Krell Papa Dock Amplifier

Here is the KID’s daddy, the Krell Papa Dock power amplifier has been designed for the KID (Krell Interface Dock) iPod/iPhone dock. It delivers up to 150 watts of power and features a 40,000 microfarad power supply. It also has physically isolated left and right channels, twelve high current output devices and WBT speaker connectors. Papa Dock automatically powers on when an iPod is inserted and powers off when the iPod is removed.

The Krell Papa will set you back around $2,500 which means that when paired with the Krell KID you’re looking at a set-up coasting around a ‘reassuringly expensive’ $4000. [Krell]

Headphones

Everyone knows that the audio quality of cheap over-ear headphones is next to useless, which is why in-ear buds dominate the low-end market these days, coming bundled with everything from iPods to mobile phones.

Put simply, jamming headphones into the enclosed spaces of the ear cuts out more outside noise and allows the music to get through to the inner ear more efficiently.

Still, this somewhat crude approach leads audiophiles and professionals to generally go for either large, sealed, over-ear cans at about ten times the price of earbuds or very expensive, tailor-made, in-ear monitor headphones that cost many hundreds of dolars.

Fortunately for the rest of us, JVC now has a third option for obtaining quality sounds, in the shape of audio-isolating buds whose driver unit pokes right into the ear canal along with the plastic.

The company’s HP-FXC50 earphones will go on sale in Japan at the beginning of August for ¥4,000 (36 USD), which is barely twice the price of standard buds.

Their secret lies in a long, thin driver that can be squeezed into the part of the bud that actually enters the ear. This provides better audio through eliminating leakage and outside noises.

Philips GoGear SA5245BT is a MP3 player that Philips claim to be able to guarantee superb quality sound with patented FullSound technology. GoGear SA5245BT features music, video, and photo playback, FM radio, voice recording, Rhapsody subscription music support, above-average earbuds, and wireless stereo Bluetooth audio.

Philips GoGear SA5245BT

It can play up to 30 hours of non-stop music, and 6 hours of videos on its 1.8inch screen. The sound quality of the GoGear SA5245BT is better than most players from Philips. Its bundled earbuds that deliver better sound performance than Apple’s iPod. The GoGear SA5245BT delivers smooth, relatively crisp video, provided the source material is high quality. Continue Reading…

Known for designing and building some of the world’s finest loudspeakers, German audio makers Acapella Audio Arts have now introduced a new version of its famous Violon loudspeakers.

Acapella Audio Arts High Violon MKIV

Featuring a patented ion plasma tweeter, the new Violon & High Violon MKIV now come equipped with new and improved larger woofers, updated crossover, internal cabinet modifications and advanced tuning techniques. The manufacturers who have a reputation for taking audio quality to a new level of refinement, have retained the appeal of the original line by keeping the exteriors largely unchanged though the horns finished in a stunning Porsche Macadamia Metallic do add a rather lasting impression on the beholder.

No words on pricing for now, but do expect them to pick on your pockets. [Via Audio Imports]

Samsung has done a rather unique spin on the whole sound bar in front of the flat panel thing, unveiling the other day a sound bar which doubles as a self-contained DVD system. It is called the Samsung HT-X810 and pricing is said to be around $700.

Samsung HT-X810

The Samsung HT-X810 is, according to Samsung, a virtual 5.1-channel system which incorporates an upconverting DVD player and FM tuner. It makes use of 5.8 GHz technology to connect with the included wireless subwoofer and also incorporates Bluetooth so one can stream from Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices and home theater components.

Features of the HT-X810 include HDMI output, a slot-in interface for the DVDs, 300 watts of total power and the ability to play media off of attached USB devices. It is available now.

[Via Samsung]

XM Satellite Radio & Sirius Satelite Radio

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc’s $3.3 billion purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc was approved with conditions by U.S. communications regulators on Friday, clearing the way for a deal that will leave just one U.S. satellite radio service.

The FCC’s commissioners voted by a 3-2 margin in favor of a proposal that would allow the deal to proceed as long as the companies met a series of consumer protection conditions, including a three-year cap on prices, setting aside 8 percent of their channel capacity for minority and non-commercial programming and payment of a $19.7 million penalty for past FCC rule violations.

“I think this merger is in the public interest and will ultimately benefit consumers,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said.

The companies also will have to make available to consumers radios that receive both Sirius and XM. As part of the order, the FCC also will conduct an inquiry into whether it should require that all satellite radios be built with technology that allows them to also receive high definition terrestrial radio signals. Continue Reading…

Buffalo just announced the world’s fastest Blu-ray recorder that is capable of burning through your data at an 8x speed. It’s available in Japan beginning next month. You can get an External version and an internal version. The BR-816U2 External features eSATA and USB port. The BR-816FBS can be connected by SATA.

Buffalo 8X Blu-ray Burner

CDs and DVDs are also supported of course. You’ll get a max 16x burn to DVD±R or 48x/24x for CD-R/RW. Each drive is being bundled with Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 7 suite. The external drive will cost you about $435, while the internal is about $380.

[Via Akihabara]

Samsung Electronics America Inc. lets consumers view PC-content on a Samsung HDTV with the retail launch of the company’s MediaLive adaptor. Samsung’s MediaLive delivers digital content (including HD content) in real-time from Windows Media Center on a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate operating systems to the big screen of a Samsung HDTV via a wireless or wired home network.

Samsung MediaLive HDTV Accessory

From photos, music, feature films, home movies, and live and recorded TV programs, Samsung’s MediaLive is the ideal plug-and-play complement to most 2008-model Samsung HDTVs. Continue Reading…

Samsung  announced its 7-series of plasma TVs, which will be become the new flagship plasma product line for the manufacturer when the devices go on sale in August.

Samsung said the TVs are the first TV cases designed with dual-injection molding technology which infuses color to the bezel rather than using spray paint. Samsung described the design as a “hint of red color blended into a piano black bezel.”

Specifications include 1080p resolution, a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 1300 cd/m2 brightness,
day/night calibration modes, InfoLink RSS support, four HDMI 1.3 connects and one USB 2.0 port and playback compatibility with MP3, JPEG, XviD and MPEG4 files.

Prices start at $2800 for the 50″ model. The 58″ version is priced at $4500 and the 63″ TV at $5500.