Vivian Louise Grant

Vivian Louise Grant

A fan of powerful guitars, ambitious structures, and music with a rebellious spirit, Vivian Louise Grant feels equally at home with rock, metal, and punk. Every now and then, however, she changes course completely and reaches for Chopin or Mozart. Since early childhood, her imagination has belonged to the sea and sailing, which may explain her attraction to audio gear with a sense of adventure.

Wharfedale Aura

Wharfedale is one of those manufacturers that knows how to spread its ideas across several price levels without turning the more affordable ranges into stripped-down, characterless versions of its flagship designs. The Aura series is a particularly good example. It borrows heavily from technologies developed for the top-of-the-line Elysian range, but packages them in speakers aimed at a much broader audience. In terms of overall size, the Aura models remain relatively close to the popular Evo family, yet their drivers, cabinets, crossovers and bass-reflex systems have all been developed with Wharfedale's more ambitious designs in mind. This is not just a single pair of speakers, either, but a complete lineup capable of forming the basis of anything from a traditional stereo system to a full multichannel home theater. The range consists of two stand-mount models, the Aura 1 and Aura 2, two floorstanders, the Aura 3 and Aura 4, and two center-channel speakers, the Aura CS and Aura C. In other words, buyers can start with a relatively compact setup for a living room or office, move all the way up to a substantial three-way floorstander, or build a tonally consistent system for both music and movies.

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.

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.

Rega Planar 6 RS Edition

Rega has added the Planar 6 RS Edition to its range - a new special version of one of the company's most important turntables. The British manufacturer has spent decades developing designs based on lightweight, rigid plinths, precise belt drive systems and tonearms of its own making, showing that the classic turntable form still has a great deal of potential. This time, Rega has taken the well-known Planar 6 and equipped it with solutions normally associated with higher models in its catalog. The result is a technically advanced turntable that should be ready for serious playback almost straight out of the box, without the immediate need to replace the cartridge, power supply or drive components. With the RB880 tonearm, Neo PSU MK2, Reference EBLT belt and Nd9 cartridge included, the Planar 6 RS Edition looks like a proposition for listeners who want to move to a higher level of analog playback without building the system through a sequence of expensive upgrades. Rega is offering a complete package in which technologies from higher models have been sensibly combined with the familiar Planar 6 format.

REL Planar PL-1 & PL-2

REL Acoustics introduced a new line of active subwoofers designed for hi-fi and home theater systems in which a conventional floor-standing box can be awkward both acoustically and visually. The new range consists of two models, the PL-1 and PL-2, both of which can be mounted directly on the wall, much like a decorative panel or framed picture. This is not simply another variation on the familiar subwoofer placed in the corner of a room, but an attempt to rethink where low frequencies can come from in a domestic audio system. REL has built much of its reputation on subwoofers intended not only for home theater, but also for ambitious stereo systems, and Planar is aimed at a very specific set of needs - deeper bass, better integration with interior design, greater installation flexibility and less intrusion into everyday living space.

Harman Kardon Aura Studio 5 Wi-Fi

Harman Kardon revealed the Aura Studio 5 Wi-Fi, a new wireless speaker that develops one of the most recognizable lines in the company's catalog. The Aura Studio series has always stood apart from typical home speakers not only because of its sound, but also because of its form. Its transparent dome and lighting effects were never just decorative extras, but part of the product's identity from the beginning. In the latest version, Harman Kardon takes that idea further, combining the familiar design with Wi-Fi connectivity, support for popular streaming systems, multi-room operation, Bluetooth 6.0 and a more elaborate acoustic structure. The Aura Studio 5 Wi-Fi is therefore intended not only as a striking object for the home, but also as a fully fledged network speaker for everyday music listening.

Pro-Ject VC-E Mini

Pro-Ject Audio Systems has introduced the VC-E Mini, a new ultra-compact record cleaning machine designed as an entry point into vacuum-assisted vinyl maintenance while retaining the core operating principles of the company's larger cleaning platforms. Engineered and manufactured in Europe, the new model is positioned as a practical alternative to manual washing systems for users looking to improve record care without dedicating significant space to a full-size cleaning unit.

Musical Fidelity M6xi

Musical Fidelity has introduced the M6xi, a new integrated amplifier that updates one of the company's longest-running high-power platforms with expanded digital connectivity and broader system-integration capabilities while preserving the core analog architecture that defined the earlier M6si. Rather than replacing the established concept behind the M6 series, the new model represents part of Musical Fidelity's wider "xi" generation refresh, which brings HDMI ARC, USB-C audio connectivity, and improved installation flexibility across several amplifier lines including the M2, M3, and M5 models.

Grado Classic Series

Grado Labs has introduced the Classic Series, a newly defined structure within its headphone portfolio that brings together several of the company's most recognizable open-back models under a single lineup while incorporating the latest X2 driver platform across the range. The move formalizes the role of these long-standing designs within Grado's evolving product architecture, positioning the Classic Series alongside the Signature Line and Wireless Series as one of the three pillars of the manufacturer's current headphone catalog.

Snowsky Disc

FiiO has introduced the Snowsky Disc, a portable high-resolution audio player that leans deliberately into nostalgia for classic disc-based portables while relying entirely on modern digital hardware. This compact circular player is aimed at listeners who enjoy physical interaction and the visual language of older audio gear, but do not want to give up the convenience of file playback, hi-res support and compatibility with contemporary listening systems. Its chassis is made from aluminium alloy, while the front is dominated by a round touchscreen used not only for playback control but also for album art and lyric display. During playback, the interface can simulate a spinning disc, reinforcing the visual link with traditional Discman-style devices even though the music itself comes from microSD storage or wireless streaming rather than any physical medium.

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