Naim Audio set the benchmark for premium wireless and multi-room speakers with the introduction of Muso four years ago. Combining an elegant design with a best-in-class audio performance, Muso continues to be the top performing wireless speaker on the market, offering more music around the home than ever before. Building on the success of the award-winning speaker range Naim is set to introduce a new member of the family - Muso Special Edition.
After two years in development, the all-new Reference 160M (REF160M) monoblock power amplifier is built like no other, yet it is unmistakably Audio Research. It features a refined audio topology with fewer and better components in the signal-path than in previous designs, switchable ultralinear/triode operation, proprietary auto-bias, output tube monitoring and protection, an advanced power meter, and much more. This array of features has never been offered before in an Audio Research amplifier.
Watching the development of companies representing the audio industry can be very interesting. With time, you can make predictions of certain trends, and after many years check whether they turned out to be true. Today's review is not just another description of an interesting product, but also the continuation of my adventure with Auris Audio, which four years ago provided us with one of the first amplifiers in their history - the Adagio 300B. We didn't expect it to be perfect, but in many ways it was. Considering that the company was founded just a year earlier, it was hard to believe. This elegant and very refined amplifier using famous directly heated triodes wasn't made by accident. In the following years, the Serbian company proved it wants to continue making hi-end gear for true audiophiles, or even go a bit further. The latest Fortissimo integrated amplifier is a good case in point.
Cambridge Audio celebrates its 50th anniversary with the introduction of Edge, a flagship hi-fi system that introduces a new standard for sound and design from the company. The new series builds on Cambridge Audio's driving principles of creating products that bring the 'Great British Sound' - a pure, unfiltered audio experience - into the home, offering the company's most accomplished system to date, says the release.
Triangle introduced two new subwoofers benefiting from the experience of its previous models and expanding its Thetis and Tales ranges. The manufacturer took the opportunity to optimize the amplifiers on all models by focusing on the power handling of the driver at high volume as well as the dynamic range.
Quad added a one-box hi-fi system to the Artera Series, company's primary solid-state component range. The Artera Solus combines a CD transport, DAC, preamplifier and power amplifier in a single compact chassis, with extensive connectivity options including Bluetooth wireless streaming.
NAD Electronics announced a new affordable integrated amplifier the C328. Blending simplicity and outstanding performance with flexibility, the C328 is designed for the music lover searching for a superb sounding amplifier that can master music sources, past and present.
Focal is confirming its position as an innovative manufacturer of hi-end headphones with the launch of Clear. Benefiting from the research and development that went into developing the Elear and Utopia headphones, the Clear sets the benchmark for open-back headphones.
Western Electric announced that the WE 300B electron tube will re-enter production this year, in time for its 80th Anniversary. The famous triode was developed at Bell Labs in 1933 in the form of its predecessor, the 300A, which was modified, patented, and then produced at many historic works facilities beginning in 1938. The 300B has journeyed from the original New York tube shops to the legendary Hawthorne Works, Allentown Works, Kansas City Works, then the Huntsville Works.
Luxman just released a new flagship class AB integrated amplifier, the L-509X offering the performance of separate amplifiers/pre-amplifier housed in a single chassis. The L-509X is perfect for the discerning audiophile who seeks a high quality, high power multifunctional but simple system. The unit features a newly designed highly specialized chassis. The L-509X delivers not only in terms of extraordinary sonic characteristics but also with top-tier design and second-to-none build quality.