Columbia House, which has had a club for just about every music and movie format ever released going all the way back to the days of vinyl, has announced that it will now have a club specifically for Blu-ray Discs.
Potential customers can go to the website, sign up, and receive two Blu-rays for $5.95 each, with, of course, the agreement to purchase three additional discs throughout the year to fulfill the agreement. These selections can be managed online. The monthly pick can be selected or not, and other titles may be substituted. Postage is charged in addition to the disc price. The club promises special offers after the membership requirement is fulfilled.
Columbia House websiteIn 2009 the SoundStage! Network developed an event idea based on “The World’s Best Audio System” column on Ultra Audio. The idea was quite simple: With cost not a consideration, pick the best components available at any price and assemble them into a single super stereo system in Ultra Audio’s Music Vault listening room, with representatives from each company flying in for a celebratory gathering. The event, titled The World’s Best Audio System 2009, was written about extensively, as the entire SoundStage! Network and a team of writers produced multiple articles over many websites for several months. The World’s Best Audio System 2009 is still discussed worldwide in über-high-end-audio circles. In fact, “The World’s Best Audio System” produces 28,500 hits today on Google. On the AV Science Forum, a message board dedicated to high-end audio/video, the subject garnered incredible traffic, with almost 140,000 views and over 1,100 responses in a thread announcing the project.
Fast forward to 2011. The SoundStage! Network team is putting into motion what will become The World’s Best Audio System 2012 (TWBAS 2012). The goal of TWBAS 2012 is nothing short of assembling and writing about the most cutting-edge audio system of all time. The system will be announced at CES 2012 as part of the SoundStage! Network's show coverage, presented exclusively on www.SoundStageGlobal.com.
More announcements will follow here and on www.UltraAudio.com. E-mail correspondence about the event is welcome. Please contact Jeff Fritz at jeff@soundstagenetwork.com.
Éton Corporation has released the Soulra XL, a larger, deluxe version of its original Soulra sound system. Like its predecessor, the Soulra XL is powered by the sun. A 72-square-inch solar panel flips out to capture the sun’s rays and turns them into energy.
The Soulra XL has a docking port that fits almost all iPod, iTouch, and iPhone devices. Éton claims five hours for a full charge resulting in approximately eight hours of play, but in case you’re in the middle of a rainy season, there’s an AC power input. According to press information, Soulra XL charges your iPod device in three hours while it is charging itself.
Soulra XL has eight speaker drivers (two tweeters, two woofers, and four passive radiators) and a hefty 22W power amplifier with bass boost. The Soulra XL has power indicators that show whether it’s charging, 33-percent powered, 65-percent powered, or 100-percent powered. A remote control fits into a designated spot on the body of the unit. Soulra XL can be transported using its built-in carrying handle or a gel-padded shoulder strap that is included with it, along with the remote control, an AC adaptor, the owner’s manual, and a quick-start guide. Soulra XL is priced at $300 USD.
Éton websiteDefinitive Technology just announced two new sound-bar speakers systems: the XTR-SSA3, a three-channel L/C/R sound bar, and the XTR-SSA5 (shown), a five-channel surround sound bar. According to the company’s June 15 press release: “The XTR-SSA5 features Definitive’s exclusive Spatial Array, a patented technology that optimizes the spatial presentation of five channels to create the illusion that the listeners are surrounded by five separate high-performance speakers. The XTR-SSA3 uses Spatial Array technology on the left and right channels to widen the soundstage well beyond the width of the speaker itself.” Both speaker systems are only 1 5/8” (4cm) deep to match the depth of a very slim flat-screen TV and are designed to be used with a traditional A/V receiver and a powered subwoofer.
The suggested retail prices for the XTR-SSA5 and XTR-SSA3 are $999 and $799, respectively. Both models will be available in July.
Linn Records, named Label of the Year for 2010 by Gramophone, has signed a deal with Naxos of America for US distribution, meaning that the audiophile label’s recordings should be easier to obtain in the United States. Linn has gone for a decade without major distribution in the US.
Gilad Tiefenbrun, Linn’s managing director, commented: "Since being named Gramophone’s Label of the Year, demand from US customers for Linn’s award-winning titles is at an all-time high, so this opportunity comes at an ideal time for Linn. The partnership with Naxos will also allow Linn to cement the label’s growing presence and increase sales in this key territory, whilst furthering support for artists’ US performances."
According to Jim Selbry, Naxos of America CEO: "It is our absolute pleasure to be partnering with Linn Records to usher its catalog and new releases to a broader audience in the US marketplace. We look forward to working with this award-winning label to promote its brilliantly engineered recordings featuring an extraordinary roster of performing artists."
With a dedicated sales team, Naxos states that it will ensure US retail has full access to the Linn catalog, creating sales opportunities across the industry. Naxos will service all major retailers and online stores. Future release highlights will include Claire Martin’s US-recorded 2012 album with Kenny Barron; the Dunedin Consort’s recording of John Butt’s new performing edition of Handel’s Esther; and the Linn debut of Robin Ticciati, the new Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, performing Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.
Furthermore, Linn has announced a new signing: the three-time Grammy-nominated Boston Baroque. The partnership will begin with a recording of Haydn’s Creation, which will be recorded in Boston in October 2011.
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) has introduced the Prestige Monitor 1 (PM-1) that is designed to fill a price point vacated by the company’s own 805 model when it was upgraded to 805 Diamond status (which uses the company’s proprietary diamond tweeter).
The PM-1 is a two-way, stand-mounted design featuring B&W’s new “Carbon Braced Tweeter high-frequency driver, which features an aluminum dome that has been strategically stiffened with a ring made of filament-wound Ultra High Modulus Pitch-based carbon fiber. This construction technique pushes the breakup frequency of an aluminum dome up to 40kHz.” B&W says that the PM-1’s tweeter uses the same surround material as the Diamond series in order to optimize dispersion, and that the PM-1 features a Kevlar midbass driver with a new Foam Damping Cap (FDC) placed in the center. The crossover is said to be a “minimalist” design that contains “oxygen-free copper for the conducting path of the terminals and Mundorf M-Cap Supreme Oil capacitors.”
The PM-1 retails for $2800 USD per pair in Mocha Gloss finish. There is a matching stand available for $550 per pair.
Esoteric has released the I-03 integrated amplifier and A-02 class-AB stereo amplifier. The I-03 is a 68-pound stereo unit that features a beautiful brushed-aluminum chassis and an Esoteric-designed power transformer that alone weighs 22 pounds. The rest of the I-03's construction details are also impressive. According to Esoteric, "Each circuit block is placed in a dedicated compartment. The compartments are assembled three-dimensionally to minimize interference between circuits and use the shortest signal paths. The internal chassis is divided into five parts, with two separate preamplifier boards for each channel mounted in dedicated compartments closest to the rear connectors. This design keeps the audio signal path short and direct. Two Esoteric MSW power amplifier blocks are connected from the preamplifier using the shortest signal path. These blocks are assembled in dedicated compartments on both sides of the chassis and mounted via aluminum plates on both side panels. Using the side panels as heatsinks, this integrated amplifier efficiently discharges heat without compromising its sleek form." The I-03 is available now for $12,000 USD.
The A-02 is a stereo power amplifier that operates in class AB and delivers very high power from its transistor-based design. Esoteric states, "Carefully selected bipolar transistor devices boasting a withstanding voltage of up to 230V are employed, with each device able to supply 17 amps for continuous operation and 34 amps for instantaneous operation. LAPT devices featuring excellent high-frequency characteristics and that create powerful yet fine timbre are mounted in a five-parallel push-pull configuration for each channel to support rated output of 200+200W at 8 ohms or 400W+400W at 4 ohms in class-AB operation. These devices help to achieve both high power to drive all kinds of speakers to their fullest with excellent power linearity." The A-02 carries a retail price of $24,000. Both models should begin shipping in June.
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced the creation of Fox World Cinema, a premiere line of diverse films from around the world that will be available on DVD, Video On Demand, and for digital download in the United States later this year. The initial slate will include Korea’s The Yellow Sea, screened at Cannes earlier this month as part of the Un Certain Regard program; the Chinese film The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman, which premiered at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival; India’s Dum Maaro Dum; and Italy’s Vallanzasca: Angel of Evil which was shown at the Venice Film Festival, Los Angeles Italian Film Festival and the London Italian Film Festival.
"Filmmakers around the world are creating provocative and entertaining films, many of which are rarely seen outside their native countries," says Mary Daily, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "With Fox World Cinema, we are committed to introducing these films to passionate audiences in America that are eager to embrace a range of cultures and experiences." Adds Sanford Panitch, President of Fox International Productions, "Fox has always championed films that transcend language and social differences. In recent years, American audiences have embraced successful foreign films such as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The universal themes represented with Fox World Cinema will be appreciated by film lovers everywhere."
Twentieth Century Fox website