McIntosh introduced the MA12000 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier. This fully loaded, hybrid integrated amplifier is a product of uncompromising audio engineering and expert craftsmanship. McIntosh's most powerful integrated amplifier ever, the feature-rich MA12000 offers 350 Watts per channel of clean, high-performance power that produces a breathtaking home audio experience. You will think your favorite musicians are playing a live, in-person performance in your house.
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.
Marantz announced the PM7000N, the company's first fully discrete integrated Hi-Fi amplifier with wireless music streaming capabilities. With HEOS Built-in, listeners can stream up to the highest resolution music from Amazon HD, Spotify, Pandora, TIDAL and more, or local music file libraries. The PM7000N has been engineered using custom designed, hand-selected, high-grade audio components to deliver truly exceptional sound quality with Hi-Res audio support, onboard phono stage, voice control, and more.
New Italian audio brand Pegaso may be just a year old, but already it comes with decades of design expertise and a wealth of hi-fi know-how, thanks to the company's family tree. What's more, it plans to specialize, focusing purely on valve-based electronics. First 'out of the stable' is the P50A integrated 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.
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.
Harman International is showcasing the Mark Levinson the No 585.5 Integrated Amplifier with Pure Phono module. The No 585.5 is the second integrated amplifier in the Mark Levinson 500 series range - an upgrade to the award-winning No 585 which adds the brand's Pure Phono capability and other new features while retaining the existing Precision Link DAC and analog inputs. In addition to the Pure Phono module, the No 585.5 also includes an upgraded remote control and new three-piece extruded, machined, and anodized aluminum top cover which replaces the current single-piece top cover of the original No 585 and matches the appearance of all other Mark Levinson 500 Series products.
Companies making audio equipment can be divided into those big ones, which produce relatively considerable amounts of generally likeable equipment and smaller ones - usually very specialized workshops whose products are often more original, distinctive and individual. Those smaller factories are the ones who create advanced amplifiers in individualized enclosures, speakers using extraordinary drivers or turntables shaped like works of art. Inventions like that are made for the music enthusiasts and connoisseurs. They are not mass-produced in giant factories. These items are made for those who generally appreciate such a sophisticated equipment, and sometimes they are personalized just for one client, who ordered speakers in a specific colour or with some modifications applied just in this one instance. Eryk S Concept is one of these manufacturers. Here, every device is unconventional, and almost every element of an amplifier or speaker deserves our attention. Is the new Red King Premium going to sound as well as it looks?
Fezz Audio is an example of a brand that has kicked-off fairly recently, but the onset of the launch of their very first product, it has already had a considerable baggage of accumulated experience, facilitating a strong, heads-on jump-start. From the very beginning, it seems that the manufacturer has not only embarked upon the right concept when it comes to the design of the device itself, but he has also pointedly targeted an extremely attractive price range. The tube amplifier in question, called Silver Luna, has perfectly blended into the demands of audiophiles, a product trait which we have witnessed only very rarely in recent times. From the outside - it holds the traditional looks of stereo tube amplifier, made available in a range of intriguing color schemes. From the inside - a respectable powerhouse built of components stemming from the companies in-house production. And all of this comes at a price that would, under normal conditions, restrict us solely to a product range comprised of middle-class solid state amplifiers or, possibly, to some Chinese tube amplifiers, of questionable quality at that.
5.5-watt tube amplifier made by a young, little-known company? It doesn't sound like a recipe for success, does it? But when we saw this amp, we knew we have to review it. Block is a product of G Lab Design Fidelity company, whose aim was to design a tube amp for the 21st century. The device looks spectacular, but is simple in its form, which - according to the manufacturer - is also reflected in its internal structure. Maybe the company is young, but obviously people with experience and clear vision stand behind it.