Thiel Audio has announced their newest Coherent Source® loudspeaker, the CS2.4. The CS2.4 is a three-way, floor-standing dynamic speaker system designed for highly realistic sound reproduction in home music and video sound systems.

The new speaker should be in stores in February 2003, with a suggested retail price of $3,900 per pair (US). It will be available in a wide variety of wood veneer finishes, as well as an elegant Painted Black.

Improved Coincident Driver Array

One of the CS2.4’s most innovative design features is an improved coincident tweeter/midrange driver array where the two drivers’ diaphragms share the same voice coil. This innovation utilizes a mechanical crossover between the midrange and tweeter diaphragms that allows the elimination of the usual electrical crossover network.

The new array was first used in the Thiel model CS2.3. Its design features powerful neodymium magnets to improve efficiency and a redesigned magnet venting system to reduce unwanted resonances.

“By eliminating the need for a second driver magnet structure and an electrical mid/tweeter crossover,” says designer Jim Thiel, “we can achieve a level of performance normally reserved for higher priced speakers.”

The design of the mechanical crossover also contributes to the speaker’s improved phase coherence and uniform frequency response. The coincident driver mounting results in perfect time coherence between the tweeter and midrange driver, regardless of listener position, improving imaging and transient fidelity.

All-Thiel Built, Low Distortion Drivers

The CS2.4 drivers, all built at Thiel, feature aluminum diaphragms and very low distortion short coil/long gap, copper stabilized motor systems. The new 8-inch, long excursion woofer features an improved diaphragm and is coupled with a newly designed 7.5 x 11-inch passive radiator to deliver high output bass, improved low frequency tonality, and dynamics down to 33 Hz.

New Style Cabinet with Optional Outriggers

The CS2.4’s new cabinet takes on the sleek styling introduced with Thiel’s two-way CS1.6. The 42-inch tall CS2.4 features a magnetically attached grille on its sculpted front baffle, heavy-duty gold 5-way binding posts accessible on the lower rear of the cabinet, and four sizable gold stabilizer feet. Optional aluminum Outriggers are also available for the CS2.4 at a suggested retail price of $250 per pair U.S.

Time and Phase Coherent Design

As with all Thiel loudspeakers, the CS2.4 is completely time and phase coherent for much greater sonic realism than is found in conventional designs. Thiel’s Coherent Source technology achieves the elimination of both time and phase distortions that cause alterations in the reproduced musical waveforms of most loudspeakers. Eliminating these distortions results in enhanced realism, clarity, transparency and immediacy as well as improved imaging and soundstaging in both the lateral and depth perspectives.

Phase coherence is achieved by utilizing a sophisticated first-order electrical crossover system in conjunction with unusually wide bandwidth drivers. Time coherence in the CS2.4 is achieved by the coincident mounting of the tweeter and midrange drivers, and the placement of all three drivers on a baffle that is sloped at the correct angle to cause the sound energy from each to reach the listener at the same time.

Specifications include a frequency response of +/-2 dB from 36 Hz to 25 kHz (33 Hz to 37 kHz, -3 dB bandwidth), a sensitivity of 87 dB @ 2.8 V-1m, phase response within +/-10 degrees of minimum, and a 4 ohm nominal impedance. The cabinet’s dimensions are 11 inches wide, 14 inches deep, 41.5 inches tall, and the CS2.4 weighs 70 pounds per speaker.

Thiel Audio Web Site

More CES 2003 News

Six major music retailers have teamed up to develop the “first retailer-driven digital music consortium committed to bridging the gap between brick and mortar and digital music distribution.”

More plainly, they mean they’re starting up another online distribution system to sell legal music downloads to consumers.

The new group calls itself Echo. The retail partners in Echo are Best Buy, Hastings Entertainment, Tower Records, Trans World Entertainment Corporation (FYE Stores, Planet Music, Strawberries, etc.), Virgin Entertainment Group, and Wherehouse Music. Collectively, the 6 Echo founders can boast of more than 3,000 retail locations, $20 billion in annual sales, and over 800 million customer transactions per year.

The retailers believe they can create a successful alternative to existing label-backed initiatives such as MusicNet (AOL Music, RealOne Music) and pressplay (Yahoo!, MSN Music), by building on their experience selling music to consumers, building customer relationships, marketing music and breaking new artists.

Echo’s first challenge will be to obtain competitive licenses to distribute music recordings online, especially from the big-5 major music companies. It will be interesting to see how the majors, all of them participating to some degree in each of the various existing label-backed digital music services, will respond to a new competitor in the online space.

Echo may be anticipating a tough negotiation over licenses. The launch announcement plays up the role of Alan Malasky (Porter Wright Morris & Arthur), Echo’s Washington, D.C.-based antitrust counsel: “Each retailer participant will independently market and price the digital entertainment products it offers, in the manner that will best serve its consumers. This will, for the first time, bring real competition to the digital music marketplace,” says Malasky.

This could be construed as a pre-emptive stance to defuse potential criticism of Echo on grounds of price-fixing. Or it could be construed as a veiled threat to the major music companies that they had better offer distribution licenses, or else.

Once the group gets over the licensing hurdle, the plan is for each partner to deliver a variety of digital music products and services through individually branded, or Echo co-branded offerings. The consortium says it will “build upon the in-store marketing capabilities of its retail partners to drive consumer awareness of digital music offerings, and will help drive adoption of new, advanced digital music services as they evolve.”

In Their Own Words

Scott Young, Vice President of Digital Entertainment at Best Buy: “Best Buy is focused on creating consumer-based solutions to digital entertainment services. As part of the retail consortium, we will be better able to articulate our message to consumers, to content owners and to those involved in setting standards and legislation regarding this evolving business.”

John Marmaduke, CEO of Hastings Entertainment: “The message of music retail is simple: we have always excelled at selling music to consumers, and we plan to extend our consumer relationships from the physical world into the digital world.”

Kevin Ertell, Senior VP, Online Operations at Tower Records: “For over forty years Tower Records has held a deep commitment to providing consumers with a breadth of entertainment choices. The formation of a digital retail platform reflects Tower’s continuing commitment to serving our customers.”

John Sullivan, CFO of Trans World Entertainment: “We have closely monitored the evolution of digital music in recent years and we feel that the timing is finally right for building a business around it. Moreover, we feel the Echo consortium is uniquely positioned to drive adoption and, ultimately, success.” (Trans World owns the FYE – For Your Entertainment, Coconuts, Strawberries, Specs and Planet Music brands)

Glen Ward, CEO of Virgin Entertainment Group: “Virgin has built its brand and its business on providing great value to consumers. In the digital world, we will do the same.”

Jerry Comstock, CEO of Wherehouse Music: “Retail has always been about more than simply selling CDs,” added “We are in the customer relationship business.”

Dan Hart, CEO of Echo: “The Echo consortium was established to create a viable business strategy that combines physical and digital music distribution,” says Mr. Hart. “With competitive licenses, music retailers can utilize their long history and expertise to provide a digital music experience that truly serves the consumer.”

Best Buy, Hastings, Tower, Trans World, Virgin, and Wherehouse each own equity in Echo and the retail founders collectively own a controlling majority of Echo. Echo board members will include Arnie Bernstein, former President of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, and Strauss Zelnick, former CEO of BMG Entertainment and an investor in Echo through ZelnickMedia.

Echo Web Site

Parasound has announced that it will begin shipments this week of its highly anticipated Halo C1 audio/video controller.

The Halo C1 and its sibling model, the already-available Halo C 2, allow audiophiles to control their acoustic environment in ways never before possible with consumer products. These reference-grade components are THX Ultra2-certified multichannel A/V controllers that use the world’s most sophisticated DSP engine to deliver previously unattainable levels of performance and control, while remaining exceptionally easy to set up and operate. They also have four programmable output channels that take surround sound beyond the boundaries of conventional 7.1 channel systems.

“The Halo C 1 & C 2 expand the boundaries of 7.1-channel technology for audio and video enthusiasts, while providing automated configuration and outstanding ease-of-use for custom installers,” said Richard Schram, president, Parasound Products.

For the creative audiophile, the Halo models’ four additional channels provide remarkable opportunities to fine-tune the sound of the system in ways not possible with the current generation of controllers.

The programmable outputs consist of

• (1) a second Subwoofer/LFE channel
• (2) a sub-20 Hz LFE bass channel to drive a tactile transducer “room shaker”
• (3 & 4) two completely customizable output channels

Each programmable channel has independent adjustments to mix its content from any or all of the eight main channels, plus adjustments for level and time-delay, and controls for high- and low-pass filters. Some possible configurations of these channels are for true stereo subwoofers, a dedicated rear-channel subwoofer, additional front or surround channels, mid-ceiling speakers for improved front-rear pans and improved spatial ambience, or mono channels for single speakers in adjacent rooms.

The Halo C 1’s most noticeable feature is a 5-inch front-panel video monitor that can duplicate the program and/or on-screen display on the component’s face plate. Both the Halo C 1 and C 2 provide the complete “alphabet” of all the latest state-of the-art surround processing modes, while future processing modes will be available via an upgradeable processor and software. An RS-232 port is provided to interface with a home automation system or a Windows PC for set-up, control, and processor upgrades. Available Parasound HaloControl™ software allows the user or custom installer to manage all the set-up and control functions, and to backup user settings. Custom installers will also appreciate the easy and effective automatic channel calibration process performed with an included microphone.

Other features include professional-grade balanced XLR audio and BNC video connections, two remote controls, and multi-zone capability. Except for the video monitor, slightly fewer connections, and some differences in the power supply, the smaller Halo C 2’s provides the same sonic and video prowess as the C 1.

“Three years ago we asked a team of designers in the US, Finland and Norway to create an instrument of such exquisite refinement that it would truly be in a class by itself,” said Parasound’s president, Richard Schram.

“The result has surpassed even my highest expectations, and it will have great appeal both to custom installers, who want to get the system running right and get it done fast, and to audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts, who want to fine-tune their systems to within the last fraction of sonic perfection.”

The Halo by Parasound C 1 and C 2 Audio/Video Controllers have suggested retail prices of $6,000 and $4,000, respectively.

Parasound Web Site