Displaying items by tag: uk - StereoLife Magazine

Q Acoustics 3040c

Q Acoustics has spent the last two years filling out the latest generation of its most affordable loudspeaker family, but one obvious model was missing. When 3000c debuted at High End Munich 2024, the range included three standmounts, the large 3050c floorstander and a center-channel speaker, leaving a substantial gap between 3030c and 3050c. That space is now occupied by 3040c - a slim floorstanding speaker created for listeners who want the scale and bass extension of a tower without giving up as much floor space as a conventional design demands. Q Acoustics says the idea came partly from feedback from its own community, and 3040c now completes the 3000c family as a smaller alternative to 3050c rather than a replacement for it.

Majority Stylo & Folio

Majority is expanding its turntable range with two affordable models aimed primarily at listeners taking their first steps into vinyl. The Stylo follows the more traditional route, combining a proper tonearm, adjustable cartridge setup and built-in phono stage with Bluetooth connectivity, while the Folio takes the all-in-one approach with integrated speakers and additional digital functions. Just as importantly, both decks move away from the usual black-box aesthetic - alongside Blackout, buyers can choose finishes such as Sol Yellow, British Racing Green, Blue Steel and Oxblood, with Folio also available in Plywood. The idea is simple - make vinyl playback easy to get into without reducing the turntable to little more than a decorative record player.

Quad Elegan

Quad has spent much of the last few years rebuilding its range from both ends. Revela brought a new generation of conventional dynamic loudspeakers, ESL X refreshed the electrostatic side of the catalog, while electronics such as Quad 3, the reimagined 33 and 303 and the flagship Platina series have given the company an unusually broad portfolio for its 90th anniversary year. One piece, however, was still missing - a genuinely accessible pair of conventional loudspeakers designed to introduce new listeners to the brand. Elegan fills that gap with just two models, Elegan 1 and Elegan 2, and deliberately avoids anything too exotic. Instead, Quad has returned to ingredients it knows extremely well - woven Kevlar cones, fabric-dome tweeters, carefully engineered passive crossovers and heavily braced bass-reflex cabinets.

Fyne Audio Cubitt 5

Fyne Audio has spent almost a decade building its reputation around conventional passive loudspeakers, from relatively affordable bookshelf models to imposing high-end designs made in Scotland. Cubitt 5 marks a rather important change of direction. It is the company's first fully active loudspeaker system, combining amplification, digital processing, wireless connectivity and a phono stage with one of Fyne's most recognizable technologies - the IsoFlare point-source driver. First shown publicly at the Shanghai AV Show in May and subsequently presented in Europe at High End Vienna, Cubitt 5 has now made its North American debut.

Monitor Audio Silver Series 8G

Monitor Audio has introduced Silver Series 8G, the latest generation of one of the most important and best-selling loudspeaker families in its catalog. The company is not presenting this as a cosmetic refresh, but as a comprehensive reinvention of the platform, with changes extending to the drivers, bass-reflex systems, crossovers, cabinets, feet, and finishes. The project is still rooted in Monitor Audio's Transparent Design Philosophy, but the goal this time was to achieve greater clarity, better control, and more coherent performance across the entire loudspeaker system. Just as importantly, Silver Series 8G is not a small launch built around two or three models. Seven new designs arrive at once, covering both traditional two-channel setups and far more elaborate home theater systems.

Wharfedale Elysian R

Wharfedale has introduced the Elysian R series, a refreshed version of its flagship loudspeaker range. This is not an entirely new project, but rather a carefully considered evolution of speakers that already occupied a special place in the British brand's catalogue. The original Elysians showed that Wharfedale could move well beyond the world of very successful, sensibly priced loudspeakers for normal people and offer something on the edge of high-end audio - large, beautifully finished, technically ambitious designs that still did not pretend to be products with prices detached from reality. Now, under the direction of Peter Comeau, the engineering team has returned to the concept and refined almost every important area, including the drivers, crossovers, cabinets, finishes and construction details.

Exposure 5510 Pre-Amplifier

Exposure Electronics has introduced the 5510 Pre-Amplifier, a new flagship model designed as the control center of a high-end separates system. In a market increasingly dominated by integrated amplifiers, streaming amplifiers and compact all-in-one components, the dedicated preamplifier remains a very specific proposition. It is aimed at listeners who want to separate signal management from power delivery and build a system in which each part has a clearly defined role. With the 5510, Exposure is returning to that classic hi-fi logic, presenting a component whose task is not to amplify loudspeakers or attract attention with extra functions, but to handle the incoming signal with accuracy, low noise and long-term flexibility before it reaches the power amplifier.

Avid Ingenium SE

Avid has introduced the Ingenium SE, a new turntable that succeeds the Ingenium Plug&Play and brings the company's entry-level analog platform closer to its more advanced designs. The original Ingenium Plug&Play was conceived as a relatively accessible way into Avid's world of vinyl playback, combining straightforward setup with engineering drawn from the company's higher-end turntables. The new Ingenium SE follows the same general idea, but the changes are more than cosmetic. Avid says the model has been refined in response to feedback gathered from customers and retailers throughout the life of its predecessor, with the aim of improving transparency, speed stability, mechanical precision and long-term upgrade potential while keeping the turntable approachable for users who do not want the complexity or cost of the company's flagship models.

Monitor Audio Radius 4G

Monitor Audio has introduced the Radius Series 4G, a new generation of one of its best-known compact loudspeaker ranges. The idea behind the series is straightforward but still highly relevant - to offer proper hi-fi performance from speakers small enough to work in modern interiors, desktop systems, multi-room installations and discreet home cinema setups. The new line has been redesigned around Monitor Audio's Transparent Design Philosophy, combining the company's familiar driver technologies with slimmer cabinets, matching accessories and a more flexible approach to placement. In other words, Radius 4G is aimed not only at listeners looking for compact stereo speakers, but also at those who want a complete, scalable system that can move from near-field listening to wall-mounted surround sound without looking like conventional hi-fi has simply been squeezed into the room.

Ruark Audio R710 & Talisman-R

Ruark Audio has introduced two new products that fit neatly into the current move toward hi-fi systems combining several once-separate worlds - physical media, streaming, furniture-like design and a more integrated approach to home audio. The British company, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, has presented the R710 Music Console and the Talisman-R floorstanding speakers. Together, they form a complete stereo system in which the listener gets amplification, streaming, CD playback, turntable support and a pair of passive speakers designed to match the electronics both technically and visually.

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