Displaying items by tag: mobile - StereoLife Magazine

Questyle is expanding its range of portable audio devices with two new models, Sigma and Sigma Pro. The company positions them as mobile solutions intended to deliver a level of performance closer to full-size desktop systems, aimed at users who want genuine high-fidelity playback from a computer, smartphone or tablet. Both devices are built around Questyle's proprietary Current Mode Amplification, or CMA, technology, which is designed to combine very low distortion, strong dynamic performance and substantial output power within a compact form factor.

There are now two parallel trends becoming increasingly visible in the portable audio market - a renewed interest in physical media and a growing appetite for digital conversion methods associated with a more traditional, more "analog" presentation. The FiiO DM15 R2R sits squarely at the intersection of those two ideas, combining the format of a portable CD player with an advanced R2R DAC and a feature set more commonly associated with modern network players and desktop DACs. It is aimed at listeners who do not want to give up their compact disc collections, but still expect serious output power, a balanced signal path, USB DAC functionality and high-resolution wireless transmission. At its current market positioning, the DM15 R2R enters a category in which genuinely audiophile-minded portable CD players remain relatively rare.

Astell&Kern is one of the most recognisable brands in the high-resolution portable player segment. The company built its reputation on advanced Android-based digital audio players designed to combine high sound quality with support for streaming services and a distinctive angular industrial design. The A&ultima line serves as the manufacturer's flagship series, where its most sophisticated technical solutions typically make their debut, including complex DAC configurations, elaborate headphone amplification stages and proprietary technologies intended to improve signal processing and reduce noise. Limited editions of these players have long attracted particular attention, and because copper is a material that carries strong positive associations in the hi-fi world, the standard A&ultima SP4000 is now joined by a special A&ultima SP4000 Copper version. According to the manufacturer, copper has been used not only for visual impact but also as a component intended to influence the sonic character directly. The new model is aimed at listeners who treat a portable player as a fully fledged high-end source in any listening environment.

We Are Rewind has announced an exclusive collaboration with Duran Duran for the WE-001 Duran Duran Special Edition, a portable cassette player that pairs the band's distinctive visual world with a thoroughly modern take on the classic Walkman style. Finished in a look that echoes the chrome and shimmering tones associated with Duran Duran's Pop Trash era, the player is supplied with a special reissue of the album on cassette, turning the bundle into both a listening device and a collectible object that nods to the period when the band's tapes were a defining part of pop culture.

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.

Astell&Kern introduces the second generation model of its popular and award-winning entry-level player, the A&norma SR25 MKII. Every aspect admired about the original SR25 is retained with the new model improving on the audio performance, adding new features, such as a balanced 4.4mm headphone jack, and tweaking its already eye-catching and ultra-compact design. The A&norma SR25 MKII represents the perfect entry-point into Astell&Kern's unrivalled world of high-resolution music playback on-the-move.

FiiO launches the K7 - balanced desktop headphone DAC and amplifier featuring dual AK4493S DACs, dual THX AAA 788+ amp technology, USB/Optical/Coax/RCA inputs, and both 6.3mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs. Building upon the success of previous FiiO desktop amplifiers, the K7 utilises a truly balanced six-stage audio circuit consisting of: DAC, Low Pass Filter, Volume Control, Buffer Amplifier, Pre-Amplification, and Headphone Out. Throughout this signal path, audio signals from each channel are processed separately by the K7, thereby reducing crosstalk, and ensuring the best sound quality possible.

Grado introduced the new Statement Series, which brings fourth-generation X Drivers to the wooden GS3000x and GS1000x. The GS1000x combines mahogany and ipê wood, while the GS3000x houses the company's most powerful driver yet inside a metal chamber surrounded by a single body of cocobolo wood. Along with the superior sound these new drivers produce, the GS3000x and GS1000x also utilise Grado's improved 12-conductor braided cable and new headbands. Both are hand assembled in Brooklyn, New York.

Bowers & Wilkins has launched its new flagship wireless headphone, the Px8. The new model sets a new reference standard for sound, build and finish in the active noise cancelling wireless headphone category. The heart of the Px8 is the same active noise cancelling wireless platform found in the Px7 S2, already one of the best-sounding headphones in its class. In Px8, that stellar performance is taken to even greater heights of detail, resolution and spaciousness thanks to all-new bespoke 40mm Carbon Cone drive units.

Meze Audio announces its first pair of dynamic open-back headphones - the 109 PRO. Made from carefully curated and responsibly sourced materials, including walnut wood, zinc, manganese steel, and vegan leather, the 109 PRO is a comfortable, lightweight, yet highly durable headphone capable of producing a natural, emotionally engaging listening experience. "Our obsession with art, exceptional sound, and timeless design drives us. We only create what we love, and the 109 PRO is no exception to that. We poured our soul into every aspect of its design - from the premium materials used to its intricate engineering. And because we don’t follow trends, nor do we let them influence us, the 109 PRO is built to sound, look and feel great for years to come." - said Antonio Meze, lead designer and founder, Meze Audio.