Australian HiFi May - June 2015

Australian Hi-Fi Magazine has been a whipping post for thousands of audiophiles over the nearly half-century it’s been around, but I have to say that now we’re big-time on the internet, as well as in print, the lashings are becoming more frequent, and despite many years in the editor’s chair, my skin is no thicker. You won’t be surprised to learn that of all the criticisms levelled at the magazine, the single most common is that we don’t publish any negative reviews, and that this is obviously because we don’t want to upset our advertisers. Pure internet hi-fi publications, on the other hand, are apparently paragons of virtue… and most especially the ones that don’t accept advertising. ‘They tell it like it is,’ I am emailed by various correspondents. Firstly,…

Now in its fourth incarnation, Exposure’s 3010S2-D 110-watt per channel integrated amplifier now offers plug-in MM or MC phono stages or a DAC. Like its predecessor, the 3010S2-D comes with six line-level inputs, but one of these is now a direct AV input to enable integration within a surround sound system, plus a pre-amp output. There is now also the possibility to fit an optional MM or MC phono stage, or a plug-in DAC. The latter is capable of up to 192/24 bit PCM and DSD 64, and comes with two inputs: USB and BNC, with auto-switching between them. The preamplifier has a new circuit board with all discrete components rather than integrated circuits, while the power amp has a fast bipolar transistor output stage for dynamic and vivid performance.…

Mains conditioning systems specialist Isotek has extended its entry-level ‘Discovery’ range with the Evo3 Venus AV power centre, a five-outlet mains conditioner designed to protect a complete audio or AV system. The Evo3 Venus uses what Isotek calls ‘delta filter topology’ to filters out common mode and differential mode noise from the incoming 240V mains power and claims an ability to reduce r.f.i. (if present) by 30dB. Each of the five outlets is independently isolated. In addition, Isotek says it incorporates protection systems that provide instantaneous protection from electrical spikes and surges of up to 13,500 amps. ‘Unlike many entry-level mains filtration products which use off-the-shelf components, the Evo3 Venus is designed from the ground up by Isotek,’ said Paul Clarke, of Audio Active, which distributes Isotek in Australia. ‘Top-quality…

YG Acoustics’ Carmel 2 has a thicker baffle, improved resonance damping, new drivers and a new crossover, but as with the original Carmel design, every cabinet panel is made from in-house milled, aircraft-grade aluminium billet. Although the Carmel 2 has ‘new’ drivers, they’re not strictly ‘new’ as such, since YG Acoustics has fitted the ‘ForgeCore’ tweeters and ‘BilletCore’ cones that it’s been using for some time, but only one models higher-up in YG Acoustics’ range. (The original Carmel used tweeters and midbass drivers sourced from Danish manufacturer ScanSpeak). The new cabinets and drivers obviously necessitated a new crossover network, which uses a topology YG says is ‘DualCoherent’ because according to Yoav Geva, of YG, ‘it simultaneously minimises non-linearity in both the frequency and time/phase domains.’ Geva told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine…

Magico has released its new S-7 three-way, floor standing loudspeakers, which incorporate new tweeters, new midrange drivers and new bass drivers derived from the M-Project loudspeaker. Although it’s a part of Magico’s S-Series, the S-7 towers over the other models in the S-Series range. Its 1.42-metre-high acoustic suspension enclosures have curved aluminium side panels that are machined in-house at Magico from 12mm-thick aluminium extrusions and braced internally to minimise resonances. The S-7 uses three new 254mm-diameter aluminium-coned bass drivers with a claimed linear excursion of 15mm. ‘The basket, spider and voice-coil design of the new bass drivers in the S-7 follow similar design principles as the bass drivers used in the M-Project loudspeaker,’ said Boris Granovsky, of Absolute HiEnd, which distributes Magico in Australia. ‘They have extremely powerful magnets, ultra-stiff…

Class-A Audio has announced the availability of Extrema’s extensive range of audio and AV racks. Extrema manufactures racks in four different styles: Classic, Radiance, Profile, and Evolution, with varying models and shelving configurations available in each of the styles. Pricing starts at $495. ‘Extrema’s Evolution series is particularly distinctive, due to the harmony of the geometrical relationships of the various parts of the racks, along with the chromatic contrast between the surfaces and the overall finishes,’ said a spokesperson for Class-A Audio. According to Extrema, Evolution Series racks are capable of supporting shelf loads of up to 70kg per shelf, and the shelves can be positioned at distances of 210mm, 210mm and 330mm and in any order you like. The model AF14 measures 640×560×940mm (WDH) with a width between pillars…