TC Group. the Danish holding group that manages Tannoy Limited, has announced that they are merging with famous instrument maker Gibson Guitar.

 

Under the terms of the agreement TC Group CEO Anders Fauerskov will be named COO of the new Gibson Guitar Corporation and will remain based in Europe. Gibson Guitar's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz offered "This merger will revolutionize the music industry for many years to come. The synergy between the two companies will allow us an enormous advantage in the development of new audio technologies and brings together two of the world's most powerful brands."

 

Tannoy was founded in 1926 by Londoner Guy Fountain, and produces loudspeakers both in their facility in Scotland and in Southeast Asia. Famous for their dual concentric loudspeakers, Tannoy has been one of the cornerstones of audiophile loudspeakers for decades. Nashville-based Gibson Guitar has been around since 1894 and has given the world many classic guitar designs that are instantly recognizable whether you're a musician or not. They also produce just about every stringed instrument you can imagine.

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TiVo has a new offer on their TiVo HD high definition DVR from now until February 17.

 

New subscribers to TiVo HD service receive three months of service free of charge and free shipping. TiVo HD monthly service fee of $12.95 for the remaining nine months of service plus $299 for the box. TiVo is not compatible with satellite service, so only cable subscribers need apply.

 

The TiVo HD will replace your cable tuner with the addition of a CableCARD from your cable provider. The TiVo HD will store 20 hours of high definition programming or 180 hours of standard definition programming, and will handle up to 1080i material.

In what is either the beginning of the fire sale or the start of Toshiba's counteroffensive, Toshiba has slashed prices on their HD DVD player hardware.

 

Effective immediately the entry level Toshiba HD-A3 is $149.99, the Toshiba HD-A30 $199.99, and the flagship HD-A35 $299.99. The news was released this morning in a fairly lengthy press release from Toshiba that tried to put a happy face on what has certainly been a very bad two weeks for Toshiba and HD DVD by citing strong holiday season sales and good adoption rates of HD DVD hardware in 2007.

 

One has to wonder how much longer we'll be reporting HD DVD news after the Warner defection and with rumors regarding Universal and Paramount swirling around the net, but Toshiba is going to keep marching on. For now.

 Phil Jones'  loudspeaker company AAD makes the front page twice in one day with another new loudspeaker line, the AAD Vi Series.

 

The AAD Vi Series consists of the Vi630 and Vi860 floorstanding models, the Vi410 bookshelf and the Vi420 center channel. The 3 way, 42 1/2" tall AAD Vi630 features two 6.5" composite cone woofers, a 6.5" kevlar and carbon fiber transmission-loaded midrange and a 1" textile dome tweeter. Monumental at 49" tall, the 3 way AAD Vi860 ups the ante to two 8" composite cone woofers coupled with the same midrange and tweeter, and plumbs down to 24Hz. Both the Vi410 and Vi420 utilize the same 1" tweeter coupled with a 4" composite cone midranges. The Vi Series are efficient (88-91dB) and range the same amplifier-friendly 6-8 ohm load.   

 

The AAD Vi410 is a wallet-friendly $550/pair, and while pricing details aren't available on the rest of the line at press time, you can be sure they won't scare off price-conscious audiophiles. The AAD Vi860 is likely going to be one of the least expensive full range loudspeakers you'll find. 

 

Phil Jones'  loudspeaker company AAD has launched a new loudspeaker line, the AAD 3000 Series.

 

The AAD 3000 series is comprised of the 2 way 3002 floor stander, the 2.5 way mtm 3003 floorstander, the 2 way 3000C center channel and the 3000SR surround speaker. Both the AAD 3002 and AAD 3003 utilize pneumatic woofers, 6.5" for the 3002 and 8" for the 3003. Both feature a concentric ring diffraction tweeter, and utilize 5" composite cone midbass drivers, two in the case of the 41 3/4" tall AAD 3003. The 3000 series boasts average sensitivity (88-89dB) and presents a relatively easy amplifier load at 6 ohms. The 3000C center differs in that it is 8 ohm and utilizes two 4" midbass drivers flanked by two 4" pneumatic woofers. Veneer choices include black, maple, cherry and what appears to be rosewood or rosenut. The 3002 and 3003 floorstanders feature prominent, wider than average baffles, which American Acoustic Development claims creates more forward energy.

 

The AAD 3003 will sell for $3900/pair, no pricing yet on the other models.