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Samsung has shown off its latest 3D Blu-ray Home Theatre system, with the HT-C9950W offering 'a new dimension in home cinema'.

The Samsung HT-C9950W is billed as the ideal companion for the company's flagship LED 9000 series television and features touch control buttons, a premium volume wheel and slot-in disc loading.

"The HT-C9950W, creates a new dimension in home cinema with jaw-dropping, life-like performance and a sophisticated design," states Samsung's release.

Multi-dimensional sound

"The 7.1 channel, multi-dimensional surround system includes a touch remote control, four floor-standing speakers, two satellite speakers, one centre channel unit, an active subwoofer with an anti-vibration solution and two HDMI inputs," the release continues.

"The HT-C9950W includes a wireless LAN adaptor, allowing for easy access to Samsung Apps, or Samsung's AllShare to watch content from all other DLNA certified devices on the TV."

The Samsung HT-C9950W is available now and has been priced at around £1,670.

Pioneer has released details of its latest range of Kodo iPod dock setups, the XW-NAW1.

Bringing two 30w audio speakers, the docks have also been equipped with something called 'neodymium tweetermagnets' – which isn't the name of a death metal band but speaker technology which brings "rich, powerful and outstanding sound".

Wall of sound

The speaker system is wall mountable and definitely looks the business.

According to Pioneer, it is a mere 83mm thick and has been equipped with a remote control so once it is hung on the wall, you don't have to keep getting up to change tracks etc.

The device NAW1 also has a component video out port, so you can also connect the system up to a TV to playback video.

And for those who don't want to wall-mount the thing, the NAW1 is also said to be portable enough to blast out songs on the go.

The Kodo XW-NAW1 has a UK release date of September and is priced at £199.

Logitech has unveiled its THX certified Z623 speaker system, with a price tag just shy of £150.

The peripherals manufacturer is pushing the speakers, with the Lucas stamp of approval, as ideal for music, movies and games.

The 2.1 system offers 200 watts (RMS) power, RCA and 3.5mm outputs and a built in headphone jack.

"Engrossed in audio"

"Whether you're listening to rock music, watching a Steven Spielberg movie, or playing your favourite video game, the experience is always richer when you get engrossed in the audio," said Marcus Harvey, Logitech UK & Ireland Country Manager.

"That's why we built the Logitech Speaker System Z623 – so you can lose yourself in whatever you're into.

"For DVD aficionados, music enthusiasts and hardcore gamers, the Z623 system delivers powerful audio for your room. And with THX certification, you know you're getting the best."

The Logitech Speaker System Z623 has been given a UK release date of September and a suggested retail price of £149.

Alphason Designs has unveiled its latest stand – with the Arena Soundstand offering a 100-watt speaker system and ultra-slim sub woofer built in.

The UK-designed Arena Soundstand arrives in Alphason's 25th year of operation, and offers passive ventilation and glass doors.

And for those of you who want your TV cabinet and cuffs to match it comes in real wood veneer in walnut and light oak as well as satin white and black.

Plug and play

"Easily connected to a TV, it offers true 'plug and play' facilities to consumers wanting a stylish off the shelf home cinema set-up, explains Alphason's release.

"So with Alphason Arena Soundstand plugged into your TV, you've got the next best thing to actually being at the game or gig!"

The Alphason Arena Soundstand is out now with a UK price of £599.

Logitech has announced its latest 5.1 surround sound system, with the Logitech Z506 speakers designed for the living room.

At a shade under £79.99, the Logitech Z506 speakers have been designed to be connected to 'nearly every entertainment device' including PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, iPod or a DVD player.

The speakers offer 75 Watt (RMS), and can apparently connect to 'two devices simultaneously'.

Any room, or living room?

"We designed the Logitech Surround Sound Speakers Z506 so you can set them up the way you want to in any room of your home," said Mark Schneider, vice president and general manager of Logitech's audio business unit.

"The Logitech Z506 speakers can support nearly any home-entertainment configuration, letting you quickly connect to a game console using an RCA connection, a PC through its sound card, or a digital music player using the 3.5mm input."

Romain Cholat, VP of large markets, added: "After listening to our customers extensively, it was clear that they wanted a speaker system designed for the living room."

The Logitech Z506 speakers have a UK release date of August and are priced at £79.99.

Sonos is soon to launch an iPad application for its wireless home entertainment system.

The app – to be released in late August – will be available alongside the company's iPhone app for free.

The user interface continues Sonos' theme from the CR200 controller, but with some tweaks to take advantage of the iPad's larger screen, such as being able to drag tracks from a playlist to the 'now playing' pane.

In the zone

In landscape view, the app displays a list of speaker zones, music directories on the user's network attached storage or PC, album art and media controls.

Access to streamed music from Last FM and Napster - as well as thousands of radio stations - is also visible on the one screen and users can also set a sleep timer and alarm function within the app.

The iPad application offers more functionality and a significantly larger screen over Sonos' £279 CR200 controller, which seems to be becoming a little redundant considering the number of iOS devices being sold.

In an event more akin to the unveiling of a supercar than the launch of new audio gear, Italian speaker brand Sonus Faber took over the prestigious Palazzo Grassi modern art museum in Venice to introduce its latest hi-fi floorstanders.

As you might imagine, these proved to be no ordinary loudspeakers. Priced at a pocket-numbing150,000 euros a pair they are not only amongst the world's most expensive, they also challenge traditional thinking in speaker construction and push the boundaries of performance.

Standing just over 1.7m tall and weighing 610kg a pair, the Fenice (Phoenix) speakers herald a rebirth of sorts for the Italian high-end speaker maker. Although only 30 pairs of Fenice models will be made, elements of their design, engineering and research will be filtered down into more 'affordable' models, beginning later this year.

The Fenice design includes a trio of new patents, introducing fresh concepts to a field not often associated with innovation.

A Sound Field Shaper controls the sonic radiation of the speakers, allowing azimuth and sound pressure level to be optimized for any listening room. This, says R&D chief Paolo Tezzon, allows the soundfield to be customised for genuine three-dimensional listening.

Reflex ports have been treated with special insulating material for ultra low frequency response, while an advanced suspension and decoupling system removes any physical vibration, effectively divorcing these huge boxes from the sound they make.

Demonstrations of the extraordinary system, using electronics from sister company Audio Research, proved mesmerizing. The Fenice image with awe-inspiring definition. Their huge presence, and a frequency range that spans 20Hz to 35000Hz, translate to a listening experience that's like sitting just metres from a live performance, albeit without any distortion, amp buzz or crowd heckles.

CEO Mauro Grange says the Fenice models are "destined to become the progenitor of an entire new generation of hi-tech." At the launch event Tech Radar mingled with a swarm of international high-end dealers each vying for the rights to distribute just a handful of the ultra-expensive speakers. Many claim to have already pre-sold their allocations to wealthy audiophiles.

Giovanni Menato, sales director for the brand declared: "The Fenice isn't just a turning point for Sonus Faber, it's a turning point for the high-end audio industry."

He may well be right.

Sony has announced its summer Hi-Fi line-up, refreshing its iPod docks and audio systems.

The best-looking of the lot is the MX550i. This HiFi system has taken its design cues from Sony's latest Bravia range of televisions, boasting monolithic features that are so good you'll be surprised there aren't a bunch of Neanderthals worshiping the device.

Alongside the design, is a two-way speaker system with 60W output and a hidden iPod dock. There's also DAB on board and a USB slot.

As this is a European-only product, it has been tuned by UK engineers for UK ears presumably – so Simply Red's remix of Sade will sound awesome on it.

Nestled underneath the MX550i in the range is the BX77DBi. Although the system doesn't boast a monolithic design, it does have an iPod dock, CD deck and will pump out 50w audio to soothe the ears.

For those who prefer the more traditional look, Sony has also announced the FX250 and FX350i Hi-Fi systems.

Again these have a USB slot, CD and DAB functionality. Both of these blast out a moderate 10W of sound and are only really different in their colours – the FX250 comes with brown speakers, the FX350i sports black ones. Oh, and the FX350i also houses an iPod dock, hence the 'i' suffix.

If an iPod speaker dock is all you are looking for, then you could do far worse than looking at the X80iP.

This setup can be used both in and outdoors, courtesy of the rechargeable battery housed in the device. Worthy for up to seven hours, you will be able to take X80iP into the great outdoors for a day without fear of it running out of juice.

Packed with 20w speaker and 20W output, there is also some powerful sound to be found within the X80iP.

Finally, there's now an iPod dock for the sc8r bois out there. The SK8iP – see what they did there? – is a dock for the teens and tweens of the world who like to accessorise.

Coming complete with four different 'skins' – ie fascias – the iPod dock can be given a personal look.

And to personalise it even more, you can log on to www.wrappz.com and make your own skin to use. As in 'skins' for the iPod dock and not in a Buffalo Bill / Silence of the Lambs sort of way.

Sound-wise, the SK8iP is for those who like it load, piping music at a 'can you please turn that down your mother is trying to sleep' 75W.

All of the Sony Hi-Fi kit listed has a UK release date of June, with pricing varying from £150 upwards.

Onkyo has announced the arrival of three new mid-range receivers, which support FLAC playback and are compatible with the latest range of 3D TVs.

The TX-NR1008, TX-NR808, and TX-NR708 have been given the seal of approval by THX and all are compatible with DolbyTrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio HD codecs.

When it comes to extra functionality, the receivers can be networked to your home and support the following files: MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, and LPCM.

The receivers will also show the album artwork from your iTunes collection and you can access LastFM, vTuner, and Napster through the systems.

Channel choice

The main difference between the three receivers is how many channels they offer. The TX-NR808 and TX-NR708 house 7.2-channels, while the TX-NR1008 packs a whopping 9.2 channels.

The NR1008 also has an extra HDMI output.

The TX-NR708 and TX-NR808 have a UK release date of mid-June, costing £800 and £1,000 respectively.

The TX-NR1008 has a UK release date of July and will set you back £1,300.

Panasonic has announced its 2010 range of Blu-ray Home Theatres – with the SC-BT735, BT330, BT230 and BT222 offering what the company terms a 'realistic' cinema surround experience.

Panasonic's latest Blu-ray bundles use a combination of real and virtual speakers to try to bring a little cinema magic to your front room and the entire range incorporates PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus for more accurate colours.

The BT735, brings 'Pure Direct Sound' speakers for the front options and 'Advanced Bamboo' cone units for the front and surround speakers as well as a slim-type speaker box which 'reduces unwanted reflection from the baffle and brings out high quality pure direct sound.'

The SC-BT330, BT230 and BT222 all feature the new Advanced Bamboo Cone Speakers as Centre speakers.

Subwoofers

"Kelton Subwoofers with their distinctive design are included with the BT735 and BT330 in order to deliver a powerful, reverberating bass despite of its small, compact size," adds Panasonic's release.

The BT735, BT330 and BT230 are also wireless ready for the rear speakers and feature VieraCast, BD-Live, DLNA capability, and are Wireless LAN ready.

That connectivity means that users can view videos on YouTube and Web-based photos on Picasa via VieraCast as well as download BD-Live Blu-ray Disc bonus content.

Panasonic also announced that its Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Home Cinema System which features Pure Direct Sound Speakers, Full HD 3D playback with 1920x1080 frame-sequential method, VieraCast, and BD-Live, will be coming in Autumn.

The BT735 has a price of £698, with a UK release date expected shortly.

Denon has announced the arrival of its latest all-in-one Blu-ray system, the S-5BD.

The Denon S-5BD, or Cara as it is more affectionately known, is Denon's attempt at making its high-end AV kit more affordable.

Combining an 5.1-channel surround sound amplifier with a Blu-ray player, Denon has managed to snaffle some of the technology used in its £4,500 DVD-A1UD Blu-ray player, combine it with an amplifier which pipes out nearly 400W of sound.

Also on-board is a Compressed Audio Restorer, which promises to get better sound out of your MP3s and support for Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Dolby TrueHD/DTSHD Master Audio.

The system is Profile 2.0 and HDMI 1.4 compatible, so you will be able to spin those 3D-Ready Blu-ray discs when they make an appearance later in the year.

Price-wise, it's going to retail for £1,999. Yes, it's expensive but compared to some of the kit released by Denon, it's a bit of a steal.

Got to www.denon.co.uk for more information.

From the makers of the MP3 file format comes a new audio codec which may well be key to help curb music piracy.

Called MusicDNA, the file format is being billed as successor of the MP3 – by Bach, its makers – and is packed to the brim with metadata, containing artist information, artwork and even things like song lyrics and Twitter feeds.

Much like the iTunes LP but not locked to iTunes like Apple's version, MusicDNA hopes to revitalise the music industry by adding extras to the files like live videos and even links to buy merchandise.

Double the price

"We bundle all the audio data and business intelligence in one file. The data can be automatically updated whenever you are online," said co-inventor Stefan Kohlmeyer at the launch of the format.

"You could even sell it for double the price of an ordinary MP3. If content creators make an effort to put a lot of exclusive content in to it, you could definitely charge a higher premium."

So far there are a number of music labels who have signed on to supply MusicDNA, including the UK-based Beggars Group, Delta records and Tommy Boy Entertainment.

Tom Silverman, the founder and CEO of Tommy Boy, is so enthused with the idea of MusicDNA he explained that: "If MP3s were the cassette, MusicDNA will be the CD."

It will be interesting to see if any sort of music format can knock any of the current digital stalwarts off of their perch (MP3, WMA, AAC and the like) especially if MusicDNA is going to be sold at a premium.

TechRadar has teamed up with Cambridge Audio to give away five of its superb-sounding iPod docks.

The iD50 is among the best iPod docks we have encountered. When we reviewed the system back in December, it was so good it warranted a five-star TechRadar rating.

Complete with 'quasi differential noise cancelling' circuitry, the Cambridge Audio iD50 brings the best out of your iPod piping sound through its audiophile-grade output buffers, cleaning up the audio so your ears aren't harmed by the sometimes garbled sound MP3 files tend to make.

Pitch-perfect performance

Connections on the system include audio output on phono sockets, composite video and S-video, and RS232 for multi-room installations, and there's even the ability to link the dock up to your TV to use it as the display device. The setup also comes complete with a remote control.

When it comes to overall performance from the iD50, as our reviewer puts it: "Lest you think we're imagining things, we also measured the performance and got figures that wouldn't disgrace any CD player."

To be in with a chance of winning one of five Cambridge Audio iD50 iPod docks (which normally retail at £100 each), all you have to do is click here and answer the question.

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Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents over 18 years of age.

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Scandyna, the makers of the Minipod, have gone back to the drawing board and come up with a brand-new speaker system – the Megapod, designed for those who want to make something of a big impression with their audio kit.

Standing at 884 x 348 x 535mm, and with looks like an extra from A Clockwork Orange, the Megapod is a beast of a floor-standing speaker, and not one for those with conservative AV tastes.

If the design doesn't put you off, then underneath the flamboyant chassis you will find a great speaker.

The Megapod comes equipped with a 25mm free-mounted tweeter with a 125mm midrange driver – which is bullet-proof just in case a gun-toting mate decides to take out his anger on your brand-new speaker system.

Also on-board is a custom-deigned subwoofer with a long-throw 250mm bass driver.

Looking for fame

Because of stints in Friends and spots in adverts for Stella, the Minipod – the smaller version of its big brother – is being touted as one of the most recognisable speakers in the world.

Scandyna is obviously hoping the Megapod gets as much recognition. With a price of £2,396 per pair, it'll definitely turn heads. And to make it stand out even more, the system is available in a choice of white, black, silver, blue, yellow or red.

Go to www.scandyna-speakers.com for more details.

It's been six long years since Bowers & Wilkins has updated its 800 Series of high-end speakers, which just shows how much the company rates its audio technology to withstand the rigours of what is a fast-paced industry tech-wise.

But 2010 is here and British AV manufacturer has decided now is the time to unleash the 800 Series Diamond to the audio elite.

Tweet music

Boasting an enhanced Diamond Dome Tweeter – this increases efficiency and improves the dynamic range – and bass has been given a quad-magnet design which reduces distortion and the like.

As with all B&W kit, the tech inside is proprietary, with the 800 Series Diamond housing Kevlar FST mid-range drivers, Nautilus tube-loaded tweeters, Matrix enclosures and the unique sphere / tube heads.

Yes, this means that the mid ranges are bullet-proof.

Available in Rosenut, Cherrywood, and Piano Black, these premium speakers have prices starting from £3,750 per pair.

If you want the all-consuming version, then you will be looking to spend £18,500 per pair. Ouch.

Go to www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk for more details.

JVC has today unveiled two new audio setups, which do away with pesky wires.

Out of the two systems, the dual soundbar setup (codenamed TH-BA3) is standout, being that it's the first one in existence ever which features a wireless subwoofer and wireless surround speakers.

The BA3 system is 5.1, with the soundbar containing four speakers – one each for the left and right main channels and two for the centre channel. These are accompanied by the power amplifier, with the whole thing blasting out 280-watts of audio power.

Also on show is the new JVC TH-BS7 system. This is a 4.1 setup which includes a soundbar measuring just 1.4 inches tall.

The soundbar comprises four JVC Direct Drive speakers, each driven by 20 watts, and uses some surround sound tech which negates the need for rear speakers.

Both setups decode Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II and are available in the US now from $549.95 (around £340).

Expect them to appear in UK stores some time in the New Year.