HE 2007 Show Report

Best of Show Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 11:44 PM ET
By Tom Norton

There was a definite shortage of home theater exhibits at this year's home entertainment show. But no shortage of interesting products. When faced with limited home theater presence, I go to plan B: look for loudspeakers. Speakers do of course, handle two types of program material in most homes: music and films. If they sound good on music that's more than half the battle. And if they don't, even Angelina Jolie can't help them.

My awards for best speaker in a 2-channel system go (in no particular order) to Krell for its new Modulare Duo, Wilson Audio for the Watt Puppy 8, Talon for the Thunderhawk, JM Focal for the Electra 1037Be, and Joseph Audio for the RM33LE. The last two are under $11,000, which is certainly expensive but far less pricey than the first three.

I'll admit that I didn't spend a lot of time in every room. Some were discouraging at the outset either by their sound, bizarre appearance (obviously no home theater potential there) or evident lack of an attractive performance/price ratio—particularly when you consider the need to serve at least five channels.

Outlaw Audio clearly won the home theater prize, but Lipinski Sound, CinePro, and Aperion also deserve mention for worthy efforts, with Aperion getting a Golden Asterisk for value for money.

But even without a lot of home theater demos, there were plenty of events, including seminars, workshops, and concerts, to keep things humming.

Soon enough the time will come for the big fall-winter trade shows: CEDIA and CES. They are not open to the public, but we'll be there again to report on all the great new goodies. And I guarantee that there will be piles of home theater news for us to report on from both of those shows.

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CinePro Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 11:03 PM ET
By Tom Norton

CinePro showed its new Mighty Powershelf two-way speaker ($3300/pair), together with the Mighty Center Channel ($2700), two jumbo 12" Dual isobaric subwoofers ($5000), and a rack full of CinePro electronics. The projector was from SIM2. The sound was punchy and dynamic, even though I did request a slightly lower playback level than those that CinePro usually favors. Also sharing the room with CinePro was VidaBox, a media center designed as a full-function server capable of storing music, television programming, and movies on its hard drive. It is also said to be capable of both Blu-ray and HD DVD playback. Shane Buetter has more to say about the VidaBox in an earlier blog entry (below)

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Soundmatters Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 10:59 PM ET
By Tom Norton

Two makers of one-box solutions for virtual surround sound were at the show. ZVOX was covered earlier in our show report (below). Soundmatters is the other. The Soundmatters SLIMstage40 Surround Console ($899, available in July), available in either silver or black (the silver version is shown in the photo, just under the flat panel set) uses four seven active drivers and eight internal amplifiers (170W total) to simulate a full surround sound experience. At 3.4" deep, it's designed to fit under a wall-mounted, flat panel television.

Auditioning revealed reasonably convincing spacial effects, including flyovers, though they clearly weren't as palpable as those produced by a fully separated, multichannel sound system. The auditions also suggested that the SLIMstage40 could really benefit from a subwoofer for fully-balanced sound. Soundstage is ready for that with the SUBstage 200 sub ($399, also July), a tiny design (about 4" x 17" x 8") said to respond down to 32Hz.

There will also be a slightly larger SLIMstage30 and larger SLIMstage50, both available in September.

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How SCB Rolls, Part 2 Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 6:02 PM ET
By Shane Buettner

Pictured here is the Vandersteen Model 5A, which is my reference loudspeaker. This pair is finished in striking carbon fiber. This speaker has bult-in powered subs and an 11-band EQ that allows its response to be tailored for flat response below 20Hz in virtually any room. This also allows you to put the speakers out in the room where they image best without sacrificing bass response as is typical as you move out from the room boundaries.

At HE 2007, as driven with the aforementioned ARC tube gear sounded fantastic. It was explosive, with powerful bass response and impact, but it was also balanced, natural and not at all overblown. The imaging was spacious and dimensional but also precise and utterly convincing. And the natural life and decay was sensational.

Yeah, I'm enthusiastic about these products from ARC and Vandersteen- so much so that I spent my own money (and a good chunk of it at that) to own them. So, if they're good enough for me I'm betting some of you might be impressed as well.

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How SCB Rolls, Part 1 Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 5:48 PM ET
By Shane Buettner

This morning's Ask the Editors panel was another fun and engaging event full of excellent questions and (hopefully) informative answers. At one point the subject of separate systems optimzed for two-channel audio vs video and surround sound came up, offering me a chance to get my own message out there on this subject, and to admit to you all that I am in fact a card carrying analog druid. I do not have two systems and I sacrifice nothing in performance for either.

Front projection makes this easier as there's no huge TV in between my stereo speakers to deprive them of their imaging capabilities. But the real key, aside from a proper ITU speaker setup, is that I use an analog two-channel preamp with an input set up to do a unity gain processor pass through on the front two channels for surround sound. No compromises.

As fate would have it, the manufacturer of my loudspeakers, Vandersteen Audio, was teamed up with Audio Research in a booth this year and making great sound with a system built around the Vandersteen Model 5A speakers I use, along with the Audio Research Reference 3 preamplifier I use for a preamp. The system also featured ARC's PH7 phono stage, a Reference CD7 disc player and the Reference 110 stereo power amps. All the ARC components referenced above are tube components. Rounding out the system was a Clearaudio turntable and AudioQuest Signature DBS cables. Pictured here is the ARC Reference 3 preamp.

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A Swiss Army Knife From Vidabox Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 5:28 PM ET
By Shane Buettner

OK, first of all, apologies to everyone, and especially our beloved web monkey, who hates stock photos at shows. I couldn't get a decent shot of the Vidabox equipment so I grabbed an image from the web.

Vidabox was sharing space with Cinepro and using its Lux media server for parts of the demo. Running Vista's media PC interface, this thing manages your music and movie libraries, acts as a dual-tuner HD DVR with two CableCARD slots, and is also a format war killer in offering Blu-ray and HD DVD drives for playback of both formats. Now that's a universal player- and more!

DVDs can be ripped into the system as long as they're not copy protected, or you can hang large CD/DVD changers off of the Vidabox as well. All Music Guide handles the artwork and background info for the music library, and Microsoft provides the channel guide for an easy to use and detailed DVR system. The Vidbox can be expanded to 3.7 terrabytes(!) of storage space.

The Lux isn't cheap at around $7K configured with HD DVD and Blu-ray for the show. But its capabilities are so immense that I assure that I've just scratched the surface here. I'd love to get one of these in for review, hint, hint!

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Crushed By Cinepro Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 5:13 PM ET
By Shane Buettner

Cinepro was here at HE 2007, and had everyone talking about its demo. And talking loudly, because after hearing the Cinepro Mighty surround system odds are you weren't hearing anything else unless you'd brought earplugs too!

The most effective demonstrations tell you what you're going to hear, and then deliver it in spades. Cinepro told us that SMPTE specs recommend high SPLs, with a ton o' dynamic headroom, and that to do that properly requires a ton o' power. And that's exactly what the Mighty surround system did. I've had my pant legs ruffled by subwoofers moving air before, but the Mighty system ruffled my shirt cuffs, lapels and anything else that wasn't tied down! Wow.

This 7.1-channel system was comprised of a DTP-8 processor, two 3k6 Mk5 power amplifiers, one Evo Mighty Center speaker, six Evo Mighty Powershelf speakers and two 15" Isobarik subs. The Powershelf speakers are interesting in being real bookshelf speakers that play crazy loud without dynamic compression, but are just 5" in depth, lending to flat screen TV applications. I can't listen that loudly, but if you can and do, call these guys!

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A Seminar Too Far Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 10:20 AM ET
By Fred Manteghian

I counted almost twenty questions in the one hour ask the editors session on HDTV. That's Geoff, Tom and Shane up there looking like Sadam's jury. The questions dealt with high definition TV, as expected, and overflowed to the high def format war, also unavoidable. Attempts to close us down before our full hour was up were, shall we say, unsuccessful.

What's driving HDTV sales, is it high def TV or one of the high format disc formats? Answer: mostly HDTV at this point.

What's going on with the format war? Answer: $300 Blu-ray players from Sony by Christmas, but even cheaper HD players from China even sooner, so, we'll see!

What kind of antenna is best for over the air high definition reception in "my" area? Answer: check www.antennaweb.org.

What's the latest with HDMI? Answer: wait, wait, there's a new revision coming.

Does anyone make a passive HDMI switcher so I don't have to have my receiver on to watch TV? Answer: Nope, HDMI requires active circuitry.

There are lots more, and the answers were certainly more involved than I've presented, but we think everybody enjoyed the session.

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My Personal Favorite at the Show Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 9:55 AM ET
By Fred Manteghian

There were a lot of great sounding systems at the show, there always are, but some rooms just hit you right. For me, it was the Dynaudio / Simaudio room. In this small room, Simaudio Moon W7M monoblocks ($16,000/pr, 500 watt@8 ohm) drove the small Dynaudio Confidence C1 ($6,500/pr or $7,000/pr in black lacquer, stands were an extra $450/pair and bolted to the bottom of the C1). The system front end was from Sim Audio's Moon line as well, The Andromeda CD player ($12,000) and P-8 Controller and Preamp ($11,500) completed the front end. A seriously priced system, no doubt, but the sound was commensurate. From the overplayed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole that greeted me when I entered, to Sarah McLachlan's "Eyes of an Angel," to a Bruce Coburn / Lucinda Williams piece (this guy is seriously nihilistic – nobody sell him a rocket launcher, please!), the system sounded relaxed and totally involving. It had an uncanny ability to paint unique perspectives for each recording. I could have stayed even longer, but the show was calling. With a new found respect for Sim Audio electronics and an even stronger desire to get a Dynaudio Confidence system in for review, I begrudgingly walked away.

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Here's Looking At You KID Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 9:20 AM ET
By Fred Manteghian

Krell employees, three of them, and practically in unison, insisted that the iPod's dock attachment offers balanced outputs. That's why they, Krell, king of balanced amplification, are offering the new Krell iPod Dock later this year. If you can't tell from the picture, there are separate bass, treble and volume controls on the front. I glimpsed out back and the KID offers both balanced (XLR) and single ended (RCA) outputs. Oh, yeah, it's expensive at $1,200, but if you're in love with your iPod as much as I am (and if you're transferring music from your CDs down at AAC's max 320 kbps rate you should be), this KID may be your ticket to better music.

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Joseph Audio Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:48 AM ET
By Tom Norton

With home theater demos thin on the ground, I'll devote the next batch of blogs to some of the more interesting two channel demos I heard at the show.

Joseph Audio had a dual demonstration. Pride of place went to the RM33LE speakers ($10,500/pair), a three-way design that's less than half the price of the company's flagship Pearl, but uses very similar drivers, including the same tweeter. It's shown above with Jeff Joseph himself. It sounded punchy, dynamic, and open—one of the best sounds I heard at the show. The electronics were all from Bel Canto, including the Bel Canto 3000 CD player ($3000), two outboard Bel Canto DACs ($2500 each—the 3000 has its own DACS but Bel Canto elected to go the extra mile for the setup), and a pair of Ref 1000 Bel Canto monoblocks (500Wpc into 8 ohms).

As of now there is no compatible center channel speaker for the system from Joseph Audio. Jeff said that the company is looking into producing the top half of the speaker (the small woofer-midrange together with the tweeter) as a separate design—a design that just might make a good center channel for the type of display most likely to be paired with such a pricey speaker—a separate projector and screen.

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Joseph Audio II Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:45 AM ET
By Tom Norton

Joseph also demonstrated its RM7xl speaker ($2299-$2499/pair, depending on finish), but in a very unusual way. The source was a laptop computer feeding uncompressed files into a new Bel Canto integrated amp via a USB connection.

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Rives Audio Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:42 AM ET
By Tom Norton

Rives Audio is repeating a demonstration that was a hit at last year's show in Los Angeles. Two rooms are set up with near identical systems. One room is completely untreated, the other uses a variety of acoustical treatment devices plus electronic equalization of the bass (using two Rives Sub-PARCs and extra amps to support the equalizers). The speakers in both rooms are Talon Thunderhawks ($25,000/pair), the amplifier the VAC Alpha Integrated ($10,000, an all-tube design with 100Wpc), and the CD player the Wadia 580i ($9450).

Running such an experiment involves an intimidating number of variables: playback levels, the synchronization of the program material so that when you shift rooms you are not listening to an entirely different piece of music, , the number of listeners in each room, and the seating position of the listener. So when I say that I wasn't sure which room I liked the best overall, except perhaps in the bass, that's only a reflection on the length of time it takes to do such a comparison. I hope to check it out again tomorrow, if there's time.

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Silverline Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:37 AM ET
By Tom Norton

Silverline was demonstrating two different speakers, the floorstanding Prelude ($1200/pair) and the small Minuet ($600/pair). I heard the Preludes ($1200/pair). One attendee remarked that the Preludes sounded better than a lot of more expensive speakers at the show. Apart from a trace of aggressive brightness, which could well have been due to a completely untreated room, I have to agree. The speakers sounded more dynamic, and bigger, than their size might suggest. Silverline makes a wide range of speakers, including a center channel (which at $1200, may be a little pricey to mate with the Preludes).

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A Walk on the Budget Side Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:27 AM ET
By Tom Norton

There isn't a lot of budget gear at HE2007, but then the show has always trumpeted itself as a high-end show. New York dealer Sound by Singer had five rooms filled with increasingly expensive gear, but the first room was at least relatively real world, with a price of approximately $6000. The speakers were the JM Focal Chorus 836V floorstanders at $3000/pair. The electronics were from Cambridge Audio (the 840A integrated amp and 840C CD player, at $1500 each). The sound was very clean and well balanced. My only reservation: from a front row, center seat the imaging was a little bloated. But it was a fine-sounding system, and the step up to the next system in Sound by Singer's progressively more expensive chain of rooms was over $30,000. But that system was anchored by the JM Focal Electra 1037Be ($10,995/pair), one of the best sounding speakers I've heard at the show.

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Meridian-Faroudja Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:24 AM ET
By Tom Norton

Back on the limited home theater front, Meridian/Faroudja had a small room with both audio and video, the latter a modest flat panel display. The heart of the audio system was the new Meridian G95 ($8495), a complete processor/amp/DVD player all in one case; in other words, it's a high-end DVD AV receiver, offering five channels of 100Wpc amplification. But it does have limitations, which are rather surprising for such an expensive device. There is no DVD-Audio playback (Meridian has long been a champion of that format), and no way to get an external multichannel source into the receiver (there is no multichannel analog input and no HDMI switching to provide multichannel audio on HDMI). The only HDMI connection is the HDMI output for the internal DVD player.

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HDTV 101 Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:19 AM ET
By Shane Buettner

OK, I admit I called this the "Stereophile show" in an earlier Blog. George Lucas didn't release another bad prequel to Star Wars, these people were all "on line" for the HDTV 101 seminar hosted by Home Theater's Geoff Morrison, and featuring UAV's Tom Norton and myself. Yeah, home theater enthusiasts, you came out for us! Thanks!

The crowd was not only big, but inquisitive and engaging. I was particularly struck by a couple of attendees who approached me after the session to tell me how much they had learned by asking us questions directly. There are lots of pieces of info we learn that slip through the cracks of our coverage by not presenting obvious pathways during the course of the focused reviews and feature articles we write.

So, do me a favor and post some response here if you think it would be a benfit if UAV offered a reader letter section or something similar to answer your questions regarding the confusing tangle of technology that's out there right now. If you want it, we'll do it. Convince us!

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Not Too Many Notes In This Case Posted Sun May 13, 2007, 1:07 AM ET
By Fred Manteghian

The DCS Scarlatti CD player and Brinkman Balance turntable, arm and cartridge were a formidable front end in one of the Singer rooms. VTL's TL-6.5 tube preamp and TP-6.5 phonostage gently handed off the signal to a VTL Reference S-400 stereo tube amp. The big surprise for me was the speaker system at the end of this audio reproduction chain. Escalante Design's Fremont speaker had an unusual two toned finish that made me think palomino pony. The speaker was very boxy, very unconventional by modern aesthetics, but boy, this speaker was blessed with a beautiful tonal range with powerful but controlled bass. Big well designed tubes amps like the VTLs will do that.

A cover of "Bright Shiny Day" performed by Holly Cole on CD and a Mark Knopfler song (didn't catch the name) on vinyl sounded especially good (though there some noticeable hiss from the phonostage). No idea on the prices, but I heard the DCS Scarlatti alone is over $60,000. I guess, I you have to ask . . .

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This Must Be What Hell Is Like Posted Sat May 12, 2007, 1:07 PM ET
By Fred Manteghian

The distributor for a new (to the USA) Swedish speaker resorted to the dirtiest of tricks to get us into their room – free Swedish food. I didn't know Edamame and asparagus were Swedish, but I guess the meatballs were all gone. I grabbed a few veggies and sat down to listen. The $1,850 GURU QM10 loudspeakers from Sjöfn HiFi were pumping out a lot of bass heavy music without the assist of a subwoofer. Unfortunately, the first cut was something that sounded like Yello meets the Greater Wagnerian Society of Skinheads.

But then they put on some better music and the $2995 system sounded pretty good. Now who knows if the Sjöfn GURU will end up being anything more than the name of next folding chair from Ikea, but they did sound very good and if you're here at the show, check them out.

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Looks Good Enough To Eat! Posted Sat May 12, 2007, 12:47 PM ET
By Fred Manteghian

I spent some time in the Lipinski / JVC room. Lukas Lipinski showed us a more stylized version of the L-707 speakers on custom stands that include stereo amps (either bridged and biwired or not-bridged and biamped – we're still a little confused). Tom Norton goes into more detail in his coverage below, so I won't repeat it here. Suffice to say, the sound from these speakers was, once again, very good, if a bit too loud.

On display was the 70" rear projection LCoS from JVC. On this I have to differ with Tom who felt it was the second best picture at the show, as I'd promote it to first place. The rainbow-less picture from this 3 chip "DILa" projector (JVC's trade name for their brand of liquid crystal on silicon, verses Sony's SXRD designation for essentially the same base technology) was simply outstanding. The specially made high definition video provided by JVC was getting the loop treatment, but the picture completely popped off the screen no matter how many times you saw it.

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