CES 2006 Top Ten Picks

Zapco Reference DCS Amplifiers
Addressing the inherent acoustical problems in a car can often require several processors. Zapco has come up with a solution in their Digital Control System (DCS) Reference amplifiers that allows the installer or user to set various DSP functions. These include gain, input mode, crossover mode, crossover alignment, Q-bass equalization, bass gain and time delay. The adjustments can be made in two ways: simply connect a PC (using the supplied software) to the amplifier or use the DRC-SL (optional) to make adjustments from the car, both connecting through a USB port. When using multiple DCS amps, they can be linked together and each amplifier can be addressed to receive the proper data from the programmer. -CT

Diamond Audio D9 Components
Served up in a beautiful cherry stained wood case, the flagship D9 components exemplify high-end car audio. Diamond Audio uses a proprietary technology, TDX, which accelerates and increases the transfer of heat away from critical components in the tweeters, woofers and crossovers, thereby significantly reducing distortion to previously unobtainable levels. This is accomplished through several heat-removing measures such as the distinct motor geometry, heat sinks for the speakers and crossovers and general materials used in each of the components. The crossover utilizes a passive clipping detector circuit that can identify when the source amplifier is clipping by illuminating an LED indicator. Serious stuff for serious listeners.www.diamondaudio.com

Pioneer Inno
An XM2go satellite radio receiver, the Inno plays live satellite radio on the go, MP3s and WMAs. The sleek unit allows the user to "bookmark" songs heard on XM's 160 digital radio channels, connect the Inno to a PC and instantly purchase songs from the XM + Napster online service. -BH

Eclipse AVN7000
Offering full navigation without requiring a hide-away brain or a double-DIN opening in the dash, the AVN7000 boasts a 7-inch wide TFT display and a DVD/MS multisource receiver.

StreetDeck car computer
Tucked away in a corner of the massive Intel booth was one of the coolest car audio products at CES, the StreetDeck car computer. For $2,000 you get all the features of a high-end head-CD/DVD/MP3 playback, GPS navigation, a 7-inch touchscreen monitor, satellite radio and Bluetooth integration-plus a full-blown computer that runs Windows XP home and sports an Intel Celeron M 1.5 GHz processor, a 60-gig hard drive, an ethernet port and four USB 2.0 ports. And this is only a short list of what this car PC can do. -DN

Kenwood KOS-A200
A solution for adding aftermarket components to OEM stereos, the KOS-A200 (dubbed OEM+ by Kenwood) can be fully integrated with radios that include RDS FM tuners (which allow text to be displayed on the radio). It includes a USB input, two auxiliary analog inputs, a 5L disc changer input, IR eye input and more. -BH

Alpine Blackbird
Clean, simple and easy to use, Alpine's entry into portable navigation, the PMD-B100, features an attractive dock and a built-in RDS traffic receiver. Once docked, the Blackbird's controls can be easily accessed through one of Alpine's touchscreen head units-no need to stick the unit up on the dash! In addition, docking it to an A/V head unit delivers twice the processing power of competing all-in-one nav units. -BH

Sony Nav-U NU-U70
This super portable nav unit features a 3.5-inch touchscreen, built-in GPS and 1GB of imbedded flash memory. It comes with a DVD-ROM of maps to back up the one of the continental U.S. already preloaded. Lastly, for vehicle-free navigation, its battery lasts up to 4 hours. -BH

Farenheit MPIC-10
This palm-sized, portable hard-drive recorder/player includes a 3.1-megapixel color camera. The docking module incorporates the hard-drive system into your car's video-monitor system. It holds 30GB, which translates to roughly 6,000 songs, and features a lithium-ion rechargeable battery for laptop use. $799. -BB

Audison LRx Amplifiers
Audison has always built great sounding amplifiers, but the latest revolution of the LRx series could be considered one of the smartest designs. The Easy Common Interface (ECI) is an original, universal input system sporting interchangeable modules that can accept low and high level signals. The ECI modules are reversible, allowing for discrete termination of the connections in a channel beneath the amplifier. Smart Air Flow (SAF) enhances the thermal capacity of the amplifier allowing for big power in a small package while the Amplifier Management Processor (AMP) monitors and protects the entire system and carries out thermal stabilization without shutting down the amplifier or effecting sound quality. Each amp in the lineup uses powerful crossovers that come with a cheat-sheet for various configurations. -CT