audio

Alpine's first touch-screen digital media receiver

The Alpine iXA-W404 takes the fantastic interface of Alpine's line of digital media receivers, stretches it vertically, and adds a new feature: a touch screen.

Now, you can control the unit using the lightning fast double-encoder knob or by lightly dragging your finger across and tapping the 4.3-inch QVGA color touch-screen monitor. The interface more or less apes Apple's coverflow, so users of iPods and iTunes should find it familiar.

The unit, like all of Alpine's digital media receivers, features a full-speed USB connection that's optimized for iPod, which you'll be getting a great … Read more

Sony MEX-BT3700U first look (video)

Sony stopped by the Car Tech booth at CES 2009 to install its MEX-BT3700U Bluetooth-enabled CD receiver, which features hands-free calling and A2DP stereo audio streaming.

However, this isn't a one trick pony, with neat features such as a front panel USB port that offers full iPod control, Quick BrowZer searching that helps to quickly locate the desired song, and Zappin technology, which lets you choose songs by simply listening to snippets.

Pioneer updates car audio line

Pioneer didn't bet too big this year at CES 2009 in Las Vegas, and has only incrementally updated its full line of car audio receivers, amps, and speakers.

Pioneer's line of audio/video head units gains three models benefiting from better iPod integration compared with its outgoing models. The double DIN AVH-P3100DVD and AVH-P4100DVD and the single DIN, motorized AVH-P5100DVD give users a variety of options for controlling their iPod, such as the Alphabet Search feature, which allows for quick navigation to large music collections. A cool feature called Link Search selects music of a similar artist, album, … Read more

Panasonic SC-ZT1: Wireless, ultraslim speaker system

Panasonic released a bundle of home theater systems at CES 2009, but the SC-ZT1 is easily the best of the bunch. The SC-ZT1 is a wireless home theater system that uses the 2.4GHz band to send uncompressed audio to all four speakers. Like all wireless systems, you'll need need to run a power cable for each speaker--so it's not completely wireless--but you won't have to deal with long speaker cable runs all over your living room.

The SC-ZT1 is somewhat unusual as its technically a 4.0 system--there are just the four, spindlelike speakers (Panasonic calls … Read more

iHome debuts 100-watt iPod audio system: The iP1

You don't necessarily associate the iHome brand with "premium" audio and cutting-edge design, but the folks there are giving it their best shot with the upcoming 100-watt iP1, which features a whole new look for the company known for its budget iPod audio systems.

The iP1 has a set of "custom-designed" 4-inch woofers and 1-inch silk dome tweeters, which are powered by Bongiovi Acoustic's proprietary Digital Power Station processor. In terms of connectivity, there's a standard audio input to connect other audio devices along with an A/V output and a remote control. … Read more

JVC adds 7 CD receivers to its 2009 lineup

JVC rings in the New Year with not one, not two, but seven new CD receivers for its 2009 mobile entertainment product line.

JVC Mobile's new flagship KD-R900 In-Dash CD Receiver has two USB 2.0 ports (one front and one rear) for connection to an iPod, an iPhone, USB flash memory drives, digital audio players, portable HDD devices, or any two devices simultaneously. The KD-R900 also features hands-free Bluetooth phone calling and A2DP wireless audio streaming capability via an included USB Bluetooth adapter and high-quality external wired microphone. This adapter operates as a fully functional receiver, transmitter, and … Read more

Where Cisco could beat Sonos

Last week, I expressed some doubt that Cisco Systems would be able to come up with a multiroom audio system that's usable by mere mortals. After all, home networking is still a pain to set up and debug, and Linksys isn't exactly a beloved consumer name.

Reading John Falcone's preview of the Linksys Wireless Home Audio System calmed my fears a little bit. Not only has Cisco hired some industrial and user interface designers, it has gotten a few things right that Sonos missed.

First, the Linksys system is completely wireless, while Sonos requires you to have … Read more

Linksys offers full wireless alternative to Sonos

After hinting at a "digital stereo" product in The New York Times last week, Cisco unveiled the details of its Wireless Home Audio System today, which will be released under the networking giant's "Linksys by Cisco" consumer networking brand. At first glance, the system--which is actually a suite of six products that will be available separately or in a variety of preconfigured bundles--bears a remarkable resemblance to the Sonos Multi-Room Music System. Like the Sonos, the Linksys product has a large-screen remote and offers networked base stations designed to live in several rooms of the house where they can play digital music from networked PCs or online audio sources (Internet radio via RadioTime, Rhapsody subscription service in the U.S., and the AudioLounge premium service in Europe). The Linksys device can also use a "zone" system, so different rooms can access different audio sources, or be linked together for synchronized playback of a single audio stream in multiple rooms simultaneously. … Read more

iLuv hits the wall with iMM9500 vertical CD/MP3 hi-fi audio aystem

If you ever wanted a Bang & Olufsen wall-mountable system but couldn't afford one, iLuv will be offering the poor man's version this May when it releases the iMM9500 Vertical 4CD/MP3 Hi-Fi Audio System with Subwoofer. No word yet on its price, but it has a built-in iPod/iPhone dock and a four-disc MP3 CD player. Here are the basic specifications that iLuv is serving up.

Works with iPhone and iPod--plays and charges 4-MP3 CD/audio playback system with universal dock for iPod 2.1 channel speakers Plays MP3, WMA files on SD/MMC cards and USB … Read more