New Gear from McIntosh, Cambridge Audio, SVS, Samsung and...Polaroid?! April 2023

Let’s start off with a curveball...Polaroid!? Yes, the 83-year old company founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is STILL making instant film cameras, AND NOW Bluetooth speakers. You can find 4 Bluetooth speakers in their line starting with the Polaroid P1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Carabiner, followed by the P2, P3, and finally, the P4, ranging from $59.99 to $289.99. They have some fun colors and fun designs... I haven’t seen these in person yet, so I’m curious to know how they sound. If you have one of these or have heard them before, let me know what you think.

Say hello to two new products, the McIntosh MHT300 Home Theater Receiver and the McIntosh MC451 Dual Mono Amplifier with Hybrid Drive.

First, the MHT300. The is going to be a:

• 7.2 channel AV Receiver (expandable to 7.2.4 with a separate amplifier).
• With 150 Watts per channel into 4 Ohms or 120 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms (ALL 7 channels driven)
• You'll get 4 HDMI inputs & 1 HDMI output: 8K/60Hz & 4K/120Hz with 40Gbps; HDCP 2.3; eARC/ARC
• The MHT300 provides Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support
• Dirac Live Room Correction
• And Dolby Vision; HDR10+; HLG

Second, the MC451 is bananas! This amp is going to be used in a bi-amping situation using McIntosh’s Hybrid Drive™ technology that combines a separate vacuum tube and solid-state amplifier onto one single chassis. A quick look at the specs include:

• 150 Watt vacuum tube amplifier and 300 Watt solid state amplifier on one chassis
• The Vacuum tube section powers mid and upper drivers
• The Solid state section drives the woofers
• DualView™ Power Output Meter

We’ve been a McIntosh dealer for over 2 decades now, and we regularly install Mac gear in customers' homes. It’s simply an awesome piece to HEAR AND see.

From Cambridge we have 2 new streamers, the AXN10 and the MXN10 Network Players. Both streamers run off Cambridge’s StreamMagic app, which brings hi-res services, like internet radio, Spotify Connect, Tidal, Qobuz and Deezer to your stereo. With Apple Airplay2 and Chromecast built-in, you can access Apple Music, BBC Sounds and more. The AXN10 and the MXN10 are also both Roon Ready. The only difference we can see between the two will be size and price. The AXN10 comes in at 599 and will stack nicely with other components from Cambridge, while the MXN10 is more compact and is 100 bucks less at only $499.

Sonos has launched 2 new long-awaited speakers, the Era 100 and Era 300 Wireless Smart Speakers. Brian has a comprehensive video review and blog for both of these (view Era 100 Review here, and Era 300 Review here) I suggest you checkout.

The main updates you should know about include an all-new design and size, larger drivers, more power, a faster processor, enhanced Trueplay Acoustic Tuning Technology, support for Android Trueplay tuning, Bluetooth compatibility, and finally Spatial Audio which can be found in the Era 300.

Spatial Audio such as Dolby Atmos, allows creators to place individual sounds all around you in 3D space for a more immersive and realistic listening experience. This is a very cool feature, and I can't wait to experience this.

By the time this video and blog are live, the Era 100 and Era 300 will be shipping—so long as we can keep them in stock.

SVS is now in the custom install game with the 3000 in-wall subs available as singles or doubles, powered by a Sledge STA-800D2C Amplifier. The speakers will feature Dual Active 9-in Drivers in an Ultra-Rigid Aluminum and MDF cabinet design. The amp is rated at 800-watt RMS, 2,500-watt peak with a fully discrete MOSFET output. There’s also a Pre-Construction Installation Kit available. And to note, these are available in-store only as part of our custom design and installation services.