for the driver upgrade. These hefty bad boys tip the scales at 115 pounds each, and those looking for full range floorstanders will be happy to hear that they are rated to go down to 22 Hz before significant roll off in the frequency response occurs. The 8300 twins will be available in approximately 30 choices of veneer, just like the rest of the RBH Signature Series. If you've ever seen an RBH Signature loudspeaker in burl walnut, you know how incredible their enclosures look.

The $7999 RBH Sound 8300-SE and the $8449 8300-SE/R aren't in everyone's budget, but you'll be hard pressed to find loudspeakers that provide this much sonic and aesthetic value in this range. Try to find an RBH dealer if you're interested in quality loudspeakers that provide big sound for both hi-fi and home theater use. They're well worth an audition.

Denon Reveals Blu Ray Universal Player

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:04:53 +0000

Denon has released the first information for their upcoming Blu Ray universal player, the Denon DVD-A1UDC1.

The Denon DVD-A1UDC1 will be Denon's first Blu Ray Profile 2.0 player, and features SACD and DVD-Audio playback in addition to Blu Ray, DVD and CD capabilities. A Silicon Optix Realta chip handles all scaling duties, so video performance should be stellar. Denon is touting the Denon Link 4th Edition interface that allows the Denon DVD-A1UDC1 to share the same clock as a Denon AVR-5308CI for digital signals. This apparently eliminates almost all possibility of jitter when playing back digital sources. The DVD-A1UDC1 sports 7.1 analog outs and balanced outputs for two channel, for those who prefer analog to HDMI for audio.

Word is still out on whether the unit will be Divx endowed, which would truly make this unit a one box solution for all your disc playback needs. The Denon DVD-A1UDC1 is slated to ship in February 2009 for a cool 3800 clams.

Waterfall Unveils Niagara Loudspeaker

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:01:18 +0000

Those goofy French. Eaters of snails, force-feeders of ducks, lovers of Jerry Lewis, inventors of the pantomime, makers of glass loudspeakers.

Waterfall Audio has unveiled a new floorstanding loudspeaker, the Waterfall Niagara. Setting the 3 way Niagara apart from the other loudspeakers in the Waterfall Audio lineup is the horn loaded design of the tweeter. The horn loaded tweeter is enclosed in a second enclosure that rests atop the main loudspeaker, and receives it's own crossover. The main enclosure houses two 7" drivers supplying the midrange and midbass, fleshed out by the down firing 8" woofer, which lets the Niagara boast a bottom end extension of 36Hz. Sensitive at 89dB, the Niagara will accommodate owners of amplifiers ranging from 60-250 watts. All is housed in a beautiful glass housing made from 15mm thick plates that effectively mass-load themselves: these bad boys weigh 176 pounds apiece.

At $53,000/pair the Waterfall Niagara is not for everyone. If however you are redecorating the Fortress of Solitude this winter these loudspeakers from Waterfall Audio may just fit the bill.