Focusing on the Affordable at CEDIA Expo 2001
Held at the Indianapolis Convention Center and adjacent RCA
Dome, CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) Expo is less a hi-fi
show and more an exhibition for installers and retailers of complete audio/video systems.
However, in addition to the home-automation and specialty-furniture manufacturers, there
were plenty of electronics companies, ranging from Japanese mass-market giants to smaller
high-end-audio and -video firms, displaying their products.
 One thing that caught the
interest of GoodSound! at the show was the proliferation of inexpensive SACD and
DVD-A players. Companies such as JVC, Toshiba, and Panasonic now offer multichannel DVD-A
players in the $300 to $400 range, while Sony currently has a couple of SACD players in
the same price range. However, Phillips was showing two very promising new products. The
SACD 900 is a multichannel SACD and DVD-V player that lists for only $299 (third from
top), and the DVD 962SA is a more expensive version ($599, second from bottom) that
incorporates the Faroudja DCDi chipset that improves the quality of interlaced video
displayed on progressive-scan devices. Phillips was demonstrating the improved picture
quality of the DVD 962SA over comparable units from Sony and Toshiba. Kenwood also
utilizes the Faroudja technology in their more expensive line of Sovereign players. While GoodSound!
is not a home-theater site, we could not help but be impressed by the significant video
improvement from DVD players utilizing the Faroudja processing.
Mark Markel of Analysis Plus with a pair of his new
budget Oval One interconnects.
Denon showed the AVR-1602 receiver.
And Marantz had their SR4200 receiver too.
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Analysis Plus, the manufacturer of high-quality cables
utilizing their patented hollow-oval technology, was showing a new of line of inexpensive
cables. The new products consist of Oval One interconnect, Clear Oval speaker cable, and
Sub Oval subwoofer interconnect. Prices for a 1m pair of Oval One start at $89, $83 for a
6' pair of Clear Oval, and $74.50 for a single 2.5m run of Sub Oval. Tara Labs was showing
their extensive Prism line of cables that includes 1m interconnects starting at only $10
per pair. GoodSound! plans on reviewing some of these high-value cables very soon.
Many manufacturers were showing inexpensive, yet
feature-laden surround-sound receivers. Denon had the new AVR-1602 that has Dolby Digital,
DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II decoding, outputs 5 x 70Wpc, and retails for $399. Marantz was
showing the similarly featured and powered SR 4200, which also sells for a very reasonable
$429.
Another type of product that is growing in popularity and
which seemed to be everywhere at CEDIA is the mini or lifestyle system. Many of these
systems combine CD or DVD playback with a tuner and amplification along with multiple
speakers for surround sound. The most impressive of these systems that GoodSound!
came across during the show was the $1799 Sharp SD-AT100. This system combines a
vertically mounted DVD player with an AM/FM tuner and a 25Wpc amplifier that utilizes
Sharp’s digital 1-Bit technology. The SD-AT100 offers Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby
Pro Logic II decoding and is housed in a very attractive silver body that comes with five
matching speakers and a subwoofer.
Many new inexpensive speaker systems were also on display
at CEDIA. Perhaps the most intriguing was the brand-new Audition line from Athena
Technologies (part of Audio Products International, which also manufactures Mirage and
Energy). The Audition series features two bookshelf models and two floorstanders priced at
$159, $229, $399, and $599 per pair respectively and a center-channel speaker priced at
$179 each. All are quite handsome, appear to be well constructed, and look like they
should cost more than they do.
Paradigm is upgrading its entire line of Performance-series
speakers, which includes the very popular Atom and Titan models, to V3 incarnations.
Paradigm was also showing their new Cinema 70 and 90 sub/sat systems, which are priced at
only $716 and $936 respectively. Both systems include a subwoofer.
Audio Source has been manufacturing inexpensive electronics
for many years and were showing the latest versions of all their products. They had a
complete line of preamplifiers, power amplifiers, tuners, equalizers and home-theater
products. Some highlights included a preamplifier and 80Wpc stereo power amplifier for
$230 and $299 respectively and the Modular Separates, which allow multiple modular units
to slide side by side into a rack-mountable chassis.
The Athena Audition AS-B1 is in foreground and
the back panel of the AS-C1 can be seen above. |
Paradigm's popular Atom loudspeaker. |
A rack of AudioSource components, including the Modular Separates, which
occupy the two bottom racks. |
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