Stephen Mejias (Stereophile) has great little post that will warm your heart for sure. He goes into the depth of humanity and music in his post so I wont.

Click on over to the Stereophile forum to read more.

Here are the goods.  SWF vimeo movie.  SFW.

source: Stereophile

The thruyou web version of this … isn’t as heart warming but well worth the time.

Harbeth Compact 7

32 reviews 4.84 of 5 MSRP: $ 3995.00 Description: Transducer system Vented 2-way domestic monitor loudspeaker Freq. response 46Hz - 20kHz +/- 3dB free space, 1m with grille on with smooth off axis response Impedance 6ohms, easy electrical load Sensitivity 86dB/1W/1m Amp. suggestion 25W + Power handling 150W programme Connector Two 4mm gold-plated binding posts Dimensions (hxwxd) 520 x 273 x 315mm Finish Cherry (std.), eucalyptus . Others: to order Space needs Ideally 0.75m+ from surfaces Stands Typically 15-21 inches Weight 13.2kg each

More Products from Harbeth >>
Search AudioReview forums for the Harbeth Compact 7 >>

www.harbeth.co.uk

How would you feel about your $50,000 speakers cabinets being made out of recycled material? I’ve poked a bit of fun at the cost of Meridian’s music servers for costing so much yet offering suck simple technology. But would knowing that the material in your $15,000 touchscreen might have been part of an airplane or car, or even who knows what else before, would that make it worse? Insult to a pocket book injury or would that make it better? I’m leaning towards the better. You know, be Green, it is trendy and good for the world.

-audioREIVEW

A WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) project is set to introduce electrical goods containing recycled content onto the high street for the first time. A Meridian hi-fi co-branded with Ferrari and a television stand produced by Vital will be demonstrated by TT Audio Plastics and Giraffe Innovation.

This project aims to incorporate recycled materials into high quality consumer products, delivering significant cost savings and environmental benefits to manufacturers and brands.

In November 2008, Indesit, in collaboration with WRAP and Axion Recycling, successfully recycled plastic from WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) materials, specifically shredded plastic waste from domestic fridges, into a cover plate for two flagship washing machine models. TT Audio and Giraffe plan to take the possibilities of recycled content further and produce high performance audiovisual equipment incorporating recycled content. Both the casing and internal components are being developed from 100 percent recycled UK WEEE plastic and will be aesthetically attractive, high quality and as robust as those made entirely from virgin materials.

Marcus Gover, WRAP’s Market Development Director said: “We are pleased to work with leading brands Ferrari and Meridian to develop high quality electricals and build on the successful research that Indesit and Axion produced last year. We believe this project will further embed the feasibility of closed-loop recycling in electrical equipment as not only delivering quality, but also cost benefits to manufacturers in these difficult times. We look forward to seeing the outcome of these products in the autumn.”

Tim Ireland CEO of Meridian Audio said “Historically manufacturers have been reluctant to embrace recycling technology because of concerns about brand perception. Meridian is committed to retaining the quality of its brand, but at the same time is open to new technologies that benefit the environment. We are delighted to be involved in this project.”

TT Audio Plastics Technical Sales Manager David Crack added “Using recyclate in these products is at the development stage, however we believe there is a strong commercial case in producing and promoting these products and we are keen to see the results in autumn 2009.”

Quelle: WRAP

source: recyclingportal.eu

ChipChick found an amazing little iPod dock that really goes out to left field to show off high quality components. At least in the structural material used. T6061 aluminum, carbon fiber, and bearings used in Formual One racing. The dock used a 2-way wireless and uses the DWC-Aphex for superior sound quality. And just like a high end sports car, or any electronic device, there is a start button. But this one says “Start Engine”. Catchy, no? Well for £1,599.00 and only 1,000 units production run. You’d be hop up and buy one today! Right?

-audioREVIEW

Art Sono iPod Dock is Made of Aircraft Materials

Art Sono iPod Dock is Made of Aircraft Materials Forget the recession around you. You dont want an iPod dock that will cost you $100 or so from Best Buy, you want the Art Sono . The Art Sono has been built using a solid piece of T6061 aircraft-quality aluminum material, along with carbon fiber trim. The volume control is made in the form of an aluminum flywheel that runs on Formula One style ball bearings. read a bit more on ChipChick or a lot more on thepleasurehome,com

source: ChipChick

Speakers are often clunky and material-intensive, but the Flexpeaker from the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan is about as sleek and simple as can be. The 8.5-inch-by-11-inch sheet is made from layered thin electrodes and a prepolarized diaphragm sandwiched between two sheets of paper. As you might imagine, thin speakers breed thin sound. The Flexpeaker’s frequency response is 500Hz to 200kHz…

There is a bit more on the speaker at fastcompany.com

source: fastcompany.com

Sony Europe on Monday announced the upcoming release of two sets of Bluetooth 2.1 headphones with Sony’s cVc echo and noise cancellation software, the DR-BT100CX in-ear earbuds and headband DR-BT101. Both can handle phone calls thanks to a built-in microphone and call answer controls as well. The earbuds use 9mm Neodymium drivers while the latter sport a 30mm speaker made of the same material. Integrated music controls include volume adjustment and track forward and back buttons.

read more on Electronista…

source: Electronista

www.sonystyle-europe.com

Be sure to check out our popular Editor’s Choice Best Headphones

Creative has added a new entry-level model to its portable audio player line-up with the ZEN MX. Available in models with 8GB or 16GB of internal memory, the new players look largely like the company’s current ZEN players with detail changes to the control button layout. The same 2.5-inch LCD display with 320×240 resolution remains. Supported audio files include MP3, WMA (with DRM) and Audible 4. As for videos, only Creative’s proprietary video-CMV format is compatible. Creative did include its Creative Centrale software that will convert videos into the format, however….

At the same time, Creative announced its flagship portable multimedia player, the ZEN X-Fi, will get a price cut on April 28. The 32GB model will be reduced by the equivalent of $21 to $290, the 16GB by $42 to $196 and the 8GB by $21 to $144.

Creative ZEN MX

Creative ZEN X-Fi

Technical Specifications ZEN X-Fi

¹ 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Available capacity will be less. Reported capacity will vary.
² Actual battery life and audio and video playtime will vary with use and settings. Battery has limited recharge cycles.
³ This product is not certified by DivX Inc. and may not play all DivX 4 and DivX 5 files. XviD encoded files are playable if they are encoded as standard MPEG-4 Simple (SP) or Advanced Simple Profile (ASP) without GMC and QPEL support. Other formats, for example MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, may be transcoded with the bundled software. Appropriate codecs must be preinstalled.
⁴ Non-protected.
⁵ Files transcoded with bundled software.

more info at Electronista…

source: Electronista

creative.com

The Christie LW650, one of the brightest WXGA, single-lamp 3LCD projectors on the market. The new projector’s native WXGA (1366 x 800) resolution provides a wide screen format image for full-screen compatibility with the latest laptops and monitors.

“Wide XGA is where the industry is moving. Fulfilling the need to display larger amounts of data, the Christie LW650 is among the leading high-brightness WXGA projectors which can present data and video sources with enhanced image quality,” says Frank Anzures, product manager for Christie.

“The new projector offers a full-range of premium features, including extreme lens shift capability,” says Anzures. “It is designed for performance, flexibility and ease of use with Pro AV features that make it easy for the installer and the customer to integrate into an existing network of projectors.”

A compact and affordable LCD projector with inorganic panels for long life, the Christie LW650 packs a powerful punch with 6500 ANSI lumens and 2500:1 contrast ratio for deep, rich blacks and high brightness. It boasts 10-bit image processing that reproduces over 1.07 billion colors and offers superior grey scale rendering as well as smooth, artifact-free images.

more on the LW650 projector…..

The feature-rich Christie LX400, a versatile XGA 4000 ANSI lumens projector with an affordable price tag. A full value projector with no compromises, the new projector combines Christie’s renowned standard for high performance and industry-leading warranties.

The Christie LX400 is a native XGA companion to the Christie LW400, the company’s popular WXGA 4000 ANSI lumen projector. “The Christie LX400 shares connectivity and feature sets with our already best-in-class Christie LW400, offering Pro AV functionality at an economical price point,” says Frank Anzures, product manager at Christie. “The new Christie LX400 is a premium solution customers are accustomed to seeing from Christie. We are offering products for today’s cost-conscious market.”

With native XGA resolution and 1000:1 contrast ratio, the Christie LX400 is ideally suited to boardrooms, small auditoriums, conference rooms, classrooms, houses of worship and entertainment venues where bold, detailed images are required. The new projector is compact, lightweight (15.8 lbs/7.2 kg) durable and portable. It includes a sturdy integrated carrying handle and a rugged cabinet for easy transport.

more on the LX400 projector…..

About Christie
Christie, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925), is a leader in visual solutions for world-class organizations, offering diverse applications for business, entertainment and industry. A leading innovator in film projection since 1929 and a pioneer in digital projection systems since 1979, Christie has established a global reputation as a total service provider and the world’s single source manufacturer of a variety of display technologies and solutions. With the acquisition of Vista Control Systems Corp., Christie offers the most complete and advanced solutions for cinema, live venues, control rooms, business presentations, training facilities, 3D and Virtual Reality, simulation and education as well as industrial and government environments.

www.christiedigital.com

source: eCoustics

Warner Bros. is now offering a trade up program called Red2Blu, where you can trade in your old HD-DVDs (only WB titles) for brand new copies in Blu-Ray.

The program limits you to 25 items per household. To participate, visit the Red2Blu program website, select the titles you want to trade up, then send in $4.95 per title + $6.95 S&H along with the original HD-DVD packaging artwork / box sleeve. You don’t need to send in your discs.

Warner is accepting trade-ins for 128 titles including “Batman Begins,” “I Am Legend,” “The Matrix,” “Syriana,” and “Unforgiven.” If your Warner title is not on the Red2Blu list, Warner says that movie will not be eligible for trade-in.

http://red2blu.com/

source: audioreview forum member: Smokey

check out the forums

Spend some time making noise instead of playing boring flash games at work. A friend and I tweeked out on these Flash proggies for a few hours today. Enjoy…

baasnotes.com post a few days back about this awesome site called lab.andre-michelle.com that has a collection of Adobe Flash based audio and some image programs.  Hook your computer up to some good speakers and waste a couple hours making some fun music.  There are things like a Flash based 909, get your bump tap bump tap on or just irritate your co-workers with 180bmp distorted kicks! The Tonematrix (I personally think is awesome, pictured below) and a bunch of there stuff.

- audioREVIEW

(This is the ToneMatrix from Andre Michelle.  Totally hypnotic)

source: bassnotes.com

Make sure you have the latest Adobe Flash installed. If not get it here at Adobe’s site.