Sony Sountina

30/5/2008

Courtesy of AVReview.co.uk

It doesn't happen often enough for our liking but Sony has today shrugged off tradition and actually put into production one of its delicious concept designs first unveiled a year ago.

The Sony Sountina is a very distinct looking high-end speaker. Crafted from transparent organic glass it offers a non-directional sound thanks to the tubular properties that vibrate and expand the sonics it's amplifying to cover a 360-degree area.

Listed stats say a frequency response of 50-20,000Hz, with a 130mm subwoofer, 70mm midrange speaker and organic glass tweeter. It also carries line-in, coaxial and optical connectors.

Measuring 325x1845x325mm and weighing in at 12.5kg, it costs a not insignificant €6,500 and will be available throughout Europe in bespoke shops from June 20. Go on, treat yourself.

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Harman Kardon Announces Three New AV Receivers

30/5/2008

Courtesy of Crave

While most audio manufacturers trot out a new line of AV receivers every year, Harman Kardon generally sits out of the "feature war" and lets its models stay in the product line longer. That's why it's a big deal that the company has announced three new receivers, bringing many cutting-edge features that were previously missing from the company's lineup.

As always, these new receivers have Harman's typically refined look, and now that some of the models include updated features--like high-resolution audio decoding, a high-def graphical user interface, and video upconversion--you won't have to settle for beauty without brains. Let's take an in-depth look at the new line.

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Pioneer Kuro LX-5090 & LX-6090

29/5/2008

Courtesy of AVReview.co.uk

Long-time supremo and leader of the plasma charge, Pioneer has demonstrated its ninth-generation KURO plasma TV range to AVReview at London's plush Soho Hotel.

Two new models - the 50in LX-5090 and 60in LX-6090 - will become the new flagship displays, as the company also announced it is to branch away from its 'plasma only' aesthetic by launching a range of smaller LCD TVs.

First up the plasmas though. Both are obviously running Full HD 1920x1080 resolution with 24p and the expected picture-improving trickery, but what was remarkable was the 'shootout' with other displays that Pioneer put on. Putting the new gen panel up against its own eighth-gen 60in plasma, Panasonic's 46in plasma and Samsung's LED backlit LCD panel, it outstripped all in terms of black levels and colour reproduction, even its predecessor, which until that point had been the industry benchmark for black levels.

Pioneer claims the new set's blacks are an amazing five times deeper than the previous model - something we can entirely believe on this evidence. Available within the next two months, the LX-5090 will retail at £2,500 and the LX-6090 at an eye-watering £4,500 - but if you want the best… At the same event Pioneer's marketing manager Heidi Johnson-Cash also confirmed the company was to launch a new range of smaller, more affordable LCD TVs in line with market demand and in order to integrate the Pioneer brand throughout the house.

The LCDs will be available in 32in, 37in and 46in versions and will be Full HD 1080p compliant with 100Hz processing - a dummy model was on display that looked suitably shiny and svelte in the traditional Pioneer vein.

Other products announced in dummy format included a Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player, home cinema system, two-channel hi-fi and a particularly enormous amp.

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