Meridian
Meridian was the first company to show an all digital connection of DVD-Audio with their 800 DVD machine hooked into to their 861 AV preamp. DVD-Video players have an agreed standard for digital conncetion but because of the fears of the music industry based on a silly concern regarding piracy, DVD-Audio's standard currnetly forces an end user to run their high resolution two channel or 5.1 channel audio throught the DAC built into the DVD-Audio player and into their AV preamp via 5.1 analog inputs.
 Meridian offers a solution to the two problems that exist with this standard. First, there is an entire digital to analog conversion that isn't necesarialy needed in the audio chain. Secondly, many if not practically all, (Meridian's 861 excluded) don't have the needed 5.1 analog inputs thus making connecting a DVD-Audio player very hard, if not impossible nearly all end users. Meridian showed how a DVD-Audio player could be connected digitally and how it sounded. With the 5.1 DVD-Audio recording of The Door's "Riders on the Storm" Meridan earned a roomful of belivers with just a few minutes of music. |
 DTS
DTS showed a MEGA system at CES with JM Labs loudspeakers and Vidikron CRT projectors which highlight DTS' new DVD-Audio releases.
These new high resolution 5.1 DTS DVD-Audio releases will include a series of 96/24 classical titles from ILIAD, the Patrick Leonard produced Toy Matinee, Steve Stevens’ Flamenco A Go-Go, the Fabulous Thunderbirds as well as 5.1 audio mixes from new artists such as Larissa Stow, Pacific Coast Highway and The Gluey Brothers. Later in 2001, DTS Entertainment will be releasing several "stereo only" DVD-Audio titles including Sting’s Brand New Day and Cheryl Crow’s Globe Sessions. |
 Sony
One year ago, SACD was a $5,000 tweako product. Now Sony has a 5 CD SACD changer for $399, along with 180-plus software titles. SACD like DVD-Audio has high-resolution two-channel audio and high resolution 5.1 sound on the same disc. The unit does have 5.1 analog outputs, which works if you have an AV preamp or receiver with the inputs. It doesn’t have a 5.1 DSD output. The digital out is reserved for CD digital use only.
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Red Rose Music
Mark Levinson's new project, Red Rose Music, endorses Philips' SACD format. Sponsored by Philips, Mark Levinson performed his famous 45 minute demo off site. The waiting room for the Levinson show physically displayed over 180 SACD titles currently available in stores.
A secondary Red Rose Music demo played some very resolute, proprietary SACD two channel recordings on their $10,000 system featuring Mark Levinson on bass with his wife, Sex in The City TV star Kim Cattrall, reciting poetry. I still can't believe the poem was about a dog that died but the recording quality was spectacular as you'd expect from Mr. Levinson. |
 Kenwood
Kenwood showed a new line of products called Kenwood Sovereign which are higher end versions of Kenwood's best technologies like DVD-A and Dolby Pro Logic II. Kenwood showed a digital audio server which has a 20 GB hard drive, CDR/RW, v.90 modem and RS232 control which you can store, record, archive and distribute your music from. Kenwood also showed the first 400 DVD-Audio/DVD-Video changer which should be out soon.
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 Rotel
For $1,500, Rotel has a DVD-Audio single disc player in the PDV1080, which plays CDs, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio and compact discs with a special attention paid to the sound of the unit. The PDV1080 is available now.
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