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21 Feb ' 11:26
February 2012 - Kiwi valve power - The Transmit8 Model SE501 twin-chassis single-ended valve monos from New Zealand output 45 watts from a KT-66 driven 805 with a 6C45Pi input valve. Inputs are on RCA/XLR, input Z is 100K, input sensitivity is 0.8V for full power, negative feedback is 4dB and manual bias is adjusted with the built-in bias meter. The driver, interstage and output transformers are all in-house wound air-gapped EI cores. The two power transformers for the output and input/driver tubes are custom as well. The signal path is direct-coupled to eliminate capacitors. Rectification is solid-state. Total shipping weight packed is 129kg. Price is $NZ 17500. 
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16 Feb ' 13:12
February 2012 - Cable trends - Trends Audio launched the Trends CQ-500 "audiophile speaker cable with single crystal OCC twisted copper conductors, silver-plated braided copper shield and gold-plated pure copper banana or spade plugs. Overall diameter is 16mm, length is 2.5m and there's an integral ferrite ring noise filter. Price is $109/$119 with detachable banana/spade terminations respectively." 
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14 Feb ' 06:15
February 2012 - B&WBowers & Wilkins’ M1, the heart of their Mini Theater packages, launched six years ago. "The new M-1 can be a key component in 5.1 packages where a cleverly designed table-top stand lets the center speaker sit horizontally. But it’s also a great stereo solution as one of the most dramatic upgrades is full range performance. There the revised M-1 now compares to larger bookshelf speakers. "To achieve this the M-1 was completely redesigned internally although only subtle styling differences are visible externally. It features all new drive units including an in-house designed tweeter and a mid/woofer with the new anti-resonance plug first seen on the high-end PM1 loudspeaker. The mechanics have been updated with improved speaker cable terminations and a more robust connection to the stands – a table-top stand and wall bracket are supplied in the box while a floor stand is available as an optional extra. "The PV1D as the globally most successful B&W subwoofer gets a dramatic update. While it retains its acoustic 'pressure vessel' structurally inert shape with opposed balanced drivers cancelling cabinet resonance, the PV1D now moves to the digital platform developed for the flagship DB1 subwoofer and includes a dynamic EQ circuit. This provides increased flexibility and performance enhancements that coupled with new drive units and amplification lead to dramatically improved output. The PV1D has a +/-3dB specification of 7.5Hz. A new OLED display and touch button array provide easy access to a number of presets and tuning options while a custom version of the SubApp™ PC software provides more advanced setup options. The third element in the Mini Theatre series is the ASW608 subwoofer. While this model remains the same acoustically, it is now available in the same Matte White as the M-1 loudspeakers. 
Two possible 5.1 system configurations of the upgraded Mini Theater series are the MT-60DMT-50. Both offer excellent performance but the MT-60D sets new standards for what can be expected from a compact stylish speaker package. This jump in quality is a result of partnering an upgraded M-1 loudspeaker with the new PV1D. The more affordable MT-50 system option sees the new M-1s partnered with the ASW608 subwoofer." 
February 2012H-PAS - Atlantic Technology has signed an agreement with SpeakerCraft to collaborate on the development of new loudspeaker systems using Atlantic's "revolutionary H-PAS® bass configuration technology. Through their application of H-PAS, SpeakerCraft will provide their customers with loudspeakers that deliver deeper and smoother bass in much smaller cabinets than previously possible. The agreement will result in the development of several new SpeakerCraft products expected to come to market starting later this year and beyond. H-PAS or Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System is a unique enclosure configuration that combines elements of several different speaker architectures—acoustic suspension, bass reflex, inverse horn and transmission line—to produce exceptional bass response and low distortion while utilizing cabinets that are considerably more compact than those of speakers with similar performance. H-PAS was originally developed by Philip Clements of Solus/Clements. In 2009 Atlantic Technology assembled a team of audio engineers and computer scientists to create, in collaboration with Clements, a proprietary algorithm that could be used to apply H-PAS to a wide range of enclosure shapes and sizes. "In January 2012 the United States Patent and Trademark office issued the first patent on H-PAS enclosure architectures. Atlantic Technology expects to obtain additional patents on the technology in the coming year." "We are excited to be working with SpeakerCraft," said Atlantic Technology's President Peter Tribeman. "The brand is a market leader in the custom installation arena. H-PAS technology will provide them a new opportunity to significantly differentiate their products in the marketplace." "We've been very impressed with H-PAS technology," said SpeakerCraft's President Jeremy Burkhardt. "The articulate low bass response and remarkable clarity of voices are exactly what our customers want. It will be a huge benefit for custom installers to be able to move away from oversized boxes without sacrificing performance. In addition, since H-PAS uses higher resonance drivers, its bass reproduction is exceptionally 'quick'." -
13 Feb ' 16:41
February 2012 - Lector news - The new Digicode S-192 is an async USB-enabled multi-input 24/192 DAC based on an R2R chip with a tube output stage. The inputs are coax, BNC, XLR, Toslink and USB. There's also a BNC digital output and a word-clock input. 250-ohm 2.5V analog outputs are on both RCA and XLR. There is an external power supply and the cheeks on the main unit can be gloss black or natural wood. 
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08 Feb ' 10:56
February 2012 - Titanic - Titan Audio are pleased to announce the launch of a number of products including a range of mains cables and cable supports.
"Titan Audio are a new UK company who currently have three mains cables in their range as well as a Perspex cable support. A number of other products are currently in development including a reference mains cable, distribution blocks and a Perspex equipment rack and Perspex speaker supports.
"The Helios is the entry-level cable comprised of an OFC cable in a Teflon sheath which is twisted and shielded to reduce the effects of both RFI and EMI. Available in a 1.5 metre length (longer is available) with a high-quality UK mains plug (Schuko and US plugs available) and a superb rhodium-plated Wattgate plug, the Helios offers remarkable build quality and value.
"The Elektra has silver-plated OFC conductors sheathed in a PTFE dielectric. Like the Helios it rejects both RFI and EMI for lower background noise, cleaner and sweeter highs, better bass control and improved detail.
"The Eros has single-crystal OFC copper cable which is widely regarded as the best conductor currently available and allows the signal to flow more easily. Like the Electra it is sheathed in a PTFE dielectric with aluminium foil and a drain wire. It uses the same high-quality connections as the Electra.
"The little Perspex cable supports are designed to raise both mains and speaker cables off the ground by removing vibration to improve sound quality. Benefits include better bass control, improved stereo imagery, better detail and sweeter high frequencies."
February 2012 - Planotory developments - Planot®, LLC announces the first two Planot Partners™. "Planot Partners are associate companies providing parts and services to build speakers based on patented Planot technology. By partnering these companies can provide custom parts and services at competitive prices. Planot has absorbed the development costs to insure the best price and specifications. AmazingMagnets® of Irvine California in association with Planot is selling custom neodymium N42 magnets. These high-power magnets are designed to be combined into a magnetic structure to power the Planot-designed potor™ or pivoting motor. These new magnets are twice as powerful as the original magnets used in the P4 prototype. The power can be doubled again by stacking the magnets. Amazing Magnets can also provide a wide range of high-power neodymium magnets for the Planot homing/centering mechanism. Precision Econowind of North Fort Myers Florida in association with Planot will produce freestanding coils built to be used in a Planot-designed potor. This design mates perfectly with the Planot magnets to produce a powerful high torque potor with no hysteresis or cogging and with very fast response. "Planot LLC licenses its patented pivoting diaphragm design that creates a full-range omnidirectional driver without an enclosure. The Planot speaker can be manufactured to cover the full range of consumer and professional devices at all price points. This new class of acoustic transducers is scalable from headphones to theater speakers. John J. Gaudreault, president of Planot LLC, announces the first public technology demonstration of the patented Planot diaphragm on April 15th 2012. The Chicago Audio Society has invited Planot to present this demonstration. To reserve a seat send an e-mail to info@planotspeaker.com. Please put Planot Chicago Demo in the subject field and your contact information in the body and indicate if you represent a manufacturer. Specific details of the meeting including location and time can be found at the Chicago Audio Society website." -
04 Feb ' 01:59
February 2012 - NYC show - The New York Audio & AV Show will take place at the Waldorf=Astoria in midtown Manhattan April 13-15, 2012. "Open to the public, the two-and-a-half-day event will be organized by the UK-based Chester Group Exhibitions with shows in England, Sweden and Sydney, Australia; and Richard Beers, owner of T.H.E. Show Las Vegas and T.H.E. Home Entertainment Show in Newport Beach, California. Media sponsors of the show are Stereophile and The Absolute Sound magazines as well as newly announced hi-fi+ magazine from the UK and TONEAudio. -
26 Jan ' 09:25
January 2012 - Esoteric in black? - TEAC's new Distinction Series would beg the question particularly with its top models. Built to apparently ambitious standards for their far lower than Esoteric pricing (manufacture is no longer inside Japan), the seven models in this new line are the AI-1000, AI-2000 and AI-3000 stereo integrated amps; the matching CD-1000, CD-2000 and CD-3000 SACD decks; and the TU-1000 AM/FM tuner.
The three amplifiers output 85/120, 125/180 and 200/300 watts per side into 8/4 ohms respectively. For connectivity the smallest unit gets 6 x RCA inputs and 1 x RCA preout plus a 6.3mm headphone port. The middle model converts one of the RCA inputs to XLR whilst the top model adds a second XLR input. The two upper models gets biwire speaker terminals. On the scale the AI-1000 displaces 10kg, the AI-2000 14kg and the AI-3000 a whopping 30kg. Remote control on all is standard and silver finishes are available.
For specs the two lower digital decks get dynamic range of 100dB and a S/N ratio of 110dB while the top model does 120dB for dynamic range. For conversion the two lower models use a single CS4398 24/192 chip where the top model gets one per channel. For socketry the CD-1000 gets RCA analog outputs and one digital coaxial out. The CD-2000 adds XLR outputs and a USB 2.0 digital in. The XD-3000 adds a coaxial digital input. On mass the first two weigh 7.2kg, the top model weighs 13kg.
The TU-1000 is a PLL-synthesized affair with RDS on FM. S/N ratio for FM mono is >66dB and >60dB for FM stereo. There are 50 FM and 30 AM station presets. Analog outputs are on RCA exclusively. The unit weighs 5.2kg.
January 2012 - TotalDAC goes total - Based on discrete R2R architecture with 100 nude Vishay 0.01% precision foil resistors per channel (popular on-chip solutions would be the TDA1541 and PCM1702/1704), the French Reference-D1 repackages the plain-Jane base model in a fancier casing, upgrades parts and adds functionality. Omitting any upsampling, this circuit "recalculates the delay length and filter coefficients to adapt itself to different input signal". The Reference D1 has RCA/XLR analog outputs, a 32 to 600-ohm rear-mounted 6.3mm headphone port and coax, AES/EBU, Toslink and 24/192 async XMOS-based USB digital inputs. Remote-controlled volume confirmed via the OLED display is in the digital domain. Max output level is 3.3Vrms. Further remote functions are polarity inversion, activation of non-oversampling FIR digital filter and display on/off. 
The output stage is a low-impedance class A discrete transistor affair. Options include two complete DACs per channel for full balanced operation and active crossover filters.January 2012 - WE 300B replica - Western Electric 300B aficionados these days need to look East for current production. The Japanese Takatsuki is rumored to be an excellent stand-in for rare NOS WE specimens. Now comes Psvane with their 1:1 WE replica. With formal launch in March, pricing from Canada's Grant Fidelity will be $1.000/pr delivered. 
January 2012 - Putting a square rack in a corner - HiFi Racks Ltd is set to launch a new range of corner-fitting products called Akorner. "Specially designed in response to customer demand, the floor-mounted Podium® Akorner brings a fresh dimension to the multi award-winning Podium® range, whilst the Akorner Wall is a brand new product offering choice and versatility within a wall-mounted shelf-based unit." Each unit is individually handmade to order using only top quality hardwoods from around the world. There’s a choice of standard sizes and finishes as well as the option of a completely bespoke rack designed to the customer’s exact specifications. 
January 2012 – ZenSational cables – Announced late last year at the Melbourne Audio Show and re-launched recently at CES 2012 are the flagship products from Danish relative newcomer cable specialist ZenSati ApS. The new ZenSati Cherub and Seraphim cables are jewel-like über high-end products augmenting the established lines which have already caused a stir in the high-performance cable world. The cables are claimed to feature a unique patented flat-twisted conductor design exclusive to ZenSati worldwide.
The Cherub features silver-plated copper conductors in the twisted configuration, the Seraphim gold-plated copper conductors. Both feature for the first time a copper and silver shield. Mark Johansen, founder of ZenSati, is a strong believer in cables being as neutral a conduit as possible, whether carrying low-level signal from component to component or being the high current transmission medium to the speakers. This of course is the principal aim of most cable manufacturers, however Johansen is quite adamant that he has successfully achieved this goal in the complete spectrum of the ZenSati cable range with the new Cherub and Seraphim offering simply more of everything that is available in his lower yet still high-priced lines.
"We obtain the best possible quality copper, silver and gold and apply measurements and listening tests while constantly improving our construction processes to offer the best possible solutions" explains Johansen. I conducted a short interview with him at CES 2012. Mark Johansen briefly describes ZenSati’s emergence as a high-end contender and gives an overview of the Cherub and Seraphim .I look forward to examining in detail the virtues of ZenSati cables in a full review in the near future. Edgar Kramer -
25 Jan ' 11:13
January 2012 - Voxativ mono - This 18-watt monaural valve amplifier from Berlin was designed around the new German Elrog ER845 triode from Dr. Klaus Schaffernicht which sports a CNC-milled graphite anode. There are two 6SN7 input triodes and a direct-heated 300B triode driver. Technical specifications are a 100dB S/N ratio, 500mV input sensitivity and 300-watt power consumption. Dimensions are 30 x 30 x 44cm, weight is 30kg. A matching preamp is in the works. 
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24 Jan ' 18:11
Yamamoto sound box - Shigeki Yamamoto's acknowledgement of mobile players comes by way of the Sound Box Y1 [68.000 yen]. It combines two efficient 8cm widebanders with 2-watt of class D amplification and three frontally accessible AA batteries for the internal 5V power supply (or an AC/DC adaptor) to offer a compact system via the 3.5mm input. The enclosure is made from molded Cherry plywood. Volume control can only be performed at the source (iPod or equivalent). 
New Focal desktoppers - The XS Book is the French company's newest active computer speaker in a 2-way bass-reflex configuration built around a 19mm aluminum tweeter and 4" Polyglass mid/woofer for claimed 50Hz-22kHz response with a crossover frequency at 3.000Hz. Dimensions are 281 x 114 x 200mm and weight is 5kg. The right 'master' unit incorporates a 20wpc stereo amplifier with power supply, RCA inputs and a 3.5mm stereo jack. The 'slave' unit connects to the 'master unit by RCA cable. The volume control is integrated with the on/standby switch or otherwise handled in music player software like iTunes. 
January 2012 - World's baddest subwoofer ever? - Christopher Mayer's Ulric subwoofer [$14.999] under the Lycan Audio brand has all the makings to answer the above with a yes. Check out the specs. 24 x 38 x 34.5" sealed enclosure weighing 712lb/322kg. 18-inch 90lb woofer with anodized aluminum diaphragm, pure stainless steel voice coil, Titanium former, 11" spider, 3.2" peak-to-peak excursion and 7.400w of peak current handling. Anechoic response +/-1dB 17Hz - 150Hz, -3dB @ 14Hz, -10dB @ 9Hz. Max anechoic SPL 121.3dB. 90.1dB sensitivity at 60Hz. The enclosure starts out as an 850lb slab of 36-sheet Baltic Birch whose internals get routed out into a broken-wall oval to end up with side walls ranging from 4.5 to 10.5 inches thick. The front baffle is massive aluminum. Amplification is via modified ICEpower™. 
January 2012 - - LessLoss is wrapping up their forthcoming SD card streamer to feed .wav or .aiff files via S/PDIF directly to a DAC of your choice. The embedded operating system is proprietary and streamlined to just this single task. It eliminates a computer and all its non-audio activities from music playback altogether. A computer here is needed only to initially drag & drop desired music files onto an SD card of any commercially available size and organize these files as folders in the end user's choice. Boot time for the custom LessLoss OS is a claimed <0.1 seconds. Dedicated clocks for 44.1/48kHz and their multiples avoid typical resampling imprecations regardless of input data. -
23 Jan ' 15:11
January 2012 - New Ring Audio sub - This 'classical conical horn' CH1 bass-horn subwoofer runs a single Visaton W250S woofer with digital crossover and Hypex class D DS1.2 amplification for a response of 19Hz to 120Hz. Dimensions are 70 x 30 x 40cm and weight is 18kg. This subwoofer is intended as the natural mate for the company's rear-hornloaded main speaker. (In the photo only the left subwoofer is to scale relative to the widebander.) 
January 2012 - Laminar streamer nearing completion - LessLoss is wrapping up their forthcoming SD card streamer to feed .wav or .aiff files via S/PDIF directly to a DAC of your choice. The embedded operating system is proprietary and streamlined to just this single task. It eliminates a computer and all its non-audio activities from music playback altogether. A computer here is needed only to initially drag & drop desired music files onto an SD card of any commercially available size and organize these files as folders in the end user's choice. Boot time for the custom LessLoss OS is a claimed <0.1 seconds. Dedicated clocks for 44.1/48kHz and their multiples avoid typical resampling imprecisions regardless of input data. 
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