Home Audio

Sonos this week announced a special, limited time offer via the company's blog. U.S customers who purchase a Sonos PLAY:3 system and BRIDGE will receive a $50 SiriusXM gift card, allowing them to listen to SiriusXM's nonstop streaming music, news, sports and talk all throughout the home. The offer is exclusively for U.S. residents and is valid now through April 15, 2012. The SiriusXM gift card can be applied to a current subscription plan, or can be used to try SiriusXM for the first time.

The Sonos PLAY:3 is a small all-in-one wireless music system. It packs in a tweeter, two mids, and a single bass radiator to deliver wall-to-wall HiFi sound - even though it measures just 5.2 x 10.5 x 6.3 inches!

Priced at $299 (and when combined with the BRIDGE, just $348), the PLAY:3 is the most affordable all-in-one system from Sonos. Connected to the Internet, you can play over 100,000 radio stations, as well as all the digital music stored on your computer, including your iTunes library. PLAY:3 also has access to music streaming services from AUPEO, iheartradio, Last.fm, MOG, Napster, Pandora, Rdio, Rhapsody, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Spotify, Stitcher SmartRadio, TuneIn, Wolfgang’s Vault, and more. All of this is wirelessly controlled via the free Sonos Controller Apps for Android, iPhone and iPad, or the included Sonos Controller for Mac or PC. Read more

Onkyo has two new mid-range A/V receivers hitting store shelves in May - the TX-NR717 and TX-NR818. Both are 7.2-channel network receivers which use Burr-Brown 192kHz/24-bit DACs on all seven channels, with the TX-NR818 adding PLL jitter-clearing circuits, isolated pre-amp blocks, and an isolated power amplifier. In addition, both models are THX Select 2 Plus certified and feature the Marvel Qdeo processor, which can upscale all sources up to 1080p and 4K.

The new models also include Onkyo's new InstaPrevue and MHL (Mobile High Definition Link) technologies. InstaPrevue displays video thumbnails on-screen, showing available content on connected devices, which simplifies switching HDMI sources. You'll find eight HDMI inputs (one front, and seven rear) and two outputs, with 3D content supported on both, as well as DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD audio decoding.

Yamaha has a new entry-level 5.1 channel A/V receiver hitting store shelves this month. Priced at just $299.95, the RX-V373 features a front panel USB input for connecting your iPod or iPhone, 4K video pass-through, HDMI (4 in/1 out) with 3D and Audio Return Channel and the company's YPAO (Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Analyzer) auto-calibration system set-up.

In addition, the RX-V373 supports Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio.

Additional features:

• ECO Mode that reduces the model's power consumption by 20 percent. The model has extremely low power consumption in standby mode and Auto Power Down can be set for 2, 4, 8 or 12 hours;
• A subwoofer level adjustment that enables listeners to increase the bass without disturbing the system's crossover point. The result is that vocals and high frequency sounds do not end up "boomy" or "muddy" from being misdirected through the subwoofer;
• A High speed HDMI switching function that remembers the settings of all connected sources, eliminating the time it normally takes to adjust to each when they are selected;
• Four convenient SCENE Mode buttons that automatically power on the appropriate components and make system adjustments for specific entertainment options.

iHome on Wednesday announced a new wireless speaker system with Airplay – the iW2.

Available on April 1, the iW2 is an app-enhanced AirPlay wireless speaker system that uses your Wi-Fi network to connect and control your iTunes library, allowing you to listen to wireless audio anywhere in the home. The iW2 has a USB port for charging and music playback from your iPad, iPod and iPhone with any iPod USB sync cable and dock. Sound is great too, thanks to SRS Trubass sound processing which is custom tuned to two full-range speaker drivers.

"Many whole home audio systems require a significant investment from consumers and, until recently, a certain level of technical skill as well," said Evan Stein, Director of Marketing, iHome. "Easy to set-up, the iW2 offers a cost-effective entry into the world of wireless home entertainment without sacrificing quality or functionality."

The iHome iW2 will be available on April 1, 2012 at Best Buy, Crutchfield and select Target stores, and at iHomeAudio.com for $199.99.

Samsung this week took the wraps off of the first models of its new line of audio dock systems. The 2012 lineup includes the DA-E550, DA-E570, DA-E650 and the DA-E670. The one that caught our eye was the DA-E670, with its ability to connect to both Galaxy S and Apple iOS devices.

Available in May 2012, the DA-E670 Audio Dock is the first audio dock to offer multi-device compatibility, offering connectivity to both Galaxy S and Apple iOS devices, either wired or wirelessly. The DA-E670 features built-in speakers delivering 40 watts of power and an integrated subwoofer for improved bass response.

Additional features include an auxiliary input, support for Bluetooth-enabled devices, and audio support for MP3, WMA, WAV files from portable storage devices connected via USB. The DA-E670 supports both AllShare for Samsung devices and Airplay for Apple devices as well. A remote control is also included. Read more

One of Atlantic Technology's most popular subwoofers is the SB-900, a front-firing model. This week, the company announced a new down-firing version - the SB-900DF. Because the woofer and bass vent are located on the bottom of the cabinet, the subwoofer can be placed in tight spots behind furniture without you having to worry about hearing muffled sound.

Measuring 10-7/8 inches wide, 13-1/8 inches high and 13-1/16 inches deep, the SB-900DF is pretty small. But don't let it's size fool you. It packs in an 8-inch long-excursion woofer, a tuned bass port and 125-watt power amplifier, capable of delivering a peak output of 102 dB SPL in a 2000 cubic foot room and a frequency response for 32 to 200 Hz, ±3 dB.

Additional features include an adjustable crossover control, a built-in crossover bypass, proprietary distortion-detection circuitry and auto-on sensing which saves power.Read more

First announced in January at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, Meridian Audio's Core Control App for iPad is now available as a free download from the Apple App Store.

The new Core Control App for iPad allows Meridian Digital Media System owners to control their Meridian system using an iPad.

Core Control App for iPad features:

• Cover Browser – arrange the graphical display of your music collection by Artist, by Import Date, by Release Date, by Play Count, or to show your favorite internet radio channels. The browser allows you to visualize your entire music library – an experience reminiscent of flicking through album covers, a far superior experience to trawling through lists.
• Focus – This navigation tool enables you to target how you view your collection. Focus on almost any criterion from album info, Genres, Composers and Credits, to Labels, Tags, Moods, and even forensic detail such as quality or when a track was last played. You can also recall previous saved focuses. The unique and powerful Focus feature allows you to search your collection in a way that better mirrors how we think about our music – without needing to know exactly which album, track or artist.
• Swim – Accessible from any of the main display modes, Swim is a unique and intelligent function that continually and intuitively selects more tracks and adds them to your Play Queue. Swim helps you rediscover music you had forgotten and providing a truly inspiring experience.
• Select and Edit mode – edit frequently-accessed album details. You can also create and edit album sets. This feature allows you to manage album Genre and Tags while you listen, and while the current album is most in mind.
• Play Queue – is a dynamic list of those albums and tracks that you have chosen to play. From the Play Queue view of your Meridian Digital Media System you can manage the order in which your chosen tracks will play. Choose to re-order, remove, replay, loop or shuffle the contents of the Play Queue. You can even save a Play Queue as a Playlist, making it available to listen to again at any time.
• Album Details – places the equivalent of traditional sleeve liner notes in the palm of your hand. Enjoy album artwork, see other related albums – even read online reviews. There is also track-level detail including play count, duration, and Track Pick/Skip status.
• Search – provides instant access to a powerful text-based search facility covering combinations of Album, Artist, and Track detail. Perfect when you know part of the information about what it is you want to listen to.
• Transport and Volume Controls – give you immediate control over what you listening to, and how you listen to it, in any zone of a Meridian Digital Media System, providing control of all Meridian Source devices.
• Zone Selector – the Meridian Core Control App for iPad can control all the zones of your Digital Media System. Use the Zone Selector to choose your zone, link zones, and even transfer Play Queues between one zone and another. Start listening in the living room and take your chosen music with you as you move around the house.
• Explore - browse your music collection in a more traditional, linear fashion, based on specific criteria. Choose to play either albums or individual tracks now, next, or by adding to the current Play Queue.

Grace Digital Audio has added a new Wi-Fi music player to its lineup. Recipient of a CES 2011 Design and Engineering Honoree Award, the Mondo Wi-Fi music player features a large 3.5-inch LCD display, 5 alarm settings, dedicated snooze/sleep button, 30 backlight settings and audio that provides solid bass, detailed midrange, and crisp clear highs.

Thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi (802.11N), connection is easy to any standard wireless router – no extra hardware, software or PC needed. Once connected, you can listen to music services including Pandora, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM Internet Radio, NPR, CNN, BBC, NOAA, Weatherbug, and more than 18,000 AM/FM/HD radio stations - even play your music files direct from your PC, Mac or network attached storage device. Browsing your music collection (or favorite music service) is easy too, via the Mondo's color display or free iPhone/iPad and Android remote control applications.Read more

Onkyo this week unveiled four new AV receivers – the TX-NR616, TX-NR515, TX-NR414 and TX-SR313. Three of the new receivers offer network capability, and are also the first to include MP3tunes. In the 2012 line, you'll also find the first AV receivers with Silicon Image's InstaPrevue and Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) technologies.

The 5.1-Channel TX-NR313 is the least expensive of the group (no network connectivity on this model) but it does come with four HDMI ports, three digital inputs (two optical, one coaxial), Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, and sARC (Audio Return Channel) support to route a compatible TV's audio back through the receiver. It offers 3D support and also has a USB port on the front of the device for connection to your iPod, iPhone or flash-memory device.

The TX-NR313 will sell for $299. It will available in March.Read more