Two new speakers from Verity Audio replace longstanding
existing models. Above is the Leonore ($16,000 per pair), which replaces the Fidelio and
looks very much like a scaled-down Sarastro. It's a two-piece speaker that uses
proprietary drivers, including a pair of rear-firing woofers, and is said to be 93dB
sensitive.
The new Finn ($5995 per pair) replaces the Tamino in the
Verity Audio line. It's a one-piece petite floorstander that also uses proprietary drivers
and is very sensitive: 91dB/W/m. Both new Verity Audio speakers are available in a number
of finish options, including the company's stunning high-gloss wood veneers.
Sweden’s Primare has responded to the fast-changing
pace of home-theater technology by developing the new upgradeable SP32 processor ($4995).
One look at the back panel of the SP32 (and its receiver cousin,
the SPA22) reveals that each of the unit’s input and output sections is removable.
This allows the video unit, for example, to be swapped out for a more capable version if
and when the customer deems it necessary. Out of the gate, the SP32 offers HDMI 1.3 (three
inputs, one output), 10-bit video processing, 7.1-channel surround-sound output in all the
non-HD formats and two balanced and eight single-ended analog audio inputs. Although the
SP32 has only been shipping for one month, the first sound upgrade board -- which adds
Blu-ray high-definition audio formats -- is being prepared for production and should be
released this summer.
Single-driver speakers need large cabinets to generate
reasonable bass, so minmonitors that use single drivers are not common, making the
Terresonic Magnus ($3985 per pair) seem all the more unusual. The Magnus uses Lowther's
DX-55 driver to cover the range from 55Hz to 22kHz. Sensitivity is very high -- 98dB/W/m
-- and the speaker is said to be a stable 8-ohm load. Terresonic makes others speakers
with the same Lowther driver, but they're
much larger than the Magnus.
The Art.Engine is a single-speaker stereo system to which the
Art.Suono docking station attaches, giving the owner, who is likely a Ferrari
aficionado, a luxury iPod-based audio system. However, the $20,000 speaker/dock system
costs perhaps 100 times more than the iPod that acts as its source.
Totem is one of Canada’s best-known speaker makers,
and in its room the company showed the new Wind Design speaker ($12500). This is a
development of the existing Wind (which stays in production) but features a new
solid-aluminum "skid plate" on the bottom of the speaker, which is used to
decouple the Wind Design from the floor. The speaker’s front "claw" allows
the speaker to be raked back a few degrees when necessary, and the Wind Design features
much more extensive internal bracing than the Wind. Also inside are revised crossovers
that Totem says use world-class exotic components. The Totem Wind Design comes in four new
high-gloss paint finishes: black, white, blue and red.
