Australian Hi-Fi Magazine’s readers say in surveys that they like reading reviews of loudspeakers more than anything else, so with three speaker reviews across the most popular price points, the Sep/Oct issue of Australian Hi-Fi is sure to sell out!
It could only happen in the hi-fi business, which feeds on fads. A single exhibitor at a hi-fi show pins a sign on their demo room door that was probably funny at the time: ‘Diana Krall-Free Zone’ and before you know it, copy-cat signs are appearing on the doors at hi-fi shows around the world, sometimes with the same wording, and sometimes with slight changes, such as ‘Bring your own music, otherwise we’ll have to play Diana Krall.’ If the joke had been limited to a few signs on doors, it might still have been funny, but all of a sudden the joke has become serious and moved onto hi-fi webzines, with some writers with exposure on such well-known sites as 6Moons stating that what Diana Krall plays isn’t even…
Naim’s NAC-N 272 Streaming Pre-amplifier is now available in Australia. It offers single-box streaming with iOS/Android app control and full hi-fi separates performance. Inputs include high-resolution (up to 24bit/192kHz) UPnP streaming, Spotify Connect, iRadio, Bluetooth (aptX), USB, multiroom and an optional DAB/FM module, plus there are six digital and three analogue inputs. The SPDIF inputs on the NAC-N 272 use Naim’s proprietary zero SPDIF design using the powerful Sharc processor to buffer the incoming SPDIF signal and clock it out of the buffer utilising a precision quartz crystal. The Sharc runs unique Naim-authored software to create an ultra-high precision 40-bit floating-point filter. The filter oversamples by 16 times on 44.1kHz data and provides stop-band attenuation of 156dB. The analogue output includes Naim’s classic discrete five-pole Sallen Key filter. ‘The 272…
Bose has upgraded its Soundlink Mini Bluetooth speaker so it now has a speakerphone, longer battery life, multi-connect Bluetooth capability and voice prompting during pairing. The Bose SoundLink Mini II has a speakerphone to enable you to take calls out loud, a ten-hour battery life and can simultaneously connect to two Bluetooth-equipped devices, such as a mobile phone and a tablet. To make pairing devices easier than before, the new Mini II has on-board voice prompting. ‘The original SoundLink Mini did something remarkable, because its powerful, lifelike audio quality made it the most famous little speaker in the world’ said Jack Yu, product manager for Bose SoundLink speakers. ‘There was nothing else like it, and it continues to amaze people with its sound. Our engineers kept all that performance—and added…
AVM’s Inspiration SD2.2 Preamplifier/DAC with lossless streaming now has support for Tidal. The Inspiration SD 2.2 combines an analogue preamplifier with two unbalanced inputs (for connection to an external phono pre-amp or tuner) with five digital inputs including asynchronous USB. Inside is a 192kHz/32-bit DAC with 64DSD (2.8MHz) compatibility, as well as LAN and WiFi to ensure flexible connectivity and the ability to handle MP3, WMA, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC via UPnP, DLNA, WMDRM from NAS drives. The Inspiration SC2.2 can be controlled with its own dedicated optional remote (which has a colour display), or via your phone, using AVM’s intuitive AVM RC S App (available for both iOS and Android.) ‘For Head-Fi enthusiasts there’s no reason to double up on expensive amplifiers, because the SD 2.2…
It is natural when thinking about Hi-Fi to think in terms of major components, such as amplifiers, speakers etc. At the same time there are many smaller components and accessories that go into the fabric of this market, and we have had a bunch of these come through in recent times. Headphones are big business at the moment, with many non-headphone companies entering the market. One of the most impressive has been AudioQuest, with the NightHawk ($799). The amount ofengineering that went into this product is certainly impressive – particularly given that AudioQuest is a cable manufacturer. The other significant headphone release has been the P5 Wireless ($599) from B&W. Based on the very popular P5 (cabled) headphone this Bluetooth version offers both performance and convenience. Another product packing an…
Most wireless powered speakers are mono. Focal’s XS Book wireless powered loudspeakers are true stereo, with two high-quality two-way loudspeakers that have both built-in amplification and Bluetooth aptX wireless functionality. ‘The relaunched Focal XS Book wireless speakers are built with the latest Focal speaker technologies and sound better than anything at this size and price has any right to,’ said Chris Murphy of N.A. Distributors, which distributes Focal in Australia. ‘Incredibly simple to set-up and use, the XS is a great music system for small rooms, but it can also be used as universal stereo speaker system for almost any use, including computer music, PC gaming, and Flatscreen TV sound.’ In addition to being able to stream music to the Focal XS via Bluetooth, there are also stereo RCA and…
