Australian HiFi Issue 535 - 2024

Each and every year, new features and technologies arrive to push the boundaries of consumer electronics further than the year previous. Very few, however, tend to enrich our daily lives immediately, whether that's because they aren't instantly adopted by the masses or simply aren't useful on such a frequent basis. Thinking about how my listening habits have changed in recent years, I've realised that one fledgling feature has played more of a role in it than any other: Tidal Connect. For the uninitiated, Tidal Connect lets you 'cast' the service's catalogue to compatible audio devices from within the Tidal app, with the songs streamed from the internet instead of locally on your device. As Spotify Connect does for, well, Spotify; AirPlay for Apple Music; and Google Cast for Amazon Music…

Soundbites In preparation for its celebrations marking 100 years in the audio business in 2025, Japan's Luxman has announced the arrival of its new flagship L-509Z integrated amplifier. And it's so confident of the amp's abilities that the press release refers to it as a “one-body separate”! Building on the legacy of Luxman's previous L-509X flagship, which sat at the top of its integrated amplifier line for seven years, the new reference model produces a power output of 120 watts per channel into an eight-ohm load (or 240 watts per channel into four ohms). It also sees the brand's patented LIFES (Luxman Integrated Feedback Engine System) technology — first seen in the M-10X power amp, followed by the C-10X — used in both the preamplifier and power amplifier stages for…

A 63-year-old sandwich might not sound that appetising, but these new loudspeakers by Leak are anything but stale. The Sandwich 150 and 250 draw on the British company's classic speaker design which debuted in 1961, but have been injected with modern engineering to make for what looks like a very tasty treat. The Cambridge, UK-based company made a comeback in 2020 with its first new products since the 1970s and is now looking to cement its place in the modern hi-filandscape. Because you will have undoubtedly been wondering, the original Sandwich took its name from the unique construction of its mid/bass drive unit. It was the first to be made from a 'sandwich' of different materials, namely expanded polystyrene foam between two sheets of aluminium foil. Its light yet rigid…

Soundbites It's been 20 years since Shanling last launched a CD player, a small, blink-and-you'll-miss-it run of 300 units for the CD-T300 back in 2004. Now, the all-new CD-T35 is here to pick up where that left off — only this time round it is limited even further, to just 99 units. That's all down to the limited availability of components that the company says are “crucial” to the history of Shanling and “critical” to its house sound. This includes AKM's AK4499EQ DAC, also used in Shanling's M8 and M9 high-res music players. This flagship chipset was discontinued following a fire at the Japanese manufacturer's factory in 2020, but Shanling has gotten its hands on the remaining units. The CD-T35 also includes the Philips CD-Pro 2, a popular CD drive…

If you've ever eyed up Naim's acclaimed Uniti streaming range but found it coming up short in the power output department, you might be pleased to know that the brand has just announced its most powerful streaming player to date. Almost doubling the power of the regular 80 watts-per-channel Uniti Nova, the Uniti Nova PE (which stands for 'Power Edition') is a convenient just-add-speakers streaming amplifier that packs 150 watts per channel (into eight ohms). It should therefore be capable of driving even the most demanding of loudspeakers, to fill the largest of rooms. However, there is something of a twist — and audio purists might want to look away now. The big news here is that Naim's general preference for Class AB amplification has been sidelined for Class D…

The Lenbrook Group of Companies, owners of NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, Bluesound and the BluOS multiroom platform, has created a new business unit that will oversee the growth of the MQA and SCL6 technologies it acquired in September. The new Lenbrook Media Group, which is being overseen by former MQA CEO Mike Jbara in his newly appointed role as vice president and general manager, will develop the portfolio's content management solutions and, as per the official press release, 'pursue new opportunities that fit Lenbrook's vision to offer increased choice to music fans and enthusiasts for quality audio'. This is the first MQA-related 'news' out of the Lenbrook stable since it rescued MQA Ltd from administration, and it strongly insinuates the company's intent to use the established MQA and brand-new SCL6…