A smaller, more affordable version of the Jamo R 909, the new R 907 tower speaker is also designed for the true audiophile—but designed to work brilliantly where space is at a premium. Like the R 909, the R 907 features dipolar engineering, which means that sound is distributed from both the front and the back of the speaker. The reflected audio from the rear adds ambience and gives the impression of a much larger room—in other words, a more lifelike, live performance sound.
Dipolar loudspeakers have existed for many years; most of them have been electrostatic designs. However, electrostatic technology has one significant drawback: bass frequency reproduction is compromised. They simply aren’t able to produce the characteristic physical bass “thwack” you feel in your midriff. The Jamo Reference R 907 audio tower uses electrodynamic speakers instead of electrostatics—and the results are amazing. The exceptionally firm, deep bass and concert-like high end dynamics put you in the middle of the soundstage.
By using 12-inch woofers rather than the 15-inch drivers found in the R 909, Jamo engineers were able to make the R 907 approximately 20 percent shorter and 15 percent slimmer than the larger model—and even more ideal for smaller living spaces.
Available in striking high-gloss red or black finishes, the R 907 is sure to attract attention as much for its unique look as for its incredibly detailed sound reproduction. The open design allows you to see the quality components that make the Jamo R 907 so remarkable: the two woofers, the Hard Conical Cone midrange driver and the premium tweeter. From deep, precise bass to startlingly concert-like vocals, we’ve spared no expense to deliver sound in its purest form—and the evidence is clear at a glance.
The Jamo development team was given a mission: to “translate” the design and the acoustic characteristics of the R 909 into a new, less space-demanding speaker system. Like its bigger brother, the R 907’s sound quality is very open and dynamic, with extremely low distortion throughout the entire range. It features a highly-detailed midrange with optimal voice reproduction, and a firm, powerful bass, unmatched by mass-produced dipolar speakers.
The Reference Series offers pure works of art that demonstrate superior power handling and audio quality. With their refined sound, both the R 909 and R 907 are, without a doubt, designed exclusively for those discriminating listeners who prefer high end speakers that deliver perfect two-channel sound.
The all-new, uniquely versatile design of the JBL Control NOW loudspeakers enables them to be placed virtually anywhere — including areas where other speakers cannot be installed. The drivers are mounted behind a curved quarter-round front section, and the rear of the enclosure has three angled sections that enable the speakers to be corner-mounted between a ceiling and wall or between two walls. They can also be placed either horizontally or vertically on a shelf. The JBL Control NOW has a black finish, and the JBL Control NOW AW is available in a white finish.
Multiple JBL Control NOW speakers can be joined to create half-round, three-quarter-round, or fully round configurations, and they can be hung from a ceiling using an optional pole-mount bracket and standard ceiling-fan hardware. In addition, the speakers can be mounted with third-party stands, using included adapters.
When used in two-, three- or four-speaker arrays, the JBL Control NOW and JBL Control NOW AW can be configured for either single-channel or single-point stereo use, for maximum flexibility in a wide variety of home, multiroom, architectural and background-music applications, including in media rooms, kitchens, decks or patios — or wherever natural, accurate sound with a wide coverage area is desired.
JBL Control NOW and JBL Control NOW AW loudspeakers are designed from the ground up to deliver outstanding sound quality in the most challenging installation applications.
Corner-mounting, and some multiunit speaker configurations, can have an adverse effect on frequency response across the listening area. To ensure accurate audio performance even in less-than-optimal acoustic situations, the loudspeakers feature a tweeter mounted in a patented JBL Bi-Radial® horn, and have a newly developed profile that has been optimized to minimize diffraction effects from room surfaces to deliver exceptionally smooth, wide frequency response. The speakers have constant-directivity dispersion when wall-mounted, and omnidirectional characteristics when corner-mounted or grouped in a four-speaker circular array.
The tweeter incorporates a 3/4-inch titanium-laminate diaphragm and a ferrofluid-cooled voice coil that is driven by a high-Gauss neodymium-boron-iron magnet, for high-power-handling capability, and outstanding resolution and transient response.
The tweeter is complemented by two 4-inch woofers that incorporate dual neodymium-boron-iron magnets, which completely surround the voice coil. The design of the woofer’s motor structure and suspension was optimized using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), a computer-analysis technique that is used to model complex systems such as loudspeaker drivers by breaking their intricate multipart elements down into smaller pieces, predicting the behavior of these elements, and then combining the behavior of all the elements to arrive at an accurate analysis of the entire system. The use of FEA enabled JBL engineers to design a unique woofer that delivers increased output capability with minimal distortion, even at high volume levels, and provides additional sonic benefits.
To further refine their performance, the JBL Control NOW and JBL Control NOW AW feature enclosures and baffles made from a thermoplastic-composite material that contains both glass and mineral fill, which provides high rigidity and damping. The enclosure’s mechanical design utilizes thick walls, cast-aluminum internal bracing and other refinements to minimize internal resonances and acoustical loss.
The JBL Control NOW loudspeakers are currently available at a suggested retail price of $249 each. The Control NOW AW will be available in late June 2008 at a suggested retail price of $279 each.
With the introduction of its THX® Ultra2 in-ceiling speakers this month, Klipsch adds an all-new premium category to its custom installation business. The latest KL-7502-THX LCR and KS-7502-THX surround models are not only meticulously mapped to THX standards, they also put a fresh spin on the company’s horn-loaded design principles.
According to Mark Casavant, vice president of product development for Klipsch architectural, in-ceiling speakers make up 70 percent of the loudspeaker market, and while Klipsch has been a major player in this segment for years, these new discreet THX® Ultra2 speakers establish a precedence for the company. In fact, the KS-7502-THX is the market’s first THX Ultra2-certified in-ceiling surround speaker.
“Both premium priced products, the KL-7502-THX and KS-7502-THX are now our top-of-the-line in-ceiling speakers, bringing superior sound performances to larger sized rooms,” said Casavant. “While conventional in-ceiling speakers rarely “fool” listeners into believing the sound is coming directly at them, our THX Ultra2 models break the mold by providing articulate detail, powerful impact and excellent localization.”
The KL-7502-THX makes a great left, center or right main channel speaker, as well as a back-channel surround. It employs dual 5.25-inch Cerametallic woofers that operate in an enclosed tuned-port chamber. These exclusive rigid woofer cones offer superb damping characteristics that will not flex or resonate at frequencies within the drivers’ operating ranges, resulting in consistent bass response regardless of the installation or ceiling air space. A 1-inch titanium tweeter in a patented 60-90-110-degree horn that features Variable Coverage Technology, or VCT, allows the speaker to create precise imaging and localized sound fields. The woofers are mated to the tweeter via precision-voiced, high-definition crossover networks, producing a flat in-room frequency response, as well as the company’s signature high efficiency, low distortion sound.
The KS-7502-THX utilizes the same low-frequency driver design and crossover networks as the LCR. The real difference lies in the top end. Dual 1-inch titanium horn-loaded tweeters lie in a patented vertically stacked Wide Dispersion Surround Technology array producing a smooth, seamless broad distribution of sound, as well as enveloping surround performances and precise localization of individual effects.
Adding to their first-class sound, the KL-7502-THX and KS-7502-THX also have a premium look and feel with their grilles off, featuring a deluxe MDF baffle with aluminum fascia. But when covered, the speakers’ paintable grilles allow them to blend in perfectly with any home décor. All-new sure-grip mounting dogs offer even pressure against drywall for long-term installation reliability.
Furthermore, these models come with a lot of options. Timbre matched to all Klipsch THX Ultra2-certified products, installers can create a variety of THX Ultra2 stereo and home theater configurations.
Available for purchase through the residential contracting market, the KL-7502-THX and
KS-7502-THX carry a U.S. MSRP of $1,000 each.
Designed for today’s outdoor home theater lifestyles, NXG Rock Speakers offer maximum sound quality and state of the art audio clarity. Offered in granite and sandstone, these speakers blend in with today’s outdoor environment while proving resistant to long-term exposure to extreme weather conditions. The 6 ½” to 10” sizes offer various choices for different outdoor settings. One of the popular models available through DBL Distributing, is the 10” weather-resistant residential subwoofer rock speaker (DBL SKU’s NX-PRO1000G & NX-PRO1000S). This innovative speaker features 150 watts of maximum power handling and a dual voice coil, 10” fiberglass cone woofer in a rubber surround with a silicone sealed, glass reinforced, “cast iron” resin with frequency response from 35Hz to 150Hz. The aggressive price point offers innovative technology and a pristine design bundled in a much lower cost to the custom install community.
NXG Technology’s Pro Series Rock Speakers are available to custom-installation professionals, independent retailers and home theater designers, through an exclusive US distribution agreement with DBL Distributing LLC by calling 800.433.6766 or ordering online at http://www.dbldistributing.com.
“DBL is very excited to be the exclusive distributor of NXG’s new Pro Series Rock Speakers,” stated Tim Coakley, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for DBL Distributing. “The superior design coupled with extreme value provides an excellent product choice for our custom installation customer segment. NXG has consistently yielded excellent results for DBL and the profitable results for custom installation community.”
When the Klipsch® industrial design team set out to create the flagship Palladium™ P-39F floorstanding loudspeaker, their goal was to have it resemble a premium piece of handcrafted furniture. And, by looking at its striking boat-tail silhouette and exotic zebra-striped finish, it’s quite obvious they hit the mark. But, less apparent is the team’s environmentally friendly approach.
According to Paul Jacobs, president and COO of Klipsch Group, Inc., often, when building luxury goods, manufacturers will use a zebrawood veneer because their affluent target market is awed by its dramatic color banding of light and dark stripes. However, it’s a resource that is considered threatened in its native habitat, meaning it’s vulnerable to extinction in the near future. “With the P-39F, we too are trying to reach upper-echelon customers using a distinct, zebra-striped veneer, but we’ve found a way to lessen the impact it has on our mother Earth,” he said.
The Palladium P-39F features what the company calls a “Linia” veneer, which is available in three different finish stains: natural, merlot and espresso. According to Glen Fuller, Klipsch director of design, Linia is a very close match to zebrawood. It is a hand-selected zebra-grain veneer produced from real wood; tree sources include the Ayous, Obeche and Italian Poplar. These trees are part of a government-sanctioned controlled harvest, so they are a renewable wood resource. “By using the Linia zebra-grain veneer, we’re proving that the essence of nature can still be enjoyed without harming the environment,” noted Fuller.
There are several other advantages that Linia has over zebrawood. Five times as much zebrawood needs to be used to find an acceptable product finish, resulting in an incredible amount of waste material. Worse yet, it is wasting a natural resource that is not easily renewable. The non-threatened Linia is a more eco-friendly choice, in that its repeatable pattern/grain is consistent and offers graphic uniformity, leaving hardly any waste material behind. Fuller also mentioned that Linia’s stain and color consistency from model-to-model is good for manufacturing and matching models from run-to-run and year-to-year.
“Because we want to be an environmentally responsible company, while still setting the highest production standards, we decided to go with a zebra-grain Linia version rather than a zebrawood veneer on the P-39F,” said Jacobs.
Palladium P-39F speakers will begin shipping to select U.S. specialty retailers this summer. More information on this luxury product can be found at http://www.klipsch.com/palladium.
If you’re looking for a small but nice sounding speaker for your iPod that will fit perfectly into a kids room, kitchen, or even a bathroom, this is your ticket folks. And now its even easier to get since Best Buy has signed on for selling these little devices. So see why the Ladybug won “Best of Show” title from Mac experts iLounge and an Innovations Award from CES and maybe buy a couple of the cute little bugs for your home this weekend.
We here at SvenOnTech appreciate the finer things in life, hence the reason you haven’t found things that suck in our Review section. One finer thing we like is good, rich, quality sounding music. We like our bass deep and highs shattering just like those old Memorex commercials (which is kinda ironic since Memorex weren’t that good of tapes anyway.) So of course we really were excited when we reviewed the Axiom Audio M3 v2s last year. Now Axiom is bring those very same speakers to your garage. Or your game room or what ever other room dad “owns”.
In its gray cross hatch look, you’ll be able to mount these bad boys on the wall right next to that big elk head in your garage (’cause we know the wife won’t let us put it in the living room.) We warn you, though, be careful. With the great sound you’ll get out of these little speakers, that elk may start twitchin’ its head to the groove if it’s nice and smooth. Ya, lame joke, but great speakers.
Look for them in time for Father’s Day at a suggested price of $375 for the pair.
Magus, Teresonic’s new compact monitor-class loudspeakers, produce remarkable levels of the highest quality sound with only a few Watts per channel.
“Low power amplifiers including vacuum tubes will sound huge using a fraction of energy compared to power hungry amplifiers and inefficient loudspeakers,” says Mike Zivkovic, President of Teresonic. “Magus is bringing to compact monitors a breed of musicality - the magic of full-range design and ultra-high efficiency — that was just not available before.”
Traditional speakers require over 20 Watts, making Magus one of the most eco-friendly designs available. Magus’ small size matches the most popular compacts, but its ultrahigh performance of 98 dB and unique design surpass them by a wide margin. The coherence and realism produced by full-range, straight through (crossover-less) design sets a new standard for the life-like tonal quality of voices and musical instruments.
Teresonic’s ultra-high efficiency simultaneously improves the sound quality and reduces energy costs. With a fraction of the power, Magus produces sound that is superior in clarity, coherence, reality and life. “Teresonic’s sound is amazingly natural and organic, with not the faintest hint of coloration,” says Neb Maricic, a baritone who was one of the greatest Mozart Figaros of the day. “They are downright addictive… You can listen to them day in and day out.”
Magus speakers are designed for highest sonic performance, to be used as stand-mounted, bookshelf or tabletop sources. They provide freedom and tolerance to allow positioning close to or away from walls and floors. This makes them uniquely suited for smaller listening rooms or offices. While most speakers are sensitive to precise positioning in the speaker’s “sweet spot”, Magus delivers most of its magic anywhere in the room.
With Magus, form also follows function. Teresonic’s enclosures are beautifully sculpted and individually handcrafted like fine musical instruments. “Have you ever wondered why there are no square violins, trumpets, or acoustic guitars? So why do they make square speakers? Because it requires patience and painstaking attention to detail to make them like we do,” says Zivkovic “Teresonic speakers are designed with the centuries-old proven techniques used in making fine musical instruments, combined with the latest science, materials and technology.”
Teresonic’s Magus speakers retail for $ 3,985 for a pair, with customized speaker stands retailing for $385. Customers get a 30-day Total Satisfaction Guarantee and a full three year warranty. Specifications include a sensitivity of 98dB (1W/1kHz/1m), a bandwidth of 60Hz-22kHz ± 3dB, and a power handling of 1-100 Watts.
Leveraging 70 years of professional theater expertise, Altec Lansing, a division of Plantronics, Inc., today introduced a new portfolio of high-end audio systems for the home theater. The new Powered Theater Series provide elegant designs and wireless surround sound for flat panel TVs.
“While digital audio plays a central role in homes today, the majority of systems are difficult to set up, involve a web of wires and lack designs that consumers want to showcase in living spaces,” said Robert Heiblim, senior vice president of Marketing for Altec Lansing. “Altec Lansing’s new home theater products provide the convenience and simplicity of wireless, without compromising great sound or designs that truly complement home decor.”
Home Theater Surround Sound, Without the Wires
Altec Lansing’s new Powered Theater (PT) Series deliver theater-quality surround sound with sleek, elegant bar-style speakers that eliminate bulky and conspicuous components. The PT speakers provide immersive cinematic audio experiences and designs that match the streamlined form factor of today’s flat panel TVs.
- PT8051:The two-speaker PT8051 system provides the ultimate surround sound experience through left, center and right channels within one front speaker as well as left / right channels included in a rear wireless speaker. The system’s matched 8″ x 1½” NXT® Digital balanced audio transducers have flat radiating surfaces that cover more sound and more room area than conventional cone speakers. Movie sound is incredibly realistic through automatic engagement of Dolby® and DTS® listening modes.
- PT7031:The PT7031 is a one-piece, easy-to-set-up speaker system that utilizes virtual speaker technology from Dolby Labs to deliver five-channel surround sound experience. The three matched 8” x 1½” NXT® Digital balanced audio transducers have an advanced surface that is virtually free of distortion.
The Altec Lansing PT8051 system (pictured) and PT7031 have MSRPs of $999.95 and $599.95, respectively. Both products are available in August at major retailers and www.alteclansing.com.
For more information about Altec Lansing’s Fall 2007 product portfolio, please visit: www.plantronics.com/launch.
If you’re looking for some sweet speakers that will handle all that bass and dance in the highs of your Chopin when it’s time to be elegant, then dude, you need to read the review on the Axiom M3 v2s we just did. We’ve had these speaks’ for a while now and man, they sound great! And for $330 a pair, these are a great deal. Read and score.