Speakers

Paradigm just announced a new giveaway to show appreciation to their Facebook fans. Now through March 2010, each month Paradigm will be giving away a Cinema CT System. All you have to do is become a fan of Paradigm's Facebook page and you will automatically be entered to win! One fan will be selected at random every month and given a Cinema CT Home Theater Surround Sound System.

The Cinema 90 CT system is made up of 2 Cinema 90 satellites, 2 Cinema ADP surrounds featuring Paradigm's Adapted Dipole (ADP) technology, a Cinema CC center channel and a Cinema 90 CT subwoofer with 10-inch driver.

To win a system from Paradigm between now and March 2010, sign up to be a fan on Facebook and check back every month to see if you're a winner! Good luck!

More people use laptops to listen to music, watch movies and play games than ever before. Now you don't have to be stuck with the (sometimes) poor quality sound coming from your computer thanks to the new Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless computer speakers.

Klipsch first introduced the ProMedia 2.1 system back in 2000, and it has become one of their best-selling products. To make the speakers even better, Klipsch decided to create a wireless version. The new ProMedia 2.1 Wireless sounds just like the THX-certified original, only this one features a USB wireless transmitter that plugs into the computer's USB port.

The system is not completely wireless, however. Unless operated via batteries, the power source needs to connect to electricity. With this system, the subwoofer is the power source. It plugs into a wall outlet and then the two speakers connect to it via wires. Wireless, (in this case), means no wires attach to the computer. The ProMedia and computer wirelessly connect via the USB wireless transmitter.

The ProMedia 2.1 Wireless is available at klipsch.com for $199.99, only in the United States. The original ProMedia ($149.99) is available at Best Buy and klipsch.com.

Polk Audio this week announced a new speaker made to be used with music video games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero. The HitMaster speaker includes two 2.5" x 5.5" horns with two 1" neodymium tweeters surrounding a 6.5" woofer and it weighs about 13 lbs.

"Rock Band and Guitar Hero are a blast, but what impresses me the most about these games is the extraordinary attention to the quality of the recording masters themselves," commented Mark Suskind, Vice President of Product Line Management for Polk Audio. "But with all this attention to the quality of the soundtracks, most games are played through standard TV speakers, which are dismal at best.

"That's where HitMaster will make a difference. Unlike other stage monitor gaming speakers, HitMaster is designed to bring a real-on stage presence to game-play, with sonic output that is worthy of the Polk brand," said Suskind.

Polk Audio's HitMaster gaming speaker will be available early next year for $99.99. Get more information at www.polkaudio.com.

Paradigm is now shipping the Special Edition (SE) Series speaker line. The SE series features the SE1, a bookshelf speaker, the SE3, a floorstanding model and the SE Center and SE Subwoofer, all with real wood veneer cabinets. Paradigm Special Edition (SE) speakers let budget conscious consumers get high-end sound, as expected from the Paradigm name.

SE 1 Bookshelf

• Two-driver 2-way bookshelf/stand-mounted:
• 5-1/2" M-ICP mid/bass, 1" H-PTD dome
• Estimated $299 MSRP

Do you want to add some bass to your home entertainment system without the hassle of running wires throughout your house? Boston Acoustics has the solution to this problem. Just announced are three new Classic Series wireless-ready subwoofers featuring built-in wireless receivers. They include the 8" 200-watt (350-watt Peak) CPS 8Wi, 10" 300-watt (650-watt Peak) CPS 10Wi and 12" 400-watt (850-watt Peak) CPS 12Wi.

Each subwoofer has front-firing, front ported design, meaning you can actually place the subwoofer in a cabinet. All three also feature volume control, a phase switch, speaker-level inputs, line level input and LFE input. Read more

Here's something different. A new portable speaker was just announced, OrigAudio, "The Origami of Audio" (as the company says). These unique speakers are collapsible, self-powered and made of recycled material – great for the environmentally conscious. They plug into any headphone jack and fold flat enough to put away in a laptop bag or backpack when not in use.

Even better, they retail for only $16, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Music National Service. You can even custom design your own speakers! I haven't had the opportunity to test the sound out on these yet, but hey, at just $16, what do you have to lose?

You can get more information on the speakers and see them in action at www.origaudio.com.

Genius just launched the SP-HF500A, a two-way Hi-Fi wood-enclosed speaker set that is priced under $50! Great for watching movies from your PC, listening to music or playing video games, the speakers feature a three-inch driver powered by a 14W amplifier. There is also a button for power control and one for timbre right on the front of the speaker cabinet.

Other features include an extra line-in jack to connect an iPod, MP3 player, or CD player without disconnecting the speakers from a PC, as well as a headphone jack for private listening.

The Genius SP-HF500A speakers are priced at $44.99 and will be available in November 2009.

KEF cut the wires to their latest subwoofer. The new wireless HTB2SE-W is a marriage of two KEF products – the HTB2 subwoofer, and the Universal Wireless kit.

Simple to set up and easy to operate, the HTB2SE-W has CD quality sound with latest technology for real-time audio with no loss or dropouts. Using the design from the HTB2SE, the subwoofer's 250W Class-D amplifier powers a 250mm (10in.) driver which, together with an auxiliary bass radiator produces deep, excellent sounding bass. And, the subwoofer's automated signal processing means there are no buttons or dials to get in the way of enjoying great sound.

Featuring HFADPCM wireless technology, the sub can be positioned vertically or horizontally with no worries of wires getting in the way. It also features SmartBass with easy to use bass boost and phase controls. Read more