January 8, 2005 - Part 2

Mirage displayed the new UNi Theater speaker system, which includes a left, right, and center speaker in one extruded-aluminum cabinet. Available in black or silver, the $1000 UNi Theater is designed for on-wall installation above or below a flat-panel TV. A stand for placing the speaker on a shelf in front of the TV (as shown) is also available. [www.miragespeakers.com]

Each UNi Theater contains a total of nine woofers -- three for each of the channels. Two of the woofers for each channel are passive radiators, while one is active, using the company's innovative Omniguide technology that disperses the sound over 360 degrees with specially made saucers that deflect the output from the woofer and tweeter. [www.miragespeakers.com]

Athena Technologies has updated its Audition speakers with a new generation, aptly called Audition Series 2. The prices remain the same -- from $179 per pair for the bookshelf-sized AS-B1.2 to $599 per pair for the floorstanding AS-F2. [www.athenaspeakers.com]

Brand new to the Athena Technologies lineup is the WS series of on-wall speakers. Shown are the WS-60 (top left, $199 each), WS-15 (top right and on top of subwoofer, $179 per pair), WS-100 (bottom right on floor, $599 per pair), and AS-P4000 ($299 each). The AS-P4000 sub has a 10" woofer and 100W amplifier; there is also an AS-P6000 sub with a 12" woofer and 200W amplifier for $399. Designer Gord Van Kessel is especially proud of the wall-mounting bracket (shown right), which he calls "the Swiss Army knife of wall brackets" because of its versatility for wall mounting and speaker positioning. [www.athenaspeakers.com]

YBA introduced the 1000 CD player in the Passion line, a two-piece, top-loading unit that comes with an external power supply. The price is $7995.

TARA Labs has updated its RSC Air interconnects with Series 2 versions, which feature the company's Air-Suspension filament system. The price is $995 per meter pair for either single-ended or balanced terminations...

...and for an extra $150 you can get the optional "view sleeve" that allows you to see the company's Air-Tube dielectric.

The $3000 7100 processor (top) and $2500 5250 five-channel power amplifier are part of Parasound's New Classic series. The 7100 is a 7.1-based processor that supports all current audio formats, and the 5250 amplifier is said to deliver 250Wpc.