Most anticipated audio and home theater products in Fall 2014
If you're looking to upgrade your home theater in the next few months, these are some of the new products to look out for.
Pioneer Speaker Base SP-SB03
Availability: October 2014
Price: $349
There aren't many speaker designers you could name off the top of your head, much less those whose moniker isn't included within that od the company they work for, but Andrew Jones has made his own name designing excellent speakers for Pioneer and its spin-off TAD. The SP-SB803 is the company's first sound stand and based on the performance of the excellent Pioneer SP-SB23W sound bar we expect it will be a firecracker.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
Monster SoundStage
Price: From $199
Availability: October
Multiroom music is all the rage right now but it is a lawless landscape with multiple "standards" vying for your attention. Instead of inventing its own as others have Monster has opted for Qualcomm's AllPlay initiative, so at least there'll be some cross-compatibility with other brands. With prices starting at $199 it's a system worth a look.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
Samsung M3 and Link Mate
Price: From $199
Availability: Fall 2014
With the addition of the $399 Link Mate and the $199 M3 Samsung now has the strongest lineup of streaming products behind Sonos. The beauty of the Link Mate in particular is that you can not only connect it to any stereo system but also enable components like turntables to stream around the house.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
PonoPlayer
Price: $400
Availability: From October 2014
While you'll have to wait until 2015 to buy one of these "off the shelves" the lucky few who put in pre-orders via Kickstarter will get their hi-res players in October. Despite its awkward looking shape this device could be the Trojan horse that brings respectability and acceptance to high-resolution music formats.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
Android TV
Price: not yet announced
Availability: Late 2014
It's hard to talk about Google's next play for the living room without bringing up the specter of Google TV. Previous mis-steps aside, one of the biggest and most welcome changes looks to be to the interface. While Google TV looked like an early and poorer version of Android, the eponymously named TV version looks nothing like a smartphone and more how a smart TV interfaceshould appear.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
Onkyo TX-NR636
Price: $599
Availability: Now
The Onkyo TX-NR636 is one of the few existing receivers that can be upgraded to accept Dolby Atmos surround processing. That, plus it sounds good!
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
Denon HEOS
Another day another streaming system right? Not so fast. This one was developed Down Under--the home of Men At Work where everyone eats Blooming Onions and rides kangaroos to school--so it must be "fair dinkum", as they say.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
Sony NWZ-A17
Price: $300
Availability: Fall 2014
The sun may have already set on the Walkman brand but the new Sony NWZ-A17 looks to be intriguing alternative to the Ponos and Astell and Kerns of this world. It doesn't do streaming or internet or even Sony's own DSD format but it does do other hi-res file types, and based on a brief demonstration it sounds pretty good.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.
Denon AVR-X4100W
Price: $1399
Availability: To be announced
Love it or hate it surround sound is here to stay, and Dolby Atmos is one of the first true innovations in the field since the 80s--at least when it comes to the cinema. Now, there are a handful of products offering support for the in-home version starting at around $500.
As one of the first receivers to officially support Dolby Atmos at its launch the Denon AVR-X4100W is nothing if not cutting edge.
See all the most anticipated products in our Fall Tech Preview.