Here is the new $24,000 CD player from Boulder, the 1021, according to the company $1,000,000 of research and development went into this CD player. I don't know if common people can actually hear the difference between this CD player and another one priced under $500. Anyway, the 1021 has some attractive features such as MP3, OGG WAV, AIFF and FLAC files support, a 6.5" full-color LCD display (track listings, menus, setup features) with full-screen feedback and Ethernet connectivity to automatically retrieve CD information from the Internet.

Other technical specs include Boulder's ultra-low jitter precise interval clock, dual buffering systems, Boulder's UpandOverSampling system and many more "Boulder's" systems...

Atoll, French manufacturer of high-end audio electronics, has announced the release of a basic model of its DVD 200 DVD/SACD player, called SACD 200. It only plays back CD and SACD unlike the DVD 200 which also supports DVD. The player is equipped with Burr-Brown 24 bits/192 kHz DACs, audio-grade MKT capacitors, linear power supply, and class-A output stages. The chassis employs 1.5mm thick steel material with a 8mm thick brushed aluminum front panel.

According to Atoll, retail price is €1,900 but there is no word on availability at this time.

The Avid Acutus isn't new, but it's still a sweet-looking turntable. In brief, this is a belt drive, sprung subchassis design with a unique vibration absorbing mechanism. Vibration caused by the stylus during playback is transmitted to the subchassis directly through the bearing and not absorbed into the platter. This is achieved using a unique matting material and clamping system. External vibrations are isolated by a unique suspension system, now conveniently adjustable from above. Also, the Acutus features a massive 10kg platter driven by a unique hand made motor coupled to a custom power supply.

The Avid Acutus is available in polished chrome or plated gold finish for a price of $16,000 (tonearm and cartridge sold separately).

Yamaha has partnered with Koizumi to release a new speaker with built-in light. Unlike the Philips' ambilight technology, these speakers could react to the sound, but it's not the case here. Each unit has three 25W halogen lamps that are remote controllable down to 20% brightness, designed to reduce the contrast between your TV picture and the wall behind to.

Other known specifications of the YST-001, frequency response of 70Hz - 35kHz @ 6Ω and retail price will be around $1,100.

Panasonice has unveiled new earphones on their US website. The RP-HJE550-S earphones feature an aluminum housing for exceptional sound quality and great design as well. The earphones comes with 3x pairs of earpads (S/M/L), carrying pouch and cord case. No info on pricing or availability yet.

Specifications:
► Frequency response: 06Hz ~ 25kHz
► Nominal impedance: 16Ω
► Sensitivity: 104dB/mW
► Power handling: 200mW

Denon is introducing ten new, advanced audio/video receivers. All new models are designed to give consumers simple, powerful and more affordable solutions for enjoying the very best performance from today’s advanced home entertainment formats, as well as provide additional multi-zone A/V capabilities to enhance a user’s lifestyle. Denon's new offerings include the multi-zone Models AVR-2809CI ($1,199), AVR-2309CI ($849), AVR-1909 ($649), AVR-1709 ($449) and AVR-1609 ($349), as well as five new high-performance, high-value receivers in its Retail Home Theater Series line, the AVR-989 ($1,199), AVR-889 ($749), AVR-789 ($599), AVR-689 ($399), and AVR-589 ($299).

Models AVR-2809CI, AVR-2309CI, AVR-1909, AVR-989, AVR-889 and AVR-789 are HDMI v1.3a compliant and offer upconversion to 1080p from all analog sources, as well as support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, while the AVR-689 and AVR-589 only do Dolby Digital, DTS-ES Discrete and Matrix 6.1 decoding, but still offer HDMI v1.3a compatibility.

The new Denon's product line will be available this month.

Denon has unveiled its first compact on-ear noise-canceling headphones, the AH-NC732. Weighting at just 160g, the AH-NC732 comes well equipped with a 6.5mm jack to 3.5mm stereo Plug adapter, a 3.5mm jack to 2x 3.5mm, two jack extension cables and a hard carrying case. The noise cancellation unit is powered by 3x AAA batteries and the headphones have rotatable ear cups for one-ear listening.

The AH-NC732 will be sold in August for $299.

ASUS has recently announced the world´s first HDMI 1.3a compliant audio/video enhancement combo card, the Xonar HDAV1.3. Capable of outputting uncompressed multichannel high definition audio from Blu-ray movies, the Xonar HDAV1.3 also enhances video with an onboard Splendid HD processor providing ultimate multimedia enjoyment.

The sound card is Protected Audio Playback Systems (PAPS) and full Advanced Access Content System (AACS) certified to take full advantage of lossless digital audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD Master Audio high-fidelity sounds at 24bit, 96-192Khz through HDMI v1.3a. The PCI Express based Xonar HDAV1.3 is equipped with a proprietary AV200 audio processor coupled with a 24-bit DAC (TI Burr-Brown PCM1796) and 24-bit ADC (Cirrus-Logic CS5381), providing 120dB SNR and 0.0004% low distortion.

The Xonar HDAV1.3 also comes with the well renowned DS3D GX 2.0 API, which revives EAX 5.0 and 3D gaming audio in Vista. In addition to the this card, the Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe packs the HDAV H6 surround channel expansion card which offers swappable opamps on each channel and 8x RCA outputs.

The basic model will go for $89 while the Deluxe model will go for over $100.

The new Krell Evolution 707 processor is a work of art. Handling up to 8.4-channel output encoded in one of the following surround sound formats; Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 6.1 ES, DTS 5.1, DTS NEO:6, Dolby Pro Logic II processing as well as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio lossless formats over HDMI 1.3, the Evolution 707 is the perfect solution for a separate component Home theater system.

The circuitry is built around two 64-bits digital signal processors (Crystal CS497004) to perform all surround mode processing. The twelve output stages are fully balanced and the preamp mode bypasses all digital circuitry and routes the signal directly to the volume control for the purest path possible. The 707 also includes S-Video, component, and HDMI v1.3 I/O

The Evolution 707 is nearly 10-inches tall and weighs over 50 pounds. It has an aluminum chassis with diamond cut finish. No release date announced but retail price is about $30,000.

JVC Japan has announced the launch in early July of its new UX-GM77, a micro component system which supports a wide wide array of media, including a CD player, MD player and USB connection. So, it appears that the Mini Disc isn't dead yet .

The system also features 2GB of built-in memory, 2x 20W power amplifier, a dock for the JVC's Alneo V series of portable multimedia player and supports the most common formats such as MP3, WMA, WAV and AAC audio files.

JVC plans to release it in black or white color at $470.