| February 2012 - NYC show - The New York Audio & AV Show will take place at the Waldorf=Astoria in midtown Manhattan April 13-15, 2012. "Open to the public, the two-and-a-half-day event will be organized by the UK-based Chester Group Exhibitions with shows in England, Sweden and Sydney, Australia; and Richard Beers, owner of T.H.E. Show Las Vegas and T.H.E. Home Entertainment Show in Newport Beach, California. Media sponsors of the show are Stereophile and The Absolute Sound magazines as well as newly announced hi-fi+ magazine from the UK and TONEAudio.
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January 2012 - Esoteric in black? - TEAC's new Distinction Series would beg the question particularly with its top models. Built to apparently ambitious standards for their far lower than Esoteric pricing (manufacture is no longer inside Japan), the seven models in this new line are the AI-1000, AI-2000 and AI-3000 stereo integrated amps; the matching CD-1000, CD-2000 and CD-3000 SACD decks; and the TU-1000 AM/FM tuner.
The three amplifiers output 85/120, 125/180 and 200/300 watts per side into 8/4 ohms respectively. For connectivity the smallest unit gets 6 x RCA inputs and 1 x RCA preout plus a 6.3mm headphone port. The middle model converts one of the RCA inputs to XLR whilst the top model adds a second XLR input. The two upper models gets biwire speaker terminals. On the scale the AI-1000 displaces 10kg, the AI-2000 14kg and the AI-3000 a whopping 30kg. Remote control on all is standard and silver finishes are available.
For specs the two lower digital decks get dynamic range of 100dB and a S/N ratio of 110dB while the top model does 120dB for dynamic range. For conversion the two lower models use a single CS4398 24/192 chip where the top model gets one per channel. For socketry the CD-1000 gets RCA analog outputs and one digital coaxial out. The CD-2000 adds XLR outputs and a USB 2.0 digital in. The XD-3000 adds a coaxial digital input. On mass the first two weigh 7.2kg, the top model weighs 13kg.
The TU-1000 is a PLL-synthesized affair with RDS on FM. S/N ratio for FM mono is >66dB and >60dB for FM stereo. There are 50 FM and 30 AM station presets. Analog outputs are on RCA exclusively. The unit weighs 5.2kg.
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| January 2012 - TotalDAC goes total - Based on discrete R2R architecture with 100 nude Vishay 0.01% precision foil resistors per channel (popular on-chip solutions would be the TDA1541 and PCM1702/1704), the French Reference-D1 repackages the plain-Jane base model in a fancier casing, upgrades parts and adds functionality. Omitting any upsampling, this circuit "recalculates the delay length and filter coefficients to adapt itself to different input signal". The Reference D1 has RCA/XLR analog outputs, a 32 to 600-ohm rear-mounted 6.3mm headphone port and coax, AES/EBU, Toslink and 24/192 async XMOS-based USB digital inputs. Remote-controlled volume confirmed via the OLED display is in the digital domain. Max output level is 3.3Vrms. Further remote functions are polarity inversion, activation of non-oversampling FIR digital filter and display on/off.
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The output stage is a low-impedance class A discrete transistor affair. Options include two complete DACs per channel for full balanced operation and active crossover filters. |
| January 2012 - WE 300B replica - Western Electric 300B aficionados these days need to look East for current production. The Japanese Takatsuki is rumored to be an excellent stand-in for rare NOS WE specimens. Now comes Psvane with their 1:1 WE replica. With formal launch in March, pricing from Canada's Grant Fidelity will be $1.000/pr delivered.
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| January 2012 - Putting a square rack in a corner - HiFi Racks Ltd is set to launch a new range of corner-fitting products called Akorner. "Specially designed in response to customer demand, the floor-mounted Podium® Akorner brings a fresh dimension to the multi award-winning Podium® range, whilst the Akorner Wall is a brand new product offering choice and versatility within a wall-mounted shelf-based unit." Each unit is individually handmade to order using only top quality hardwoods from around the world. There’s a choice of standard sizes and finishes as well as the option of a completely bespoke rack designed to the customer’s exact specifications.
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January 2012 – ZenSational cables – Announced late last year at the Melbourne Audio Show and re-launched recently at CES 2012 are the flagship products from Danish relative newcomer cable specialist ZenSati ApS. The new ZenSati Cherub and Seraphim cables are jewel-like über high-end products augmenting the established lines which have already caused a stir in the high-performance cable world. The cables are claimed to feature a unique patented flat-twisted conductor design exclusive to ZenSati worldwide.
The Cherub features silver-plated copper conductors in the twisted configuration, the Seraphim gold-plated copper conductors. Both feature for the first time a copper and silver shield. Mark Johansen, founder of ZenSati, is a strong believer in cables being as neutral a conduit as possible, whether carrying low-level signal from component to component or being the high current transmission medium to the speakers. This of course is the principal aim of most cable manufacturers, however Johansen is quite adamant that he has successfully achieved this goal in the complete spectrum of the ZenSati cable range with the new Cherub and Seraphim offering simply more of everything that is available in his lower yet still high-priced lines.
| 
"We obtain the best possible quality copper, silver and gold and apply measurements and listening tests while constantly improving our construction processes to offer the best possible solutions" explains Johansen. I conducted a short interview with him at CES 2012. Mark Johansen briefly describes ZenSati’s emergence as a high-end contender and gives an overview of the Cherub and Seraphim .I look forward to examining in detail the virtues of ZenSati cables in a full review in the near future. Edgar Kramer |
| January 2012 - Voxativ mono - This 18-watt monaural valve amplifier from Berlin was designed around the new German Elrog ER845 triode from Dr. Klaus Schaffernicht which sports a CNC-milled graphite anode. There are two 6SN7 input triodes and a direct-heated 300B triode driver. Technical specifications are a 100dB S/N ratio, 500mV input sensitivity and 300-watt power consumption. Dimensions are 30 x 30 x 44cm, weight is 30kg. A matching preamp is in the works.
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| January 2012 - Yamamoto sound box - Shigeki Yamamoto's acknowledgement of mobile players comes by way of the Sound Box Y1 [68.000 yen]. It combines two efficient 8cm widebanders with 2-watt of class D amplification and three frontally accessible AA batteries for the internal 5V power supply (or an AC/DC adaptor) to offer a compact system via the 3.5mm input. The enclosure is made from molded Cherry plywood. Volume control can only be performed at the source (iPod or equivalent). |  |
| January 2012 - New Focal desktoppers - The XS Book is the French company's newest active computer speaker in a 2-way bass-reflex configuration built around a 19mm aluminum tweeter and 4" Polyglass mid/woofer for claimed 50Hz-22kHz response with a crossover frequency at 3.000Hz. Dimensions are 281 x 114 x 200mm and weight is 5kg. The right 'master' unit incorporates a 20wpc stereo amplifier with power supply, RCA inputs and a 3.5mm stereo jack. The 'slave' unit connects to the 'master unit by RCA cable. The volume control is integrated with the on/standby switch or otherwise handled in music player software like iTunes.
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| January 2012 - World's baddest subwoofer ever? - Christopher Mayer's Ulric subwoofer [$14.999] under the Lycan Audio brand has all the makings to answer the above with a yes.
Check out the specs. 24 x 38 x 34.5" sealed enclosure weighing 712lb/322kg. 18-inch 90lb woofer with anodized aluminum diaphragm, pure stainless steel voice coil, Titanium former, 11" spider, 3.2" peak-to-peak excursion and 7.400w of peak current handling. Anechoic response +/-1dB 17Hz - 150Hz, -3dB @ 14Hz, -10dB @ 9Hz. Max anechoic SPL 121.3dB. 90.1dB sensitivity at 60Hz. The enclosure starts out as an 850lb slab of 36-sheet Baltic Birch whose internals get routed out into a broken-wall oval to end up with side walls ranging from 4.5 to 10.5 inches thick. The front baffle is massive aluminum. Amplification is via modified ICEpower™.
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| January 2012 - New Ring Audio sub - This 'classical conical horn' CH1 bass-horn subwoofer runs a single Visaton W250S woofer with digital crossover and Hypex class D DS1.2 amplification for a response of 19Hz to 120Hz. Dimensions are 70 x 30 x 40cm and weight is 18kg. This subwoofer is intended as the natural mate for the company's rear-hornloaded main speaker. (In the photo only the left subwoofer is to scale relative to the widebander.)
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| January 2012 - Laminar streamer nearing completion - LessLoss is wrapping up their forthcoming SD card streamer to feed .wav or .aiff files via S/PDIF directly to a DAC of your choice. The embedded operating system is proprietary and streamlined to just this single task. It eliminates a computer and all its non-audio activities from music playback altogether. A computer here is needed only to initially drag & drop desired music files onto an SD card of any commercially available size and organize these files as folders in the end user's choice. Boot time for the custom LessLoss OS is a claimed <0.1 seconds. Dedicated clocks for 44.1/48kHz and their multiples avoid typical resampling imprecations regardless of input data.
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| January 2012 - Linnenberg headfi amp - "The all new spa1 is a headphone amp designed as companion to our fully balanced udc1 USB-DAC [€970] with the same size and look. The spa1 is a fully balanced amplifier optimized for rewired high performance headphones. Volume settings are controlled by fixed resistors and Elma switches for perfect channel and phase balance. The gain control knob narrows down the range of the stepped attenuator switch to accommodate the widely different demands of headphones. The H-bridge output stage drives headphones from 32-600 ohms with an output impedance of less than 1 ohm delivering up to 3.5 watts continuous into 32 ohms. Other noteworthy specs are max current of 1A and max voltage of 14Vrms. Frequency response is 0Hz to 1MHz -3dB (gain dependent). Gain is from -5dB to +20dB.
The built-in linear regulated 15VA power supply shows far better ripple and noise performance than the usual switch-mode cheap wall wart. There's also an interchangeable output connector for headphones with standard 6.3mm jacks. First units will ship in February."
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January 2012 - X factor - Dynaudio's new Xeo models of Xeo 3 [$1.500/pr] and Xeo 5 [$2.995] not only are DSP compensated and self-amplified (50-watt class D modules for tweeter and woofer/s respectively) but they receive their signal wireless via Dynaudio's 2.4GHz 24-bit/48kHz transmitter with RCA, Toslink and mini USB inputs. No more cables!
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January 2012 - Whoa or Woo? - Woo Audio's new WTP-1 and WDS-1 transport and 24/192 DAC respectively [$1.099/ea.] continue the company's trademark focus on elegant metal work and are available with silver or black top plates. The DAC offers selectable filter settings and volume control.
The transport's CD cover sits on a swing arm that opens to the left. Outputs are coax, optical and AES/EBU. Clock jitter is a claimed <90ps. Weight is 10 lbs. The remote control is a big aluminum wand. The DAC is based on the BB PCM1795 chip and sports 24/96 async USB and 24/192 optical, AES/EBU and coaxial inputs and RCA/XLR outputs with 2.2/5Vrms max voltages. S/N is a claimed 115dB, weight is 9lbs.
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January 2012 - Danish mojo - Davone's Mojo [€875/ea.] is a compact 2-way with upfiring dispersion-lens-loaded HF driver and downfiring woofer. The exchangeable wooden reflector is available in Walnut, Maple or Cherry.
The new Grande explores rather different dimensions...
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January 2012 - April Music news - With a teaser on their Korean site, April Music shows the forthcoming 300wpc Eximus S5 amplifier that's expected to sell for below $10.000 when available.
The also new bridgeable S1 stereo amp occupies the far smaller chassis of the existing 3-in-1 DP1.
| Also new are the Stello 700 CD/DAC and integrated which are expected to come in at ca. $4.500/ea.
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January 2012 - Hi-eff HifiMan - The new HE-400 [$399] planar-magnetic headphone from the makers of the notorious HE-6 is a claimed 92.5dB sensitive "to be driven by virtually anything including an iPod." Impedance is 35 ohms, weight is about 440g/14.5oz and response is 20Hz to 35kHz.
Also new is the $1.599 EF-6 class A transistor amp that can double as preamp. Max power into low-impedance headphones is 5 watts. SN/ ratio is 95dB and THD 0.003% at 1w/1kHz. Volume control is by hand-made stepped attenuator, weight is about 24lbs/10.75kg, size 310 x 330 x 105mm.
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| January 2012 - Twin rotations - Overlooking the 47lab which is a rigid design after all, the Kronos bills itself as the "world's first counter-rotating dual-platter suspended turntable. This design provides an unprecedented level of stability to extract more musical information from vinyl records. It is precision built with the highest quality materials and cutting edge production techniques. Two high-quality Swiss-made
DC motors deliver
quiet smooth linear power to the platters.
DC voltage to the motors is produced from a
fully regulated Class A dual power supply
CPU-controlled to maintain constant speed.
The controller does not use pulse
width modulation as this method of control
produces jerkiness in the drives. Instead the
CPU control receives speed readings from the
platters via optical sensors and adjusts voltage
to each DC motor in real time. Speed stability
is guaranteed over the life of the
turntable, regardless of environmental factors,
belt stretching or mechanical wear."
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| January 2012 - New Gallos - Anthony Gallo Acoustics used CES 2012 to preview its new concept ultra-thin on-wall speakers and subwoofers. "The new speakers were designed to be some of the most compact on the market while still delivering the signature AGA sound.
The collection consists of three on-walls and a floorstander all with 2" drivers; and subwoofers with 6", 8" and 10" drivers designed to be free-standing, on the wall or in the wall. All are crossover-less and include our patented S2 technology to enhance low-frequency extension.
Each speaker is a slender 1.75" deep and 3.6" wide. The 12" on-wall has two drivers, the 24" has four drivers and the 30" on-wall center channel has five drivers. There also is a 48" floorstanding model sporting six drivers. Each on-wall speaker has optional matching table and floor stand accessories." |  |
January 2012 - Accuton's Cell drivers - "In the history of loudspeaker drivers, only minor modifications to the traditional speaker construction have been brought to the market. Our proprietary driver concept shows revolutionary features that will bring new life to the world of high-end audio. Our new driver series will be promoted as Cell concept drivers characterized by the following main features:
•
Same acoustic center for tweeters and midranges for time coherence in a flat front
• Perfect signal settle and piston behavior of the dome even close to the dome resonance
• Acoustically decoupled clamping mechanism providing fast and easy assembly into a circular hole
•
Small outer diameter
•
Very low distortion on the magnitude of electronic devices - even at high power levels
•
Steady decay of higher order harmonics
•
High bandwidth" |  |
| January 2012 - M6 - Meridian Audio has announced the introduction of its M6 active loudspeaker [$9.000/pr]. "The gently tapered column that creates the enclosure is formed from a specially developed barium-doped resin. Uniquely heavy and rigid, it is precision moulded into a complex form impossible to achieve using traditional manufacturing materials and techniques. The same cylindrical enclosure gives M6 its naturally wide dispersion to offer flexible placement options and a sound that does not significantly vary in volume as you move closer to or further away from the loudspeaker. The cylindrical enclosure provides separate isolated housings for the wide-range and low-frequency drivers. There’s also a tuned porting system. With the low-frequency driver mounted so that it plays downwards, bass reproduction is solid and floor-loaded, helping M6 blend effortlessly into the listening environment."
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| January 2012 - Nagra news - As of January 1st, 2012, Nagra Audio has been transferred from the Kudelski Group to a newly created company called Audio Technology Switzerland. Run by the original Kudelski family, this new company is designed to give the audio activity a more focused framework to support its development. Marguerite Kudelski, daughter of Nagra founder Stefan Kudelski, has been named the R&D director for the newly formed entity. The first new hifi product is called the Nagra SD, a flash-memory based digital recorder.
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| January 2012 - Triodes + class D - Rogue Audio announces the Hydra [$2.995] and Medusa [$3.995] hybrid triode/class D amplifiers with 100/250wpc respectively. "Imagine a new kind of power amplifier which combines the best of both tube and solid-state technologies, an energy-efficient green design that requires no tube biasing or regular maintenance. An amplifier with the smooth and organic sound that only tubes can provide combined with the dynamics and slam of a damping factor of over 1000. Such an amplifier now exists!"...
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| January 2012 - Finnish first - Amphion's new Argon7L is a 2-way vented floorstander in a 6.5" d'Appolito array with a 1600Hz crossover point. 4-ohm sensitivity is given as a high-ish 93dB and claimed frequency response is an ambitious 28 - 25.000Hz. Dimensions are 1160 x 191 x 305mm, weight is 30kg and available finishes are black and white chassis with black or white grill covers and waveguide's as well as natural wood veneers. Pricing accordingly ranges from €4.399 to €6.399/pr.
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| January 2012 - Pronounced dex - The DEQX HDP-4 "is an HDP-3 gone ultra-rez with 24/192 digital inputs and digital and active balanced analog outputs for all three channels. There's a USB audio option, 32-bit/192kHz DACs, a new high-speed circuit board and an audiophile-grade chassis. Each of the three digital outputs is on true 75-ohm BNC connectors. The fourth digital output is a DSP input pass-through for slaving selected digital inputs for further processing. On the input side, the HDP-4 now supports Toslink and optionally USB."
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| January 2012 - Power - Argento Audio has introduced their new power distribution center "as a radical departure from traditional power distribution blocks utilizing proprietary AC receptacles. Every part is designed and manufactured in house to the highest standards. By using heavy gauge 99.997% OFC copper bars in place of normal contacts, surface area with the male connector is increased to improve conductivity. Electricity flows directly to the copper bar that comes in contact with each prong of an inserted male plug. Our new system reduces the number of connection points for far superior performance. There are no wires inside the unit and only three contacts."
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| January 2012 - More Furutech - Last year Furutech introduced the ADL GT40 USB DAC/analog recorder. Now comes the more highly specified Esprit, a compact USB DAC/preamplifier with digital as well as analog inputs. The integral headphone amplifier drives 32 to 600 ohm ‘phones. The Esprit is designed around a 24/192 Wolfson WM8716 DAC. ADC duties are
covered by the AK5385B 24/192 converter with 114dB dynamic range. The Esprit features optical, coaxial and a pair of line-level
inputs and analog and optical outputs. Its USB transceiver is a 24/96 Tenor TE7022L.
The portable Stride’s black or silver aluminum body is small enough for the road and interfaces with a computer to stream music into your headphones or charge via USB.
The iD-30P cables feature silver-plated 28-gauge Alpha OCC conductors and 24k gold-plated USB A-type or 3.5mm stereo connectors straight or angled. There's "top-grade noise isolation from double-layer shielding via aluminum foil and tinned copper in a
RoHS-compliant sheath. The main conductors are treated with Furutech’s deep
cryogenic and demagnetizing process." |  |
| January 2012 - XLO - Ultralink/XLO introduce a new cable line called UltraPLUS as "updated replacements for the original Ultra Series modeled on the Reference cables using XLO’s exoskeleton field-balanced winding geometry with all-PTFE dielectrics, core structures and jacketing. Rather than 6N laboratory-grade copper, UltraPlus is composed of single-filament solid-core PC-OCC in a black and purple jacket. UltraPLUS cables include single-ended and balanced interconnects, speaker cables, a phono cable, coaxial digital and AES/EBU digital. Prices start at $150 for a half-meter single-ended interconnect."
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| January 2012 - New MF models - Musical Fidelity announces the M1PWR 60wpc stereo power amplifier which delivers 120wpc into 4 ohms or 100 watts strapped to mono. The new V-LINK192 24/192 USB-to-S/PDIF and AES/EBU converter features "a proprietary asynchronous circuit developed in house".
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January 2012 - Simmering moon - Simaudio's Moon 180 mIND [$1.250] or Moon intelligent Network Device allows digitally stored music to stream from a computer, NAS, the Internet, subscriber-based music services or a UPnP through a standard ethernet (24/192) or wifi (16/48) connection. The included control software app can operate on an Apple iPhone, iTouch, iPad or any Android-powered device. The mIND allows local playlists, gapless playback and silent track scanning and supports WAV (PCM), FLAC, FLAC HD, AIF, AAC, ALAC, MP3, WMA-9 and OGG Vorbis . Digital outputs are coax, AES/EBU and Toslink.
The new Moon 810LP phono preamplifier [$12.000] is a dual-mono fully balanced differential design with selectable gain (6 settings from 40-70dB), impedance loading (64 settings from 12.1-47kΩ), capacitance loading (16 settings from 0-1120pF) and equalization curves via DIP switches on the bottom panel. For the audio circuit there are 4 stages of new proprietary low voltage DC regulation for a power supply with a noise floor of -150dB relative to 1.0V, DC-100kHz.
The fully balanced Moon 380D DAC [$3.900] performs "in true 32-bit fully asynchronous mode with the ESS Sabre32P and sports eight digital inputs of 2 x AES/EBU, 2 x coax, 1 x BNC, 2 x Toslink and 1 x USB plus a S/PDIF monitor loop."
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| January 2012 - Arcadia - B.M.C. Audio introduces the first model in an anticipated series of three new speakers. "This 3-way uses a bipolar balanced configuration with custom-made drivers and external crossover. The Arcadia features the same driver set on the rear as on the front to dramatically improve the listener impression of depth at the left and right sides of the soundstage. Both front and rear baffles feature two 6.1" Kevlar honeycomb midrange drivers and an air-motion tweeter with a massive motor in conjunction with a light diaphragm. Two 11" Kevlar honeycomb woofers with 6-magnet drives sit at the sides of each cabinet to deliver high air movement. The cabinets are constructed of an amalgam of several aluminum-oxide based ceramics with multiple grain sizes held together with complex acrylic binders. The external crossover weighs 37.5 lbs and houses custom-crafted large air core inductors, inductance-free polypropylene capacitors and polystyrene bypasses. Metal-film resistor arrays replace the usual MOX or wire resistors for superior precision and sound quality. Arcadia applies a sealed construction to avoid bass-reflex resonances and significantly improve LF precision. Each cabinet stands 47.2" high by 20.4" deep by 11.2" wide at the base, tapering to a narrow width of 7.7" at the top. Each speaker weights 198lbs excluding the crossover. The cabinet is made from a mold so the color is not applied later but added directly into the mix to be solid all the way through. The Arcadia is available in a black or white satin or high gloss finish at a suggested price under $39.000/pair."
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| January 2012 - New Bel Canto - The $2.995 C7R is a DAC/receiver based on the firm's REF150 amp section plus phono stage, two 24/192 S/PDIF inputs, two 24/192 Toslink, one 24/96 USB plus one analog line level port. Output connections are WBT NextGen speaker terminals, a pre-out and a headphone jack. The REF150S-based power supply includes the REF-series filter board.
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| January 2012 - Fostex digital-direct iDevice headfi - The HP-P1 connects an iPod/iPhone via 30-pin to USB cable directly to its 32-bit AKM4480 DAC for internal conversion, then adds an S/PDIF output to optionally pass on the digital signal to an external converter. There's an analog mini input for other portable devices, a 3-position gain switch for various headphones and ca. 7-hr Lithium Ion battery power or indefinite USB power. Max output power is 80mW into 32 ohms. External dimensions are 75 x 25 x 130mm WxHxD, weight is ca. 260g.
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January 2012 - Wyred - The $399 Wyred4Sound µDAC sports 24/192 coaxial/Toslink and an asynchronous 24/96 USB input into an ESS Sabre DAC all inside a puny 3.5" squared and machined chassis with cut-out company logo on top which doubles as blue back light with signal lock. For streaming the computer provides power via USB, for S/PDIF a supplied power adaptor does.
The new half-width 1TB wireless Music Server [$1.999]
is compatible with Pandora and MOG via Logitech's Squeezebox controller application on an Apple or Android device. Supported file types up to 24/192 are AAC, APE, AIFF, Apple Lossless, Monkey's Audio, FLAC, QuickTime, MP3, MPEG-4, Musepack Ogg Vorbis, MPEG-4 SLS/HD-AAC, WAV, Windows Media, WMA Lossless, WMA Pro and Wavpack. Data output is via coaxial, Toslink or I²S. CDs are ripped automatically with the built-in drive and there's network file uploading. The device runs fanless.
Finally for $1.499 there's the new remote-controlled mINT or mini integrated amplifier.
In a chassis only slightly larger than a DVD case, this box combines a true resistive ladder volume control for which the physical knob merely serves as a positional reference; two RCA inputs (one configurable as HT bypass), one fixed and variable RCA output; an assignable pre-out/main-in function for insertion of a digital crossover for example; 24/192 coax/Toslink and 24/96 async USB inputs into an ESS Sabre DAC; a 6.3mm headphone jack with auto-mute of all other outputs except for the fixed output; and two independent ICEpower output modules for 100wpc into 8 ohms. | 
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| January 2012 - Gibson & Onkyo - "As part of its continued diversification into the music and audio lifestyle arena, Gibson Guitar Corp. announced a strategic partnership with Onkyo Corporation which offers Gibson’s newly-formed Pro Audio Division substantial technology resources. Gibson will provide Onkyo with its marketing resources and expertise.
Through this venture Gibson will acquire a majority of Onkyo USA (Onkyo’s exclusive distributor for North America and a distributor for Central and South America) and become the second largest shareholder in Onkyo Corporation. Gibson will make a strategic investment in the company and Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz will be given a position on the Onkyo board of directors.
| "Likewise Onkyo will invest in Gibson and CEO and President Munenori Otsuki will take a position on the company’s Board of Directors. Together the two entities will form a Hong Kong-based joint venture focusing on design and development of consumer audio products. Through this alliance, Onkyo USA becomes the latest addition to the Gibson Pro Audio division, which already includes KRK, Cerwin-Vega! and Stanton." |
| January 2012 - Very chipper - WA-Quantum GmbH "is a manufacturer of high-technology products including a line of chips operating at a subatomic Quantum level, which improve the efficiency of current flow and signal transmission in audio devices including fuses, capacitors, phono cartridges and tone arms, transformers, transducers and audio cabling.
Special chips are available for electronic and acoustic musical instruments.
In each case the chip is mounted on an adhesive backing which can be attached to the device.
The chips are 'programmed' for their specified applications. These are affordable upgrades with 30-day money back guarantees and prices beginning at less than $10 for the quantum chip needed to upgrade any component fuse.
WA-Quantum is distributed worldwide by HiFi-Tuning of Berlin, Germany and in North America by Ultra Systems, Inc."
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| January 2012 - Fat Lady's offspring - Morel's flagship Fat Lady "helped shape new home audio loudspeakers incorporating many of its acoustic qualities and technology solutions. We invested great R&D resources to produce our new product range advancing our knowledge and technologies." says Oren Mordechai, Morel’s executive vice president.
"The Sopran was designed to compete with the best at an affordable $12.000 price. It employs most of the Fat Lady’s technologies and performance attributes in a smaller package with newly introduced solutions, titanium voice-coil formers for improved clarity and efficiency, Lotus grille with multi-sized holes pattern and zero acoustic insertion-loss and in-line ports directly behind each of the three woofers and midrange.
The Octave 6 range is the first in the new Octave generation and consists of one floorstander, one bookshelf and one center speaker."
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January 2012 - Django lives - "After the latest additions to Marten's reference line—the
Coltrane Momento and Coltrane 2—founder and
chief designer Leif Olofsson saw the possibility of creating a full-range
loudspeaker with crossover technology similar to that employed in the exclusive
Coltrane models. After developing a new 8-inch woofer with cones made
of anodized aluminum (produced exclusively for Marten by Seas in Norway),
work on the new model could start. The three bass drivers
are combined with a ceramic midrange and ceramic tweeter from
Accuton. As in the Coltrane models the Django has a +/-1dB level
control for the bass.
Frequency range: 26-30000Hz +-3dB
Power rating: 250W
Sensitivity: 89dB/1m/2.83V
Impedance: 6ohm (4ohm minimum)
Type: 3-way bass reflex
Drive units: 3x8" aluminium, 1x6" ceramic, 1x1" ceramic
Crossover frequency: 2nd order 250 & 3000Hz
Cabinet: 25mm heavily braced fibre board cabinets Terminals: WBT single wire
Internal wiring: Jorma Design
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Stands: Anodised aluminium with Marten cones
Dimensions (WxHxD): 27 x 125 x 50cm
Net weight: 47kg
Finishes: Piano Black, Piano Silver
Price/pair: $15.000, €10.000 |
| January 2012 - Wadax speakers - Wadax of Spain announces the $106.500/pr La Pasión 3-way self-powered digital loudspeaker. Only a source is required to complete the system. Each driver is independently powered. DACs inside each speaker run a specifically designed current output to direct-drive the tweeter with no degradation of the DAC performance. Individual 400-watt Wadax digital amps drive the midrange and woofer modules. Additional binding posts are provided to amplify the midrange drivers externally if desired. All electronics are contained in the mechanically isolated aluminum module at the bottom of the loudspeaker. The La Pasión also incorporates an analog input for use with any preamplifier. "There are no elements between the drivers and power amplifiers, zero cables, caps, inductors or resistors. The same D/A electronics inside our PRE1 Universal preamplifier are used inside each speaker. This allows maximum utilization of our proprietary musIC chip which manages the crossover, mechanical non-linearity corrections, amplitude and time alignment and all other signal processes." |  |
| January 2012 - Concert Fidelity - Masataka Tsuda of Concert Fidelity announces the ZL-120V2 Special Edition [$34.000/pr], a combination of the audio circuitry of the
ZL-120V2 and the power supply section of the ZL-200. "The SE version
has a power transformer with twice the capacity of the current V2 version. The
rectification capacity has doubled and the capacity of power supply caps was increased by
50%. Thus the ZL-120V2SE is capable of delivering significantly more current
when needed. Sonic improvements include more powerful and tighter bass, superior
macro dynamics and the ability to drive less efficient loudspeakers with more authority.
" |  |
| January 2012 - Pass Labs news - Pass Labs announces its new Xs-300 [$85.000] and Xs-150 [$65.000] monaural amplifiers to usher in the new Xs Series. "Both models employ double-stacked chassis with the power supply and current source in one chassis and the input and main output stage in the other. The separate power supplies enable lower electromagnetic noise, twice as much storage capacitance as earlier Pass Labs amps, banks of high-speed/soft-recovery rectifiers, improved high-frequency noise filters, bigger and better transformers, improved passive decoupling, massive heat sinks and lower standby currents. The Xs Series has been three years in development. In the process Pass Labs applied a number of new refinements including adjusting the values for push-pull class A biasing and significantly increasing the single-ended bias in the output stage over earlier Pass Labs amplifiers. Pass Labs also installed sturdy output stage transistors with a combined capacity well over 10KW and massive heat sink assemblies capable of a continuous 2KW. The Xs-300 and Xs–150 amplifiers will be available Q1 of 2012."
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| January 2012 - Audiophile desktop - CEntrance has begun shipping its $2.000 Audiophile Desktop system which combines a stereo pair of all-wood MasterClass 2504 2-way 4-inch coaxial bass reflex monitors with the 24/192 Dacmini PX DAC/amp with 25wpc. The bundle also includes a travel case with custom foam cushioning as well as speaker and USB cables. "Today's networked users spend their day at the desk. They're forced to listen to inferior audio piped through standard computer speakers. That's no fun. We pioneered the Audiophile Desktop to free your music from consumer-grade sound, offering mastering-level audio quality in a compact desktop-friendly format," states Michael Goodman, managing director of CEntrance. "We have tuned this system for performance and it offers better results than ad-hoc collections of components from several manufacturers. We're confident that the new Audiophile Desktop System will turn some heads and ears."
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| January 2012 - Glassy perfection? - Perfect8 Technologies from Sweden relaunches their original The Point model in MkII form. "The subwoofer
enclosure has been shrunk into a smaller package without sacrifice in
low-end response. The new 10-inch aluminum cone woofers with 10kg magnets perfectly match the performance of the dipole panel and are powered by DSP-controlled class D amplifier technology integrated into the glass subwoofer enclosure. The entire assembly also lost 9kg of weight to be easier shipped."
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| January 2012 - M Audio - Tom Maker formerly of Edgeamps
"founded M Audio in 2011 to incorporate many of the ideas and philosophies that had accumulated on what I thought a modern speaker should be. By incorporating the latest composite materials, lightweight ceramics drivers and integral multichannel amplification and DSP as well as music streaming, we have come up with a plug'n'play hi-fidelity loudspeaker. The model 10 starts life as aluminum, carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforced extruded polyethelene. We start with the upper enclosures' front and back plates that mount the midbass/woofers and tweeters. These plates are machined from .750-thick 6061 aluminum heat treated and anodized black. Next we move to the horizontal tube enclosures. The top and bottom tubes are a composite of fiberglass reinforced polyethelene aluminum and carbon fiber. The interiors of the tubes are lined with rock wool manufactured from rocks. The middle tube is made up of 6061 aluminum housing the crossover and electrical parts. The front and back plates are held in compression by four axially wound carbon fiber tubes with adjustable tensioners on the back plate. These rods are used for adjusting each speaker's resonant frequency. The upper cabinet assembly is mounted to the subwoofer cabinet via a 6061 aluminum machined and welded bracket. Electrical connection is made via a 4-pin gold watertight low-loss connector. The subwoofer cabinet houses the amplifiers, digital signal processor and music streaming electronics as well as a 330mm woofer. The cabinet is made of 1-inch thick high-density MDF, hand-laid carbon fiber reinforcement and an aluminum composite panel made from 2 layers of aluminum sheet bonded to a polyethylene core."
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January 2012 - Robert Lighton - "I've been an audio person for so long that I have finally taken the leap to get into the business. I will be showing my new speaker which I have been developing for the last 2 years at CES. The product is influenced by everything I've learnt in the last 10 years of going to shows and listening and making countless solid wood speaker cabinets. I will be moving up the Hudson to Nyack. 35 years in Manhattan is enough. I will open an audio salon in the spring somewhere in the west 20s. There are actually several dealers in the neighborhood including Andy Singer but all are off the street. I think that's clearly the trend."
Robert Lighton Audio's RL10 loudspeaker is made from only solid reclaimed teak or West Indian mahogany and uses minimal bracing and damping. "The cabinet is like a musical instrument giving natural tone and deep bass with the help of a rear port turned from solid wood. The drivers are a 10" woofer and a 1" fabric done tweeter both custom made in Japan. Alnico magnets are used and also a handmade untreated paper cone.
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"Dueland Audio silver wire is used internally and Audio Note caps are in the crossover. Designed around an Audio Note 300B amplifier, the 95dB efficient speaker is a good match for other SET amps too. The 48" speaker will retail for $20,000 and be available direct through Robert Lighton Audio in New York City which will also sell Audio Note UK electronics." |
| December 2011 - Morpheus' cheap pill - Chris Sommovigo: "My new Black Cat Morpheus! cables
are some of the more interesting things I've done. I've adapted a process that allows me to insulate our cables in-house in an über green way without for example molten plastics outgassing poisons into the air. When I use a continuous filament Teflon fiber in the process, the resultant dielectric constant is quite low as a good amount of air gets trapped between the fibers. The mechanical damping is naturally good. Combining this with our dead-soft annealed pure copper tubular conductor—CuTube™—and a nice pure copper shield yields some pretty spectacular results. Now that I own all the means of production except for the raw wire, my per-unit costs have come down considerably. This means I can offer really high performance for very competitive prices. Had I contracted this product out and then sold it through traditional distribution channels, it would likely be triple the price.
| "I don't offer a balanced interconnect yet as I'm waiting to see if enough people want one. It would almost double the price of the interconnect (twice the conductors, a little more labor). Part of the way I keep prices down is limiting types and lengths of cables. I I can thus make 3m cables in advance and cut them down if I need shorter lengths. I will do custom lengths (just recently did a 7m Morpheus! speaker cable for a client) but there's a surcharge involved and custom lengths aren't covered by our 60-day MBG (everything else is)."
1m Morpheus! RCA interconnect: $127.50/pr
1.5m Morpheus! RCA interconnect: $150/pr
1.5m Morpheus! speaker cable: $217.50/pr
3m Morpheus! speaker cable: $350/pr |
December 2011 - Hot from Oz - Our man from Down Under Edgar Kramer reports: "New Australian company Acoustic 3D is gearing up for an initial production run of its first loudspeaker offering which will feature a number of truly unique technologies. The Acoustic 3D Emergence 2.1 speaker system [$999] features company founder and designer Joe Hayes’ proprietary fractal dispersive lens diffusion. This purely mechanical arrangement uses a specific formula based on lens geometry, element grouping and driver distance which is claimed to create a soundfield that expands in a holographic sphere around the listening environment.
"The Emergence 2.1 system features two small pods (available in a number of gloss colour finishes) each with a fractal lens angled above the upwards-firing high quality Wavecor driver. A separate small enclosure also features an upward-firing driver, this time a 4-inch ‘balanced drive’ long-excursion Wavecor woofer plus a 120-watt Hypex UcD class D amplifier which serves to power the woofer and satellites.
"The Emergence 2.1 features analogue audio inputs via either RCA or mini jack. Digital inputs are optical (such as for Apple TV), S/PDIF coax and USB B for computers. Voltage input is globally suitable for 50 to 60Hz and 110 to 240 volts. On the drawing board are upmarket multi-driver high-end versions and versions of the Emergence 2.1 with built-in AirPlay, user-selectable tone controls and more.
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"I was invited to a private audition of the finalised prototype which has been collaboratively voiced by highly regarded Australian loudspeaker designer Brad Serhan.
I was impressed by the enveloping soundfield and equally surprising was the accurate way in which the system handled complex tonal colours when reproducing acoustic instruments. Detail was plentiful, the overall sound full-bodied and the dynamic contrast expressive. Overall the Emergence 2.1 performed far above expectations and on par with much larger conventional designs when considering the diminutive size of the drivers and plastic enclosures. Please click the link to watch a video interview with company principal Joe Hayes as he discusses the Emergence 2.1 system." |
December 2011 - Wifi DAC - Audioengine director Brady Bargenquast announces the Audioengine D1 and wireless D2 DAC. "The D1 [$169] based on the AK4396 chip is a 24/192 computer DAC with USB and optical inputs and headphone output.
"The upscale D2 [$599] based on the 24/192 BurrBrown PCM1792 chip will stream bit-perfect 24/96 audio wirelessly over a 30m/100' range and minimizes ground loops, induced cable noise and extra jitter. It also includes a wireless USB-to-S/PDIF bridge for those who already have a favorite DAC.
The D2 sender will accept USB or optical signal and the D2 receiver outputs optical or analog on RCA jacks. The communication system utilizes an over-the-air 24bit/96kHz PCM protocol in a closed-system wifi configuration with proprietary RF technology to ensure data integrity with zero impact on existing routers or networks.
"The D2 sender can simultaneously transmit HD audio to up to 3 receivers. Volume control is transmitted over an entirely separate channel so there is no impact on the digital stream."
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December 2011 - Peachy - Computer audio pioneer Peachtree Audio will feature six new products spanning two series for CES 2012. Besides the already introduced
Grand Pre [$2.995] and Grand Integrated [$4.295] both with top-line ESS Sabre 9018 DAC and asynchronous USB circuits (the integrated adds a 400wpc ICEpower stage),
the Performance series Decco65 [$899] and nova125 [$1.499] integrated amps sport new 65wpc and 125wpc power stages.
The new novaPre [$999] and Peachtree220 [$1.399] occupy the top spot in the now complete Performance series. The novaPre takes
design cues from the nova125 but is designed with a class A preamp output to feed the matching 220wpc
Peachtree220 amplifier as the two separate components in this line.
"This new breed of class D power stage samples many times that of older designs and our
proprietary input stage merges the best qualities of traditional class A/B topologies with the efficiency and power of class
D designs. This circuit very nearly doubles power to 400wpc into 4 ohms.
The entire Performance series will be available in real wood cherry, rosewood or black gloss.
"We now have the line we’ve always dreamed," cites cofounder David Solomon. "Spanning $450 to $4300 we can
take our customers from entry level to the best digital performance available all with very application-specific
solutions."
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December 2011 - Q7 - "Every driver of the four-way five-driver Q7 [$165.000/pr] has been designed from the ground up. 94dB efficiency push the Q7 to new performance levels while maintaining every grain of resolution and nuance. To create such an efficient
speaker, the entire complement required new motor systems backed by exceptionally
powerful neodymium magnets 10 times higher than the industry norm. Dual 12-inch woofers
and a 10-inch midbass bring Nano-Tec® cone technology into our largest Magico-designed
drivers to date.
Comprised of over 100 parts of aluminum,
copper and stainless steel all affixed with over 650 fasteners in a calculated labyrinth of
internal bracing, the Q7 provides the ideal combination of mass, dampness and rigidity. A new
three-axis matrix frame, copper decoupling levels and a 'floating' midrange cavity yield the
most effective multi-faceted strategy of eliminating the cabinet as a secondary acoustic
source.
Magico's elliptical crossover techniques have been employed to create the Q7 4-way filters.
Once again, we have partnered with industry leaders to create a new top shelf of components
to meet the very special demands of this project. Custom ultra-high precision resistors,
capacitors and coils were designed to comprise the crossover network."
Driver complement:
1 x 1" MB7 Tweeter
1 x 6" MG70 Midrange
1 x 10" MG107 Midbass
2 x 12" MG1207 Bass
Sensitivity: 94dB
Impedance: 4 Ohms
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 50 kHz
Recommended Power: 50 – 1200 Watts
Dimensions: 60"H x 32"D x 15"W (152cm x 81cm x 38cm)
Weight: 750lbs. (340kg)
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| December 2011 - Zanden news - "Zanden Audio Systems introduced its first integrated power amplifier,
the Model 6000. It includes a full-function remote control for volume, source selection, muting and absolute polarity inversion. These
functions are accessible also via a rotary knob and switches on the unit itself. The preamplifier section
offers 3 inputs plus unity gain in a home theater or as
a power amplifier with separate preamplifier.
The model 6000 utilizes 4 x KT-120 in push/pull to achieve 100 watts per channel. The 1st and 2nd voltage gain stages use 4 x
12AU7A, one per stage per channel. Zanden eschews paralleling output tubes and direct-couples the 2nd and 3rd stages of the output circuit, which operates fully balanced. A number
of unique noise absorption and shielding techniques are used throughout including Asahi-Kasei
Fibers Corporation’s Pulshut RF noise absorption material.
Zanden has also introduced an all-new compact phonostage, the
Model 1300. Based on the 1200 series of phonostages, it is very much a scaled down
version of its larger sibling. The model 1300 offers the same features and nearly the same sound quality in a
smaller package.
It is not limited to just the traditional RIAA equalization but incorporates four
additional equalization circuits from Decca, Columbia, Teldec and EMI.
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"The model 1300 uses an LCR type passive equalization circuit. The
amplification section is a patented fixed-bias design and contains 3 x 6922. Fixed bias was chosen
for both its sonic merits as well as ease of use. Tube rectification was selected in the power supply for its low-noise properties and incorporates 1 x 6922 and 2 x 6CA4. Two loading positions are available to
provide the greatest compatibility with a wide range of cartridges. For this Zanden uses top-quality step-up transformers from Jensen. A
number of unique noise absorption and shielding techniques are used throughout including Asahi-Kasei Fibers Corporation’s Pulshut RF noise absorption material."
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| December 2011 - Notting, not nothing - Australian professional and consumer loudspeaker specialist Grover Notting announces a range of dedicated amplifiers as the perfect companions to the company’s Principal Audio Monitor range. "As a collaborative effort between Grover Notting and renowned Australian designer Hugh Dean, the new amplifiers are the fruits of extensive experience and decades-long research into solid-state amplification. The key features include a highly refined class A/B amplifier module, an active analogue transfer system incorporating high and low pass filters, balanced-line input circuitry, extensive system protection, Australian designed and manufactured Conrad heat sinks and a 2U rack mountable chassis system suitable for large custom installations. The linear power supply is based around a very high capacity bespoke toroidal transformer designed and manufactured by Sydney-based Harbuch Electronics. Speaker outputs are heavy duty EP-4, four pin and inputs are three pin XLR rear mounted self-latching connectors.
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"Three distinct series will be available; the flagship Universal Series, the Monitor Series and a range dedicated to subwoofer-driving duties in the LF Augmentation Series. The Grover Notting amplifiers are named after their respective speaker series and have been engineered to their driving requirements although they’re all suitable for use with any quality speaker system." |
| December 2011 - New DeVores - John DeVore announces the "all-new gibbon X, a three-way floorstanding speaker incorporating a brand new 7-inch treated-paper midrange driver with phase plug blended with a pair of very long-throw 7-inch paper woofers along with the latest iteration of the Silverback silk-dome tweeter for big bold dynamic sound with the delicacy and nuance the gibbon series has become known for.
Secondly the gibbon 88 shown as a prototype during RMAF is now in production. This is the replacement to the award-winning gibbon Super 8 and a floorstanding two-way speaker with an all-new 7-inch treated-paper woofer and the Silverback tweeter."
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| December 2011 - Soulution USB - The forthcoming Soulution 590 USB converter [CHF 3.000 for Switzerland] will convert USB to S/PDIF, AES/EBU or optical up to 192kHz and 24 bits. "It is an asynchronous Class 2 design based on high-performance DSP. The onboard clock is of the same precision as the clocks in the 745 and 540 players. Sample rates of incoming files are detected and the clock is switched automatically to the proper rate. The complete digital setup may be synchronized on the 590 through its word-clock outputs. The power is supplied through the USB connection. There are effective filters as well as fast and precise voltage regulators."
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| December 2011 - Trends speakers - "Our new
SA-10 bookshelf speakers offer big sound in a surprisingly
compact package and continue the Trends tradition of using high-quality
materials and excellent fundamental engineering to deliver great
sound at an affordable price," says David Ho, marketing director of
Trends Audio. "We use proprietary core
inductors instead of magnetic cores in the crossover for better sound.
Features include a 1" polymer dome tweeter with neodymium magnet and low mass for clear, detailed highs; a
double magnet woofer for shielding and optimized field strength; two frontal ports for deep punchy bass; a high-efficiency design which allows the SA-10 to be driven from unpretentious amplifiers and receivers; low-loss rubber surrounds for a lifetime of reliable performance; and wide dispersion drivers which project sound over a wide area." The
Trends SA-10 and SA-10R speakers are available now for a suggested retail of $265.
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December 2011 - 125-watt SE amp - Soulution introduces the next model in its Series 5. "The 501 mono amplifier is a single-ended design with approximately 125 watts into 8 ohms. Peak power is well above 1kW to drive any speaker on the market. Its sound characteristic is very similar to the Series 7 amplifiers. The circuit is based on technology used for our 700 and 710 amplifiers. This new voltage gain technology works without feedback to the input (no differential amplification). It is built from linearized amplification units that run up to 80MHz. Current gain occurs over three stages wherein each stage works in a narrow and linear operating area. Rather high class A bias combined with 47.000mF capacitance leads to nearly unlimited impulse response. Massive copper rails on the circuit board as well as to the binding posts ensure that all that power is truly conveyed to the loudspeaker.
"Highly precise idle-current regulation ensures optimal class A operation for all conditions without the necessity for any post control to the music signal. Best sonic performance is available immediately and independent of the operating temperature of the amplifier. Comprehensive safety functions protect against HF and DC signals at the inputs as well as shortcuts in the output. Additionally the input level is permanently monitored.
"Six power supply units optimized for specific functions generate the required supply voltages. The power supplies supplying the control circuits are perfectly decoupled from the gain section supplies by galvanic isolation and optocouplers. Two switch-mode units with 1.200VA in combination with high performance filters in the PSU inputs and outputs provide clean supply voltages which are further controlled by six Soulution high speed voltage regulators. Production starts in February 2012 and target retail price is ca. CHF 36.000/pr for Switzerland."
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Specifications include 0.5W standby power, 10Kohm input impedance, 125/250/500W 8/4/2-ohm power rating, 45A max current, 26dB gain, DC- 800kHz response, 0.9microsecond slew rate, <0.001% THD+N, >10.000 damping factor, >120dB S/N. Weight is 22kg. |
December 2011 - Aida - The newest arrival at Sonus faber is the Aida, a 3.5-way floorstander "characterized by
its lyre shape whose internal walls and external wing—both with dual curves in multi-layered cross-veined okume—are employed
with a decoupling system of viscous material.
An anti-vibrational axle in non-magnetic alloy
steel binds together the internal spaces for the main front drivers. Aida also sports the patented ‘Soundfield
Shaper’ which allows for a balance between direct and indirect emissions. The main 'bow spring’ suspension employs an elastomer with progressive compression to reduce spurious
resonance and acoustic feedback.
"A Sonus faber 29mm damped apex dome tweeter
loads into a natural-wood acoustic labyrinth. It is mated to a Sonus faber-designed 180mm neodymium-magnet ultra dynamic
midrange made from a blend of
air-dried non-pressed cellulose pulp,
kapok, kenaf and other natural fibers.
A pair of Sonus faber designed
220mm lightweight sandwich cone woofers are embedded in an acoustically
amorphous 'stealth reflex' chamber. Here a long-throw motor
system with 2" controlled eddy current voice coil is
implemented for high speed, performance and linearity.
Special coaxial anti-compressors
remove cavity resonance and distortion.
"A Sonus faber-designed 320mm infrasonic woofer employs a lightweight honeycomb composite
sandwich cone with Nanocarbon technology for
maximum rigidity. This unit features a
very powerful long throw motor with a 3" voice coil for
ultra dynamic linearity. To match the low-end
performance to different listening rooms the output of the infra woofer is adjustable.
"A rear firing
29mm ultra dynamic neodymium dome tweeter combines with
a rear firing
120mm paper pulp/natural fiber cone driver to add ambient dispersion with user-adjustable output. The crossover
is a
non-resonant design optimized for amplitude and phase response. It uses Mundorf Supreme silver/gold oil-impregnated
capacitors and Jantzen inductors.
"Crossover frequencies are at 55Hz, 180Hz,
250Hz and 3000Hz. Specs include a claimed frequency response of 20Hz - 35kHz, 92dB sensitivity, 4-ohm impedance, 100 - 1000W power handling, dimensions of
1725 x 482 x 780mm HxWxD and weight of 330kg each."
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| December 2011 - SW Speakers - A joint venture between SW Speakers and Sinan Design "has resulted in the
updated all carbon-fiber Figaro and new Apollo subwoofer.
The new Figaro employs a Seas coaxial driver and offers a well-balanced 33Hz - 25kHz response. Our Apollo is a
master/slave closed box passive concept in a carbon-fiber enclosure that may be placed
vertically or horizontally.
A pair of Figaro will start at €4.900/pair with production commencing in February 2012.
Apollo production will begin in May 2012 and pricing will be around €3.900."
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December 2011 - Premise - Following up the visual scheme of his Aries and Kaivalya models, Trafomatic Audio's Sasa Cokic introduces the Premise, a remote-controlled 20wpc 3-input stereo integrated amplifier with two ECC81 drivers and 8 x EL84 in a class A push/pull circuit. Even the 300B integrated of the entry-level Experience Series is now available in white lacquer.
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December 2011 - Devialet goes wifi - "From now on you will be able to stream all your digitized music including 24/192 HD-quality recordings directly from your computer to your D-Premier.
Now you can cut the cord and enjoy the Live & Lossless® sound without the cable.
"Every D-Premier now integrates the exclusive Devialet AIR asynchronous intelligent route driven by the internal DAC master clock for jitter-free sound. Thanks to Devialet AIR, wifi has become both the most faithful and convenient music source.
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"For ease of use and multi-device compatibility, D-Premier uses the iTunes interface whilst bypassing this player’s current restrictions. Finally our smart buffering function ensures instantaneous robust and seamless streaming from iTunes to your D-Premier." |
December 2011 - Go coax - Canadian manufacturer Élan introduces the JazzMaster 10CX coaxial monitor [CND$2.495/ea.] "inspired by Altec, Urei and Tannoy
vintage monitors of the 1960s.
JazzMaster is an active monitor aimed at professionals and audiophiles. Built from machined 25mm
formaldehyde-free baltic birch ply, the enclosure is loaded with twin symmetrical structural laminar vents.
Drivers are a sub-baffle mounted 10-inch high efficiency low-mass woofer with a 1.4" horn-loaded
titanium HF driver axially mounted inside the LF voice-coil for point-source output.
Each driver is individually powered by one of the two 170-watt DSP governed amplifiers (350 watts into 4 ohms per). A built-in digital sound processor operates at 96kHz with 24-bit AD/DA conversion, 28 x 2-bit multiplier
with 56-bit accumulator and full double-precision processing for optimal time and frequency response.
"The electronic board has a built-in flash memory with 4 factory adjustments (custom settings on request) and
electronics are fault protected. The universal SMPS adapts on the fly to all voltages from 90-250Vac and DC to 90Hz.
No resonating passive components with a direct connection between amplifiers and low-mass high efficiency drivers mean
really potent dynamic swings. The added benefit of DSP and coaxial drivers makes for perfect timing and pinpoint
imaging just like giant headphones.
JazzMaster accepts an analog balanced input (XLR) and features an XLR analog output for connection to other powered
units such as subwoofer. A master signal gain adjusts incoming signal from zero to +6dB.
Each monitor is 16 x 16 x 19 inches, 48 lbs ( 40 x 40 x 48
cm, 22 kg). Frequency response electronically governed from 35, 45 or 65Hz to 20.000Hz (selectable)."
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| December 2011 - Come to papa - no, oma - "Oswalds Mill Audio is pleased to announce the opening of our new showroom in New York City. Located in a spectacular loft with 14-foot ceilings, careful acoustic treatment and over 2500 square feet of listening space, OMA Dumbo offers a unique alternative to high-end audio retail typically composed of a warren of small confined and windowless rooms. Our environment allows OMA's horn-loaded speaker designs room to breathe and the client can relax in a space created and decorated with the same philosophy as OMA audio equipment." |  |
| December 2011 - McCormack gets remote - Not Steve the man but his SMc Audio VRE-1C preamplifier.
Short for Virtual Reality Engine, this hybrid active/passive design based on a discrete wideband FET circuit without feedback plus Lundahl and Jensen coupling transformers and XLR/RCA i/o ports had always pursued sonics first. Now arm chair convenience has been added with a beautiful Bent Audio-sourced remote wand. |  |
December 2011 - New 32/384 async USB DAC - Toronto-based exaSound Audio Design announces their first product. The e18 DAC is an 8-channel 384kHz/32bit asynchronous interface [$1999]. "The e18 plays DXD 352.8kHz master files with recording studio precision. It supports stereo or 8-channel modes at sampling rates up to 32bit/384kHz with remarkable bit-perfect low-jitter accuracy. The e18 delivers reference performance for high-end stereo, digital crossovers and cutting-edge audiophile multichannel applications. Noteworthy features include:
• The e18 is based on the ESS Technologies ES9018 Sabre32 jitter-immune reference DAC chip.
• Further jitter minimization is achieved by using three precision quartz oscillators.
• Seventeen internal independent power sources minimize noise, jitter and channel crosstalk.
• Galvanic isolation between the USB subsystem and the DAC circuits eliminates noise caused by ground loops and blocks computer-originated interferences.
• The e18 operates in asynchronous USB transfer mode. The custom ASIO driver is completely independent from the Windows sound system. ASIO provides many benefits that are relevant to audiophiles, including high sampling rates, bit-perfect playback and automatic sampling rate switching.
• The e18 comes with a high-fidelity headphone amplifier capable of driving the most demanding headphones.
• Two S/PDIF inputs provide jitter reduction and superb D/A conversion when used with traditional transports.
• The e18 DAC can be programmed to work with most IR remote controls."
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December 2011 - Headfi leashes - Sweden's Per-Olof of Entreq has developed the Konstantin 2010 replacement headphone cable for the Sennheiser HD800, HifiMan and Audeze headphones featuring 1.5mm square conductors for each channel and the company's signature External Earth Drain System.
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December 2011 - Boulderdacious - Boulder announces the
official release of the 3050 mono power amplifier [$195.000]. "The
3050 is the largest and most powerful amplifier in the history of Boulder’s
product range, delivering 50% more power than the 2050 monos.
Nearly 100% of the circuitry and assembly of the amplifier was refined or redesigned. Noteworthy improvements and features include:
• Massive power of 1.500 watts continuous
into any load requiring a 240VAC mains feed. Peak output
power is 6Kw. watts. 5 encapsulated and potted toroidal
transformers, 48 filter capacitors and 120 bipolar output devices ensure voltage headroom.. Distortion is 0.0006%.
• Distinctive modern architecture. Despite their size, the amplifiers’
aesthetics are a dramatic step forward.
• Substantially improved noise floor due to improvements in circuit layout
• New 99H gain stage, i.e. a new fully discrete surface-mount stage
evolved from Boulder’s own 993
utilizing +/-38V rails to raise the dynamic headroom.
• Fully balanced phase isolated construction. Outputs are fully balanced
and inputs are of instrumentation quality balanced design.
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• Framed and damped circuit board mounting. Every critical audio circuit
board in the new 3050 is framed in a custom machined, aerospace-grade
aluminum housing rather than screwed to a plate. Vibration damping
material is then sandwiched between the circuit board and the frame to eliminate even the tiniest mechanical resonances.
• Custom granite and stainless steel platform. Because of the tremendous
weight of each 3050 (380 lbs./172 kg), every unit is shipped with a stable
platform of alternating layers of black granite and polished stainless steel
that is custom cut to the angles and dimensions of each chassis. |
| December 2011 - Viso 1 - NAD's new digital-direct iDevice dock combines digital-direct 35bit/844kHz class D amplification based on the firm's top-range M2 amplifier with DPS speaker correction and crossover; and a PSB-designed speaker system with 2x15wpc 2.75" widebanders plus one 50-watt 5.5" woofer. The Viso 1 [€599] measures 80 x 261 x 300mm HxWxD and weighs 5.6kg. Wireless Blutooth integration, a 24/96 Toslink input and a basic included remote round out the features. The USB input merely supports future firmware updates and does not accept music data. |
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December 2011 - RoundSound in the square - Anthony Gallo Acoustics announces the release of its all-new Nucleus® Classico Series of loudspeakers. It combines the company’s patented CDT3™ tweeter, proprietary S2 loading technology, the new Backwave Linearization and Synchronization system and additional bass loading "to deliver unprecedented power and clarity from a diminutive wooden box enclosure. With the development of our new technologies, we found a way to bring the benefits of our critically acclaimed spheres to a box loudspeaker," says Anthony Gallo, founder of AGA. "With this we now offer a speaker that will elegantly blend into any lifestyle or décor. And like every other product we design, the Classicos still achieve a world-class price-to-performance ratio."
There are seven different products in the new Classico line. It includes the Classico CL-1 & CL-2 mini monitors, CL-3 & CL-4 floorstanders and CL-C center channel. The line also has two subwoofers, the CLS-10 and CLS-12. All Classico speakers featuring the patented CDT 3™ tweeter (the CL-1 and subwoofers do not) offer the ability to alter the high-frequency output level without using a switch. The CL-2 bookshelf speaker also has the ability to rotate the tweeter by 90° without compromising its soundstaging and imaging capabilities.
These “Un-Box" loudspeakers are shipping now. |
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| December 2011 - TEAC's digital iDock - The DS-H01 [€249] was developed for Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad and outputs both analog and digital, the latter on coax and Toslink. Onboard conversion is by BurrBrown's 24/192 PCM1796 chip. Video is output on composite and S-video. An external AC adaptor provides power, the includes RC-1269 remote controls the docked iDevice. Dimensions of the dock are 215 x 55 x 215mm. The front panel is aluminum. A matching network audio player, CD player, DAc, integrated amplifier and loudspeakers round out this new Reference series from the Japanese corporation. |
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| December 2011 - XTZ - XTZ have released two updated versions of their room analyzer, the XTZ Room Analyzer II Standard retailing for $229.99 and the
XTZ Room Analyzer II Pro retailing for $359.99. Both versions are all-in-one box packages that include the soundcard, microphone,
cabling and software required to take acoustic measurements. The
Standard version has upgraded hardware compared to the original version yet retails for $70 less. The
Pro version has completely new hardware with increased microphone accuracy.
The software for Standard and Pro versions differs, with the; Pro offering more functionality. Both
include an SPL meter and run on Windows whilst the Pro also has a signal generator. "The Standard version is best suited for home theater calibration to set levels with the SPL meter and dial in
distance settings with the unique 'delay alignment' tool; for subwoofer integration using the high resolution 16Hz-300Hz frequency response and real
time analyzer modes.
The Pro version does the above plus room acoustic analysis because the software will do high resolution 16-300Hz frequency
response. It also does LF decay spectrogram measurements; |
"as well as full range 20Hz-20kHz
frequency response and 2D/3D waterfalls to analyze reflections and check for flutter echo. It will also do
room correction with automatically generated correction filters for room modes
which can be further optimized using the unique parametric EQ software emulation mode."
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| December 2011 - ATC DAC -
The new CDA2 is hand-built by the UK's ATC Loudspeaker Technology. "As our first source component the unit comes with added digital to analogue conversion and preamp facilities. The preamplifier design is taken from our CA2 and uses discrete components throughout to give very low distortion and noise and an extremely wide and flat frequency response. There are two line level analogue inputs and two digital inputs. One analogue input is equipped for RCA connections, the second for RCA and 3.5mm. Both digital inputs are equipped for coaxial and Toslink connectivity giving a total of 4 digital inputs. Fully differential and single-ended outputs are provided for simple connectivity with a wide range of power amplifiers and active loudspeakers. The discrete output stage is capable of driving 9Vrms unbalanced and 18Vrms. balanced into 100 ohms. The discrete headphone output is specified to drive a very wide range of headphone sensitivities and impedances. It features very low distortion noise and extremely wide and flat frequency response for best possible performance. The DAC utilises a Wolfson chipset and is compatible with 16- to 24-bit word lengths and sample rates up to 196kHz. |
"Excellent digital clock recovery ensures signal integrity is maintained even with poorer quality digital sources and long cable runs between external sources and the CDA2. The chassis is constructed from a combination of steel and aluminium and uses constrained layer damping to control panel resonances. The front panel is machined from an extruded section of 13mm/0.5" aluminium alloy with a brushed and anodised silver finish." |
December 2011 - Magico - "Incorporating entirely new dual-10" Magico hybrid Nano-Tec® bass drivers, the S5 replacement of the V3 is capable
of an output of 118dB (@ 50Hz-1 meter. With an outer cone ring of
aluminum and a Magico Nano-Tec dust cap, the new drivers combine superb power handling in
the low bass with distortion-free response at the top of their pass band. The S5 midrange's
dual neodymium underhung motor system with pure titanium voice coil former is powerfully
efficient and extremely low in distortion. The tweeter is a beryllium diaphragm model found in
selected competitors’ $100.000+ reference offerings. A new neodymium motor system has
been customized to match the S5’s huge dynamic capabilities and power handling while
retaining its inherent wide dispersion and low distortion. As with all Magico drivers the latest
custom computer simulations are used to optimize electromagnetic and thermal behavior.
Among the highlights of the S5 are its availability in a range of colors in addition to our classic hard anodized black finish and a removable grille."
1 x 1" MB30 tweeter
1 x 6" M380 midrange
2 x 10" hybrid Nano-Tec woofers
Sensitivity: 90dB
Impedance: 4 Ohms
Frequency response: 22Hz – 50kHz
Recommended power: 50 – 1200 Watts
Dimensions: 48 x 14 x 15 HxDxW (122 x 35 x 38cm)
Weight: 190lbs. (86kg)
The US retail price of the Magico S5 is $28,600/pr. Delivery will begin in Q2 2012. |
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