Thiel Audio has released a new signature version of their popular CS2.4 speaker, which occupies the middle ground in their floorstanding line between the CS1.6 and CS3.7. The driver complement for the CS2.4SE is the same as the standard version. It’s a 3-way, time-and-phase accurate design that uses an 8″ aluminum diaphragm woofer augmented by a 7.5 x 11″ “race track” passive radiator, and a 1-inch dome tweeter and a 3.5-inch midrange driver in a coincident array.

The CS2.4SE features a new crossover that incorporates high quality polypropylene and custom-made polystyrene capacitors for claimed improvements in precision, balance, and detail, a new hand-selected Birdseye Maple finish stained in deep red that Thiel calls “Vermilion Maple”, stainless steel hardware securing the drivers to the baffle, milled aluminum Outriggers and highly polished stabilizer spikes, and Jim Thiel’s signature on the rear of the cabinet. Production of the CS2.4SE is limited to 150 pairs, priced at $8,000. Continue Reading…

We all want speakers that symbolize the wealth we posses, but rarely would any do that noble job. However, the Grande Utopia EM is an awesome speaker that takes up the responsibility of showing how grand a lifestyle you really would like to live.

The 4-way floorstanding bass-reflex loudspeakers are enough to make your visitors and guests feel puny and less endowed. The Grande Utopia EM crosses the limits of decadence by offering an audio quality that is unsurpassed. It offers a mechanical adjustment in order to optimize the “Sweet Spot,” which is apparently the G-Spot of perfect listening.

The drivers are another unique feature, with unmatched technology and science going in to each one of them. If all these specifications were not enough, even King Midas would frown upon you. In fact, King Midas may feel disappointed with you if you feel the $180,000 price tag for a pair is a bit too much. [Source: GrandeUtopiaEM]

Atlantic Technology has released their new THX Select2 Certified IWCB-727 LCR in-wall loudspeakers. The IWCB-727 features a 2.5 way design with dual 6.5″ woofers and a 1″ tweeter inside of a sealed enclosure.

Atlantic claims the sealed enclosure, “allows all the elements to be perfectly tuned for ideal performance by eliminating the acoustic variability of open-back designs where performance depends on the characteristics of the wall cavity. ” The in-wall speakers also utilize a trio of acoustic controls for tuning.

The Atlantic Technology IWCB-727 THX LCR is currently available with an MSRP of $1000 each.

Source: Atlantic Technology

Until now, I thought waterbeds were nothing but a futile waste of money except for those patients with bedsores, but this piece of information has certainly inspired a change of thoughts. Not my fault though for this is the first time that I hear of a waterbed which comes with built-in-speakers.

Akva Sound (nope it’s not a spelling error but that’s the name of the company which has innovated it) should be credited for using the unique ability of water as a sound and oscillation carrier, which ultimately gave birth to this product. Akva Sound consists of a special base plate for mounting loudspeakers inside the bed. Continue Reading…

AV123 has formally announced that their new X-Statik Open Baffle Loudspeakers are now for sale on their website. We snapped some pictures of the X-Statiks at the 2007 Rocky Mountain Audiofest and they were very impressive. The speakers were co-designed by Mark Schifter (AV123) and Danny Ritchie (GR Research), and feature a pair of custom built Peerless India 6.5″ curvilinear treated paper cones along with an all new Peerless India fabric dome tweeter in an open baffle configuration. The low-end is provided by another pair of custom Peerless India 6.5″ woofers in a sealed enclosure. Frequency response is 65-20Khz (+/-3dB) and the speakers have an impedance of 8 ohms nominal with an efficiency rating of 90.5dB

Continue Reading…