Oregon’s Aperion Audio used the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest to launch their new line of loudspeakers called Verus Grand, the company’s most ambitious designs yet. The line is comprised of three models: the three-way, five-driver Vera Grand Tower, priced at $1798/pair; the two-way, two-driver Vera Grand Bookshelf, priced at $598/pair; and the three-way, four-driver Vera Grand Center, priced at $699 each. All speakers are available Gloss Cherrywood veneer and Piano Gloss Black finishes and come with a 10-year warranty.
According to Ken Humphreys, Aperion Audio’s lead designer, “The goal for the Aperion Verus Grand line was to create an accurate, uncolored, lifelike experience. To do that, our team built the entire speaker system from the bottom up, engineering each component for maximum sonic impact while keeping the cost in reach of most home-theater audio buffs.” Aperion Audio sells all its products factory direct through their website and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on purchases.
ariama is described as a one-stop shopping solution for classical CDs and digital downloads from more than 50 major and independent labels, with enhanced search tools to make buying music easier and more enjoyable.
ariama will offer CDs, high-quality MP3s, and lossless digital downloads. "We are thrilled to announce the beta launch of ariama.com," said Thomas Hesse, president of Global Digital Business, US Sales, and Corporate Strategy for Sony Music Entertainment. "We think classical consumers are an important, underserved segment of the music-buying population, and we have designed ariama as the answer for fans experiencing an increasingly difficult time finding compelling retail options for classical CDs and downloads. As a company that is home to one of the world’s richest classical music libraries, Sony Music understands the unique requirements of the classical music consumer, and we have tailored ariama to meet them."
In the coming weeks, as ariama further develops its service, additional content and features will be added to the site, and major brand partnerships within the classical music world will be announced. At present, ariama offers exclusive editorial features, record recommendations and artist interviews, as well as content from partnerships with leading publications including Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine.
Sacramento, CA-based Coda Technologies is now shipping the latest iteration of their large-form-factor stereo power amplifiers, the 15.0 and 33.0. Both amplifiers feature a 4400VA toroidal power supply and 60 35MHz transistors. The 15.0 is biased more heavily into class A, producing 100Wpc in class A before sliding into class AB for its maximum power rating of 150Wpc into 8 ohms. The 33.0 produces 330Wpc into 8 ohms in class AB, and doubles to deliver 660Wpc into 4 ohms. Both amplifiers can be bridged to monoblock operation to deliver double their 8-ohm power rating. The 15.0 and 33.0 amplifiers also feature gold-plated circuit boards, a low-impedance power-supply filter-capacitor array, and minimal negative feedback.
The 15.0 and 33.0 measure 17.5"W x 19"D x 7.75"H and weigh 110 pounds each. The company offers a ten-year warranty to the original owner. The 33.0 and 15.0 each carry a retail price of $10,000 USD.
The SoundStage! Network has begun online show coverage of CEDIA Expo 2010. Publisher Doug Schneider is leading the charge this year and will be providing constant updates on all the latest news and product introductions from the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association’s largest trade event of the year.
The Expo is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from September 23-26, and the SoundStage! Network will be there for all four days. You can directly access the coverage through this link, or you can go to SoundStageNetwork.com and use the drop-down menu located under the “Event Coverage” tab. Be sure to check back often since new updates are added daily. And, as always, if you see us there be sure to stop and say hello!
We Wish You A Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year will be released as a two-CD, special-edition set on September 21 (MSRP $15.98). The expanded 2010 version contains four new tracks from the companion EP released in 2009.
The late Ronnie James Dio, Lemmy Kilmister, Alice Cooper, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Geoff Tate (Queensryche), and Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures), in addition to many others, are the performers on such songs as "Run Rudolph Run," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Silver Bells." The four bonus tracks include "O Christmas Tree," featuring Doro Pesch and Michael Schenker, "Auld Lang Syne," performed by Girlschool, "Frosty The Snowman," featuring Steve "Lips" Kudlow (Anvil) and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," featuring Dez Fafara (DevilDriver) and Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake).
Naxos, one of the world’s leading Classical music companies, and Warner Classics have announced a partnership for Naxos to distribute Warner Classics' audio content on CD in the United States. Beginning this month, Naxos will offer repertoire from Warner Classics, encompassing specialist titles on the Teldec, Das Alte Werk, Erato and Warner Classics imprints, as well as the Lontano and Apex labels. As part of the agreement, Naxos will make available more than 2000 classical products, including a range of titles which are currently unavailable in the US.
Naxos of America’s CEO, Jim Selby, commented, "At Naxos of America, Inc. we strive to partner with labels that have a mission similar to Naxos and our family of distributed labels and to provide services to our labels that enable them to grow and manage their businesses more effectively. Warner Classics and its imprints have decades of recorded history and we are excited and honored to be able to represent this fine label and its world-class artists."
John Kelleher, head of Warner Classics & Jazz, added, "Naxos is widely recognized as one of the most expert Classical music companies and one of the largest independent CD distributors in the world. By harnessing Naxos’ dedicated classical resources, this partnership will broaden the range of specialist titles we offer in the US and generate new commercial opportunities. At the same time, it enables Warner Classics to re-focus our efforts on growing our digital business in the region, as well as bolstering our A&R activities."
On September 1, 2010, a new SoundStage.com website will be online for the enjoyment of audio enthusiasts worldwide. Described by founder Doug Schneider as the "third thorough redesign since the Internet publication's launch in 1995," the new site will feature an enhanced layout with improved navigability, advanced graphic design, and "some exciting new content that will reconfirm the SoundStage! commitment to mainstream high-end-audio components." According to Schneider, "This redesign was substantial for two main reasons. One has to do with the technology we now use. Gone are static HTML pages; enter a fully automated, database-driven site that allows for improved publishing of articles, in addition to more efficient search, archiving, and maintenance of the content." The name will also change slightly. What was previously just SoundStage! has now become SoundStage! Hi-Fi to better reflect the content in it.
SoundStage.com is one of four online magazines under the SoundStage! Network banner, the other three being GoodSound.com, UltraAudio.com and SoundStageXperience.com. SoundStage.com is considered the first Internet-only audio publication of its type and reaches hundreds of thousands of readers per month. Schneider sums up: "In 1995, we started with a single publication, SoundStage!, and grew into a group of publications we call the SoundStage! Network. We’ve grown significantly, our scope has expanded, and we’ve made some significant changes. But we want to assure readers that our core focus with this publication remains the same, and now with this new site design and renewed emphasis on what it’s about, it will be even better at serving the audio community in the future as it has been in the past."
Warner has announced that on October 19 it will add Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to its ongoing series of Harry Potter Ultimate Edition Blu-ray and DVD releases.
Each Harry Potter Ultimate Edition contains three discs filled with hours of special features. Also included are collectibles such as a book featuring over 40 pages of movie stills, production sketches, concept paintings, and behind-the-scenes insight. The Ultimate Editions also feature collectible character cards and a bonus digital copy of the film.
Created for fans of the franchise, each three-disc Ultimate Edition features a new chapter of "Creating the World of Harry Potter," a unique eight-hour documentary series with never-before-seen footage, intriguing stories, and an insider look behind the films. Each hour-long chapter is intended to deepen the relationship Harry Potter fans have with the movies and add to their understanding of and connection to their favorite characters, creatures and more. "Creating the World of Harry Potter" is available exclusively in the Harry Potter Ultimate Editions.
The two new Ultimate Edition releases and the two already released (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) are being made available before the highly anticipated theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part I on November 19.