Displaying items by tag: stereo - StereoLife Magazine

In Norse mythology, Thor is known as the god of thunder, lightning, marriage, vitality, agriculture, and the home hearth. He was said to be more sympathetic to humans than his father, Odin, though equally violent. He traveled in a chariot harnessed to goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. Furthermore, he was usually depicted as a mighty man with a red beard and three key attributes - a belt doubling his power, iron gauntlets, and a great battle hammer called Mjolnir (Mjølner). Whenever Thor hurled his hammer, it would unfailingly come back to him, crushing the target of his master's attack ("Mjøl" in modern Norwegian literally means "flour" or "powder," so "Mjølner" can be understood as "a tool for grinding to powder"). The impact of this unusual weapon was to be accompanied by lightning. How valuable this hammer was to Thor can be seen in the song telling the story of what he went to when a giant named Thrym stole Mjolnir, demanding the hand of the goddess Freya for its return. According to this legend, Thor, at the instigation of Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard, was to disguise himself as Freya, shielding himself with a veil. Thinking that the plan had succeeded, Thrym and his companions held a wedding, during which the rightful owner of Mjolnir seems to have forgotten his mission for a while and got carried away by his emotions. He ate eight salmon and an ox, which caused concern among the giants, but Loki explained the phenomenon by saying that the "bride" had not eaten for a week in anticipation of her nuptials with Thrym. At the end of the feast, when, according to tradition, Mjolnir was laid in the bosom of "Freya" to seal the marriage, Thor grabbed his hammer and slaughtered the giants. Not surprisingly, Mjolnir became the most popular symbol used by Scandinavians not only in the Middle Ages but even today, if only in coats of arms and emblems. And what does this have to do with the H600? Let me explain...

Manufacturers of hi-fi equipment like to brag about their peak performance, but in any company's product lineup, the key role is played by the models that simply sell best. They are the ones that provide funds for further development and indicate what ideas appeal most to customers. Recently, Pylon Audio has been working hard on high-end loudspeakers. Over the past few years, the Polish manufacturer's catalog has included speakers from the Jasper series, including six models, the powerful Amber mkIIs, the old-school Jade 20s, which just got a bigger brother, and the Emeralds 25s. However, diamonds dominate the sales statistics, and I'm not surprised at all. The models in this series offer everything music lovers seek - a discreet and modest design, high-quality craftsmanship, versatile sound, seamless compatibility with a wide range of electronics, a rich variety of color options, and an affordable price. It may not be a piece of equipment that relies on exceptional technical solutions and surprises its owner daily, but it is hard to identify any clear drawbacks. If only we do not save too much on electronics and choose a model that fits the size and acoustics of our listening room, we will get speakers that can do everything. Will the new generation of the Diamond series continue the story? For this to happen, the Polish designers had to meet only one condition - not to spoil anything. And they claim to have even improved this and that. Is it true?

Sonus Faber announced the launch of Suprema, a groundbreaking loudspeaker system rooted in luxury, unparalleled audio excellence and meticulous craftsmanship. Marking the brand's 40th anniversary, the Suprema system, featuring two main columns, two subwoofers and one electronic crossover, represents the future of the iconic audio brand and Sonus Faber's dedication to pushing the boundaries of audio excellence.

Naim unveils Uniti Nova Power Edition, an all-in-one player that drives Hi-Fi loudspeakers with power and musical resonance Uniti Nova Power Edition is the new all-in-one player from Naim, the British brand that excels in the creation of high-end Hi-Fi systems. With 150 W of power, this high-resolution audio player and stereo amplifier is the ideal all-round solution to combine with a pair of powerful, Hi-Fi loudspeakers. It complements Naim's Uniti range, which is hailed worldwide as the range that includes the best all-in-one players on the market.

Focal presents Aria Evo X, a line of high-fidelity loudspeakers for the home to follow in the footsteps of the Aria 900 range, which has enjoyed a decade of success. With revamped technologies and a brand new finish, the Aria Evo X loudspeakers step it up another notch in terms of both sound and design. The French brand has developed this new range as a continuation of the Aria philosophy - to deliver a pure listening experience by providing the best loudspeakers in their category.

If the mainstream media is to be believed, our world is collapsing piece by piece. Paradoxically, with the end of times fast approaching, the market for luxury goods has strengthened, and this includes stereo equipment. Manufacturers of electronic components and loudspeakers are introducing bigger, more powerful versions of flagship models, which just a few years ago they described as their opus magnum, a benchmark that cannot be surpassed. Stereo systems presented at the biggest exhibitions are becoming more expensive every year. The top-of-the-line Tellurium Q cables are a prime example of this. When their second version went on sale about six months ago, I was unable to review them, as they were already scheduled for a "tour", which could not be completed, because every so often the Statement IIs found a new owner. The distributor ordered two more sets, one of which went from dealer to dealer, and the other was sold almost immediately. More sets had to be brought in, and finally, I managed to snatch up an interconnect and speaker cable worth just over €16,500.

Final Audio Design, the Japanese high-end audio specialist, has announced their latest venture into the world of gaming and VR with the new VR2000 earphones. For close to five decades, Final has long proven their mastery of all things hi-fi. Starting in 1974 with the development of high-end turntable cartridges, amplifies and CD transports, and more recently moving onto portable audio with their award-winning headphone and earphone models - final's experience and insight is unmatched.

The latest cable from the Polish brand Melodika is now available for sale. The high-quality USB cable enables a secure and reliable connection between two devices equipped with USB A and USB C sockets. By replacing the factory-supplied cable of your audio equipment, such as a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with the Melodika MDUAC cable, you can easily and quickly improve the quality of the transmitted signal. Correct impedance results in low jitter, eliminates timing faults, and distortions in digital signal that might otherwise have occurred.

Revival Audio, the French loudspeaker company born from almost four decades of expertise and know-how behind many top-tier speaker brands based in France, Denmark and the USA, announced the latest addition to its line-up - Sprint. Building upon the success of their Atalante speakers, Revival Audio's Sprint range comprises the Sprint 3 2-way bookshelf speaker, and Sprint 4 2.5-way floorstanding loudspeaker. Both the Sprint 3 and Sprint 4 deliver a precise and balanced sound, thanks to featuring an innovative Elytron baffle design.

The creation of this audio component is the result of years of design experience, in-depth knowledge of electronic tubes, and our passion and desire to make unique pieces of great value, in which traditional craftsmanship is combined and integrated with high electronic technology. The New Simply 845 ranks at the top of Unison Research's line of integrated tube amplifiers, second only to the historic Absolute 845. The Simply 845, like the Absolute 845, also employs the famous 845 direct-heated triodes, tubes well known for remarkable durability and extraordinary sonic qualities. The great advantage of integrated amplifiers is the incorporation in a single chassis of the preamplifier and the power amplifier. This makes it possible to eliminate the need for high-cost interconnect cables that are never truly neutral to sound reproduction. It should be noted that in the renewed production of the Simply 845 its size has been reduced by bringing all input and output connectors, strictly gold-plated and of a new type, to the rear of the amplifier.