Yet another speaker company (this time Axiom) is jumping into the ’speaker to accompany plasma TVs’ market with their new architectural series which appears to both recess into the wall and stick out of it. While they claim it is the best of both worlds, it seems to be the worst of both as well. It requires that you punch holes in your walls (one of the big problems with in-walls for renters or the DIY declined) and still have something sticking out of the wall (appearing like a thinner speaker had been hung on the wall). To me, the major benefit of on-walls is that you don’t have to punch holes in the wall and the major benefit of in-walls is near invisibility - these new entries into the field have neither, so I don’t understand the product benefit. I suppose the idea is that by giving up both of these benefits, you’ll get better sound, but there are good sounding in-walls and on-walls out there.

In-wall speakers are certainly nothing new, but many companies have ventured into the slim on-wall speaker market recently, banking on the popularity of plasma and LCD TVs. Many of the mainstream companies (Sony, Polk, Yamaha, etc) have products in this space and more audiophile oriented companies like Magnepan, Vienna Acoustics and B&W have also released plasma-friendly speaker lines. It has become a competitive niche of the speaker market, so any new entrants better bring it.

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Recent announcements on the release of new AV123/Onix speakers in their Reference line (the Ref 0.5 and Ref 1.8) make this a good time to bring together a segment on the series of changes to the AV123 lineup and where the company may be taking their speaker lines.

The company began with their Rocket line, eventually adding their Reference line targeted at two-channel enthusiasts and then their ELT (Extremely Luscious Theater) line - a home theater line with a lower price-point than the Rocket lineup. While each line has enjoyed sucess, recently there have been some announcements on new models replacing existing ones and some restructuring of the lineups.

The introduction of the X line of speakers (initially XLS monitors at $199 and a small X-subwoofer at $199) seems positioned to potentially take over the budget end of the spectrum. While currently only a two-channel line, there were statements about expanding the line at the recent AV123 GTG (Mark has just made mention of 6 SKUs for this line - my speculation would be monitor, floor-stander, center, two subs and on-wall surrounds).

Within the Rocket line, the long-time core of the line (RS750 and RS550) are being replaced by new models (RS760 and RS450) while the smallest of the lineup (RS150) has been retired. The extended sale on the RSC100 center may be an indication that it will be retired as well. A massive center channel with powered woofers (RSC500) is approaching release. There is also talk of potentially having an even larger flagship speaker for this line (RS2000). The discontinuation of the ebony finish leaves this line in only its traditional rosewood for the immediate future. This line appears to be giving up a bit of its low-end to focus on bigger and, hopefully, better items.

Within the Reference line, there seems to be growth in all directions. The release of the Ref3 seemed to be the top-end speaker of the lineup, but now there is mention of a potential Ref4 (and even a “Ref Ultra”). A cabinet for a larger center channel (Ref200) based on the Ref3 drivers has been shown. The big-brother turned middle child Ref2 has been retired and replaced with a pair of products: the Ref 1.5 and Ref 1.8 which appear to be better options for multichannel surround/rear speakers. Most recently, an interesting twist in this line has been announced, the Ref 0.5. Counter to the retiring of the bottom-end of the Rocket line, the Reference line seems to be expanding its bottom-end. The speaker itself seems to be an evolution of the RS150 and ELT LRS. The addition of a rosewood finish in the entire line appears to have caught on as a permanent option instead of a temporary special edition.

Here’s a picture of the X-sub, XLS, RS760 and Ref 1.5 at the AV123 CO GTG in August:

The ELT line appears to be poised for an entire fade-out, but there has not yet been an official announcement of this. With the X line upcoming and the ELT dwindling, it seems inevitable that the future budget lineup will be under the X name. This was reinforced by Mark Schifter’s statement that the planned ELT PMM product would be released under the X line.

Lastly, but not least, the Strata line seem ready to finally make its debut. After years of proposed products and renderings, the Strata Mini made a static display debut at the AV123 GTG and Mark Schifter has said it will be the focus of the AV123 RMAF presence (playing, not static display). There still isn’t any concrete word on the other proposed models in this line, but there have been hints that news will come soon.

Strata Mini at AV123 CO GTG 2005:

There have also been references made online to AV123 carrying completed versions of the new GR Research LS series of line arrays. This would be an interesting joint project as there would be both kit versions of the speakers sold via GR Research and complete versions sold via AV123.

So, that leaves us with bigger Rockets, more Refs, a currently unknown number of X speakers, the retirement of the ELT line, the beginnings of the Strata line and a bit of a wildcard with a GR Research line array series. And the electronics are a whole ‘nuther story…..

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Danny Ritchie has announced his partially open-backed version of the RAW/GR Research RA-8. The yet-to-be-named speaker uses the same WWMTMWW arrangement and drivers, but opens the back of the MTM section and adds a GR Research SW-12A 12″ driver with plate-amp to the bottom. The additional 12″ driver brings the -3db point down to 25Hz, making it essentially a true full range speaker. The speaker is also shorter and the 12″ driver has its own sealed compartment, but the speaker is also deeper which likely makes up for woofer cabinet volume that would have been lost otherwise.

This is yet another speaker I am looking forward to seeing/hearing at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.

See details in this AC thread.

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There are a couple of updates from AV123. First, they appear to finally be shipping their Extended Response Tweeter (ERT) which was demoed at CES in Jan. It’s an add-on tweeter for covering ranges from ~10kHz to ~45kHz and is intended to be used with any speaker. While I have seen the demo units in person, I have never heard them playing. $349/pair in gloss black.

The second item is an announcement of an expanded agreement with Melody for resell/co-branding of their tube pre-amps and amps. AV123/Onix currently sells Melody integrated amps (the H34 and SP3) and are now arranging to begin selling more of their products. In particular the Melody I60 integrated amp (does not appear to be listed on the Melody website) for $1995.

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No sooner than I had finished my last post about the Hagerman Tech Chime DAC, Jim came out with two more interesting pieces of news. First, there will be a touring Chime DAC and a touring Clarinet pre-amp. See this AudioCircle thread for information.

Second, Jim has released the HagUSB, a TI PCM2704 based USB device that outputs S/PDIF and has a headphone jack. This is exactly the type of work the PCM2704 was designed to do - both the S/PDIF and headphone outputs are native capabilities of the chip

Like other HagTech products, it comes in half-kit ($39) and full version ($129).

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Another new direct-sales product, this one from Hagerman Technology a direct company located in Hawaii that specializes in tube based phono pre-amps, pre-amps and amps (they make several other items as well). Most of their products are available complete or as ‘half-kits’ which consist of a PCB board and instructions with a parts list. The parts are then ordered from popular online electronics supply shops like DigiKey. Jim Hagerman’s most recent creation is the Chime DAC, a combination of a DAC daughter card (aka HagDAC) and a motherboard that contains the input selection and a tube output stage.

The HagDAC is a PCM1704 based 8x oversampling 24-bit DAC that is pre-assembled using surface-mount components and can be purchased separately for $499 for use in other applications.

The motherboard has two S/PDIF and one USB inputs allowing it to operate as a traditional DAC or directly connected to a PC. A completed Chime costs $1,799 while the components to build one yourself cost just under $1,000.

I have built one of Hagerman Tech’s least expensive half-kits, the Bugle and have been very happy with it in my occassional vinyl use. I am considering the Clarinet tube pre-amp as a future DIY project.

Jim provides support for his customers both directly and via the Hagerman Tech Circle on AudioCircle.

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Another item I’m looking forward to seeing at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest is the Salk Sound HT3a. The base HT3 has received great feedback by buyers on AudioCircle and the HT3a replaces the stock crossover with a DEQX PDC2.6P for active tri-amping with room correction. Of course, this all comes at a price. An HT3a with DEQX PDC2.6P, but no options (finish options can add $1,000+) or amplification will run you $7,495 (a base HT3 with standard crossover runs $3899). Add a six-channel ATI amp and you’re at $9,995.

While it’s outside of my budget, it should fit right into the range found at the RMAF. Not only am I looking forward to hearing them, but the finish work on Salk speakers is also raved about. Just check out the Veracity of the month gallery

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I’ll start the ball rolling on product updates from direct-sales audio companies with the new RA8 from RAW Acoustics and GR Research. I’m looking forward to hearing this one at the RMAF in a month since Danny Ritchie seems pretty excited with it.

It’s an array using the GR Research M-130 woofers and a ribbon tweeter, but the middle two woofers are in a separate enclosure D’Appolito style. $2k completed, $800 for a kit (intro price).

Here’s the thread in the GR Research circle and the thread in the RAW Acoustics circle. The official product page.

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I’m finally getting around to putting down some more notes on the AV123 get together earlier this month. Here is a summary of the equipment present and some comments:

Theater room:

Mains: Rocket RS1000
Center: Rocket RSC200
Surrounds: Rocket RS850
Rears: Rocket RS550
Subs: 2x Rocket UFW-12
Pre/pro: Emotiva LMC-1
Amp: Emotiva LPA-1
Sources: Denon 2910 and Onix CD-2 w and w/o Perpetual Technologies P-1A
Etc: R-DES parametric EQ on subs, plasma display, Panamax power

I assisted Dave Tremblay, the inventor of R-DES, with measurement during the sub EQ process using the setup listed earlier here.

Multichannel audio room:

Mains: Onix Reference 3
Center: Onix Reference 100
Surrounds: Onix Reference 1.5
Sub: Rocket UFW-12
Pre/pro: Emotiva DCM-1
Amp: Emotiva MPS-1
Source: Denon 2910
Etc: R-DES parametric EQ, Panamax power

Smaller theater room:

Mains: ELT LRS with PBS powered woofer stands
Center: ELT center SE
Rears: ELT DPA dipoles
Sub: ELT SW-10SE
Receiver/source: Pioneer combo
Etc: 30″ LCD TV

Two channel room:

Mains: Rocket RS760 and XLS (Onix Reference 1.5 for a period of time)
Integrated amp: Onix/Melody SP3 and Onix X-empower beta unit
Source: Onix XCD-88 and Onix XCD-99

This room got a LOT of attention because both speakers are new, the SP3 is a popular item at the moment, the X-empower is new, the XCD-99 is new, and the designer of both the RS760 and XLS (Danny Ritchie from GR Research) was in the room discussing the speakers.

Static display:

Rocket RS850 in piano gloss rosewood finish
Strata Mini speakers
Onix Reference 1 and Onix/Melody SP3
Rocket UFW-10
Onix CD-2
Emotiva DMC-1 based receiver (using D2Audio amp module)
Emotiva BPA-1 two-channel, bridgable amp
Audio Protien rack

One of the focuses of the GTG, SOCS and MMK for the Perpetual Technologies P1-A, was not really on display, but there were multiple sessions to demonstrate the measurement technique, discuss the SOCS corrections, and demonstrate the difference SOCS makes in playback.

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Acoustisoft (aka Doug Plumb), makers of ETF, have released R+D (Resonance & Distortion) 1.0. It’s similar to ETF, but designed to do averaging of multiple curves for working with room problems. It also does DSP/EQ modeling of the Behringer DSP1124 Feedback Destroyer (BFD) in a way that is supposed to be much more accurate that typical EQ result modeling. The advanced version also has features to automatically pick EQ points for a give measurement or average of measurements. Here is an AVS thread on R+D

I have gone through Doug’s videos and started poking around with the application. I will post more when I have a chance to try it and compare to ETF. Doug says it will eventually have all of the capability of ETF and could be considered ETF v6.

It’s an interesting deveopment of the product geared toward addressing room issues via EQ, which is a popular topic at the moment. Given the low cost of a the BFD ($100) and the relatively low cost of the software compared to some options, it seems like a useful tool for many people.

Of course, Room EQ Wizard is still free and overlaps in function, but lacks the important averaging of multiple measurements. Unless you listen alone in one place, this is very important.

Since the BFD isn’t designed with home entertainment use in mind, it does lack some function of its more expensive counterparts (Onix R-DES $400 and Velodyne SMS-1 was $500 now $700), particularly their ability to store mulitple EQ curves and easily switch between them. On the other hand, the BFD is designed for full-range EQ and could be used on main speakers as well as subwoofers.

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