Four years ago Audio Analogue celebrated its twentieth birthday with a handful of brand new Anniversary editions of the company's earlier classic amplifiers. Then the brand launched its PureAA line of products, drawing key ideas from the Anniversary amps and adding a raft of further features. Third in the line, following the AAcento amplifier and AAphono, is the new AAdac.
25 years of continuous success, six generations of engineering excellence, and more than a million products sold - these are milestones worth celebrating. The new 600 Series Anniversary Edition is the seventh generation of 600 Series loudspeakers from Bowers & Wilkins. The new range shares the same blend of outstanding value and superlative sound quality as its six forebears but, in Bowers & Wilkins' tradition, features new and improved components to ensure it can continue to set the standard for high-performance sound quality at an accessible price point.
The most recognizable brands in the world of audio equipment are usually the ones that can set trends and focus the attention of the audiophile community and sometimes shock with original ideas or products better and more expensive than anything we've seen before. However, there is a group of companies that do the same, often outperforming the achievements of famous brands, and directing their offer to dedicated music lovers. Classé is just such a manufacturer. The Canadian company has had to deal with many turbulences recently. It was acquired by a big corporation, and it showed the world three hi-end devices made in a completely different factory. It all sounds pretty weird, but when you look at the Delta series, it's hard not to smile. They are wonderful - beautiful, powerful, modern, and made in such a way that it is hard to improve anything in their design. That is why I decided to find out what is going on at Classé.
Marantz announced two products signifying a new era for the brand, the Model 30 Integrated Amplifier, and SACD 30n Network Audio Streamer & SACD Player. Born out of the founding mission of Saul Marantz, whose aim was getting the listener as close to the original recording as possible, the Model 30 and SACD 30n were expertly designed and precisely tuned over the last three years. Meticulously manufactured in Shirakawa, Japan, they are also the first Marantz products to launch with the brand's new industrial design language, celebrating and modernizing signature design elements from legendary Marantz products of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems is proud to announce the Debut Carbon EVO, the latest evolution of the company's most popular turntable design that revolutionized the hi-fi industry.
Hegel introduced the H95 integrated amplifier, which replaces the H90 in September. The H90 was a big step for the Norwegian company when launched three years ago. Because of the implementation of the SoundEngine2 module it sounded a great deal better than its predecessor, the H80. As good as the H90 was and still is, its streaming and digital capabilities are slowly becoming obsolete. Hegel's team since designed the H190 and H120. Both of which offer both Spotify Connect, a far more stable UPnP connection as well as upcoming updates making them AirPlay2 compatible.
McIntosh is proud to announce the MC1502 Vacuum Tube Amplifier - a stereo amplifier designed for home audio and home music systems that produces 150 Watts per channel. It is the direct replacement to McIntosh's award-winning MC2152 Limited Edition 70th Anniversary Vacuum Tube Amplifier, which had a limited production run in celebration of their 70th Anniversary that occurred in 2019. The new MC1502 has identical audio specifications and sound reproduction performance of the heralded MC2152 but in a more customary McIntosh design.
Hi-end audio equipment is not only bought but also built by enthusiasts. Often those who used to be in a similar situation and developed their hobbies to such an extent that at some point they decided to build something of their own - better than what's offered in stores. The history of many companies involves a very important input from other people as well. Sometimes it is a friend who decided to help his colleague in developing a small, garage manufacture, sometimes an old lady who bequeathed a nice guy running a music store a huge sum of money, and sometimes a good accountant who can get one of the largest loudspeaker manufacturers out of debt. James Tanner is one of those characters. Perhaps a blind fate that brought James to the right place at the right time. It is known, however, that his contribution to the development of one of the most respected companies making both amateur and professional audio electronics was considerable, to say the least. Today he is Bryston's vice president, but who was he then? A friend of the family? An old lady? Accountant? Well, no. He was a firefighter.
Audio Physic, the German loudspeaker manufacturer, celebrates its 35th birthday and gives three legendary loudspeakers a terrific upgrade. Avanti 35, Tempo 35, and Step 35 have been entirely technically redesigned.
Gryphon Audio Designs proudly announces the release of a whole new series of cables. It is the very top of the line from Gryphon and it is a new evolutionary step in Gryphon Cable Production. The Vanta Series will offer Speaker Cables, Interconnects, Power Cords and finally Digital Cables as well.