Thinking about building or purchasing a new home? Remodeling a room? Installing a new home theater? All these projects are exciting but at the same time, none of them can be taken lightly. Each requires thoughtful planning and execution, which includes making the right decisions with products you select and the people who install them.

MainStreet America (MSA) aims to bring the stress level down and the fun factor up for people looking for new home products and services. Located in Houston, Texas, MSA boasts twelve fully operational homes and a 44,000 sq. ft. guest center where visitors check-in and receive a schedule of events as well as their technological education device (TED). Almost every product in and surrounding the homes including building materials, speakers, touch panels, windows, fixtures and more, is ready to scan using TED’s RFID technology.

Equipped with hand held devices, visitors will take self-guided tours through each home where they can see and experience working products in installed environments. Using RFID technology, they will be able to scan “hot-spots” on products that interest them to instantly access more information about the manufacturer, features and functionality, cost, etc.

Each time a guest scans an item, they will be given the choice to save the information to his/her “Project List”, which s/he can access later through the MSA website. Through the hand held device, the guest can also request more information directly from product manufacturers – at the moment of inspiration. Manufacturers can see when a shopper scans their products through real-time, online reporting.

The shopping experience MainStreet America creates could fundamentally change the way we go about researching major home upgrades. No longer do you just walk in and read some specifications on a laminated sheet while a disinterested employee provides little more than a broad overview of the products. MSA has specified experts in all areas with years of experience in the field, not some underpaid student looking to make some extra cash on his or her weekends.

On a smaller level, MSA is a bit like visiting Brookstone and The Sharper Image at the mall. What makes these stores fun is that you can sit in the massage chairs, try out the pillow and actually use the products you might buy. MainStreet America is just like this except it’s an entire neighborhood filled with new building materials and technology that’s fun and interactive. Walk around and let your senses tell you what you like, not the black ink.

Continual rotation of products and daily demonstrations go a step further in keeping people interested. MSA is a great service for both prospective buyers and companies with home products to sell. It lets consumers experience the products before they buy them in a virtual home setting. When QR codes are scanned, partners divulge whatever information they want to highlight and can even offer an incentive to buy.

High-fidelity audio and home automation are serious purchases that should not be made without diligent research. MSA allows a homeowner to interact with Control4 systems and control units while having a product expert on-hand to answer any questions and provide support. This attention can be a great asset for a customer who just needs a little hand-holding before making the investment.

Similarly, people who love music or want the best home theater on the block shouldn’t let poor acoustics or manipulative sales people at “big box store” make the decision. Choosing the right speaker, whether it’s Paradigm or some other brand is a personal decision because it ultimately has to sound good to your own ears. Figure out which receiver will work best with your home. Maybe it’s the one you had in mind the whole time or maybe it’s that Anthem receiver you were unsure about. MSA will have several options to sample and consider.

More than Just Interactive Shopping

Beyond tour, the MSA website acts as a main hub for home information trends and resources as well. Experts are available to help buyers choose the right builder, supplier, products, etc and home buying seminars will be given to assist in areas such as energy efficiency and green construction, as well as what mortgage is best for you. The education continues with cooking demonstrations, spring gardening classes, and interior design consultants. MSA has ties with veteran home experts and has the know how to help you select solid contracting and architecture options as well.

Enjoy the seasons and current events? Main Street America has shown to be very seasonally aware, they plan to have a firework celebration for the 4^th of July, a winter wonderland for December, and good old Texas BBQ competitions in the summer months. They even understand how to help couples reach a compromise with their home browsing scheduling. During football season, the televisions in the homes will be showing live games and score updates! No more excuses husbands and boyfriends.

Shopping with MainStreet America will morph you into a more confident purchaser and help people everywhere avoid buyer’s regret. Both companies and the consumers win big in this real home simulation made up entirely of products.

Paradigm Electronics Inc., an international leader in speaker design and manufacturing, announces the new Designer Series, a breathtaking overhaul of the company’s beloved AMS, SA and Signature in-ceiling architectural speakers that includes a number of performance and aesthetic enhancements. Speakers in all three lines now feature new low-profile bezels for a cleaner, disappearing aesthetic, and newly redesigned scrims that are more sonically transparent than ever before.

Paradigm Designer Series

Under the hood, all three Guided Soundfield Models (AMS-150R-30, SA-15R-30 and SIG-1.5R-30) now feature the same low-density NLC^™ Non-Limiting Corrugated thermoplastic elastomer surrounds as Paradigm’s highly lauded Signature Series floorstanding, bookshelf, and center speakers. The new surrounds deliver vastly improved damping of vibrations and resonances and increased peak-to-peak excursion. Combined with a new motor structure including a three-split voice coil, thicker top plate, and much larger ceramic/ferrite magnet, has resulted in a speaker that plays +3 dB louder with more clarity at higher output.

Other improvements include new convex grilles for stereo/mono models (AMS-150R-SM and SA-15R-SM), which minimize edge diffraction and allow for much wider sound dispersion. This is an especially important feature since in-ceiling models are not installed to accommodate a “sweet spot”, but rather a larger listening area.

Marine models in the AMS line received several upgrades making them an ideal option for boats, pools and anywhere moisture or weather poses an threat. Neodymium grille magnets provide better adherence in all weather conditions, while all three marine models (AMS-100RX, AMS-150RX and AMS-150RX-SM) now feature more corrosive resistant stainless steel, as well as improved drainage channels for enhanced performance, reliability and longevity.

“Given that the typical customer in the market for an in-ceiling speaker is concerned first and foremost with aesthetics,the invisible design of our new Designer Series is an achievement and selling point in itself,” says Mark Aling, Senior Marketing Director for Paradigm. “But we’ve also included a number of performance enhancements across all three lines that make these Paradigm’s best-sounding in-ceiling speakers yet.”

Paradigm Designer Series in-ceiling speakers are now available from Paradigm dealers in the U.S. and Canada. Model lineup and US FMV pricing for the series is as follows:

• AMS-100R: $219/ea
• AMS-100RX: $299/ea
• AMS-150R: $299/ea
• AMS-150RX: $369/ea
• AMS-150R-SM: $399/ea
• AMS-150SQ-SM: $399/ea
• AMS-150R-30: $429/ea
• SA-10R: $399/ea
• SA-15R:  $499/ea
• SA-15R-SM: $549/ea
• SA-15R-30: $649/ea
• SIG-1.5R: $799/ea
• SIG-1.5R-30: $999/ea

For more information on Paradigm, please visit www.paradigm.com.

With a legacy of value-driven power and performance audio products, Anthem brings a new level of sound to high-power amplifiers with the Anthem Statement M1. Engineered with advanced load monitoring and power factor correction technology to satisfy demands up to 2400 W, even when connected to a 120V/15A line, the M1 annihilates perceptions that Class D amplifiers aren’t suitable for hi-end sound systems. Frequency response is load-independent – the difference in response between a 2-ohm load and an open circuit is only an astounding 0.1 dB! Between 4 ohms and 8 ohms there is no change in frequency response at all!

The M1 is also a true “double-down” amplifier with 1000W into 8 ohms and 2000W into 4 ohms, with total harmonic distortion remaining under 0.1% from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.  Class D amplifiers provide tremendous value over traditional amps because of their efficient output from a smaller form factor, and the M1 is no different. Occupying only a single rack unit, Anthem also outfitted the new Statement amplifier with a heat pipe cooling system that allows multiple M1s, with feet removed, to be rack-mounted directly on one another. Fanless and easy-to-integrate, the M1’s design makes it a serious contender whether installed in the listening room or in an equipment closet.

Since not every household has the ideal 240V mains to handle peak power demands, Anthem’s Statement M1 uses a proprietary load monitoring system. Included in the system is a digitally modeled time constant of the circuit interruptor, something that does not trip the instant its maximum current is reached. Similar to slow-blow (time-lag) fuses and service panel breakers, it is meant to allow momentary current surges which do not last long enough to result in excessive heat.

In addition, the M1 contains active power factor correction to maximize available power. Without it, significantly less power is available. The result is that while the M1 can put out 2 kW continuously when fed by 240V mains, it can still put out 2 kW for the duration of typical musical peaks when fed by a dedicated 120V 15A line, without causing circuit interruption.

“Anthem has a rich history with traditional hi-end amplifier design, and because we do everything in-house, we are able to incorporate that knowledge into the Class D Statement M1,” said Mark Aling, director of marketing for Anthem. “It’s easy to be fooled because of how slim the M1 is, but we can’t wait for the reaction people get from this powerhouse, both in terms of sound quality and high output.”

Additional specifications for the Anthem Statement M1 are below:

Power Output continuous, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, <0.1% THD+N

8 Ω. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1000 W

4 Ω. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2000 W

3 Ω. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2400 W

2 Ω . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  >2000 W depending on line voltage regulation

With 120V AC supply the amplifier’s maximum output into impedances 4 Ω and lower, as well as its maximum duration, vary depending on line voltage regulation.

Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz

open circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .+/- 0.1 dB

8 Ω. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .+/- 0.1 dB

4 Ω. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .+/- 0.1 dB

2 Ω. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .+/- 0.2 dB

Power Bandwidth 1000 W at 8 Ω . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Hz to 45 kHz

THD+N at 1 kHz, 8 Ω

1 W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.01 %

10 W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.01 %

100 W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.03 %

1000 W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.06 %

IMD 19 kHz + 20 kHz, CCIF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.003 %

Damping Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800 to 1400 depending on frequency

The Anthem Statement M1 has an estimated US MSRP of $3500. More information on Anthem can be found at www.anthemAV.com.