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Written by Michael Lankton
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Friday, 25 January 2008 |
 Component maker B&K has quietly slipped three class D 2 channel amps onto their website, the B&K AV 30.2, the B&K AV 60.2 and the B&K AV 100.2.
The three amps all share the same form factor, a diminuitive 2.5"x5.44"x9.25". The 100 watt B&K AV 100.2 barely tips the scale, weighing in at a mere 7.5 pounds. The three amps' power rating is reflected in the designation: 30 watts for the AV 30.2, 60 watts for the AV 60.2 and 100 watts for the AV 100.2. All three amplifiers double-down at 4 ohms, making 60, 120 and 200 watts respectively. Peak current capacity is not what their class AB cousins enjoy, with the 100 watt B&K AV 100.2 rated at a low-ish 20 amps. No pricing on this trio of low power consumption class D amplifiers.
Class D. The herd is halfway there, with more and more manufacturers jumping on the low distortion/low power/low heat class D bandwagon. B&K has been making what is arguably the best dollar for dollar class AB amps for years, with their Reference 200 series capable of an awe inspiring 75 amp peak current capacity. That muscle comes with a price though, as the class AB B&K's are big, heavy and double as space heaters. Will we soon see a new line of multichannel class D amplifiers from B&K?
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Thursday, 10 January 2008 |
 Marantz has shown two new home theater separates at the 2008 CES in Las Vegas, the Marantz AV8003 pre/pro and the Marantz MM8003 multi-channel amplifier.
The Marantz AV8003 scales all sources for 1080p output via HDMI. The AV8003 is an HDMI 1.3a compliant device, and provides four HDMI inputs and two outputs. The AV8003 features onboard decoding of all advanced audio codecs, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The AV8003 also includes an ethernet connection for media streaming, and is ready for XM and Sirius satellite radio. Also housed in the Marantz AV8003's copper-plated chassis are XLR pre-outs, XLR inputs for SACD, and RS232c.
The Marantz MM8003 multi-channel amplifier provides 150 watts over each of it's 8 channels. The MM8003 features XLR inputs and a toroidal transformer.
The AV8003 and MM8003 mark Marantz' return to offering home theater separates after several years absent. Pricing has not yet been set on the Marantz AV8003 or the Marantz MM8003. Both are scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2008.
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Friday, 07 December 2007 |
 Nuforce has updated their highly regarded AVP-16 pre/pro with the newly listed AVP-17.
Known for it's great sound and spartan feature set, the AVP-16 was highly regarded as a music lover's pre/pro that wouldn't break the bank. The AVP-17 appears set to carry on that tradition as the only evident change is a new chassis design.
Nuforce rocked the AV web forums with their inexpensive AVP-16 pre/pro, a pre/pro that, along with Audio Refinement's Pre-2 DSP, was highly regarded as the answer to a poor audiophile's prayers for an inexpensive pre/pro that would handle home theater duty, but had music performance that far exceeded it's paltry price tag. The AVP-17 would perhaps have been better designated the AVP-16b.
As to whether or not Nuforce has plans for a pre/pro that adds support for newer Dolby and DTS codecs and HDMI, we'll just have to keep waiting.
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Thursday, 13 September 2007 |
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 Swedish component maker Primare showed two new home theater products last week at CEDIA that somehow slipped through the cracks.
The Primare SPA22 is an integrated AV amp, combining both preamp and amplifier sections and eschewing AM/FM tuners. The 5.1 channel SPA22 has a class D amplifier section, and is rated at 100 watts per channel. Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding are expected to be features by the time the unit ships in December. The unit is an HDMI 1.3 compliant device, and accepts input from three HDMI components, with only one output. The unit is expected to fall somewhere in the $5000-6000 range.
The Primare SP32 is a traditional pre/pro, no amplifier section like the SPA22. The SP32 adds balanced outputs and "upgraded parts". As to what "upgraded parts" refers to, details are sparse at this time, but perhaps the amp-less SP32 will offer an upgrade in DAC quality. The SP32 also offers 3 in-1 out HDMI 1.3 switching. The SP32 is expected to sell for around the same price as the SPA22 when it ships this December. |
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Written by Michael Lankton
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Saturday, 08 September 2007 |
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 B&K just showed it's first new component in some time.
The 7.1 channel Reference 70 preamp/processor has an onboard Silicon Optix Reon HQV chip in it, ensuring excellent upscaling and deinterlacing of standard definition video feeds. The unit will accept multichannel PCM over HDMI, but unfortunately decoding of Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio is not supported. B&K components offer great performance for audiophiles and home theater buffs alike, at a price point that isn't entry level but won't require a second mortgage.
It's good to see them finally update their aging pre/pro, but the inclusion of lossless codec decoding would have been nice. Perhaps it will be possible for B&K to offer this functionality in a future firmware update. No other details or pricing available at this time. |
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