Innholdsfortegnelse for September - October 2020 i Australian HiFi

Famous Italian high-end audio manufacturer Audia Flight has released a new, entry-level integrated amplifier, the FLS 9. Despite being entry-level, it’s very high-powered, with Audia Flight rating its power output at 150-watts per channel, both channels driven into 8Ω and 500-watts per channel when driven into 2Ω loads. Audia Flight has trickled-down technology from its more expensive amplifiers for use in the FLS9, one being that it uses the same fully-balanced preamplifier stage boards as the FLS1. The amplifier’s 1000-watt shielded toroidal transformers delivers the voltages for eight separate power supply circuits, with the primary circuit for the 12-device output stage fitted with low-impedance, low-noise 120,000μF capacitors. As with most Audia Flight amplifiers, the new FLS9 can be fitted with up to two optional plug-in boards if required. Available is…

Metronome Technologie has added the first pure CD transport to its entry-level Classica range. The fact that this famous French company is now into its third generation of this particular product line is clearly evidenced by the player’s name. Unlike most CD transports, the new Metronome Le Player 3, in addition to delivering SPDIF to its multiple digital outputs, is also able to deliver the same data up-sampled to DSD64. And in a rare move, one of those multiple digital outputs is an I²S HDMI output. “Our Classica range was missing a pure transport, which was widely requested by our customers,” said Jean Marie Clauzel, of Metronome. “So my design goal was to give much more added value than adding a simple digital output to an existing model. The electronics…

The absolute speed accuracy of the Yamaha GT-5000 will be down to how accurately the user can set the speed using the strobe light and disc, because there is no ‘default’ or ‘0’ setting on the pitch control knob, so Newport Test Labs instead used a test record with a 3kHz test tone and set the speed using a frequency counter to ensure the most accurate measurements. Once the GT-5000’s speed was set to exactly 33.33 rpm, the lab switched the platter speed to 45 rpm and played a 3kHz test tone that had been recorded at 45 rpm. The frequency counter reported the frequency as 2990Hz, 10Hz lower than it should have been. This is only 0.3% low, and not much in terms of absolute pitch so you may…

Before going into detail about the results of Newport Test Labs’ test results, it’s extremely important to note that for the purposes of this test, Australian Hi-Fi specified that all tests had to be conducted with both the Michi S5 and Michi P5 in the ‘test loop’. Therefore there are very few results that can be compared with Michi’s own specifications, which are gained by testing the components individually, or indeed against the results from any other audio test laboratory that has not tested the two amplifiers as a ‘combo’. This means that, in effect, we’re reporting ‘worst case’ results because for results such as distortion, the distortions inherent in the Michi S5 are here added to those of the Michi P5, which obviously does not occur if the components…

The overall in-room frequency response measured by Newport Test Labs for the B&W 702 Signature is shown in Graph 1. Acquired using pink noise as a test signal, this response is not smoothed, but it is averaged to compensate for the inherent random nature of pink noise and for microphone position relative to the midrange driver and tweeter in particular. However, although the speaker was floor-standing for this measurement, it was more than four metres from any other boundary, so there’s none of the usual low-frequency boundary effects that would be found in a typical domestic living room. You can see that the response between 100Hz and 13kHz is very flat and exceedingly linear, so that it can be contained in its entirety with a 2.6dB envelope. So normalised, the…

BLACK SWAN Shake The World [Frontiers] This may be a new rock band to you but if I mention it has Reb Beach on guitar, you should become curious. This is straight down the line, hard rock with big vocals, blazing leads and tasty harmonies. Alongside Reb is Jeff Pilson on bass, Matt Starr on drums and Robin McAuley on vocals. The title track opener’s doom-laden opening morphs into a pounding down-picked riff; the solo blazes bigtime with pick tapping and legato runs, while Johnny Came Marching has some gnarly wah licks from Reb. It’s not all pounding riffs though, as the ballad Make It There is rich with keys and an eighth-note 80’s-styled bass line. Talking of 80s, GN’R fans will love She’s On To Us—a peachy low riff…

A long-time client of Len Wallis Audio had recently purchased a substantial new home in one of Sydney’s most prestigious suburbs. An avid music and technology lover, he has a very good understanding of the high-level, luxury offerings in the marketplace. Len Wallis Audio had completed a reference ‘Focal Utopia’ immersive cinema installation in his previous home; so the client had experience with the Focal brand and their expertise. He had always wanted a pair of this French company’s flagship Grande Utopia speakers. When the recent EM Evo series were announced and the new home was purchased, the time was right. Len Wallis Audio sourced the only pair of Grande Utopias available in Australia at that time, presented in striking metallic blue. The task was then set to find a…

In a previous newsletter we mentioned the new range from Prima Luna, the valve amplifier manufacturer out of Norway. Since then we have added the Evo 300 integrated amplifier. This amplifier has an output power of 42-watts per channel in its Ultra-Linear mode and an output power of 24-watts per channel in Triode mode. The Evo 300 has five (5) stereo inputs plus a Home Theatre bypass. There is also a dedicated phono stage that can be added for an additional $355. Evo 300: $5,895…

In recent times there has been a growing market for vintage audio with equipment in good condition from the 60s and 70s bringing big dollars. This has dovetailed nicely with, and is possibly even driven by, the continuing resurgence in the popularity of vinyl. One of the legends of that era was LEAK, a British company formed in 1934. The LEAK Delta 30 and Delta 70, both released in the early 1970s, were classic amplifiers of their day and are still sought-after by enthusiasts. After a hiatus of 40+ years LEAK has released a new amplifier and for the first time, a CD transport. The LEAK Stereo 130 amplifier is based on their Stereo 30 amp, released in 1963, which was the world’s first commercially-based all-transistor amplifier. However, this is…

As much as we may be drawn to the biggest pair of speakers in the showroom, or the largest, shiniest piece of electronics, as an industry we recognise that things are changing. While there is (thankfully) still plenty of life in the likes of Sonus faber Reference speakers and Krell electronics there is also a marked move towards high-performance yet discrete systems. It’s a move that is driven by an ever-increasing awareness of interior design, the availability of streaming services that reduces the number of components necessary in a system and most importantly by the increasing abilities of companies to squeeze exceptional performance from ever-smaller-sized components. Famous brands such as Naim Audio, Auralic, Devialet and Chord have been producing well-made, high-performance electronics with small footprints for many years now.…

Richter is one of the most successful Australian brands in this industry. The company was formed in 1986 and went on to produce what is reputably the best-selling speaker in Australian history – the Richter Wizard – which has undergone numerous variations throughout the ensuing decades. In 1991 Richter was named ‘Small Business of the Year’ and ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ in the NSW Small Business Awards and its speakers have won a great many ‘Speaker of the Year’ awards. Richter’s Merlin S6 is the current holder of Sound+Image Magazine’s award for ‘Loudspeaker of the Year $500–$1,000’, plus its Thor 10.6 subwoofer was awarded ‘Subwoofer of the Year below $5,000’ (an achievement which becomes even more impressive when you find it retails for only $1,599). Richter’s current speaker range is…

A new model from Sonos is a relatively rare occurrence – their models have a long lifespan, and we guess that their philosophy is that “if it works – why change?” However there has been a flurry of activity over at Sonos HQ during the last few months with three of their models being updated. Both the Play:5 and the Sub have been updated to Sonos Five and SubG3 respectively. The changes have been subtle with both units featuring updated internals including larger memory, increased processing power, and a new wireless radio. There have also been some minor cosmetic changes, but from a performance aspect there are few differences between the old and the new. The big news is the upgrade of their soundbar. Now called Arc, this is a…

We have been a huge supporter of Rega turntables for four decades now but have not carried their electronics aside from their excellent phono pre-amplifiers. However their newly-released io amplifier was just too good to pass up. This small package is unashamedly designed for anyone looking for a compact, no-frills, yet great-sounding analogue-based audio system. It’s the recent recipient of a 5-star review from British hi-fi magazine What Hi-Fi?. And no wonder! The 30-watt per channel Rega io delivers a performance well beyond what you’d expect given its price point and its power output. As you would expect, there is a high-quality built-in MM (moving magnet) phono stage, two line-level inputs, a remote control and a high-quality headphone output that is cleverly integrated to deliver optimum performance without compromising the…

B&W sits in the top tier of the ever-increasing number of wireless streaming brands with their Formation range. The premium product in the Formation range is the Duo, an active wireless pair of speakers based loosely on B&W’s excellent 700 Series of passive speakers. In a market where the race has been to the bottom with scant attention given to performance, the B&W Formation Duo has been a welcome release. Priced at $6,400 a pair, these speakers are designed for the client who wants the convenience of wireless network streaming, and is willing to pay for performance and quality. B&W have announced a promotion through till the end of September where they will provide a free Formation Audio with every purchase of a pair of Formation Duos – valued at…

Astell&Kern has released the second model in its A&futura line of premium portable audio players, the SE200. This newest model is most notable and unusual for using DACs from two different manufacturers. The Astell&Kern SE200 is equipped with DACs from two of the world’s leading DAC manufacturers. It uses two ESS ES9068AS DACs and one AKM AK4499EQ. “This is the first time that two different DACs have been used in the one device,” said George Poutakidis, of BusiSoft, which distributes Astell&Kern in Australia. “It has allowed Astell&Kern to fit the SE200 with two different amplifiers to optimise the different characteristics of the AKM and ESS DACs so users can select one or the other to provide the sound characteristics they want, according to the music genre they’re playing. They can…

Most modern amps don’t even offer one. This new amplifier from Norwegian manufacturer Electrocompaniet has two! We’re talking about headphone outputs, of course. Electrocompaniet released its budget-priced ECI 80D in January this year, but underestimated demand and it sold out right around the world. This small Norwegian manufacturer has been able to ramp up its production quantities so you should now be able to audition an ECI 80D at your nearest retailer, Covid-19 permitting. Despite being an entry-level amplifier, the ECI 80D has both a moving-magnet phono input and two-way Bluetooth, so in addition to streaming music to it from your phone or tablet, you can also steam music from it to a pair of Bluetooth headphones. And although it’s a bit shy on line-level analogue inputs (just two balanced…

The Hana E, S, and M Series moving-coil cartridges, all designed by famous Japanese cartridge designer Masao Okada, have won accolades and critical acclaim from reviewers and customers worldwide for the highest achievement of sound quality in their respective price ranges. Okada-san says that his latest design, the Hana Umami Red follows in that tradition but delivers an even-more satisfying level of audio enjoyment and satisfaction. “The Umami Red moving-coil cartridge combines brilliant materials and classic Japanese techniques with modern audio engineering,” he says. “Ebony wood, rare-earth magnets, a precision-cut diamond, high-purity copper wires, Urushi lacquering, and CNC machined Duralumin are all used in this new model.” Okada named his newest cartridge ‘Umami’, which is the word for the fifth taste category, the other four being salty, sweet, sour, and…

Velodyne Acoustics has released the first product since being purchased by its new German owner, Audio Reference. Well, it’s not exactly a “new” product, because it’s the MkII version of the Velodyne MicroVee that was first released in 2006, but Velodyne says that despite its MkII designation, this version of the MicroVee is “not a re-invention, but an evolution keeping the strong performance the product was known for and adding some welcome enhancements.” The MicroVee MkII is still the smallest subwoofer in the current line-up, as well as being the smallest subwoofer Velodyne has ever built (229.229.244mm), and it still has a 165mm bass driver with 50mm voice coil and two 165mm passive radiators, but it now has a new Class-D amplifier that is rated with an output of 1,000-watts…

New Zealand’s most famous Rugby team may be the All Blacks, but New Zealand’s most famous amplifier manufacturer, Perreaux, is making its newest integrated amplifiers available in all the colours of the rainbow… plus there is also an “All Black” model. The two new models are both integrated amplifiers with integrated DACs. The Perreaux 155iX is rated with a power output of 150-watts continuous into 8Ω, and the Perreaux 255iX is rated at 250-watts continuous per channel into 8Ω. Both models have multiple line-level analogue inputs (five unbalanced, one balanced), dual MM/MC phono inputs, and also incorporate the same headphone circuitry that’s used in Perreaux’s renowned SXH2 Class-A headphone amplifier to drive their front-panel headphone socket. Both models also have the full gamut of digital inputs, both wired and wireless,…

Lumin has not only garnered huge support from audiophiles right around the world in the relatively brief time its components have been available, but it’s also expanded its range dramatically so that it now caters for almost all applications and covers all price-points. That’s all been made possible largely because the company behind Lumin is the famous Hong-Kong-based electronics firm Pixel Magic. If you think you’ve heard of it but can’t place the name, it might be because you remember that it developed the world’s first Linux-based video processor, or maybe because you once owned a MagicTV HDTV receiver (which it designed and built). As for why the company is able to release new products so rapidly, this is partly because rather than relying on freelance designers and external factories…

Australian Hi-Fi Magazine is proud to be a member of the world-wide Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA)which each year gathers together expert reviewers from 56 technology magazines and websites specialising in hi-fi, home theatre, in-car electronics, mobile electronics, photo and video from 29 countries around the world to judge the best product of the year in each class and reward the manufacturer with a coveted EISA Award. This year, as always, Australian Hi-Fi Magazine voted on the awards given in all the Hi-Fi categories in a complex process that involved nominations, short-lists, listening sessions, extensive laboratory testing and an exhaustive final voting session, all of which were complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic which meant that all collaboration had to be by electronic means. On the following pages you’ll find…

Newport Test Labs first measured the frequency response of the Magico ASub using a near-field technique that effectively gives the response that would be obtained in an anechoic chamber, without the contribution of room effects. This technique does however, remove the beneficial effect of an in-room response, which is a boost in volume level at the very lowest audio frequencies. Graph 1 shows the result of this test for three different filter settings and for when no filter is used at all. Looking first at the unfiltered response (the black trace) you can see that it is superbly linear, extending from 35Hz to 500Hz ±2dB. Below 35Hz the low-frequency response rolls off at 12dB per octave, exactly the slope loudspeaker enclosure theory predicts for this alignment. I should point out…

These are very uncertain times that we are navigating, and at the time of writing I have no idea what the situation will be by the time you read this. What I do know is that it will take a long time to return to some sense of normality, whatever that may be. In the meanwhile, all of us at Len Wallis Audio hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. There is no doubt that the impact of this pandemic will be felt for some time. Thankfully at this stage we have been able to stay open, and we hope that this remains to be the case. One of the immediate issues that we are facing is stock shortages. When the pandemic broke most distributors anticipated…

The use of soundbars is now commonplace. The space limitations inside most TV screens are so severe that it is impossible to install speakers inside them that are of good quality, which severely affects the intelligibility of the spoken word. A common solution has been to add a soundbar, but the soundbar market has become so competitive that the downward pressures on price has resulted in many soundbars performing little better than the televisions they are connected to. One of the best soundbars around is the ‘Stage’ by B&O. It also has the advantage of being one of the most attractive, and despite its heritage and performance it is also very well priced. There are three different finishes and two different price points, depending on your selection. The Silver Frame…

When Musical Fidelity released their ‘M2’ amplifier and CD player and broke new ground by taking their legendary sound to a new lower-priced market, they did so not by sacrificing any performance, but by stripping out a little functionality. The Musical Fidelity M2si integrated amplifier and M2SCD CD player sell for $2,000 each. For a short time Musical Fidelity will be including a $450 Inakustik NF-803 RCA interconnect with each combination sold. Inakustik has quickly established itself as one of the finest cable brands available and is an obvious pairing with Musical Fidelity. Simply add a suitable pair of speakers and you may be surprised at how good this amplifier/CD player combination is. Any quality system should involve you in your music, whatever your genre of choice. Unfortunately, most do…

The NAD C658 BluOs Streaming DAC sits beautifully between the budget streamers from the likes of Sonos, Heos and BlueStream and the hi-end offerings from such companies as Auralic. Despite being relatively inexpensive ($2,599) NAD’s C658 has a lot to offer. First and foremost, it is a sterling performer, as we have stated elsewhere not all streamers are created equal. Just as important is the interface, which is excellent. Irrespective of how good a component is, it’s next to worthless if it is difficult to operate. One of the big drawcards for BluOs (which is embedded in the NAD C658) has been their excellent control app. The other advantage of BluOs is that it is the backbone of BlueSound, meaning that if you want to develop a multi-room wireless streaming…

Technics have a long and enviable history of producing quality turntables. They recently announced the release of the SL-1210GAE – their 55th Year Anniversary Edition model. Production is limited to 1,000 units worldwide. Australia will be receiving only 40 turntables. This model is based on the current SL-1200G, which is the premium Technics turntable available on the local market. The upgrades include: The top panel sports a meticulously anodised black brushed hairline finish. In addition, the operation buttons and tonearm also employ a high-quality black finish that results in a uniform, premium appearance. The SL-1210GAE is hand-made in Japan by skilled artisans to ensure the highest quality possible. The top panel features a special badge, inscribed with a unique serial number to signify that it is a 55th anniversary model.…

The Holy Grail for television manufacturers is to produce TV screens that sit as close to the wall as possible. LG have come up with a very clever idea which goes a long way to achieving this ideal. Their current ‘CX’ range of OLED screens are as good as you will buy today – they are excellent, and surprisingly well-priced given their high level of performance. LG have also released a limited range of ‘GX’ (Gallery Series) screens. Basically these use the same screens as the models in the CX Series, but they have a unique wall bracket that folds away into the TV itself, so that once it’s mounted on the wall you can push it back so that the TV itself is completely flush against the wall, just…

DragonFly Cobalt DAC AudioQuest’s best-selling portable Dragonfly Cobalt Headphone Amplifier/DAC is now the proud winner of an EISA Award for 2020-2021. It boasts a more advanced DAC chip than any other in the Dragonfly range, an improved processor and improved power supply filtering to reduce Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular noise, so you hear perfect sound no matter whether you’re using it with a phone, a laptop or even in a full-sized hi-fisystem. And it’s just $630! Yamaha WXAD-10 Wireless Streaming Adaptor For just $259 this award-winning device will upgrade any older system to allow you to stream music to it from your smartphone or tablet, as well as play music from your computer or network storage, plus access online streaming services—as well as Internet radio—so you can play music in…

Contrast Audio loudspeakers are now available in Australia for the first time. All Contrast Audio speakers are hand-made in Kiev, Ukraine, by the Sapega family, which along with its small team has developed a range of 2-way and 3-way speakers that do not use standard two and three-way crossover networks, but instead use just a single capacitor to prevent low frequencies from reaching the tweeter. Contrast Audio says that it makes its own drive units “in-house” using both cast and machined chassis and cones and domes made of natural materials such as paper, cotton, balsa, and silk. “Only natural materials can provide the tonal quality the Sapegas demand from their speakers, and when these materials are used for cones, it enables the drivers to exhibit a very gentle natural roll-off…

The Sumiko Songbird is not only the latest addition to Songbird’s Reference Series, it’s also now the company’s lowest-priced reference level cartridge. It seems that Sumiko, which has been building phono cartridges in Japan for more than forty years, and is renowned for its high-priced ‘reference’ models, has decided to build what, for it, is an ‘entry-level’ reference cartridge. What’s more, it’s available in both low output and high-output versions at the same price. Sumiko says the design of the Songbird is largely based on its best-selling model, the Blue Point Special, which is the reason there is no cartridge body. According to Sumiko, this avoids ‘unwanted external resonance storage.’ Also, whereas almost all other moving-coil cartridges use butyl suspensions, the Songbird uses synthetic rubber. “This allows us to more…

Is the Holbo the best value air-bearing turntable currently on the market? “Emphatically yes!” says Anthony Sawyer, of GrizzlyWorks High Fidelity Audio, which has just been named its first Australian distributor. The Holbo Air-Bearing Turntable System features both a substantial 5kg air-bearing belt-driven platter and an air-bearing linear tracking tonearm. “Both are supported by a microscopically thin cushion of air,” says Sawyer. “This has a twofold benefit, the first being exceptionally low inertia, while the second is that it effectively decouples both components from the plinth, so there is no path for harmful vibrations to reach the cartridge.” Designed and built by hand in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the Holbo turntable is the result of years of research and development by Holbo Audio’s founder, Bostjan Holc. It comes with a separate power…

Don’t be fooled by any photographs you might see of it, including the one above. They all make the Yamaha GT-5000 look like it’s a standard-sized turntable. It’s not. Take the platter for a start. The platter on most turntables is 30cm in diameter. The platter on the GT-5000 is 35cm in diameter. That’s a big difference. So whereas the chassis of most turntables is around 42cm wide and 32cm deep, that of the GT-5000 is around 55cm wide and 40cm deep. And then there’s the height. Let me tell you about the height. The chassis itself is 12cm thick, to which you need to add another 4cm to account for the four support feet, then a further 8cm for the height of the tonearm. So, overall, that’s a total…

Can a famous brand be a victim of its own success? Ask any professional marketing person that question and their answer will be a resounding “Yes!” Take, for example, one of the world’s most famous motor vehicle manufacturers, Toyota. Toyota is not only one of the most famous car companies in the world, it also sells more passenger vehicles than any other car manufacturer. But when it first tried to enter the luxury vehicle market to compete against the likes of Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz and Daimler, with its fabulous—and famous—Century model, it could not gain any traction on the world market. No-one wanted to buy one, despite its technical superiority and the provision of luxury fittings no other vehicle had, such as reclining rear seats with built-in massage systems,…

I was a great fan of B&W’s 702 loudspeaker design, and of the Series 2 version of it that followed, which was a significant improvement. So I was intrigued when the famous British company announced that it was releasing a special ‘Signature’ version of the 702, because I wondered how such an evolved design could be further improved. I was lucky enough to be given the chance to find out, and what follows is what I discovered. UNIQUE CABINET FINISH Extracting the first of my review pair of speakers from its packaging revealed one difference straight away: a new finish, one that I’d never seen before on any B&W speaker (or on any other brand I can think of). It turned out to be a veneer B&W calls Datuk Gloss…

JOE SATRIANI Shapeshifting [Provogue] With every new Satriani album we’re assured of killer tones, and strong tunes. and this one has his trademark big riffs and bigger melodies and he channels styles from Chuck Berry all the way to modern rock. The title track sets the scene; the time signature may be waltz but the tone and octaves are proudly rock as Joe’s guitar blazes. Big Distortion is a new wave groover with great melodies and punchy unison rhythms. The spacey All For Love has a half-time feel that his guitar sings high over. Ali Farka, Dick Dale, An Alien And Me has a hiccupping groove, euphoric tremolo picking, sliding melodic phrases and ambient sonics. Teardrops is stripped back and sultry, brimming with blues sass. Nineteen Eighty is appealingly big…

Our industry has been aware of the many advantages of treating the incoming 240-volt power supply for a long time now, and one of the leaders in the field is PS Audio. Their Stellar Power Plant 3 is a power regenerator. It takes the incoming mains voltage, the waveform of which is nearly always distorted, and rebuilds it into a perfect AC sine wave, in the process eliminating all noise and all distortion and at the same time also ensuring a perfectly steady 240-volt power delivery. The Stellare PP3 has three independent 240V power outputs that deliver 300 watts of pure re-generated power, 500 watts of short term power and an impressive 900 watts for short term dynamics (up to 30 seconds). Key benefits include: Immediate and noticeable improvement in…

When we first heard the Musical Fidelity M8xi we were more than impressed. Given that this is a $12,000 integrated amplifier I guess that this was to be expected – but then again that is not always the case. It appears that we are not alone: the Musical Fidelity M8xi has just been named the EISA High-End Integrated Amplifier of the Year (2020-2021). The EISA Awards are recognised as the most prestigious awards in our industry. EISA is a unique association comprised of 56 specialist magazines across 29 countries – so there is a lot of credibility here! The M8xi was an important release for Musical Fidelity – it was the first totally new MF product to be released by the current owners – Audio Tuning, a company that is…

Auralic have updated their excellent Aries G2 wireless Streaming Transporter. The biggest change involves the chassis, with the G2.1 now equipped with a “Unity Chassis II” where there are two separate chassis, one inside the other, underneath which is a new heavy metal base. The external chassis is aluminium, the internal chassis is copper. This design enhances EMI shielding, providing an audible improvement to performance, while the substantial base adds overall mass to the product and further builds on Auralic’s modest elegance and improves the sound of the product overall. Auralic has also added CD player/ripping functionality, using Lightning OS7.0. You can now connect an external CD drive via USB to play CDs or rip them for storage. When used as a ripper, Lightning’s CD function reads each disk sector…

The Ruark R4 desk-top system is soon going to be superseded and as a result we have been running out our remaining stock at a very attractive price. The Ruark R4 is a very complete and comprehensive hi-fi system that is presented in a small and very attractive package. The system includes CD, both DAB+ and FM radio tuners, plus you can stream music to it via Bluetooth from a phone or tablet. It even has a clock with an alarm. Designed in the UK, it is not only an attractive system, but also a surprisingly goodsounding one that is very compact and very easy to use. The Ruark R4 retails for $1,499: We are offering our existing stock for $1,199 (black only). Inakustik New Micro Air Cables In a…

We have taken the unusual step of ordering these unheard, based on the interest that they have already stirred-up overseas – in fact we have already taken client orders based on this international feedback. The range has been available for some months overseas with the Borea BR03 already picking up ‘Product of the Year’ (speakers) award from Hi-fi Trends which commented: ‘Their design, clarity, and range are head and shoulders above anything in their price range.’ They also received a prestigious 5 Star review in What Hi-Fi? and an Applause Award from StereoNet UK (with the latter saying ‘this baby box will blow your mind’). The Triangle Borea BR03 is one of the lowestpriced components ever to receive this award, plus it’s already amassed a slew of very impressive reviews.…

We don’t usually associate Romania with the leading countries in audio manufacturing, but that is where Meze Audio – which manufactures some of the finest headphones in the world – is based. Meze Audio have just announced two new finishes for their impressive Empyrean headphones: Jet Black and Black Copper. These two new finishes are applied to the headphones’ striking outer sculpted aluminium skeleton which is precision CNCmilled from a single billet of solid aluminium. With a blend of premium materials, exquisite craftsmanship and detailing that makes it unmistakably a Meze, the Empyrean is one of the most technologically innovative planar magnetic headphones in the world. There are few manufacturers who could claim to make a better headphone. Authoritative review site Headfonia.com commented: “What a masterpiece. Double thumbs up. A…