Latest News – page 12

In the “golden age” of audio, turntables with automatic mechanisms, when the user only had to put the record on and press a button, the automation did the rest, became the standard. During the vinyl renaissance of the 21st century, attention was focused on sound quality – so automatic mechanisms fell by the wayside. However, now we are seeing the response of automatic turntables at a new level of sound quality – and one of them, the just presented Pro-Ject AUTOMAT A1.2.

Klipsch KLIPSCHORN are one of the most "long-lived" speaker systems on the modern market - they have been produced for more than 75 years. Well, let's meet the new version of the legendary speakers - Klipsch KLIPSCHORN AK7.

The original Klipsch LA SCALA loudspeakers were released in 1963 – the model has remained in production for years and has earned a truly cult status. Well, meet the new version of the Klipsch LA SCALA AL6 – for the first time in many years, it uses a vented box design and significantly expands the depth of the bass.

Rega has introduced the seventh generation of the Brio series integrated amplifier - Rega Brio Mk7. The amp, like its predecessors, is housed in a compact case and offers a power of 2 x 50 W at 8 Ohm load or 2 x 73 W at 6 Ohm. "On board" along with a headphone amplifier (with a 3.5 mm minijack post) and a phono preamplifier for working with both moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) pickup cartridges, a digital-to-analog converter module has also appeared.

Audio-Technica has introduced a limited edition of the ATH-CKS50TW2 TWS headphones, designed based on the Star Wars universe. Users are offered stylized versions in the style of the droid R2-D2, the characters Grogu and Mando from the Mandalorian series, and Darth Vader. The technical specifications remain unchanged, but the owners of the headphones now have the opportunity to customize alerts that play unique sounds from Star Wars corresponding to a particular character.

The tube stereo power amplifier Pearl Acoustics 170 SE should go on sale only at the end of 2025 – but the veil of secrecy over the device has already been lifted. We are waiting for a dual mono, single ended design power amp with 0 dB global feedback. The device is based on the inexpensive PSVANE "Horizon" KT150 tubes – which delivers excellent holography, as well as good bass and detail without a significant loss in output power.

The Swiss company Nagra has introduced a new phono preamplifier, the Nagra Compact Phono, offered for a relatively modest price of $4,950 by the company’s standards. The model, housed in a miniature aluminum vibration-controlled case, offers the highest performance and uses circuitry with the shortest signal path to achieve ideal MC correction.

Musical Fidelity has developed a new digital-to-analog converter with headphone amplifier Musical Fidelity M8x DAC. In its development, the company relied on its proprietary approaches that have been developed over the years – such as the use of Class A output stages, the absence of an information display to reduce electromagnetic interference (indication is displayed using LEDs), as well as the avoidance of wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules.

The Greek company Echo Diastasis has released a new phono preamplifier Echo Diastasis PH 79 Reference – based on original circuit design solutions, the development of which lasted for many years. The device does not have global feedback and is implemented in the “dual mono” scheme.

The English company Vertere Acoustics has introduced a new model of the DG-X vinyl record player, which is supplied from the factory in several configuration options – including even a tonearm and cartridge.

German company T+A has introduced a stylish integrated amplifier T+A Symphonia with arrows indicators of the gain level. The model offers a full set of analog and digital inputs, is equipped with a built-in digital-to-analog converter, a full-fledged network streamer and has a built-in phono preamplifier.

Serbian company Dayens has released an ascetic stereo power amplifier Dayens Ecstasy IV Slim – the model uses output stages on two pairs of Japanese transistors and provides (despite the compact slim case) 110 W per channel when working on loudspeakers with an impedance of 8 Ohms (2 x 160 W at 4 Ohms).

Cayin has released an update to its well-known integrated amplifier model – the Cayin MT-35 MK3. In addition to three RCA inputs, the amp received a wireless streaming module Bluetooth (AAC, aptX HD and LDAC) with a fairly powerful built-in digital-to-analog converter based on the ES9018K2M Sabre32 chip.

Ortofon has released a reimagined modern version of the iconic MC A90 cartridge – meet the Ortofon MC 90X! The Ortofon MC 90X uses the proprietary Replicant 100 diamond – with a thin and light profile and a large contact surface, it is designed to be as close as possible to the cutting stylus of the machine used to form the groove in the record. The special shape of the diamond, a special polishing process and the use of a boron cantilever guarantee transparency and precision of sound.

The full premiere of the Ypsilon Electronics PST 100 Anniversary Edition preamplifier will take place at Audio Show Deluxe on March 22-23, 2025, Whittlebury Park Melbourne room, at which time the full technical specifications of the device will be available. But the curtain of secrecy has already been lifted - so, the new preamplifier, released for the 30th anniversary of the company, is a further development of the SE model.

CH Precision C10 has officially received Roon certification – so the reference digital-to-analog converter from the renowned Swiss company now allows for more flexible integration into the Roon ecosystem. Let's recall the main points that distinguish the CH Precision C10 DAC from other High-End DACs.

Swedish company Atonemo has introduced an affordable network streamer Atonemo Streamplayer – adding streaming broadcasting to almost any audio system. The model supports an extensive list of streaming options - Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, Google Cast, Tidal Connect and Auracast, there is also compatibility with smart home systems Apple Homekit and Google Home (so, multi-room integration is also within the system’s power).

The French company Métronome has introduced a new compact disc transport, the Métronome DST CD Transport. The model is housed in an elegant aluminum and steel case. The precision transport mechanism provides the highest sound quality.

Scansonic HD has released a bookshelf and a pair of floorstanding loudspeakers (M15.2, M20.2 and M30.2) – all models use a scheme with passive radiators on the rear panels of the cabinets and offer an impressive bass response.

The Norwegian company Sigberg Audio has released new active three-way acoustic systems Sigberg Audio Saranna – sales will begin in August 2025. Sigberg Audio Saranna are capable of operating in the range of 20 Hz in-room – which is a very impressive indicator given the dimensions of the speakers. The speakers are also equipped with built-in digital-to-analog converters, so a streamer alone is not enough for a complete system.