Airsound LLP, a technology partnership with a City of London Investment consortium and inventor Ted Fletcher, will try to convince you at ISE.

They’ll show AIRSOUND  “single point stereo” as a new way of listening to stereo sound.

Airsound LLP, founded to develop and promote spatial sound technology, and to license the technology to sound equipment manufacturers and users, says the AIRSOUND™ Principle “ …is applicable to any size loudspeaker unit and so has universal application wherever sound is reproduced.”

Airsound LLP has employed its unique airSOUND single-point-stereo reproduction technology in a new design schematic that provides full spatial stereo sound from a single, fully flush, in-wall or in-ceiling enclosure. The resultant Walls of Sound™ patented design affords all of the advantages of wall mounted speakers without the any of the signal quality problems associated with placement and positioning.

The airSOUND stereo signal is not produced by DSP processing or any kind of artificial effect, but is true stereo sound resulting from the encoding of ‘direct’ and ‘spatial’ signals, rather than separate left and right channel signals. In the Walls of Sound design, a centrally positioned ‘spatial generator’ radiates the spatial signal across the main signal drivers.

They will offer full permission use, together with tech design and admin backup (when required) by way of a simple licensing agreement for a modest unit fee or royalty.

Go AIRSOUND

With the dLAN Audio extender, one can connect a PC to an entertainment system or active speakers within a house simply and quickly via the existing home's mains wiring installation.

Based in Aachen and founded in 2002, Devolo has established itself as one of the market leaders in network solutions based on HomePlug. The HomePlug technology facilitates data transfer via the electric lines already in the building with the highest possible security and requiring no more tech expertise than connecting a plug.

The dLAN Audio extender Starter Kit is now available for 149.90 Euro and the dLAN Audio extender is available for 99.90 Euro.

Go Devolo dLAN

The Request S4.2500 is a tank that costs as much as a small car: a massive 60lb enclosure with brushed aluminum finish holds advanced audio circuitry for professional level digital and analog signal paths. With up to 1.5 terabytes, the S.Series stores more than 2500 CDs in full fidelity WAV format (or more than 150,000 songs in MP3.)

It's basically a tank driven by a Linux computer linked to a Lynx Studio Technology sound card (like pro recording studios.) Dont let the 24-karat gold connectors fool you: those are tank-grade fasteners holding it together.

The S4.2500 can deliver four different streams simultaneously. Also, ReQuest will synchronize over the internet using NetSync so a ReQuest server can share music with iPods and computers running iTunes. NetSync also enables you to tap into your ReQuest server via the Internet.

The twentieth edition of  Top Audio & Video Show in Milan featured more than 140 exhibitors; our correspondent Cristiano Cameroni selected a few higlights:

Roth’s Music Cocoon MC4 stereo amplifier captured everyone’s eye with its unusual design that matches four valves, a MosFet stereo power amp and an iPod docking station. The clever design puts together old style, red-light valves, and a satin, black & white aluminium chassis that fits with iPod style, but there’s a larger point to be made:

So many people assume everybody uses a compressed audio format when storing music. This just isn’t the case, argues Roth (and we agree) so they designed the Music Cocoon for use not only with iPod but also for any portable audio device (that’s why there is a 3.5mm socket on the back of the amp), any device which outputs audio to a 3.5mm jack (e.g., a laptop), or any CD player (that’ll be why there’s a pair of RCA sockets on the back as well).

Regardless of the source unit, the MC4 can handle it, so it is far more useful than a simple iPod dock.

With two 12-AX7 and two 12-AU7 valves, Roth’s amp grants 13 watts per channel at 8 ohms, and is equipped with a remote control that allows users to select inputs, set levels and navigate through iPod interface.

Go MC4, Valves for All Sources

Maybe you’re familiar with the Slim Device’s Squeezebox, an affordable hi-fi player that enables web-radio and remote audio file reproduction thanks to the integrated wireless 802.11g connectivity. Slim Devices, now part of Logitech, has a high end Big Brother for the family-budget Squeezebox: the Transporter, a network music player. Transporter's DAC and output amplifiers are powered by Super Regulators, based on the legendary design by Walt Jung. These regulators offer lower output impedance, faster response, and better noise rejection than standard three-terminal regulators.

Transporter, designed to appeal to audiophiles and music lovers, streams digital music and competes with exotic compact disc players.

Go Transporter

Small design earned big success at the show, where HiDiamond unveiled their new miniCOLIBRY omni-directional speakers. The hi-end compact reflex speakers from Italy measure only 150 x 600mm won the Best-of-Show Award in their category..

Salvatore Filippelli, HiDiamond managing director, says, miniCOLIBRY speakers would be best positioned typically 1.5 meters away from a sidewall, and 0.65 meters from a back wall.

Go miniColibri

C.T.E. brought to the show their new DS2 power amplifier. With 50 watts per channel and a broad frequency response from 10Hz-50MHz, the real buzz starts when you stop looking at spectrograms and simply start watching the unit.

Like a fine piece of furniture, DS2 chassis is made of Alabaster and polished walnut.

Go Alabaster amplifiers