Serbia’s Trafomatic Audio continues to expand their Experience line of tube powered products. The new Experience Head One continues the tradition of a gorgeous polished wood chassis and gold hardware. The Head One is designed around two Russian 6S45Ps, chosen for their robustness and linear characteristics. An indirectly heated EZ80 or EZ81 rectifier tube provides low noise level and soft start without transitional effects.

Additional features include Rubicon electrolytic capacitors, an Alps volume pot, a 30-100-300 Ohms impedance selector, CD and Aux inputs, and rather unusually for a headphone amp, line and subwoofer outputs. The Experience Head One is priced at just under $900. [ Via Trafomatic Audio]

Following an exclusive, and extensive, product briefing from Sony, we can now lavish you with more information on Sony’s 2008 range of receivers and hopefully sort out any model confusion in the process.

There are five models in the new line-up, and in a nutshell the UK will be receiving:

• STR-DG520 -360 USD – available end of July
• STR-DG820 – 600 USD – available end of July

• STR-DA2400ES – 1.000 USD – available August
• STR-DA3400ES – 1400 USD – available August
• STR-DA5400ES – 3.000 USD – available August

Continue Reading…

With gas prices on the rise, finding ways to save on gas money in anyway possible is always extremely helpful to at least keep the price tag manageable. Besides getting a new more fuel efficient car, sometimes it’s hard to find new ways to bring down the price though. That’s where this little gadget comes in.

It actually monitors your driving habits and lets you know which ones to try to alter to increase the gas mileage. It does this by tapping into your car’s on board computer diagnostic port. One cool extra perk is that it detects when you check engine light is on and if it doesn’t need to be it shuts it off. Which is great for some, I know my Saturn has an actual issue that all of them around the same year have. Where the light just stays on all the time, even when nothing is wrong.

When the Kiwi looks into the cars computer it will detect smoothness (driving at a steady speed), drag (wind resistance your car faces), acceleration and deceleration. It will then give you a full report on what needs changed. The company claims that it will give you an average fuel savings of 20% and will save you anywhere from $500-$1000 per year. It will be available later this month for $299.

LG has announced a new 2008 range and we’ve got the first details, including some surprising new information from Mr Mark Levinson during a press briefing at Hyde Park.First up is the new range of Freeview DVD recorders which have just hit the shops.

The LG RHT399H, LG RHT398H and the LG RHT397H are the three models. Broken down into simpler terms, they’re all the same – bar the size of the hard drive which is 320GB, 250GB and 160GB respectively.

LG claims that you can copy one hour of recorded footage to DVD in just 27 seconds. Other features on all the models include HDMI 1080p upscaling, DiVX playback, a USB input and an optical output.

Next up is a new iPod dock. The high-gloss PC12DAB unit (pictured) features a CD drive and DAB capability. It can rip CDs to a portable music player too, with LG pitching the dock as a simple device which can rip tracks without the need for a PC.

It features a four-mode audio equaliser – pop, rock, jazz and er, ‘flat’ in addition to a bright LED clock display. The PC12DAB goes on sale at the end of July.

The FA163DAB is a 395 USD micro system with DAB and iPod functions. We’ve already covered it here, so expect a full review later this month when the FA163DAB hits the shops.

LG has also launched new portable DVD players. The DP371 is a slimline player which, once opened, features an adjustable swivel screen.

The DP391B on the other hand, is a sleek slab which allows discs to be placed just behind the screen. LG suggest that the size makes it an ideal digital photo frame. It has 256MB of internal memory and can read SD and MS cards, should you wish to put family photos on there.

A DVD home cinema system, the LG HT953TV, marks the end of the line up. We’ll have more details very soon.

Finally, Mr Mark Levinson is working with LG, tuning the above products but Mark is also helping the company develop a range of high-end hi-fi products which will debut at CES 2009 in January. Expect more details shortly.

Sharp has added three new screens to its Aquos range of televisions. All three place an emphasis on compact dimensions for added versatility.

First-up is the LC-19D1E, which is unsurprisingly a 19in set. Selling itself as ideal for movies and games – kid’s bedroom, perhaps – the TV has HDMI and PC inputs, alongside a claimed 7500:1 contrast ratio.

There’s a 1366 x 768 resolution panel packed in to the ultra-compact frame, which stands just 36cms tall including the stand, as well as a digital Freeview tuner.

Next in line are two additions to the XL8E Series, the LC-32XL8E and the LC-37XL8E. Both TVs sport 100Hz technology, 1920 x 1080 resolutions and three HDMI inputs.

The 19in will sell for around 690 USD, the 32in looks set to retail around the 1,780 USD and the 37in at 2,170 USD.

Networking device manufacturer D-Link and DivX have begun shipping the first DivX Connected media player in the U.S. (distribution in Canadian markets is expected to soon follow). The HDMI-connected D-Link MediaLounge DSM-330 offers streaming of music, photos, Internet services and high definition video from PCs to any connected television, ostensibly challenging Apple TV, Apple’s device for the living room. The set-top box, however, uses the slower 802.11g networking (or optional wired Ethernet), while most newer devices, including Apple TV, use the new (and faster) 802.11n band. Unlike Apple TV, the device supports a larger range of format, including DivX (including DivX VOD files), Xvid and WMV9 (transcoded on PC) as well as a variety of image formats, including JPEG, JPEG 2000 and BMP (non-compressed). Continue Reading…

As iterated earlier, the Creative Zen X-Fi features WiFi with Yahoo and MSN instant-messaging clients, 2.5-inch LCD, onboard speaker, SD/SDHC expansion, FM radio, voice recorder, and 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB versions. It comes bundled with a pair of EP-830 earbuds and Creative’s X-Fi Crystalizer technology. Creative zinged up the X-Fi’s launch with limited edition “Red Cliff” editions plus announced several accessories, including the TravelSound Zen X-Fi Docking Speaker System, Armband, Silicone case, and leather case.

No word on when the X-Fi coming State-side, but Singapore prices come in at $145US,  $209US, and  $254US for the various models. [Via Engadget]

Belkin’s anticipated wireless HDMI box, FlyWire, will finally hit shop shelves in October, the accessory maker has said. That’s later than expected – and it’ll cost more too.

Belkin previewed FlyWire at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Back then, the company said it was looking forward to a summer release.

It also said it expected the box to cost between $499 and $599. It now turns out it’ll cost $700 to connect a single room’s devices – or $1000 if you want the multi-room model.

FlyWire delivers multiple uncompressed HDMI audio and video streams using proprietary wireless technology that operates in the 5GHz band. There’s a receiver unit for your HD TV. The FlyWire has six inputs – three HDMI, two component-video and one composite-video – and can switch between them.

All very clever, of course, but it seems a lot to pay just to eliminate a dozen or so wires from the back of your telly. That said, the multi-room option is attractive, and it’s a smart way to connect a large, wall-mounted screen to picture sources.

It comes in at £250, and it provides a decent range of features. But how well does it perform?