| March 2010 - Planar cans - Head-Direct's in-house brand HiFiMan is three weeks away from launching its new $700 HE-500 planar magnetic headphones with a claimed
frequency response of 10Hz to 60kHz.
Sensitivity is expectedly low at 87dB/1mW, impedance is 25 ohms.
A detachable 2m cable with a full-size plug is standard. The velvet ear cushions are exchangable as well. The HE500's weight is 450g without the cable.
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March 2010 - Jumpy Antelope - Besides its range of ambitious consumer USB DACs, pro company Antelope also offers a line of four advanced master clocks all the way up to a true atomic Rubidium clock (the Isochrone OCX master clock is shown below). Marketing manager Leizer Benvenishty announced that first production of two Integrity Zodiac converter models is now underway. There's still a deliberate embargo on review samples to prevent undue demand on limited availabaility but we eventually will report on the Zodiac+ 24/192 USB in a formal review.
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| March 2010 - Klangschloss Greifensee - Show organizer Markus Thomann announces the 5th installment of the Swiss enthusiast hifi show in the Greifensee castle April 10 & 11. One special surround-sound demo will be hosted by famous sound engineer Jürg Jecklin (Jecklin Float inventor and University of Vienna chair) and Andreas Spreer (owner of the record label Tacet) with five identical active Manger monitors. There'll be a Thorens TD124, Studer master-tape machines and LPs for sale by the Analog Audio Assocation. Weiss will represent computer audio and Amarra software and brands like Wilson, Magnepan, ARC, Avantgarde Acoustic, darTZeel, Audiopassion and Wavecontrol will have dedicated exhibits. The Sunday morning brunch is to feature live entertainment by the violin/accordeon duo Giocondo.
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| March 2010 - Nowe Audio - The mono3.5 is a very unusual zero voltage gain 10-watt single-ended transistor amplifier built around a Toshiba TPCA high-speed MOSFET with a switch-mode power supply. Other parts include 60-watt Caddock power resistors, General Semiconductor FES16BT ultra high-speed plastic rectifiers, WIMA MKP 10 polypropylene capacitors, solid-core Kapton-sheathed Siltech G6 silver/gold wiring and a toroidal Lachowski power transformer. Even an Energizer 9V battery makes an unspecified appearance. Specifications include 4.4V input level acceptance at 2 ohms; input impedance of 200K; a standby power draw of 50 watts, dimensions of 320 x 320 x 40mm and a weight of 8.4kg. This appears to a spin-off of Wojciech Unterschütz's Polish Acuhorn
company.
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| March 2010 - OMA Mini - The Oswalds Mills Audio Mini is a compact 14" x 14" x 57" two way horn-based speaker with approx. 95db/1w/1m sensitivity. "The Mini uses professional as opposed to hifi drivers and parts for greater performance and bullet-proof reliability. The Mini uses our own proprietary horn cast from aluminum and designed for the compression driver selected to achieve optimal performance. The woofer enclosure is either extremely high-quality Birch ply or Bamboo in a non-resonant construction with a front-ported slot design. The Mini stands are constructed from solid quarter-inch carbon steel and powder-coated in a variety of finishes including black wrinkle, white semi-gloss and clear anodized as are the horns. You can mix and match stands and enclosures to your preference. The enclosures are available in dyed black birch, piano black, pickled white birch and bamboo. All are finished in lacquer and custom finishes and colors are available on request."
The website at present lists no further technical specifications on the drivers, crossover, impedance behavior and such. |  |
| March 2010 - Digital cherry - Digital Amp Co. announces the Cherry jr Ultra Linear Power Amplifier. "It delivers the detail with patented infinite resolution modulation, tuned for musicality and accurate imaging. A dead quiet noise floor and vast headroom pronounce low level passages as well as transients with excellent control of even the most demanding speaker systems. Massive dual-mono power supplies and large heat sinks handle the output without the need for power conditioning. Low idle power allows you to avoid warm-up time. External control puts the unit into standby for <5W power consumption. Customized versions available with your choice of binding posts, transformer size, face color and input connectors. Status LEDs shine through vent holes. This rugged amplifier can open up a new window to listening pleasure."
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| March 2010 - American Schroeder arm - Sean Ta of Aydn announces "something new from Artemis Labs, the TA-1 tonearm designed by Frank Schroeder of Berlin but made in the U.S. by Artemis Labs. "
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| March 2010: A lotus in Steve McCormack's cap - The Lotus Group has been granted worldwide distribution rights for his celebrated SMc VRE-1 preamplifier which will now sell through dealers for $14.950. "The VRE-1 is a revolutionary design that is the result of five years of intensive research and development." Details here.
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March 2010 - Kiwi drive - New Zealand's Perreaux announces the éloquence CDt compact disc transport [$4.495] to partner their éloquence 150i and 250i integrated amplifiers with onboard 24-bit/192kHz upsampling DAC. “As a dedicated CD platform, the éloquence CDt captures the heart and soul of the 16-bit/44.1kHz CD format,” says Perreaux Managing Director, Martin van Rooyen, “revealing the full potential of the humble compact disc."
The CDt features transformer-coupled BNC and RCA outputs as well as an optical TOSLINK output. Separate digital interface transmitters ensure each digital output is optimized to keep interface induced jitter at a minimum. The custom-designed toroid power transformer and regulated power supplies along with judicious power supply filtering keep unwanted noise from affecting sensitive clock signals and minimizes noise related jitter. The éloquence CDt is smart-home ready with full control via the RS232 serial port, trigger input & output and infrared (IR) input & output on the rear of the unit.
Solid construction and build quality have always been Perreaux hallmarks and the éloquence CDt sports a robust chassis design, 18mm thick milled aluminum front panel and unique surface finish.
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| March 2010 - Wood. Audiowood. - Joel Scilley announces that "
Audiowood has moved to Florida, and, in conjunction with the Stereophile Axpona show here, are re-opening for retail sales. Along with the move, we are excited to announce that we will be operating what we consider to be a first: an audio retail store devoted to green-friendly products. In addition to Audiowood products, we will be focused on low-power and efficient amps and on products that are made with renewable and recycled materials. We are currently carrying a number of quality products that will be familiar to your readers, and we hope to soon add more manufacturers to our collection that combine quality sound, aesthetics and eco-credentials. By the end of March we should be fully up and running, with a fully-updated website and local auditions in our new listening room by appointment. Since you've had a rash of iPhone docks on your site, please see attached photo of my Scrappy model made out of scrapwood from cabinet shops."
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| March 2010 - Audio Nemesis News - The latest version of the 6-years running Audio Nemesis zero oversampling DAC is now available as the DC-1 VLE Very Limited Edition based on a new platform featuring eight paralleled DACs each with its own discrete shunt-regulated power supply with discrete CCS; two mains transformers, one an R-core; fast-soft-recovery diodes; 15 separated and regulated power supplies, 11 of which are shunt type; local bypass with polypropylene capacitors for all active components; zero oversampling; asychronous reclocking with ultra-low jitter oscillator; naked bulk foil Vishay I/V resistors; custom made AudioNautes output caps; gold-plated PCB; Canare 75ohm input RCA pin; top-quality Scientific Conversion digital input transformer; gold plated USB input connector plus S/PDIF 75-ohm and Toslink; no output stage; custom mains filtering; HDG (High Density Graphite) cube on each DAC to damp any vibration; completely handmade in Italy.
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| March 2010 - SoulSonic Loudspeakers - Miro Krajnc's first speaker model under the Slovenian SoulSonic brand "is the result of 20 years of R&D into loudspeakers". Called the Impulse, it is a two-way dipole with a 25mm 190cm tall mid/tweeter ribbon coupled to 4 x 12-inch woofers at 500Hz. Dimensions of the Impulse are 210 x 91 x 63cm HxWxD and recommended amplifier power is 100 watts or higher.
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| February 2010 - Black Cat cable - Stereolab announces Black Cat Cable as a subdivision within its company. The first product is the 75-ohm digital Veloce cable "derived from the Chris Sommovigo $250 Stereovox XV-2 design. Once we've established Veloce to market, there'll be power cords, speaker cables and interconnects all sharing technology from our more advanced Stereolab cables."
| The Veloce will retail for $123 and comes in only 1.23 meter length. The sales model is Internet direct and through The Cable Company as the exclusive retailer. The Veloce carries a 60-day money back guarantee and, during the first 365 days of ownership, also a 100% trade-in value towards the Stereolab XV-Ultra digital cable. |
| February 2010 - New AE - Acoustic Energy is proud to present an advanced preview of its new Reference Series at the Bristol Sound & Vision Show. Due for release in Spring 2010, the initial line-up will feature the Reference 1 and Reference 2 stand-mount models with matching stands. "Finished in exotic Ebony veneer and piano lacquered to the highest standards, the Reference Series showcase traditional hand-made craftsmanship combined with the latest in cutting-edge technology. With new main drivers featuring massive underhung magnets, new tweeter, new high-end crossover and new cabinet featuring laminated acoustic rubber, this is very much a new speaker with its roots in AE’s heritage."
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| February 2010 - Rack it, stack it - Kenneth Ekelöv of Rocksolidaudio announces that their equipment stands introduced at the Las Vegas CES earlier this year are available now from the amp stand to a triple-width bench. All their designs combine aluminum and Birch ply and individual shelfs attach to the frame only from the rear.
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| February 2010 - Silver digital - Alister Staniland of Aristan Silver Cables introduces his first true 75-ohm digital interconnect which runs a pure silver conductor with silver-plated shielding. Termination of the Digital Dream is by lockable RCA and/or Neutrik BNC. Pricing starts at £159.
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| February 2010 - Zu Tone Mk2 - With the Druid Mk4/08 driver complement and aluminum billet ring, the new Zu Audio Tone Mk2 sells for $1.800/pr in the cosmic latte finish shown. Custom finishes carry a surcharge and an extended build cycle of six to eight weeks. Extended factory burn-in is part of the base price.
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| February 2010 - Swedish statements - The SWSpeakers
Magic Flute uses Swedish carbon-fiber enclosures, Danish aluminum trim, Swedish Jorma Design cabling, Norwegian customized Seas drivers, Danish Jantzen Audio crossover components and German WBT connectors. The speaker itself is designed in Sweden and a four-way bass reflex with 1 x Seas Excel T25CF002 Millenium 25mm softdome tweeter; 2 x Seas Excel W15CY001-E0015 146mm mid/woofers; and 1 x Seas Excel W22EX001-E0022 220mm woofer. System sensitivity is 89dB/2.83V/1m and crossover frequencies are at 440, 1500 and 4300Hz. Overall dimensions are 155cm, with max woofer module width 41cm and max woofer module depth 80cm. The net weight of the entire assembly is a light 20kg. Available finishes are clear carbon fiber or RAL colors.
Pricing remains TBA. | |
| February 2010 - Free tunes - "LessLoss Audio Devices has made available its audiophile recordings free of charge and free to download. No forms, no registration, no questions asked, simply download the 24/96 files and listen. 16bit/44.kHz versions are also available for free. More pristine recordings to come in the near future. These recordings feature DFPC Signature power cords, Firewall power conditioner, Blackbody ambient field conditioners and exclusive hand-made recording gear!"
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| Februrary 2010 - Mondo VAC power - The Statement 440 from the Valve Amplification Company delivers 440 watts RMS per fully balanced mono from 8 x KT88 and 4 x 6SN7 per side. Claimed frequency response is 4Hz to 75kHz and circuit gain is 30/36dB balanced/single-ended. With separate power supplies weighing in at 80 lbs each and the audio chassis adding 128lbs each, these amplifiers are statements in more ways than one.
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| February 2010: Francophone rumbles - The cuboid Triangle Electroacoustique Meteor 0.5 is a 300-watt front-firing subwoofer with a 28cm woofer and bass reflex port. Inputs are RCA line-level stereo, 1 x RCA LFE and high-level speaker terminals. Dimensions are 16.9 x 15 x 16.7" and weight is 46.3lb. 0/180° phase and volume are controlled from the included credit card remote. Bandwidth is given as 28Hz to 160Hz.
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| February 201: T.A.C. K-35 - The new EL34 integrated with remote from the German sister brand of Vincent Audio offers 35 watts per side, an input sensitivity of 200mV, 4 line-level inputs, one rec out and a tube complement of 1 x 12AX7, 2 x 12AU7 and 4 x EL34. Power consumption is 250 watts, dimensions are 430 x 205 x 386mm, weight is 26.5kg and trim options are black or silver.
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February 2010: John Blue headphone amp - The Hydra encased in a 245 x 210 x 74mm alloy brick sports one RCA line-level input and a full-size headphone socket with a claimed S/N ratio of better than 100dB and THD below 0.015%. Output devices are Burr Brown 2134 op amps and the volume control is an Alps RK27. The Hydra weighs 2.8kg.
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| February 2010 - Be my Valentine - Leo of the new Taiwanese website Audiophile Gift announces his first product, the Nixie Tube Clock [$265]. It uses six real IN-14 Nixie valves (not LEDs) in an aluminum alloy body with a laser-engraved logo. International voltage acceptance is 100V - 240V at 50/60Hz and there is a 12/24-hour format selection. The alu-alloy body is available in five different anodized colors. |  |
February 2010 - Fonel news - The family of Fonel amplifiers expands with two new models cased in 3mill steel and weighing more than 30 kilos each like the Emotion. The Trinité is a three-channel power amplifier with microprocessor control to connect both stereo loudspeakers and a subwoofer. The amplifier works in class A with a hybrid valve/Mosfet circuit. The Integra is the 2-channel equivalent integrated amplifier with ММ/МС phono and 192kHz DAC with USB and S/PDIF inputs.
"Toroidal transformers, separate power supply for analogue and digital circuits, multi-level protection, headphone socket and gold-plated contact relays are only some of the distinguishing features of both newcomers."
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| February 2010 - Active mini - PMC is pleased to announce the launch of the AML2, "the ultimate no-compromise nearfield ATL™ (Advanced Transmission Line) monitor. The AML2 supersedes the AML1 with an array of significant technical improvements including a new micro engineered power supply board, enhanced cabinet structure and new cosmetics.
The upgrades amount to a drastic reduction in both electrical and mechanical noise. The new lower-noise OAM1 boards of the EQ circuit improve soundstaging and separation in the mid and higher regions. The cabinet structure has been bolstered with a thicker rear panel and the hefty power supply board is now supported with a series of large steel standoffs to reduce low-level cabinet coloration. The AML2 includes the PMC 6.5" flat-piston woofer with carbon/Nomex™ honeycomb to allow for large controlled linear excursions capable of producing 33Hz when teamed with a high compression version of PMC’s ATL™.
The PMC 34mm soft dome with acoustic lens is seamlessly integrated by hand-built discrete ultra low-noise 24dB/octave active crossovers at 1.4kHz and the speaker is powered by Bryston class A/B 80/100-watt analogue amplifiers for the tweeter/woofer respectively." |  |
| February 2010: Pyramid from Taiwan - The Music HiFi Orpheus is a headphone amplifier with separate but docking power supply, two line-level inputs and USB. The styling suggests the older Nagra monos, the Las Vegas pyramid and of course the originals in Egypt while the name suggestively recalls the legendary Orpheus electrostatic headphones. Output power is 0.5 watts, headphone impedance may be 16 - 1000 ohms, claimed bandwidth is 20Hz to 30kHz and the tube complement is 1 x 12 AU7 and 2 x 5687. The amp measures 250mm high and has a footprint of 245 x 245mm. Weight is 5kg.
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| February 2010: Chinese USB DAC - Shanling's DAC-50 has coaxial, balanced and USB digital inputs, a coaxial digital output and RCA/XLR analog outputs plus a variable headphone jack.
D/A conversion is performed by a Burr-Brown PCM1796 DAC chip with a Cirrus Logic CS8416 digital audio receiver and Burr-Brown SRC4192 upsampler with selectable 96/192kHz upsampling or none. There's a
high precision clock system with reclock function, a dimmable display and full-function remote. Output voltage is 2.1/4.2V on RCA/XLR respectively.
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| Februrary 2010: New MBL contact in US -
Berlin-based high-end audio specialist MBL Akustikgeräte GmbH & Co. is reshaping its
distribution system. On February 1, 2010, distribution rights for the US, Canada and Mexico were entrusted to GTT Distribution Inc. of New Jersey with a view to intensifying market cultivation
and improving customer service. MBL has high hopes for the new partnership.
| "GTT’s declared
aim is to widen the network of certified dealers while developing a new approach to the cooperation
with them. Working trustfully together in a manner profitable to both sides we want to
intensify our market presence, thus offering our customers the quality of service they have a right
to expect when buying a high end MBL product", said GTT’s managing director Bill Parish.
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| February 2010: Entreq's Streamer Pro solution - Per Olof of Swedish cable firm Entreq states that "we do not feel that the great sound quality of the HRT Music Streamer Pro benefits from the use of adapters. Instead we have developed Tiny Path with TiniQ XLR and XLR connectors to let you enjoy the full potential of the HRT Music Streamer PRO. It's a real improvement compared to the use of adapters. Like our other cables it has EEDS for that dark and quiet background that has become our trademark. We also will introduce a setup with XLR cables and wood housings at the end of February."
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January 2010: Stereolab - The Signal Collection LLC specialty distributor of fine audio equipment and manufacturer of audiophile cables announced today that it will no longer be using the Stereovox moniker due to issues surrounding that trademark and has adopted use of the name Stereolab™ in its place. Under the Stereolab umbrella, TSC will continue to manufacture audiophile cables designed by Chris Sommovigo under several categories:
| The Studio: A "performance first" approach using tubular copper, Mil-Spec silver-plated copper and low-density PTFE dielectrics.
The Reference: State of the Art cable designs that employ custom silver and silver-plated copper conductors in low density PTFE dielectrics.
Tombo: Limited-Edition artisan-grade cables.
The Dragon: No-holds-barred reference cables for the ultra-reference system. |
| January 2010: Norwegian army knife - Hegel's new H70 integrated is a 2 x 70wpc proposition with 3 x RCA, 1 x XLR, USB and coxial or Toslink digital inputs. The amplifier is based on Hegel's patented SoundEngine circuit and specs include an S/N ratio of better than 100dB and damping factor of better than 1000.
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| January 2010: Cooler than cool - Sieben's all-metal iDock with USB charge input and RCA fixed analog outputs and one video output bypasses the iPod's volume control for superior sound. The industrial design is what B&O would have done - hadn't the Aussies gotten there first. The Gen 2 Sieben dock is compatible with all iPods and the iTouch but not the iPhone. Seeing is wanting? Sure looks that way... |
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January 2010: Audio-Technica iDock headphone amp - The AT-HA35i is an iDock with built-in D/A converter, a headphone amplifier, coax S/PDIF, S-video and analog outputs and a credit-card remote. The power supply is a 15V wall wart. Pricing is ¥50.400 or about €500. The headphone output offers up to 440mW x 2 into 16Ω, 250mW into 32Ω, 125mW into 64Ω and 25mW into 300. Dimensions are 105 x 135 x 44mm and weight is 485g. The variable line output is 2Vrms. This product seems currently poised for the Japanese market only.
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| January 2010 - 108dB - The German Voxativ AC-X widebander uses a goat leather surround and field coil motor in a carbon-free steel housing with additional Permendur plates. The AC-X has a Qts between 0.25 and 0.6 contingent on the supply voltage which can be set from 6 to 18 volts. Technical data include max 108dB sensitivity, 8mm Xmass and a resonant frequency of 29.12Hz. For more details, refer to the website. |
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| January 2010: Rithm drops price - US importer Chris Sommovigo announces that "Paul Schenkel, designer and CEO of Davone Audio in Denmark as a result of some economies of scale has made a drastic reduction in price to us such that we will be able to offer the Davone Rithm at a retail price of $3,995/pr. This represents a price that is more than $1,500 lower than the original and certainly re-categorizes the speaker. Davone has elected to discontinue the Oak and Black color options because the Walnut version was the only one people loved. Davone is positioning to also sell the Rithm in an unfinished wood, which would allow the dealer or client to have the cabinet finished in any number of custom stains, dyes, paints etc." |
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| January 2010: Allnic M3000s - Global marketing manager and US/Canadian Allnic distributor David Beetles of Hammertone Audio announces availability of the newest amplifier creation of Kang Su Park, the 140-watt 4 x KT88 M3000 monos. Available in black or silver, retail price is $12.900 for the pair. Weight is 90 lbs net each, triode power 60 watts. Warranty is 2 year transferable on the electronics, 1 year on the tubes. All signal-path transformers are custom Permalloy nickel units as is MO for Allnic Audio Labs. |
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| January 2010: Cardas to the rescue - Home audio users of Kevin Halverson's new High Resolution Technologies Music Streamer Pro who were stumped by its pro-arena TiniQG outputs now have an elegant solution in the Cardas adapters which terminate in either RCA or full-size XLR. The Pro's full-scale output is 4.5V, i.e. twice that of the standard Streamer and Streamer Plus to conform to professional standards. |
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January 2010: Croatian OTL - Croatian high-end tube audio manufacturer Sound Carrier releases the Attaca [€5.500] which delivers a healthy 100wpc from 12 x PL519 tubes without an output transformer. Driver and preamp tubes are
ECC82 and ECC83. Claimed frequency response is 4.5Hz - 56kHz, dimensions are 440 x 440 x 250mm (WxDxH) and weight is 28.4kg.
Sound Carrier has also proudly announced that new push-pull 300B monoblocks will be available very soon.
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January 2010: Onix DAC - The new Onix DAC25 upsampling DAC features:
1. 24bit/192KHz high precision DAC chip
2. Asynchronous sampling chip to raise frequency at 192KHz for lower jitter
3. High-precision clock system, with reclock function and reduced error correction requirements
4. USB input for PC audio
5. Digital input pulse transformer for isolation
6. Balanced analog output
7. Headphone output
8. Dynamic range: (24bit) > 120dB
9. S/N ratio: > 112dB(RCA); > 125dB(XLR)
10. THD+N: < 0.001%(20Hz-20KHz)
11. Max output voltage: 2VRMS
12. PCM2704 as USB receiver
13. PCM1792 24bit/192KHz converter chip
14. SRC4192 upsamping chip
15. 3 x OPA2134 op-amps
16. CS8416 digital receiver chip
17. R style power transformer |
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January 2010: turntables.lt - A reader provided this background: "Turntables.lt is a small company owned between friends and with only 5 employees, however its
history and development are quite interesting.
One of its co-owners, Mr. Vidmantas Triukas, is a radio engineer who has
worked with hifi equipment field since 1985.
He was a passionate audiophile well before that time, however his actual
work was more rocket science. He was working in the scientific acoustic and ultrasound area researching acoustical noise of
plasma on the surface of extremely fast moving objects (missiles and
rockets in particular) and has three patented inventions in this field.
"In the Soviet Union one could not hold a privately owned
company (one could research and build various equipment as an
enthusiast but not make a profit). In 1987 however
Vidmantas and a few friends built an audio set of turntable, speakers and amplifier and presented it in the
USSR’s largest technical achievement trade show in Moscow. For various
innovations (automatic turntable motor speed tuning, amp with very low
linear distortions etc.) it was awarded a bronze medal in the audio
equipment category.
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"In 2007 he and Mr. Jonas
Jakutis, another hifi enthusiast, designer and radio engineer who co-authored five patented invention in ultrasound research and plays the saxophone, started their audio business and today offer a very special turntable." |
| January 2010: From Barcelona with speaker love - ADN Acoustics believes to have invented a novel form of dealing with loudspeaker drive unit rear emissions inside an enclosure. Not unlike Eventus from Italy which runs heavily corrugated inner surfaces, ADN presents the internal sound waves with deeply carved surfaces that look like acoustical treatments - except theirs are all crafted of metal. A line of speakers called Innova Series is expected soon to demonstrate this approach in action. |
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January 2010: Moscode refinement - Moscode has released the new Moscode 402Au amplifie. featuring gold-plated circuit paths, "taking the place of the 401HR and featuring performance and cosmetic refinements that raise the bar for all amplification.
The Moscode 402Au is a power house conservatively rated at 200wpc into 8 ohms and 325wpc into 4. Distortion levels are typically under 0.15% at full output. The noise floor is now even lower than before for an even quieter background." |
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| January 2010 - New Japanese 300B - The Takatsuki TA-300B [¥80.000/pr] is a current production 300B with a filament voltage of 5, max plate voltage of 400V, max plate current of 100mA and max plate dissipation of 40W. It joins the new Snyergy Hifi valve collaboration with Shuguang as a bona fide new entrant in this sector. These are exciting times for SET fanciers. |
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| January 2010 - New Chinese 300B - The Create Audio / Synergy Hifi 300B [$200/ea.] is a joint project between Hong Kong-based Synergy Hifi and Shuguang. Synergy Hifi provides the nano alloy internal structure with carbon-oxide-compound coating, Shuguang handles manufacture of the fully assembled tube which features gold-plated pins, a ceramic socket and uncoated quartz glass envelope. The Synergy Hifi contributions are exclusive to their tubes and not available with regular Shuguang issue. At present, Synergy's valve range includes 12AX7, 12AU7, 12AT7, 6SN7, 300B, 6550, 845, EL34 and EL84. |
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| January 2010 - Pure eco, no echo: Behind this tag line are Emelie Fras and her brother Philips Granqvist offering "beautiful acoustic treatment products that are healthy to the environment and user". Their first product is an all-organic acoustic panel. |
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January 2010 - Trends PSU - ITOK Media Limited's Trends Audio brand launched their first power supply. The PW-10 PSU [$199] is a transformer-based linear power supply for three audio appliances including the Trends TA-10 amplifier, PA-10 tube headphone/preamplifier, UD-10 USB DAC or any Trends combo package.
"As we know, transformer-based power supplies provide stable output voltages, low noise and low output voltage ripple." Parts include ultra-fast ON Semiconductor MUR420 and MUR120 rectifiers; Rubycon's top MCZ series and Sanyo OS-CON capacitors for ultrasonic digital filtering and Nippon Chem's high-end capacitors for analog." There are National Semiconductor LM-317A and LM1084 linear power regulators and high-quality EMI noise filters.
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January 2010 - Upmarket April - Korea's April Music follows up their introduction of the Ai500 and CDA500 components with the Eximus CD5 [$9.000] which runs Philip's best CD-PRO 2LF transport and offers an array of digital i/o ports including coax, 2 x optical and USB in and coax, optical and AES/EBU out. Analog outputs are on both RCA and XLR. Dynamic range is specificed as 120dB, frequency response as 10Hz - 55kHz and upsampling to 48/96kHz is selectable and defeatable.
The cosmetic design called for only 8 controls, four on the front, four on the top. The CD5 premiered at CES 2010.
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January 2010 - British hybrid - AMR announces the launch of its AM-777 Pre-Main Amplifier [€2.999] whose "sonic heart beats like a seductive SET. The musical synergy is founded upon unconventional valve/bipolar devices, a dedicated transparent volume control and thorough power supply sections. The AM-777’s on-board USB DAC allows it to serve as a computer audio source. These aspects along with the fact that more than one AM-777 may be connected for bi-amp or monoblock configurations, represent the next level of evolution for the amplifier."
The circuit combines a valve-based zero feedback voltage gain stage with a bipolar output buffer for current gain.
Output power is 60wpc into 8 and 4 ohms and there is an 380VA toroidal power transformer for the output stage and a 32VA EI transformer for the valve section. The remote volume control offers 71 x 1dB steps. The USB DAC reclocks the incoming signal and uses the same high-quality components as the CD-777. |
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| January 2010 - German music mosh - The World of Hifi in Hannover/Germany celebrates its 50th anniversary with an opportunity to listen to ten different 30-minute controlled demos over two days, on systems from €1.600 to €100.000 manned by mostly enthusiasts to avoid promoting any specific brands. The event is intended to offer opportunities to hear well-matched systems at diverse price points and takes place January 23 and 24 at the Hannover Congress Centrum on the
Theodor-Heus-Platz 1-3 and a day pass is €5. This event is supported by the HighEnd Society, organizers of the Munich and Zürich shows, and Stereo magazine. |
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| January 2010 - Qute - Naim Audio launches UnitiQute [$2.000, £1.350] as a smaller more compact all-in-one system than the NaimUniti. "The UnitiQute is the first high-end remote controlled all-in-one 30wpc audio player to offer so many sources: FM & Internet Radio (plus DAB in supporting markets), MP3/iPod (authenticated digital iPod connection), streamed audio and USB. Key to UnitiQute is its digital audio streaming capabilities. UnitiQute can wirelessly stream music stored on UPnP™ networked devices, providing access to even more music including increasingly popular hi-resolution 24/96 WAV or FLAC files. With its onboard 24bit/192kHz Wolfson DAC, UnitiQute is the ultimate audio source hub able to interface with digital audio sources such as computers and gaming consoles and the latest TVs. UnitiQute combines proven analogue engineering derived from the NAIT 5i integrated amplifier with a large linear power supply, non-magnetic materials to reduce eddy currents significantly and top fit and finish. The front panel sports a USB input for iPod/MP3 players or USB memory stick playback, charging and content display; a 3.5mm input for both analog and digital sources; and a 3.5mm headphone input. Back panel connectivity includes analog i/o ports, four digital inputs, Ethernet and WiFi. There is a switchable bass contour for low-volume listening and bass management for sub/sat system. |
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| January 2010 - New Weiss - The DAC202 [$6.440] is the latest Weiss 24bit/192kHz firewire converter. It has a completely new D/A converter and analog output stages versus the Minerva, with wo converters per channel to improve S/N ratio. Firewire connection provides internal master clock mode for computer audio files and ideal dejittering regardless of AES, SPDIF, Toslink or Firewire input.
A defeatable level control offers 4 coarse relay settings in the analog domain and fine settings via rotary encoder in the digital domain. Independent from the main outputs, this volume control also operates for the headphone output. Word sync i/o ports are carried on BNC. The front panel display confirms sampling rate, input source, audio level, absolute phase, upsampling filter type and various sub menu data including a transparency check for bit transparency of the playback chain, analog-domain coarse level trim, single/dual wire selection for 176.4/192kHz sampling rates and display brightness. |
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January 2010 - Amadis - The Verity design team is delighted to introduce the latest in its new series of higher-sensitivity loudspeaker designs: the Amadis. "Occupying a place in the product line just above our legacy product, the Parsifal Ovation, this two-cabinet three-way design uses new custom 6" midrange and 9.5" woofer drive units, the new Neo-dome tweeter first used in our Leonore, a new crossover topology and the refined industrial desgin from our latest offerings. Amadis is a nominal 8-ohm load and features a generous 93dB 1w/1m sensitivity rating, making it an agreeable load for many amplifier topologies."
- Efficiency of 9dB @ 2.83 Vrms & 1meter on axis.
- Bandwidth of 20 Hz to 50,000 Hz;
- Resonance free, pure neo-ring soft dome tweeter;
- Superb proprietary 5-inch (127 mm) midrange;
- Superb proprietary 10-inch (254 mm) woofer;
- Verity Audio rear woofer configuration for extreme definition down to the lowest octaves.
- Wide amplification selection starting from 18 watts up to unlimited power;
- Bi-wirable and bi-amplifiable;
- Beautifully crafted and finished with exquisite Italian lacquer;
- Nicely packed and delivered in deluxe Air Transportation Approved metal cases.
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| January 2010 - Clayton Shaw strikes again - The designer of Emerald Physics launches the Spatial Computer site which packages custom software with Apogee Duet, Ensemble or Prism Sound Orpheus Firewire DACs with analog volume controls. Spatial offers "recording studio-grade correction for speaker amplitude/phase response and room anomalies and performs the correction directly on the music files via software. Multiple target curves allow for comprehensive room and speaker correction and will be remote-configured for each customer." The site's three price-tiered solutions naturally are also tailor-made to become the digital crossovers for Shaw's own Emerald Physics open-baffle speakers. |
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| January 2010 - Raysonic Audio high-power mono - The Raysonic Reference 23 [$9.900/pr] is a 8 x KT88 class AB1 push/pull mono for 100 watts of triode-strapped output power. The 12AX7 phase splitters are cathode-coupled, the signal/driver tube is a 6J30 and all signal paths are hand-wired point-to-point. Parts include Philip HP and Mundorf MCap Supreme silver/gold oil-filled capacitors; WBT RCA and XLR sockets and speaker terminals; and Kimber Kable for hookup wiring. The output transformer is a C-core affair, the power transformer a toroid with dedicated secondaries for the tube heaters. The brushed and anodized aluminum chassis is available in black or silver. Frequency response is 7Hz to 60kHz -1dB, S/N ratio better than 103dB, THD <0.05%, input sensitivity a low 2.5V and input impedance 100/200KΩ on RCA/XLR respectively. Power consumption is 350 watts, dimensions are 53.1 x 34 x 26.2" DxWxH and weight is 35kg ea.
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January 2010 - Complete hi-tech system in three easy pieces - Thiel Audio and Olive have announced the introduction of the Olive+Thiel HD Music System [$7.900] Combining proprietary versions of the groundbreaking Olive 4HD music server (modified for digital HD multi-room music streaming via proprietary 32-bit DSP-based IP technology and a 4-port gigabit Ethernet switch) with Thiel's SCS4 IP-based loudspeakers, this 2TB solution can store 6,000 CDs or 20,000 24-bit HD music tracks in lossless quality. A built-in touch-screen LCD allows users to find and play their music with ease, and an iPhone™ app allows an iPhone™ or iPod® touch to act as a remote. Music can be easily copied to the hard drive via the built-in CDRW drive (which can in turn burn playlists for the car) or from a networked computer (either PC or Mac).
There is also an HDMI interface allowing for connection to a TV and analog and USB digital audio inputs to allow streaming from additional music sources such as television, satellite radio or computer. The Olive 4HD connects to each SCS4D speaker via simple Ethernet cables, enabling easy connectivity anywhere within a home network. No additional equipment or expensive audio cables are required. The SCS4D speakers are based on the SCS4, a time and phase coherent 6.5" bookshelf-sized two-way speaker that can be placed either upright or sideways with no detrimental effect on sound quality. |
The SCS4D features a die-cast aluminum baffle and robust cabinet construction with ample internal bracing to reduce enclosure resonances. For the Olive+Thiel HD Music System, Thiel modified the SCS4 to include Thiel zöet proprietary IP-technology which eliminates latency issues that typically plague network-connected systems. Additionally, there is an ultra-high performance BB 1792A-based mono DAC and a 200-watt class D amplifier inside each speaker. |
| January 2010 - Passed Out - The Pass Labs XP-25 [$10.600] features new circuitry designs, a second chassis for a separate power supply and a front panel with rotary switches to select gain, loading and cartridge type. It’s ideal for use with both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges "and presents in performance a new dimension of dynamics, inner detail and spectral richness with a very low noise floor and a more expansive soundstage than previous Pass Labs phono stages. Developed by Nelson Pass’ Co-designer Wayne Colburn, the XP-25 is a larger, higher performance sibling to Pass Labs’ XP-15 , which followed Pass Labs’ award-winning X-ono phono-stage. The XP-25 also boasts adjustable gain, two separate inputs, a low-cut filter, mute and resistive and capacitive loading on the front panel for easy access. Its twin chassis of brushed aluminum each measure 17 x 12 x 4" WxDxH anda total 55 pounds in weight. |
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