As posted over at AVS by Jason Barbour (National sales manager for Cary):

We are sincerely busting our humps to get the 11a shipping by Cedia. We are not holding out on purpose.

After months and months of waiting for Dolby and DTS to finally get their stuff together with Cirrus on this new chip, as of this week, BOTH audio codecs have been approved. Dolby was finalized and approved months ago, but we have been waiting on DTS. Cirrus Logic submitted over 27 sample chips to DTS over the course of the last few months, all of which were rejected by DTS. Well, DTS has finally approved the DTS-HD and DTS-HD MA audio codecs so now we can all finally move forward!

We have been testing beta units for the last few weeks, but none of these test samples was a final, fully operational unit. We've fully tested Dolby Plus and Dolby True HD and they sound absolutely fantastic. I am blown away every time I sit down to perform some testing with TrueHD. We have also been really testing the HD Radio tuner and all of it's functions. This is the first unit we have done with this technology and we have run into some small and simple operational bugs with the text display and so forth, but all are easily corrected with software.

Now that DTS has FINALLY approved their codec on the chipset, we can have test samples built with finalized chipsets. So, by the end of this month, we hope to have a 3 or 4 fully functional, final production units on hand for final testing. This is where we will test all of the functions together on one unit, all operating properly at once as opposed to having one unit that only HD Radio is active on, or one unit with only the HDMI inputs active for testing Dolby TrueHD etc.

We have had our order for the chipsets in to Cirrus Logic for a long time now, but Cirrus could not ship anything to us until the chips had been finalized. Now that everything has been (finally) finalized, it is up to Cirrus to begin programming the finalized chips and ship them to us. Assuming that all of the final testing taking place at the end of this month with full production units goes according to plan as we expect it to, we will at that point, begin production. Production only takes roughly 1 to 2 weeks so shipping would begin immediately after.

Someone asked earlier about the room setup feature; This unit has a redesigned "room setup" assistant that is, according to Cirrus, much better than their previous effort on the original Cinema 11. I have not been able to test this myself, but will do so in the coming weeks.

If everything goes according to plan, we should be shipping these units within the first week of September. Please keep in mind though that some unexpected issue may still arise that could, unfortunately, delay us once more as we have unfortunately seen time and time again, but we do not think there will be anything other than minor software adjustments to correct small bug issues.

Take care,

Jason Barbour
National Sales Manager
Cary Audio Design

No word yet on whether the Cinema 11v will be part of the release.

I for one am still keen to see/hear this new unit (well both the 11a & 11v actually) so bring it on I say!

Cheers,

Curious

I beleive the plan is simultaneous release of the A and V.

That's great news Josh,

Perhaps it might be beneficial to host a small 'gtg' for potential purchasers to showcase the release of the units? I'm happy to provide the venue and help coordinate something if the idea proves popular

Cheers,

Curious

I caught up with Wavetrain today and he confirmed that the 11v is ready for release - apparently Cary have held it back as they wanted to test it with the 11a. He had hoped to have units for CEDIA but this looks doubtful but they are not far off.

Not long now Curious ; its true when they say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' .Already ordered 3 more shelves for my rack for the 11v and a blu player . Boy dts are never happy ;so slow to the party .

Josh ; any info on the new room settup assistant ? Is it similar to audessey or a reconfiguration of the current 11? I imagine the hd radio is for the US market only ;dont know if our standard is even finalised

Thanks for posting Curious. The GTG idea is a good one and I'd be keen to join in, even though I'm already committed to getting the 11a when it finally lands.

I'm looking forward to getting this long awaited unit, if for nothing else than the improved connectivity choices it will offer.

I'm up for a GTG Curious.

I look forward to reading peoples impressions once these start rolling out.

I'll be there also, I've never actually listened to any Cary gear but now it's on my radar I'd like to see what they are like

cheers

I'm up for a gtg

Ok, great to hear there are some interested parties, hopefully Josh will be able to provide a little time for a set-up and demo so that we can really give this product the attention it deserves

You know, I am starting to become interested in how the room set-up can be used to improve the listening experience for people not in the sweet spot....for two channel I prefer to have minimal componentry 'colour' the sound, but for movies I don't mind some processing to accentuate the experience for the folks sitting on the sidelines in my somewhat 'awkward' living room seating arrangement.

Also the built in HD tuner has got my attention too, I wonder if this is included in the Oz models?...and if so, how/if it will work over here

Cheers,

Curious

You may have seen this before Curious ;but being the dsp chip incorporated this gives an insight into the room functions - edit ; click on features

http://cirrus.com/en/products/pro/detail/P1117.html

Al is the expert on the 'eureka ?' system they have been trialling ; but this is wing and a prayer stuff Curious so please dont get any hopes too high on my account. For all I know it may require a retrofitted tuner module ;not just a firmware download

Wow, this chip is fully loaded! Even THX processing...be nice if Cary got the licence to use it

Cheers,

Curious

Hi guys,

I back from overseas. Glad to hear there is still interest after the endless wait. Not far off now. I will still hold off giving an exact expected date of arrival until I have firm dates from Cary (which I expect to get soon), but essentially we are talking a likely September release. They have not released any details of changes to the room correction other than to say it will be better. I know its hard, but patience people. When I have firm facts, so will you.

I have already discussed with Joshua re a demo night. I plan on coming down to Melbourne for a week and setting up a cinema, plus conference room at a hotel, inc D-box motion simualtion (inc a GP-200 gaming chair), Cary Audio, Triad Speakers, Audyssey, Wavetrain Cinemas - acoustic treatments, Projection Design running 2.35:1, Screen Research, etc. I will also be running Cinema Design & Audyssey Certification training. I have been planning this for a few months now, but nothing is concrete at this point. October is most likely. I will hold similar training, demos & gtg at my Sydney showroom in September when the Cary gear lands (as well as the Audyssey subwoofer unit) and then most likely Queensland in November.

If anyone has ideas for good places to hold such an event in Melbourne, I am open to ideas (not in your house). I am after a medium sized room for the cinema and a conference room to seat up to 20 people.

I am getting ready for CEDIA Expo (next week), so I won't be around much.

Regards,
David Moseley
Wavetrain Acoustics Pty Ltd

Howdy David,

Didn't realise you were planning a demo down here in Melbourne, be good to sample the Wavetrain Cinema experience first hand

Plenty of hotels with conference rooms in Melbourne, just depends what part of town you prefer to live in for the week -CBD, SouthEast and NorthEast seem to have the greater concentration of DTV members judging by folks I've met at organised events over the last 2 years.

Cheers,

Curious

Wow David, that sounds brilliant.

Well this is the excuse i have been looking for to fly on over and catch up with the good Melbourne Folk

The missus and I are looking at heading up to the Sunny coast in October for a week so i will have to try and make a stopover either there or back...
...would love to experience a wavetrain cinema first hand - esp. with PJ and acoustic treatment options in mind as we are finally looking to build and i will have my very own cinema room with only a couple of small compromises : D

I would also be very interested in scoping out the dbox and triad products

Getting closer now everyone ; the previously cloked pages are now on the Cary site

http://www.caryaudio.com/products/cinema/cinema11a.html

and the 11v

http://www.caryaudio.com/products/cinema/cinema11v.html

Bet you're getting excited now eh Col?

So i'm looking at the specs and the pictures and i'm trying to figure out how these work.
So you have a HDMI output from the DVD player to the 11v, and then from there to the Display. Where does the Audio go? On the back of the 11a all i see are S/Pdif inputs or analogue inputs. How does the 11a do any decoding if it's recieving an analogue signal?? S/Pdif chipsets aren't able to use the new HD audio signals either.

The only thing i can think of is that the System-Link is used as a proprietry (sp?) connection for audio? Why not just use HDMI instead of inventing a whole new cable design?

Read me like a book Kieran

Hi Wacko ; Hidden just above the 2 xlr analog ins on the left of the chassis are the 2 hdmi inputs. The 11v feeds one of these rather than using the digilink the original 11 has

The 11a hdmi output then goes to the display.

Not sure if that is the intended signal direction, I thought the idea was for DVD to transmit via HDMI to the 11a first and then out of 11a to Monitor/Plasma/Projector (assuming no scaling required)

If scaling is required then its DVD to 11a first (Via HDMI) then 11a to 11v (via HDMI) which then allows scaling and 2 HDMI outputs for Plasma/PJ combo etc

...or have I got it mixed up?

Cheers,

Curious

At least i'm not the only one confused by it

Certainly right if there is no 11v required Curious.



Thats the alternative to the 11v first ;that I think Eric Caroll proposed as it has advantages for individual per input calibration iirc Curious . Probably go that way myself as I allready have 5 hdmi sources to plug in Not to mention I have a 2nd monitor that needs the 2nd hdmi output.

I will be interested to find out exactly how the 11v controls the 11a through its rs232 port ? Unless its switchable to allow it to control the original 11 ? This seperate scaler territory is totally new stuff to me

Hmmm, let's see if I have this sorted now...if there are (say) 5 sources, then you have to plug them all into the 11v first, then single HDMI out to the 11a for audio, then out of the 11a to AVR using XLR or RCA outputs....but then you are limited to sending video signal via the single HDMI output on the 11a to one monitor only?...or can you still use the second HDMI ouput on the 11v to send to video feed to 2nd monitor if so then I guess the 11a has the lisynch sorted for it's own HDMI/Audio outputs AND the 2nd HDMI/Video output on the 11v...righto then

Curious

I note on Cary's home page (www.caryaudio.com) that Electronic House Magazine has just awarded the 11v the 2008 Product of the Year award. So I presume that they have solved all these problems and have ready answers. Makes you wonder how they decide these awards!

Wow, that is a feather in the cap for Cary! To have been awarded the product of the year before release would have to be a good omen i'd imagine

Yes 11v 1st for me Curious ;what I said before about individual calibration is probably a no go for me as I need the 5 hdmi inputs . I am happy just to pass through pcm to the 2nd set and feel ok as this is in the 11v specs;



Then again the 11v does have coax inputs/ouputs ;so it may still go afterwards

ok not something to rush into methinks - be interesting to hear the reports from first users on AVS...

Double Post

I noticed that as well - my immediate reaction was also 'Wow! they managed to get an award prior to release' Quickly followed by.... 'Where the F is MY cinema 11 for review?'

It seems like a September release date for the Cinema 11A for the US. Would that mean it would be October by the time Australia gets a hold of some of the unts? I'd be interested in getting one, anything for a group buy or preorder special?

I did a group buy on the Cinema 11 for some DTV members and I really want to protect those who made the early investment.

If there is enough interest I can do a group buy on the 11A - but it wont be at the super special I did on the Cinema 11.

Things must be moving - the Cinema page on the Cary site now has details of the 11a and 11v - as well as the new power amps - http://www.caryaudio.com/products/cinema.html

I have already seen the new power amps - and they look very nice indeed - but not heard them yet.

Hi Everyone,

The cinema 11a and 11v will both be here mid September (provided no extended freight delays).

Once we receive the shipment, the first units will be going to existing Cinema 11 owners who have been waiting for the new product since early this year. We will have approx 6 (now used) Cinema 11 coming back into stock. These units will be now be packaged with the Cinema 11v and the now finished Cinema 7B power amp (7x 100W) and resold as a one off special buy (this will only be available direct from myself and will be priced to clear). More details to come on this soon. The 11v will allow the Cinema 11 to play HD Audio using the onboard processors of the newly emerging bluray players and pass it through as uncompressed PCM.

Regards,
David Moseley