CES 2008 Predictions!

[TheMoose]

Originally Posted by kennyt

...back to the topic....

I for one am hoping to see many new high end pre/pro's capable of the new audio formats, but alas I dream...

Why is that AVR's in the low & mid end have them but not the high end?

[kennyt]

Seems the chipsets are tough to come by still and high end companies have always lagged behind the lower end. I hope in this front they buck up soon!

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by TheMoose

Why is that AVR's in the low & mid end have them but not the high end?

Because they've always been quick to add the new stuff. This has been the story behind receivers for as long as I can remember.

For instance when Pro Logic II came out, the low end got them first. It took awhile before it was in a NAD, Sunfire, or Arcam receiver.

The Low End manufacturers appeal to the masses. They give them the toy as quickly as possible. The high end companies want to make sure they impliment it to the best of its capabilities.

I'd feel safer buying a NAD or Arcam receiver with HDMI 1.3 than buying even a Denon.

NAD does have HDMI 1.3 in their Receivers and Pre-Pro now. They've also moved to a modular design so that they can replace whole cards for future releases. Not to mention their new interface software is a giant step in the right direction for a "music first," type of manufacturer.

The NAD was supposed to decode DD+, TrueHD, etc. and they chose not to do it before shipping the units. Supposedly they're still in R&D testing the differences of different chipsets with the codecs. They will upgrade the units with either a firmware upgrade a whole new card when they're satisfied with what they've learned.

Arcam will have 1.3 units in 2008.

[JerryDelColliano]

Its hard to have a smaller company like Arcam or NAD (NAD isn't that small but compared to Sony...) that can buy enough chips to get the ABSOLUTE latest stuff into their preamps. Their strength is in audio quality, customer service, good remotes etc...

I don't think people should buy preamps or receivers based on the "laundry list" research method. Sound matters more than features in most every case.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by JerryDelColliano

Its hard to have a smaller company like Arcam or NAD (NAD isn't that small but compared to Sony...) that can buy enough chips to get the ABSOLUTE latest stuff into their preamps. Their strength is in audio quality, customer service, good remotes etc...

I don't think people should buy preamps or receivers based on the "laundry list" research method. Sound matters more than features in most every case.

I totally agree but us Audiophiles feel left out when the new Receivers come out every year! I'm glad that most high end gear has analog inputs so I can have my next gen players do the decoding for now.

Totally off topic but someone told me Mark Levinson and LG are releasing HTs in a box... how weird is that!

[kennyt]

Mark Levinson HT in a box? I hadn't heard that and we were privy to the hidden ML room @ CEDIA.

If they make one, I highly doubt I could lift the box!