Hasta La Gadget!

Some would argue that soundbars aren’t necessarily a must-have in one’s home entertainment system, but there’s no doubt a good set can certainly take the viewing and listening experience to another level. To wit, Harman Kardon has chosen IFA 2013 as the platform to unveil a couple of new, audiophile-grade soundbars, the Sabre SB 35 and SB 26. For starters, the top-of-the-line SB 35 model carries a cool $999 price tag, bringing with it qualities such as 1.75-inch drivers and 1-inch tweeters, Dolby Digital TrueHD / DTS HD Decoding, plus Bluetooth connectivity and access to three HDMI ports — Harman says that given its mere 1.25-inch in depth, it’s the slimmest multi-channel 8.1 bar on the market.

The SB 26, on the other hand, comes in slightly cheaper at $599 and sports dual-driver, two-way speaker modules that are powered by a pair of 3-inch, “mid-range” drivers and a 1-inch dome tweeter. Naturally, choosing the entry-level model means potential buyers will miss out on SB 35-specific features like Harman’s Wave surround-mode, which utilizes “advanced digital signal processing to deliver a realistic surround-sound.” (There’s also one less HDMI incision, and we all know how important something as ubiquitous as that can be.) The company didn’t say when we can expect these to be up for grabs; in the meantime, though, check out the PR after the break to go over all the audio nitty-gritty before deciding which SB soundbar is the one for you.%Gallery-slideshow79630%

Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD

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Source: Harman Kardon

Japanese technology giant Sony has gone on record to confirm that they will be launching new soundbars later this year. It will be a premium range that is going to be significantly better than Sony’s current soundbars which are already available in the market. Unfortunately they haven’t said much about these upcoming products, they’ve not gone in to details or specifics. However Sony executives have confirmed that the upcoming premium range of soundbars will have HDMI output and Near Field Communication or NFC compatibility.

It is expected that Sony will announce this new range at the IFA trade show in Berlin. This assumption is based on the company’s previous launch widows, though it has not confirmed whether IFA trade show was what it meant when it said that the soundbars will be available later this year. Soundbars with NFC capability will be high on usability. Users with NFC capable devices such as Xperia Tablet Z or the Xperia Z smartphone would simply have to tap their device to the soundbar and music would start playing. Sony also confirmed that more AV receivers will be released later in the year, but they’ve not gone in to specifics once again.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Siva Cycle Atom Wants To Break Into Reality, PLAiR Lets You Beam Videos To TV,

Samsung’s just announced its 2013 lineup of home theater and audio devices. The new set features an interesting mix of vintage and developing technologies designed to combine classic sound with modern connectivity. More »

If Proficient Audio’s new MaxTV MT2 speaker box is anything to go by, the company obviously isn’t enamored with the latest slew of slim, elegant soundbars. As the picture shows, it’s designed to act as a platform for your TV and can support up to 160 pounds — enough for even the biggest of flatscreens. The hard, no-grill design shows off the box’s two 1-inch tweeters, four 2.5-inch mid-range speakers and two 5.25-inch, down-facing subs. Four internal 20-watt, two-channel digital amps take care of the power, and with two of those dedicated to the woofers, we’d expect some serious neighbor-waking bass. It’s not just for your TV either, as the built-in Bluetooth supports audio streaming from any of your favorite gadgets. The soundbar-on-steroids is shipping now for 599 bones, and if that sounds a little steep, Proficient Audio assures you that “once someone hears the difference MaxTV makes, they will buy it.”

Continue reading Proficient Audio launches MaxTV MT2 speaker box, soundbars start job hunt

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Proficient Audio launches MaxTV MT2 speaker box, soundbars start job hunt originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the Yamaha YAS-101 came out last year, we marveled at the perfect balance between the sound quality afforded by its full-range drivers and a price point that wouldn’t break the bank. Now the successor—the YAS-201—is here and instead of packing its bass technology into the bar itself, it has been split off into a wireless sub. More »