17.04.2025 07:23 | ~2 minutes read
Japanese company Audio-Technica has announced the imminent opening of pre-orders for a limited edition of the innovative Audio-Technica Hotaru turntable (since May 30, 2025). The model will go on sale in October of this year at a price of $ 9,990 US - only 1000 turntables will be made.
Audio-Technica Hotaru flaunts a number of high-tech and design solutions. According to the designers, Hotaru combines magnetic levitation, adaptive backlighting and an advanced display, providing a visually stunning vinyl experience for both ears and eyes.
At the heart of the Audio-Technica Hotaru turntable is a levitating sub-chassis with magnetic repulsion. The sub-chassis "floats" above the body of the device, effectively isolating the cartridge and tonearm from external vibrations, providing clear sound. The adaptive lighting system with a palette of twenty colors synchronizes with the music in real time. Owners can choose from three different modes - basic constant glow, gradations for a smooth transition or pulsation.
Audio-Technica Hotaru is equipped with a carbon tonearm and Audio-Technica VM cartridge pre-installed at the factory. A DC servo motor is mounted on the levitating structure itself, which drives the belt of the support platter. In addition to the linear output, Audio-Technica Hotaru also offers playback through built-in two-way speakers using a 63.5-mm full-range driver and a 19-mm tweeter (frequency response from 60 Hz to 20,000 Hz). The Audio-Technica Hotaru turntable's main chassis is constructed from aluminum and acrylic and mounted on brass supports for improved resonance control.
This product is in the Hi-Fi and High End Electronics and Acoustics database
Model name
Hotaru
Speed
33/45
Drive
Belt
Suspension
Floating
Tonearm preinstalled
Yes
Tonearm model
Audio-Technica Carbon
Cartridge preinstalled
Yes
Cartridge model
Audio-Technica VM
Platter
N/A
Motor
N/A
Wow and Flutter (%)
N/A
Signal to Noise (dB)
N/A
Rumble (-dB)
N/A
Dimensions (mm)
430 x 430 x 235
Weight (kg)
12
Official link
The German company Bärbox has released new acoustic systems Bärbox B.01 – slender two-way floor-standing loudspeakers are designed in solid wood cases and operate in the frequency range from 38 to 20,000 Hz (at 87 dB sensitivity and 4 Ohm impedance). The downward-facing phase inverter port allows for maximum flexibility in the placement of the speakers in the listening room.
FiiO plans to release a new DAC with a headphone amplifier and a preamplifier FiiO K15. Detailed performance characteristics of the new product will be announced after the presentation at the CanJam exhibition in London - but it is already known that the model will go on sale in August 2025 for an affordable 599 euros. Of course, FiiO K15 supports Hi-Res up to PCM 32/768 and DSD512.
D&A (Digi & Aesth) has introduced a relatively inexpensive ($699) digital-to-analog converter with headphone amplifier D&A Alpha PRO. Alpha Pro was developed on the basis of the flagship ESS Technology ES9039MSPRO chip, it supports signals up to PCM 32/768, DSD512 and hardware decodes MQA.
Cyrus Audio has officially unveiled the Cyrus 40 PPA phono preamplifier – the model has been previously demonstrated at exhibitions and is now available for sale at a suggested retail price of €2,499 or $2,899.
Cambridge Audio has released an improved version of its famous network integrated amplifier – this month the Cambridge Audio EVO 150 SE will go on sale. The device uses Class D amplification based on NCOREx “Tuned by Cambridge” modules and delivers 2 x 150 watts to 8 ohm speakers. The amplifier is equipped with a built-in digital-to-analog converter based on the advanced ESS Technology Sabre ES9018K2M chip.