09.02.2025 06:14 | ~2 minutes read
Moondrop has unveiled its flagship Moondrop Psyche in-ear headphones, a very expensive new product with handcrafted faceplates featuring the MITSUKIYUKI character. The Moondrop Psyche headphones are equipped with a hybrid assembly of ten drivers and emitters, including two dynamic 10-mm drivers, four balanced armature emitters, and four planar magnetic emitters! The system are controlled by a three-way crossover. The faceplates were made using Chinese Bronze Age technology with inlaid gold and silver elements; rose gold and yellow gold are hand-inlaid with a fluted silver side panel.
Drivers installed in each earphone form HODDUS (horizontally opposed dual dynamic driver module) - this design focuses the magnetic field in the gap between the two dynamic drivers, which helps to achieve excellent bass response. Four balanced armature drivers are responsible for the midrange frequencies. The high frequency section uses four microplanar drivers - the headphones belong to a hybrid circuit.
Moondrop Psyche is equipped with a cable made of single-crystal copper, coated with pure silver, in a litz wire braid. The cable is equipped with 2-pin 0.78 mm connectors for connecting headphones and a balanced Pentaconn 4.4 mm plug. The headphones is also equipped with a USB-C DAC with a headphone amplifier capable of processing PCM digital streams with parameters up to 32 bit / 384 kHz. The DAC is controlled by the proprietary Moondrop Link application. The Moondrop Psyche in-ear hybrid headphones are available now with a suggested retail price of $1,999.
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.
Bluesound has introduced a new generation of the Bluesound Powernode network integrated amplifier. The model now uses gallium nitride (GaN) amplification technology and is equipped with three amplification channels for the center speaker in home theater mode. At the same time, the Bluesound Powernode can operate in traditional stereo mode – then the power will be 2 x 100 watts, and when switching to three-channel mode – 80 watts.