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Treo Engineering Announces Treo Series Extreme (TSX) Subwoofers

January 25, 2003 by kevin Leave a Comment

At CES, Treo introduced several new products, including the Street Series Extreme Twelve Inch Subwoofer (SSX12.22), and the all-new Treo Series Extreme Subwoofers (TSX10.xx, TSX12.xx, & TSX15.xx)

The TSX subwoofers are aimed at the high-end car audio consumer. They take many of the same technologies used in the championship winning Treo Engineering Competition Series Extreme (CSX) SPL competition subwoofers and translate them into great-sounding subwoofers that will stand up to any kind of abuse.

The TSX subwoofers will be available in ten, twelve, and fifteen inch sizes. All sizes will be available with dual 4-ohm or dual 2-ohm voice coils.

The TSX10 and TSX12 feature a large 208 ounce motor structure, 2.5 inch dual two ohm or dual four ohm voice coils, and a polypropylene cone. The TSX15 features the same polypropylene cone along, with even larger 298 ounce motor structures and 3.0 inch dual two ohm or dual four ohm aluminum voice coils.

All TSX subwoofers feature hydro-formed steel frames with Treo-exclusive perimeter venting and durable and attractive black electroplated top plates and T-yokes. Power handling on the TSX10 and TSX12 is 275 watts RMS and power handling on the TSX15.22 is 350 watts RMS. The TSX subwoofers boast two and a half inches of peak-to-peak excursion.

The Treo TSX subwoofers will be in stores beginning February 1, 2003, pricing to be announced.

TREO Engineering Web Site

More CES 2003 News

Filed Under: Car

Outlaw Audio Debuts 200-Watt, $299 Mono Amplifier

January 23, 2003 by kevin Leave a Comment

Outlaw Audio has introduced the Model 200 “M-Block” single channel amplifier with a power rating of 200 watts into 8 ohms, and a remarkable low Web-direct price of just $299 (US).

While audiophiles have long appreciated the inherent channel-isolation benefits of single-channel amplifiers, these “mono-block” amplifiers are typically very expensive components available only in the most exclusive high-end audio salons. The Outlaw Model 200, which is sold only on the internet, presents a very affordable way to add extra channels to a home theater, power multiple remote-zone speakers, bi-amp premium audiophile speakers, or create a high-performance two-channel music system.

The Outlaw Audio Model 200 M-Block uses a proprietary hybrid Class A/B/Class G amplifier design that is conservatively rated at 200 watts into a 8-ohm load, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, < 0.05%THD, or 300 watts into 4-ohms. The short-term dynamic power rating is 300 watts into 8 ohms. This amazingly compact amplifier is just 1-3/4 inches high, or one rack-unit in pro-audio jargon, while its footprint matches conventional 17 inches wide components.

Compared to conventional two-, five-, and seven-channel amplifiers, the Outlaw Audio Model 200’s mono configuration provides inherently perfect isolation between channels and a separate power supply for each channel. The Model 200 uses a large-diameter pancake toroidal transformer with a 400VA rating, and two filter capacitors with a combined rating of 20,000 µF to ensure a steady current supply no mater what the input signal.

The Model 200 operates as Class A/B power up to 80 watts, transitioning within 2 microseconds (2 millionths! of a second) to Class G above that. This allows a remarkable combination of signal quality, high power levels, high efficiency, and low operating temperatures without the use of a cooling fan. The transition to Class G is absolutely inaudible, because the 2 microsecond transition lasts about 1/25th the duration of a single cycle of 20 kHz audio. For the Class A/B operation mode the output stage uses four 15-amp bipolar transistors, while the Class G operation employs two 40-amp high-power MOSFETs.

Since the unit is designed to always be either on or in stand-by mode, there is no front-panel power switch. The rear-panel Master Power Button provides the safety switch required to remove the unit from an AC power source. In the standby mode the Model 200 is turned on or off by a standard 6-35VDC trigger signal applied to a rear-panel jack, or when the “music sense” circuit detects the presence of an audio signal at the input jack. When the audio signal stops for 10 minutes, the amplifier automatically turns off.

The front panel has a three-color LED status indicator that glows Outlaw Green when the unit is on, yellow when the unit is in standby, and red if the unit goes in the protect mode. The input signal transits a gold-plated RCA input jack, with the output signal connects via high-quality five-way binding posts.

The Model 200 is available immediately, direct from Outlaw Audio, for $299 (US).

Model 200 Technical Specifications

* Power Output (FTC Continuous RMS):
– 200 watts @ 8 ohms, 20 Hz 20 kHz, < 0.05% THD
– 300 watts @ 4 ohms, 20 Hz 20 kHz, < 0.05%

* Short Term Dynamic Power Output:
– 300 watts @ 8 ohms

* THD Signal to Noise: 100 dB (unweighted)

* Input Impedance: > 10K Ohms

* Gain: +27dB (1.7V sensitivity) for full output

* Input Connectors: RCA Jack

* Output Connectors: Five-Way binding posts

* Power Consumption: 600 watts maximum, < 3 watts standby

* Weight: 18 pounds

* Dimensions (H/W/D):1.75″ x 17″ x 11.5″

Outlaw Audio Web Site

Filed Under: Pro Audio

Onkyo Tunes In MP3s Around the House

January 23, 2003 by kevin Leave a Comment

While digital music files such as MP3 and Widows Media Audio (WMA) are popular for playback on portable MP3 players and personal computers, CD players and radios still reign supreme in family rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms.

At CES 2003, Onkyo demonstrated the new NC-500 Net-Tune Client, a compact stereo system that unites high fidelity sound with home PC networking, to deliver MP3 music to any room in the house.

Onkyo is positioning its Net-Tune® technology as an easy-to-use home audio network that delivers audio from PCs and digital media files to hi-fi stereo and home theater systems.

Net-Tune is available as a compact ‘stereo receiver’ component, the NC-500, priced at $400 (US) by itself, or $500 (US) in a compact stand-alone package with speakers. Net-Tune capability is also provided on the Onkyo TX-NR900, a full-featured 7.1-channel home theater receiver ($1,500 US).

To audio enthusiasts, the Onkyo NC-500 is a compact ‘stereo receiver.’ Computer networking people will call it a network ‘client’ device. Either way, it connects to standard wired or powerline Ethernet local area networks (LAN), which are becoming increasingly popular with consumers to simultaneously connect multiple home PCs to the Internet. Onkyo’s Net-Tune searches your home network to access MP3 files stored on family PCs or to play streaming Internet radio stations arriving at the PC through a high-bandwidth DSL or cable modem.

Up to 12 NC-500s can independently access music on the network at the same time without interfering with each other. Each person can listen to the same or different music as others on the network, selecting songs by album, artist, genre, or playlist.

With millions of homes adding broadband DSL and cable modems, consumers are adding home Ethernet networks so everyone in the house can go on-line simultaneously. As these networks expand, Onkyo Net-Tune products can plug into these networks, giving consumers even more benefit from their networks.

The Onkyo NC-500 has connections for an external CD player and includes a built-in AM/FM radio. It can also be used as a source component with outputs for delivering music from the network to a conventional stereo receiver.

Onkyo USA Web Site

Filed Under: Production

Rockford’s Omnifi Awarded TechTV’s Best of CES in Mobile Audio Category

January 21, 2003 by kevin Leave a Comment

Rockford Corporation announced today that their new wireless digital media transfer system, Omnifi™, was a CES 2003 showstopper. After winning the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) 2003 Best of Innovations award in the Mobile Electronics category, it followed up with TechTV’s Best of CES in the Auto, Marine, and RV category.

TechTV’s Best of CES focuses on the best new products that are exhibited at CES 2003. TechTV describes award recipients as “the products … most likely to be coveted by consumers in the coming year.” Only twelve products out of the thousands of products on display at the show are awarded this prize.

“We are extremely pleased with the reception and overwhelming popularity Omnifi received at the 2003 CES from dealers, reps, and the media,” exclaims Gary Suttle, Rockford’s president and chief executive officer. “It was very rewarding to see that all of the hard work put into this product by the teams at Rockford and SimpleDevices has been acknowledged. We couldn’t be happier.”

With software from SimpleDevices, Inc. and hardware from Rockford Fosgate, Omnifi eliminates the need to burn CDs to listen to digital music in the car, and gives consumers the ability to download and transfer music and programs from the Internet to the PC hard drive to the consumer’s car and home stereo/theater systems.

“Omnifi was distinctive at the show because it allows the consumer to deliver a wide-range of Internet-based digital media from the PC to their automobile and/or home stereo/theater, making this product the most powerful and flexible digital wireless entertainment platform on the market today,” explains Craig Janik, CTO of SimpleDevices.

“SimpleDevice’s SimpleWare™ and SimpleCenter™ software leverages industry standards, such as 802.11 and Universal Plug and Play (UpnP), to extend home networking technology beyond the PC or home gateway to a wide variety of digital device applications. No other company currently offers wireless transfer capability this simple and effective.”

Omnifi is a family of connected devices based on the SimpleWare software suite. In the Omnifi system, these software applications give consumers the ability to manage their media in one simple, yet powerful media player application, SimpleCenter and then wirelessly deliver it to Omnifi devices that connect to the stereo or are installed in the car.

SimpleWare is the only connected device software on the market that enables the delivery of local and Internet-based music, radio streams, information updates and other types of media files to a variety of products. The Omnifi system allows consumers to manage all of their media in one location, and then access it at their stereo or in their automobile.

The Omnifi mobile system consists of a remote-mounted, drop resistant, 20-Gigabyte storage unit, an ARM7 microprocessor, and an easy-to-use 1-DIN front mounted controller.

The Omnifi home audio/home theater product consists of a stand-alone receiver capable of streaming media dispatched from the personal computer and an optional wireless access point that allows 802.11B wireless transmission and receipt of the media.

Omnifi should be available in April 2003 at a suggested retail price of $599 (US).

Rockford Fosgate Web Site

More CES 2003 News

Filed Under: Mobile

Universal Audio Shows the New Digital/Analog Hybrid Product Line at NAMM: 2192 Dual D/A & A/D Converter

January 20, 2003 by kevin Leave a Comment

Universal Audio, the manufacturer of authentic vintage analog reproductions and DSP-powered plug-ins, demonstrated its 2192 Dual Digital to Analog and Analog to Digital Converter at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, California on January 16-19, 2003.

True to the company motto, Analog Ears; Digital Minds, the 2192 Dual DA/AD Converter is the first product to combine Universal Audio’s expertise in high-quality vintage analog gear with the advanced digital design technology it acquired with the recent purchase of software developer Kind of Loud Technologies.

The 2192, a single rack unit, provides simple front panel controls, supports sample rates up to 192K, and transcodes between AES/EBU, S/PDIF and ADAT in realtime, with single and dual wire AES modes. The 2192 is due to begin shipping in April 2003, retail price has not yet been announced.

“What really sets the 2192 apart from other DA/AD converters,” said Universal Audio VP of Engineering Joe Bryan, “is its Class-A analog circuitry, which has exceptional detail and image clarity, yet retains the warmth and character of the original source at all sample rates.”

The 2192 offers tremendous flexibility in signal routing and monitoring. For example, you can run signal into the analog inputs at sample rates ranging from 44.1K to 192K, and simultaneously output it to AES/EBU (single- or dual-wire), S/PDIF and ADAT (with industry standard S-MUX interleaving for sample rates above 48kHz). The selectable output monitor allows you to monitor any of the digital inputs, or the analog input with no interruption to the transcoding, making the 2192 an ideal hub in any personal or professional studio integrating the best of analog and digital technologies.

The 2192 also serves as an extremely high-quality digital to analog and analog to digital converter. As a front end for a native workstation, the 2192 provides two channels of sterling sound quality for tracking, monitoring and mastering. Or if you’re working on a digital console or workstation that utilizes higher sample rates, the 2192 will dramatically improve your monitoring environment and the quality of your analog masters.

More 2192 Details

Universal Audio Web Site

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