Australian HiFi January - February 2016

I recently attended the launch of a yet another ‘me-too’ product attempting to out-Sonos Sonos that offered not only all the modern ‘inputs’ you could want: Bluetooth, Airplay, Wi-Fi, et al, but also a complete array of ‘legacy’ analogue inputs, including a phono input. Although I thought that including a phono input on such a system was unusual, since anyone buying such a system who did want to add a turntable would most likely buy one with a built-in phono preamplifier, or one with a USB output, I could appreciate that including a dedicated phono input gave the marketing department more leeway to generate some powerful advertising slogans. Needless to say, on the digital side, the system handled all digital formats, right up to DSD. After the usual talkfest, the…

Denon has released a new 7.2-channel Network AV receiver that comes with built-in Dolby Atmos and is ready for DTS’s new immersive surround sound format DTS:X. It also supports the latest HDMI standard including full 4K Ultra HD support, HDR and HDCP 2.2. The Denon AVR-X1200W 7.2-channel Network AV Receiver is rated at 145-watts per channel, using discrete amplifiers for each channel. It’s equipped with a Dolby Atmos decoder and a Dolby Surround up-mixer, so you can add height or overhead speakers to your system to implement a 5.1.2 configuration. It is also ready for both DTS:X and the DTS Neural:X upmixer, which claims to create an immersive sound field around the listener irrespective of the number of speakers installed (More info at: www.denon.com/dtsx). It also comes with built-in Bluetooth…

VPI Industries has launched three new products: the Avenger and Limited Scout Jr turntables, and a new JMW 12-3DR tonearm. The Avenger is a magnetic drive design that can accommodate up to three tonearms. Designed by VPI’s founder, Harry Weisfield, the Avenger is VPI’s top-line turntable and is fully upgradeable, so you can order a basic version for $16,995 and upgrade it over time, or you can go for broke and order it complete with all options right at the outset ($35,995). (Although Weisfeld is still at VPI, the business is now operated by his son, Matt.) VPI released the 12-inch JMW 12-3D tonearm a year ago, claiming it was the world’s first 12-inch arm built using a 3D printer. This new version (JMW-12-3R) is identical except that it uses…

Musical Fidelity’s Merlin System and Roundtable turntable have won a Sound + Image award for ‘Best System Solution of the Year 2016’… and have also benefitted from lower pricing. The Merlin System has an amplifier with a rated output power of 50-watts per channel. In addition to an analogue input (switchable between line-in and phono), it also has a USB input and aptX Bluetooth onboard. The internal DAC is a dual 24/192 design. The Musical Fidelity Merlin speakers use a single full-range driver and can be orientated on their stands vertically or horizontally depending on requirements. The Roundtable turntable is a two-speed outside belt-drive design with manual speed change. Its drive pulley is manufactured from 25-year-old African Blackwood. The straight 230mm tonearm comes fitted with an Audio Technica AT95e cartridge…

One of the roles of any good consumer-based business is to seek out the best solutions for their client base. As audio retailers, our job is to seek out the best products in our specific market place, and then present them to our customers. This is the main thing that separates specialist audio retailers from the mass marketers – we take the time to listen and evaluate, and then promote accordingly. The alternative is to leave the buying to the deal makers where products are selected on profitability, exclusivity or marketability, usually generated by the brand itself. Performance is rarely a consideration. It was refreshing to see our choices validated at the recent Sound+Image Awards held in Sydney. A great number of the products that we carry were honoured on…

Bowers & Wilkins has added three new models to its range of custom installation speakers: the CCM Cinema 7 in-ceiling speaker, the CWM Cinema 7 in-wall speaker and the CCM632. The CCM Cinema 7 is designed for down-firing, in-ceiling left, centre and right speaker positions. It has a 180mm Kevlar-coned bass/midrange driver and a 25mm ‘Nautilus’ swirl-loaded aluminium dome tweeter. Both drivers are angled to the mounting surface and can be directed towards listeners so they hear the correct balance of sound. CWM Cinema 7 in-wall 2.5-way speaker does the job of three home cinema speakers—front-left, centre and front-right—and can be mounted beside, above or below the screen. Both Cinema 7 speakers feature ultra-narrow bezels and magnetically-attached metal grilles which can be customised to complement your décor, and are installed…