The SoundStage! Network has just finished four days of coverage of the High End 2010 show held May 6-9 in Munich, Germany. This is the only formal online coverage done by any North American-based publication for this event. According to publisher and founder Doug Schneider, "We consider coverage of events like High End to be instrumental in the promotion of specialty audio and video. Despite the tough economic times and the high costs associated with covering these events, we feel that publications such as ours must show leadership and continue to provide high-quality online coverage in order to promote specialty audio and video to the world. We're also glad we attended High End this year because we feel it was the best event ever!"
The SoundStage! Network coverage features more than 150 photos, including the new SoundStage! SnapShots! photo galleries, and includes feature articles, reports on the newest hi-fi and home-theater equipment, and awards for Standout Demos. Coverage can be accessed using the "Events Coverage" tab on this site, or by using the link below.
The SoundStage! Network enjoys a rich reputation for providing on-the-spot coverage from specialty audio/video shows around the world. We first began providing timely coverage in 1997.
The year 2010 is no exception. Currently, our team is traveling to Munich, Germany, to attend High End 2010, the largest speciality audio/video show in Europe. High End 2010 runs from May 6-9 and our team will be providing updates every day of the show. Most of the coverage will focus on new products that get introduced there, and additional photos and reports will also be provided that will cover different aspects of the show. Our report will be the next best thing to actually being there. The coverage can be found on this site (SoundStageNetwork.com) under the "Event Coverage" tab. Keep checking regularly to get the latest from Munich starting May 6.
Audio Research Corporation has announced their most ambitious preamplifier ever, the Anniversary Edition Reference Preamplifier ($24,995), to commemorate the company's 40th anniversary. According to managing director of sales, Dave Gordon, it will be available for only one year. Gordon states, "With twice the power supply energy storage compared to previous Reference preamps and using truly separate signal paths for each channel, the Anniversary Edition could not be contained in a single chassis, and thus has a separate power supply and audio sections. The dual-mono power supply has separate low- and high-voltage transformers for each channel, separate vacuum-tube regulation (6550C and 6H30) of each channel, and tremendous energy storage for each channel, insuring unrivalled dynamic headroom. . . . The audio circuit is what you would expect from Audio Research: all-tube, pure class-A triode, with zero feedback. For the first time, the audio gain circuit is dual-mono and uses eight 6H30 triodes, four in each channel." Parts quality appears to be extremely high, including ". . . four custom Teflon coupling capacitors, each weighing more than two pounds."
Read more: Audio Research Introduces the Anniversary Edition Reference Preamplifier
On June 22, Zeitgeist Films will release Alain Cavalier’s Le Combat dans l’île on DVD, completely remastered in a high-definition transfer. A film noir with prerequisite plot twists and betrayals, the movie was made in 1962 but never released in North America until 2009 when the Brooklyn-based company The Film Desk released it to 25 markets in the United States.
The film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant, Romy Schneider, and Henri Serre, with cinematography by Pierre Lhomme, who has supervised the DVD transfer. The DVD will contain quite a few extras, including France 1961, a new short film directed and narrated by Alain Cavalier, created especially for this DVD release; rare behind-the-scenes photos, including images from the archive of Louis Malle; and an exclusive booklet with remembrances from Lhomme and a new essay by film critic Elliott Stein. The 104-minute movie will be presented on DVD in the1.66:1 original theatrical aspect ratio.
Aperion Audio has introduced the Signature SLIMstage30 powered soundbar that "is designed to create theater-like sound for flat-panel HDTVs in secondary viewing locations, such as bedrooms, dens, and children’s play areas where simplicity and room aesthetics are just as important as the surround sound experience." The SLIMstage30 can be placed in front of the TV or mounted to the wall using the supplied bracket.
The SLIMstage30 has been designed for the utmost in convenience. It’s compact, self-powered, and comes with built-in Dolby® Digital and DTS® Digital Surround decoding, so there’s no need for a receiver or surround-sound processor. Consumers can simply plug a source component such as a DVD or Blu-ray player straight into the Signature SLIMstage30.
Aperion Audio sells all of its speaker systems factory-direct through their company website. The Signature SLIMstage30 can be purchased on its own for $599, or with the Bravus 8A subwoofer for $799. The Signature SLIMstage30 comes with a two-year warranty, while the Bravus 8A subwoofer comes with a three-year warranty on the built-in amplifier and a ten-year warranty on the other parts.
Canada's Axiom Audio has released a new series of on-wall speakers meant to complement flat-panel plasma and LCD televisions. The series name is, not surprisingly, On Wall. There are four main-speaker models, three of which are based on current Axiom bookshelf-type designs (the M2, M3, and M22, priced per pair at $296, $330, and $470, respectively), as well as two center-channel speakers, which are also based on existing models (the VP100 and VP150, priced at $255 and $408 each). Brand new is the entry-level model called M0 (shown right) that is priced at $270 per pair.
All the speaker models are available in a wide variety of finishes (see the Axiom website for details) and can be mounted to the wall with Axiom's new Power Bracket. The Power Bracket allows flush wall mounting and provides speaker-wire leads that run inside. All models have been engineered for proper performance when mounted on the wall. According to Axiom's president and chief designer, Ian Colquhoun, “Mounting speakers on the wall is a very convenient and esthetically pleasing option for a lot of rooms. Not everyone can or wants to cut big holes in their walls to accommodate an in-wall design. Our new lineup of on-wall versions of our bookshelf models allows this to be easily accomplished. In the acoustical design we were also able to adjust for the boundary effect of the wall behind the speaker, which is not possible with a bookshelf speaker since you never really know how it is going to be installed.”
Axiom's speakers are sold factory direct through the company's website. The M0 is available now, while the other models will be available in May.
Rotel, a manufacturer of affordable, high-end electronics, has announced an alliance with AUPEO!, an intuitive online music service available in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Rotel plans to integrate AUPEO! into their new Internet-enabled components that will debut in the summer of 2010.
With AUPEO!, consumers can choose from more than 80 high-quality radio stations and can create personalized music selections based on Artist, Mood, and Personal Stations. Once selected, AUPEO! saves the information and creates a music profile that suggests songs based on personal preferences. AUPEO! offers a free basic service that streams music at 128kbps per second and a premium package offering higher-quality streaming at up to 320kbps.
Mike Bartlett of Rotel says, "We are pleased to be able to offer this premium-quality music service to our customers with our new Internet Radio components. Although the USA offers many different Internet Radio services, they are contractually constrained to America only. With AUPEO!, we can extend this reach to customers in the US as well as Europe and Asia."
Phish 3D, a 3D concert experience, is opening nationwide on Friday, April 30 for an exclusive one-week run. The more than two-hour movie, presented by Action 3D Productions in association with Network Live and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., highlights Phish's Festival 8, a three-day, eight-set, 16-hour concert in the Southern California desert.
In advance of the nationwide roll-out, exclusive preview screenings will be shown in nine cities -- Boston; Burlington, VT; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; Raleigh/Durham, NC; and Washington, D.C.-- on April 20. Fans in attendance will take home a Phish 3D movie poster. The fully immersive music and visual experience, featuring state-of-the-art 3D technology, purports to give viewers the sense that they are not only at the event, but on stage with the band that Entertainment Weekly has called "the biggest cult band in
Tickets for the Tuesday, April 20 screenings will be available for purchase on Friday, March 26 (individual theater on-sale dates may be subject to change). Ticketing information is available at www.phish3dmovie.com or at participating theaters.