Displaying items by tag: monitor - StereoLife Magazine

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?

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.

Whenever I grumble about the fragmentation of the audio equipment market, which translates into a huge variety of equipment available in stores, but also problems for customers to sort it all out in their heads and make a choice, I get a press release about new speakers, amplifier, or wireless headphones. If only these were brands whose existence I was aware of, whose products caught my eye while browsing magazines or reports from exhibitions, but this is not always the case. Later it turns out that we are not at all dealing with a small factory founded by enthusiastic students, but with a company operating continuously for thirty years, boasting many successes, awards, and, of course, a large group of loyal fans. Such was the case with Lindemann.

Founded in 1998, Amphion has been designing and constructing loudspeakers from the very beginning, distinguished by something that many commercially available designs lack - extremely low sensitivity to imperfections in the acoustics of the listening room. Thanks to well-thought-out technical solutions, the brand's sets can fill any space with high-quality sound, or at least that's what Finnish designers, their foreign representatives, satisfied customers, and installers claim. Not to mention the dozens of musicians and sound engineers who trust Amphion's professional monitors to provide them best results in commercial or home studios and appreciate these monitors for their reliability, transparency, and truthfulness.

Bowers & Wilkins has long convinced audiophiles that the only way to achieve total listening satisfaction is chasing the original - the sound recorded in the studio. This leads to the obvious conclusion that our home stereo system should be the last element of the chain, which starts with the microphone, and that gaining more at the end means losing less during the whole process. It's hard to argue with that. And while it's a bit pointless to compare home electronics with professional equipment, I appreciate any manufacturer who stays true to this straightforward philosophy. While the idea can be explained in a single sentence, putting it into practice is quite complicated. Transport the sound from the recording studio to the home? But, wait a minute, isn't that what almost all the people involved in this subject have been trying to achieve for 145 years (that's exactly how long it's been since the invention of the phonograph)? Yes, but no one can deny that we have made tremendous progress in this field and are still moving forward.

MoFi Electronics introduced its new SourcePoint 10 loudspeakers at Capital Audiofest in Rockville, MD. The speakers are the result of 18 months of research and development led by Chief Speaker Designer Andrew Jones. Designed like a cost-no-object loudspeaker, SourcePoint 10 is completely custom-tooled with proprietary technology to deliver the highest sound quality and value. "Regardless of what an audio product costs, my passion is to deliver a level of sound quality and an experience that is far beyond the asking price." - says Jones.

Neat Acoustics has been designing and manufacturing loudspeakers since 1989. The company was founded by Bob Surgeoner, who has devoted most of his life to music, playing primarily blues, rock, jazz, folk, country, and bluegrass. The company's other key employees also work as musicians, which is virtually unheard of in the audio industry. In 2006, Bob was joined by Paul Ryder, who plays guitar in several bands in northern England. Since Paul is also an experienced sound engineer, the company set up its own recording studio. The professional approach to recordings is also intended to be a benchmark for the sound of the loudspeakers. A variety of musical instruments are on hand at the Neat Acoustics factory, including piano, string organ, harp, double bass, synthesizers, and a wide range of electric and acoustic guitars and other stringed instruments. High-resolution recordings can be played back instantly in the listening room. Bob and his team let music rule the tuning and sound of its speakers to the exclusion of almost all other criteria. All aspects of the design are evaluated empirically. This time-consuming, iterative process can take months before a design is considered finished.

PSB Speakers announced the Alpha iQ, Streaming Powered Speakers with BluOS, an all-in-one audio system that sets a new benchmark for modern, tangle-free, audiophile-grade listening. Comprising two bookshelf speakers with built-in amplifiers and a network streamer based on the award-winning BluOS multi-room music platform, the Alpha iQ lets listeners enjoy PSB's acclaimed “True to Nature” sound with more than 20 streaming services and hundreds of Internet radio stations. The Alpha iQ has a wide array of inputs so users can connect source components such as a turntable, TV, disc player, or game console. Listeners can share their music over a home network with up to 63 other BluOS-enabled components.

Boasting a worldwide success, the Borea range now includes two new active and connected models in bookshelf format. The Borea Active speakers are genuine high-fidelity systems. Compact and all-in-one, they provide a rich audio and video experience - stream your music in high resolution with Bluetooth aptX, reproduce the warm sound of a vinyl turntable, link your TV, or create a fuller experience with the addition of a subwoofer. The Borea Active BR02 BT and Borea Active BR03 BT speakers create a compact and powerful all-in-one Hi-Fi system with multiple features. These active speakers have been designed for modern and versatile use.

For 50 Years Monitor Audio has been at the forefront of loudspeaker development with a philosophy of quality, precision, and near-maddening perfectionism which has earned the British manufacturer high stature amongst its connoisseurs. Founded in 1972 to celebrate our jubilee year, we are launching a strictly Limited-Edition version of the acclaimed and award-winning seventh generation Silver 100. Founded in 1972, Monitor Audio's mission is to make audio human. From the very first speaker, the iconic MA1, the brand developed, innovated, designed, and refined, with a pioneering approach that saw patent after patent filed. It is an ethos that has not changed at all. In fact, Monitor Audio is one of the very few high-end audio brands still developing new, innovative technologies today.