Latest News – page 20

FiiO SnowSky Retro Nano is the latest portable digital-to-analog converter and headphone amplifier, presented in the SnowSky series and distinguished by its appearance stylized as a compact cassette (or tape) player. The model is equipped with a 0.96" TFT 80 x 160 bezel-less display and displays animation of tape playback during operation.

Hegel has introduced its latest digital-to-analog converter Hegel D50. The model features extremely low distortion of 0.0002% and typically noise floor of record -150 dB, and uses three dedicated master clocks (one for SPDIF signals, and for USB, separate master clocks for 48k and 44.1k sample rates).

The Meze Audio company has introduced new Meze Audio POET headphones - the model has a compact design and weighs 350 g. Meze Audio POET planar-magnetic headphones featuring the top-of-the-line diaphragm technology found in the company's ELITE model and offering very high sound quality.

American company Orchard Audio has introduced a new headphone amplifier Valencia. The new product is made in a balanced circuit design and operates in class A/B. The Valencia project is also the first result of Leo Ayzenshtat’s collaboration with experienced headphone reviewer Steven Ciofalo.

German company Thorens has offered a plug-n-play version of its famous TD1600 turntable - equipped with everything you need for immediate use. The Thorens Super Bundle is based on the Thorens TD1600 turntable, which implements the concept of the early Thorens 160 series models with a sub-chassis with three conical springs. The platter is driven by a belt, and the drive is equipped with an electronic motor control system.

Burson Audio has introduced the Timekeeper Voyager mono power amplifiers, operating in Class AB and delivering up to 200 watts per channel into a 4 Ohm load. The Timekeeper series of amplifiers has been in development at Burson Audio for over fifteen years. The latest Voyager model is designed to operate at high idle current, allowing the transistors to operate in their most linear range, thereby minimizing distortion. Despite consuming over 100 Watts in standby mode, the Voyager achieves Class AB performance in a compact design, rivaling much larger amplifiers.

American company Audio Research has announced the start of sales of the flagship Reference 330M monophonic tube power amplifier, which was first announced last year. Audio Research Reference 330M is an amplifier that combines a new design and new components with the best solutions implemented in other amplifiers of the company. The creation of the device took a long period of development and as a result, the device was released, capable of developing up to 330 Watts of power.

American headphone manufacturer Grado has released the Signature S950 model — handcrafted over-ear headphones in an open acoustic design, made of Brazilian walnut wood. Grado Signature S950 uses improved 52-mm proprietary drivers and achieves excellent sound quality.

A new CD player Luxman D-03R has been announced – the model will replace the previous version D-03X. Luxman D-03R can work both as a disc player and as an external digital-to-analog converter – the heart of the device is High-End ROHM DB34352EKV chips in a dual mono configuration.

Magnat has introduced a new line of Signature acoustics, the series includes three models: two floorstanding ones – Signature 809 and 607, as well as a bookshelf Signature 603. The manufacturer assures that each model is ideally combined with the Signature Center Pro, Atmos ATM 202 acoustics and the Omega CS12 subwoofer, which allows using the speakers both in stereo mode and in the format of multi-channel installations for home theater.

Serbian company Soulines has unveiled the Soulines tt9 turntable, which borrows its technical solutions from the flagship Soulines tt42 model. Vibration control was a priority during development, and as a result, the design was calculated using the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio. As a result, the company promises minimal resonance and an open, natural sound.

FiiO has introduced a spectacular portable HD music player FiiO SnowSky Echo Mini – the design of which is inspired by the iconic Sony Walkman cassette players. Moreover, even the control logic and control buttons here coincide with the ancestor. And the color 1.99" IPS display and a resolution of 170 x 320 pixels displays the animation of the playing cassette during playback of digital files.

The British company Origin Live has announced the fifth generation of tonearms for vinyl record turntables Origin Live Mk5. The Origin Live Mk5 tonearm series implements technologies borrowed from more expensive lines, such as a multi-layer counterweight.

The wood-veneered cabinets of the new Wharfedale ASTON bookshelf loudspeakers immediately catch the eye – but “on board” such a strict classic solution is a whole bunch of innovations. The model is equipped with a 6" (150 mm) brand-new Mid/Bass driver with a diffuser made of Carbon Fibre. The driver is mounted in a rigid, cast chassis, which eliminates unwanted resonances as much as possible.

TEAC has introduced the compact TEAC AP-507 two-channel power amplifier, which implements the latest Hypex NCOREx Class D technology. Compared to its predecessor AP-505, the TEAC AP-507 is equipped with an updated amplifier module with higher output power and low distortion. In addition, the TEAC AP-507 amplifier supports bridge mode for use as a powerful monoblock.

Pro-Ject has released the Pro-Ject DAC Box RS Final Edition digital-to-analog converter – the new product features a pair of audiophile Diamond ECC88 tubes. All circuit elements of the Pro-Ject Audio DAC Box RS Final Edition have undergone a special selection, and the internal wiring has also been upgraded. The DAC output stage is implemented in a balanced circuit, while the tube circuit can be either connected or disconnected using a button on the front panel.

The American manufacturer of High-End audio equipment, Boulder, has introduced a new stereo power amplifier, the Boulder 1162. The model offers 2 x 300 watts of power into 8 ohm speakers and a staggering 2 x 900 watts into 4 ohm load.

McIntosh has unveiled the McIntosh DS200 network streamer – a high-end device that combines high-quality digital-to-analog conversion and ergonomic streaming. The model offers Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect options along with Apple AirPlay, Roon Ready, Bluetooth 5.0 (AAC, and Qualcomm aptX HD), and Google Cast (Google Assistant compatible for voice control is also on board) – so you won’t need any additional apps to control the device.

Japanese company Phasemation has released the hybrid preamplifier Phasemation CM-1500. The device is equipped with a patented “Hybrid Passive Attenuator” volume control and offers high input impedance and low output impedance – which guarantees perfect matching with other components of the signal path.

Chord has expanded its GroundARAY and PowerARAY anti-noise systems ranges with the PhonoARAY, a filtering solution that allows virtual grounding of turntables to the phonopreamp or to the Phono input of an integrated amplifier.