At CEDIA Expo booth 830 in the Colorado Convention Center, Polk Audio announced the introduction of the I-Sonic Entertainment System 2, joining the critically acclaimed and award-winning original I-Sonic Entertainment System introduced in 2006. Both models represent the pinnacle of table top entertainment system performance and serve people who love music and care about how good it sounds; each I-Sonic model has a different feature set to serve different user profiles.
In addition to its audiophile-grade sound, the new I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 is the first radio that allows listeners to buy songs heard on HD Radio broadcasts using Apple’s revolutionary iTunes Tagging technology.
The I-Sonic ES2 features the same acoustic technologies that made the original I-Sonic the best sounding table top music system available. Four-speaker I-Sonic technology is a revolutionary way to launch stereo sound into a room. It delivers rich, room-filling stereo sound 360-degrees around the entertainment system. With I-Sonic technology listeners enjoy a big-life-like stereo image wherever they are in the room.
Patented PowerPort® bass venting technology belts out the kind of rich powerful bass one would expect from large free-standing speakers. Professional audio critics and I-Sonic owners described the sound of the original I-Sonic as "extraordinary," "remarkable," "incredible," "live," and "shockingly good."
Polk Audio chose the feature set of the I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 to serve "new media" customers more likely to use their iPod for video delivery, while the original I-Sonic ES with its built-in DVD player appeals more to consumers for whom DVD is the preferred video format.
The I-Sonic® ES2 includes a second generation HD Radio tuner with full multicasting. With its advanced acoustical system, Digital Signal Processing, and new HD Radio tuner technology, the I-Sonic ES2 is the highest performing self-contained HD Radio product on the market. The I-Sonic ES2 accepts all iPod models with dock connectors in its top-mounted dock hidden beneath a sliding door. S-Video and composite video outputs allow the user to connect a television or video monitor to the IES2 for viewing video content stored on a video iPod.
The I-Sonic ES2 will debut a new music discovery feature from Apple® called iTunes Tagging which allows consumers to buy songs they hear on HD Radio stations. The iTunes Tag button on the I-Sonic ES2’s front panel and remote control allows consumers to tag songs broadcast by HD Radio stations. The I-Sonic ES2 stores information about the tagged songs to its memory and transfers the tags to an iPod when docked. When the consumer connects the iPod to his/her computer, iTunes automatically presents the songs in a new Tagged play-list for the consumer to preview, buy, and download. iTunes Tagging is a great way to discover new music and add it to one’s collection.
An auxiliary input allows hook up of any stereo audio device such as a portable CD player or cassette deck. The I-Sonic ES2 is also a full function dual-alarm clock that can use the radio or iPod as the alarm. It also features a headphone jack for private listening, 24 radio presets and a wireless remote control. On-product controls allow the unit to operate should the remote be lost or disabled.
The I-Sonic ES2 measures only 14.5" x 9" x 4.75", making it the perfect system to use on a kitchen countertop, on a nightstand, in a TV stand or on a coffee table. Use the I-Sonic ES2 in homes, offices, and small businesses to deliver rich, room-filling 360-degree stereo sound that rivals or betters that of much larger and costlier audio systems. The I-Sonic ES2 will be available from select specialty retail stores, Apple® stores and direct from PolkAudio.com in October 2007 for $499.
HD Radio is digital radio technology developed by iBiquity Digital that offers static-free, crystal-clear reception with CD-quality sound from FM stations and the richness of FM-analog stereo sound quality from AM stations. HD Radio also allows broadcasters to multicast program streams over a single FM frequency (e.g. 97.7-1, 97.7-2, etc.) to offer additional content to serve multiple audiences. A variety of data services that range from text-based information — artist name, weather alerts, school closings, traffic alerts, etc. — can be scrolled across the receiver display.
