Central Vacuuming
CVac Powered by 520 Watts
New from Electrolux is the Afuera central-vacuuming system (CVac). The Afuera incorporates the company’s CleanStream filter and HEPA filtration system, which can vacuum dust and dirt particles as small as 0.3 microns. The company guarantees the filter for the life of the system, and according to Electrolux, because the system employs a 520-air-watt motor, it can deliver up to five times the cleaning of traditional vacuuming devices. The system also offers the accompanying Electrolux Cleaning Essentials kit, which provides a suite of cleaning tools that are said to expedite household cleaning.
Electrolux, Bloomington, Ill., 800-896-9756, www.electroluxusa.com
Home Networking
Multiport Jack Handles Phone, Power
Leviton’s new Out-of-Sight Power Jack is a four-wire telephone jack that offers a built-in low-voltage power supply for cordless wall phones, answering machines and other units. Leviton’s phone jack is the same size as a standard wall box, and can be used in kitchens, bedrooms, hallways, garages and home offices. Leviton designed the jack to eliminate the unsightliness of multiple cables and power supplies, which can detract from a room’s decor. Leviton makes the jack in white, and it can accommodate any cordless phone with a rating of 7 volts to 12 volts.
Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc., Little Neck, N.Y., 800-323-8920, www.leviton.com
On-Wall Speakers
Speaker Company Achieves a Company First
After years of producing in-wall and in-ceiling loudspeakers, Sonance is debuting its Symphony LCR speaker designed for left, center and right placement. The speaker is timbre-matched to pair with the company’s Symphony in-wall and in-ceiling products. The Symphony LCR speaker comes equipped with an adjustable boundary compensation switch, which can aid an integrator in tailoring to its sound an individual environment. The LCR features two 61¼2-inch woofers and a 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter that are encased in a magnetically shielded MDF cabinet finished in black vinyl. Sonance says the speaker’s rated frequency response is 45Hz to 20kHz, and its maximum SPL capability is 90dB.
Sonance, San Clemente, Calif., 800-582-0771, www.sonance.com
A/V Receiver
HT Receiver Offers 9.1 Surround Sound
The RX-Z9 home-theater receiver from Yamaha Electronics offers users the ability to immerse themselves in a 9.1 surround-sound listening experience. The RX-Z9 is rated to pump out 170 watts x 7 and 50 watts x 2 through the use of a toroidal transformer and Yamaha’s Digital Total Purity Audio Reproduction (ToP) technology. The 9.1 receiver is capable of Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS-ES Discrete, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1, DTS 96/24, and DTS Neo:6. It also features the company’s own DSP modes, which are powered by four 32-bit LSIs and offer decoding for music and movies. Besides its processing and amplification power, the receiver also incorporates the Yamaha Automatic Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO), which tailors the receiver’s sound to the specifications of the room at the touch of a button.
MSRP is $4,499. Yamaha Electronics Corp., Buena Park, Calif., 800-492-6242, www.yamaha.com
HDTV Display
LCD Monitors Provide HD Resolution
Mitsubishi’s new LT-3020 30-inch LCD television features an NTSC tuner, a tabletop stand with wire management, and an illuminated remote control. The LCD television provides users with a 16 x 9, high-definition, 1280 x 768-resolution viewing experience. On the back of the display, the LT-3020 offers two composite connections, two S-Video connections, two component connections, an F-connector and a serial input for use with a computer. Mitsubishi rates the unit’s contrast ratio at 350:1, and its brightness at 450 cd/m2.
MSRP is $5,199. Misubishi Digital Electronics America Inc., Irvine, Calif., 800-332-2119, www.mitsubishi-tv.com
DVD Player
Speaker Company Introduces DVD Player
European speaker manufacturer Jamo has entered the world of video with the release of its first DVD player, the DVR 50. The DVD player is compatible with DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and CD-R/RW, and it can display progressive-scan video in MPEG 1 (MP3), MPEG 2, VCD, SVCD, JPEG and DivX formats. On the audio side, the DVR 50 supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS 5.1. The sleek DVD player was designed by the company’s all-female design team, Smedegaard and Weiss, who also designed the company’s A 3 surround speaker system.
MSRP is $600. Jamo US Inc., Buffalo Grove, Ill., 847-465-0005, www.jamo.com
White Goods
Washer and Dryer Communicate
General Electric’s (GE) new Profile Harmony clothes care system incorporates a technology that allows the washing machine to talk to the dryer. According to GE, the communication technology that the appliances employ results in better clothing care and a savings of resources and time. To activate the clothes care system, all a user has to do is select a method of washing. Once the method has been selected, the washing machine will communicate that information to the dryer, which in turn will dry the clothing, based on the information provided by the washing machine. Through the technology, GE says the system can conserve water up to 40 percent and energy up to 47 percent, compared to the DOE standard.
MSRPs range from $1,998 to $2,198. General Electric, Louisville, Ky., 800-626-2000, www.GEConsumerProducts.com