When set up in its full 7.1 surround configuration, this beastly home theater system includes 3 KL-650-THX LCR and 2 KL-525-THX LCR full-range fronts, 2 KS-525-THX wide-dispersion surrounds, a pair of KW-120-THX subwoofers, and a KA-1000-THX subwoofer amplifier, blowing out 1000 watts of Class-D power.

When properly installed in a home theater, the system creates a literal wall of sound behind your screen – just like in a real movie theater.

Of course, the entire system is THX-certified, and requires professional installation if you really want it to sound like it does at a proper movie house. Oh yeah, the Ultra2 system as configured above will set you back a whopping $12,999.91 (USD) – and that’s just for the speakers and the subwoofer amp.

You’ll still need to buy your amps, decoders, projector, screen, and playback devices, as well as to build out a proper home theater room to really enjoy this. For now, I’ll just look at the pretty pictures and drool, as I’m sure many of you are doing right now.

[via Uncrate]

The Megalodon headphones come with a remote control for adjusting volume (I’m not sure if I understood its tech specs correctly but it seems to like you can tweak the volume of the virtual speaker separately), microphone sensitivity, levels and mute for both mic and speakers. The remote control also lets you easily switch from 7.1 surround to 2.0 for less demanding audio needs.

The Megalodon is priced at $150 USD. It won’t be available until June 30, but you can pre-order it now at Razer’s website. It’s for PC users only (Windows XP onwards), but I don’t think anyone actually expects gaming headphones for the Mac.

[via EverythingUSB]

The Alienware HD Media Server (HDMS) comes in a dramatic brushed aluminum, rack-mountable enclosure, and provides a powerful HTPC under the hood. Powered by a smokin’ fast Intel Core 2 Quad core processor, the HDMS provides plenty of storage using a hot-swappable RAID 5 array with up to 4-terabytes of disk.

In addition to a standard slot-loading DVD/CD writer, there’s a dual-layer Blu-Ray/DVD±R/W/CD-RW burner available as an option. The HDMS comes with a complete set of tools for managing your media files and offers high-definition DVR capabilities for recording and playing back content at up to 1080p resolution.

There are a plethora of audio and video outputs including Component video, VGA, DVI/HDMI, digital audio and 7.1 surround pre-amp connections. The beast has two built-in CableCard compatible tuners, and can support a set of external tuners for recording up to four simultaneous video streams. Network connectivity is achieved using a pair of Gigabit Ethernet LAN connections, or via an optional 802.11N high-speed wireless connection.

The system is available only from custom installers at this point, so be prepared to drop some serious dough if you want one.

[via SlashGear]

The Virtual 7.1 Channel Adapter plugs into your USB port and adds virtual surround to your current PC audio system. Special driver software, called Xear 3D simulates 7.1 channel sound through just two speakers or headphones.

While I’m sure it’s not as good as a real 7.1 speaker setup, the device and software bundle is just $15, so it’s not a big investment if it really does what it says.

The DV-980H supports Dolby Digital Surround EX, which adds the surround back speaker channels, giving the player a leg up over traditional 5.1 surround. The player’s video processing circuitry can crank out 1920×1080 full frame images, letting you take advantage of the native pixel resolution of today’s top of the line 1080p displays.

This is a true “universal” player, supporting DVD, DVD-Audio and SACD format discs. Of course, it doesn’t play today’s high definition formats like Blu-ray or HD-DVD, but it’ll sure make your old DVDs look as good as they possibly can. The player also handles DivX format video files with ease.

In terms of connectivity, the 980H offers an HDMI (v1.2a) digital output, as well as component video, optical, coax, and discrete analog outputs for each of the eight audio channels too.

The only real gotcha here is that this player doesn’t include the stellar Genesis/Faroudja video chipset that was found in the classic DV-971H and DV-981HD models. But if you’re looking for both 1080p output and 7.1 channel audio, this new model is the way to go.

As is always the case with OPPO’s players, the DV-980H offers a ton of bang for the buck, retailing for just $169.

[via SlipperyBrick]

Simply connect BTO’s plusdeck EX to your computer’s USB port, and you can take all your old cassette tapes and easily convert them into MP3, WAV or OGG digital audio files. You can also record from the device’s built-in AM/FM radio.

You can even record your digital files back to analog cassette tape, but I’m not sure why you’d want to do that unless you happen to live in the dark ages.

Inputs are also available for your old turntable or any other device with RCA stereo or a 3.5mm mini stereo output. The plusdeck EX also adds 7.1 channel Dolby surround sound to your PC or Mac, but does only support analog speaker outputs for that feature.

Also included is a compact wireless remote, which lets you easily switch between listening to your computer, radio, tape or other connected audio device.

The plusdeck EX should be available later this Summer in Korea, with a worldwide release shortly thereafter. Korean pricing is 319,000 KRW, which works out to about $347 US Dollars.

[via The Earlyadopter's World]

FLeX home theater PCs feature zippy Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processors and are packed in slick mini case that’s reminiscent of a black Mac Mini. The case design is a glossy “piano black” finish over aluminum, with a crystal front panel. The FLeX 4.2 (shown below) feature a unique case design that can be “folded” into different configurations.

The top of the line FLeX 4.2 features a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T7600 CPU, 750GB of SATA II storage, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and dual 400W RMS Bang & Olufsen ICEPower audio amplifiers. Fully decked out, this system can run around $4500 USD, but if you don’t need the amplifiers and can get away with a little less speed and storage, you should be able to pick up a basic system (the FLeX 0 or 0L model) for around $2150 USD. Systems can be configured online to your specific needs.

All FLeX models feature a slot-load Dual Layer DVD burner and a wide variety of connections including 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Firewire, USB, DVI, VGA, Component, S-Video, Composite, 7.1 analog audio, and optical digital audio. Options are available for digital, analog and DVB-S satellite tuners.

[via Engadget]