Inspect-a-gadget
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday September 29, 2003
Buy the bi
Panasonic mini hi-fi systems
Bi-amping and bi-wiring are usually the province of very expensive audio components, allowing an amplifier and specific drivers within a speaker to be matched, rather than using one amplifier to power all the drivers. But Panasonic's two new mini hi-fi systems, the 150-watts-per-channel SCAK410 ($549, pictured) and the 110-watts-per-channel SCAK310 ($479), provide this feature along with a tuner with 30 station presets and, in the case of the 410, MP3 compatibility. Also in the range is the 80-watts-per-channel SCAK110 ($399). All have a cassette and five-disc CD changer.
For more details visit www.panasonic.com.au or call 132 600.
Doof, doof
JBL BTX250 subwoofer
It looks like a jet engine and packs quite a wallop. This is the latest car subwoofer from US manufacturer JBL and, like its smaller brother, the BassPro, it's dead easy to hook into an existing car system - just run a line from the rear speakers, add electricity and you have a system that thumps while also dealing with the harsh subsonics of road noise. It can go in the boot and contains a 25cm subwoofer driven by a 100-watt amplifier. There's a passive radiator in there driven by internal air pressure to add extra depth to the sound. It costs $799.
For more details visit www.e-hifi.com.au or call 1800 817 787.
Trick of the light
Fujifilm Finepix S5000 digital still camera
Fujifilm's new Finepix S5000 digital still camera has two interesting features. First, it has a 3.1-megapixel sensor with software that, on printing, effectively increases resolution to 6 million pixels by adding new pixels between existing ones. The result, according to Fujifilm, is prints that can go up to 40cm x 50cm at photographic quality. The second feature is a 10x optical zoom. It also films short videos, has several focusing systems and operates on four rechargeable AA batteries. It costs $999.
For more details visit www.fujifilm.com.au or call 1800 226 355.
Thanks for the memory
Panasonic DMRE100H DVD recorder
Panasonic has unveiled a DVD recorder with a whopping 80-gigabyte hard drive on which you can record up to 106 hours of video. If you want to keep it forever, simply transfer the recording to a recordable DVD disc. The $2799 recorder also has a slot for an SD memory card so you can show photographs or vision recorded on a video or digital still camera. It uses Panasonic's DVD-RAM system so you can freeze live television. You can also watch a program recorded on a disc while simultaneously recording another program to the same disc. It handles DVD-audio and all the popular CD formats, including MP3. It also records on to DVD-R discs for playback on almost all DVD players.
For more details visit www.panasonic.com.au or call 132 600.
Look, no wires
Pioneer HTZ515DV home-cinema system
Hot on the heels of LG, Pioneer has announced a home-theatre system with rear speakers that don't need cables - they operate by radio frequency signals beamed from the receiver. This will appeal to many buyers because running cables to rear speakers is often a hassle. As with the LG, however, you'll have to plug these speakers into a wall socket. The HTZ515DV delivers 75 watts of power to all speakers, has Dolby ProLogic II, handles MP3 and WMA music and reproduces JPEG pictures. It costs $1399.
For more details visit www.pioneeraus.com.au or call 1800 338 439.
© 2003 Sydney Morning Herald