Definitive Technology introduced its first active soundbar system, on...

Definitive Technology introduced its first active soundbar system, on a press tour in New York Wednesday. The $1,999 system, comprising a 2-3/8-inch-deep soundbar and 6-inch-deep wireless subwoofer, will compete at the top end of the soundbar market with products from Bose, Martin-Logan, B&W and Yamaha, Paul DiComo, senior vice president-marketing and business development, told us. The SoloCinema XTR will be widely distributed through Definitive’s existing retail base, which includes brick-and-mortar specialty AV dealers, custom installers “without showrooms,” Best Buy, Amazon and Crutchfield, DiComo said. On whether there’s enough demand in the market for high-priced soundbars to support another product, DiComo told us, “There damn better be.” Definitive has sold passive soundbars that require connection to an AV receiver for the past 5 years, and DiComo said the maturing soundbar category was looking for a “simplified” high-performance product. Connections include three HDMI 1.4 inputs and one HDMI output, along with an optical and RCA audio inputs. The soundbar and subwoofer come “pre-paired” to remove that task from the setup process, DiComo said. The system’s remote control has concave and convex buttons to help users navigate in the dark when watching a movie, he said. The system -- which packs six aluminum dome midrange drivers, three aluminum dome tweeters, and an 8-inch subwoofer -- supports Dolby and DTS lossless audio and has Dolby Volume to level the sound between commercials and other content, he said. A USB port enables firmware updates, which could be used to “fix bugs” or provide product enhancements, DiComo said, citing the overall importance of software in making the system “work.” With the first active soundbar ready to ship in August, the company will look at additional sizes of active soundbars, DiComo said. On the possibility of Definitive coming out with a speaker that incorporates WiSA wireless technology, DiComo said there are no plans to do so, but he said an AirPlay-equipped product “is a notion” among company designers. No timetable has been set for an AirPlay-equipped model, he said. Expansion in soundbars doesn’t reflect a move away from traditional floorstanding speakers, DiComo said, adding that the company will launch a new tower speaker next year. Definitive is also planning its first headphone release for 2013 that’s being designed “from the ground up,” DiComo said. “We're not just going to China and saying, ‘Change this part and slap our logo on it,'” he said. The product will be “very very special.”