Internationally acclaimed, high-end audio brand Cyrus Audio announces the most intelligent power supply it has ever designed; the long-awaited PSU-XR. The PSU-XR is the first power supply from Cyrus to have its own built-in microprocessor, enabling it to talk to the product it is connected to, providing the best configuration of power sources demanded by the host product. "The PSU-XR is our best performing power supply, capable of providing up to 60% more power than the award-winning PSX-R2 and, due to its revolutionary design, is up to 50% more efficient." - says Ceri Williamson, Head of R&D at Cyrus Audio.

FiiO launches the M11S hi-res portable music player. Featuring dual ES9038Q2M DACs, the M11S is able to decode up to 384kHz/DSD256 audio. The versatile M11S builds upon the success of previous award-winning portable audio players from FiiO. Alongside its 3.5mm single-ended and 2.5mm/4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, and dedicated line-out, the M11S also offers LDAC, aptX HD, and LHDC Hi-Res Bluetooth connectivity. Further wireless options are available thanks to the support for AirPlay and DLNA streaming.

Danish loudspeaker manufacturer introduced a grand yet shallow high-performance in-wall speaker designed for true Hi-Fi reproduction in high-end/high-performance home-cinema installations and stereo set-ups. Featuring no less than eight drive units, all developed in-house, this in-wall speaker offers the very best sound experience. The M-675 is our new addition to the Phantom M series offering a step up in size and sound quality compared to the smaller models in the Phantom M range, the M-250, and the M-375. The Phantom M-675 ensures a coherent, powerful, and musical listening experience - all of which offer the spacious and detailed signature DALI sound. Once installed, DALI's wide dispersion philosophy will provide a room-filling sound - reproduced exactly as the artist recorded it. No more, no less.

Piega is probably Switzerland's most famous loudspeaker manufacturer. Founded in 1986 by Leo Greiner and Kurt Scheuch, the company was initially a typical hobbyist, garage-based manufactory. Kurt concentrated on developing transducers, while Leo took on design matters and the company's finances. At some point, ribbon drivers became Piega's trademark and have remained so to this day. The cheapest models use drivers built with this technology to reproduce high frequencies, while the top-of-the-range speakers also use larger ribbon midrange panels. Because the designers allow them to play backward, the result is unique loudspeakers resembling electrostatic panels, supported by dynamic drivers only in the low frequency range. Piega's flagship designs demonstrate technical capabilities and audiophile splendor hidden under the guise of a minimalist design. During my test of the Coax 711 LTD speakers, their coaxial midrange/tweeter ribbons and aluminum enclosures fascinated me so much that I decided to find out more about them, which led to an interesting conversation with the brand's head of research and development, Roger Kessler.

On the occasion of the 2023 edition of the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Octavio, the Lille-based start-up specializing in the democratization of audio systems, announces Maestro, its connected speaker, at the cutting edge of innovation. Thanks to the Wi-Fi sound technology developed by Octavio, this new speaker offers a high-fidelity soundstage, without any coloration, for daily listening without auditory fatigue. Octavio Maestro completes Octavio's Hi-Fi offer, already composed of the Octavio Stream, the high-fidelity audio streamer, and the Octavio AMP, the compact and connected amplifier.

The French brand Focal expands its collection of loudspeakers for Home with Vestia. This line comprises five models and has been designed for high-quality music enjoyment and Home Cinema experiences delivered by Focal's renowned savoir-faire in acoustic. The brand which is recognised by the French government as a French “Living Heritage Company” chose its exclusive Slatefiber cone for Vestia range.

Among lovers of audio equipment, there is no shortage of people who believe that the greatest improvement of sound quality can be achieved by replacing cables, buying a power conditioner, or an anti-vibration rack. Sometimes, however, it's worth coming down to earth and reminding ourselves of the basic rules that govern this world. If we want to build a decent stereo system, we should first choose loudspeakers that match the size and sound of our listening room and then select a suitable amplifier and source. Everything else can be taken care of later, choosing cables and accessories to spice up the effect. Unfortunately, many music lovers trying to buy hi-fi equipment stumble at the first stage, ending up with too large speakers or positioning them so as not to disturb the rest of the household rather than achieve a balanced and spacious sound. It's believed that monitors are the optimal solution, especially in smaller rooms, but are they? In many cases, they have to be placed on stands anyway, so they take up as much space as medium-sized floorstanders. And where's the upside? That we won't experience any problems with a booming bass? Perhaps a better solution would be to buy small floorstanding speakers which, if wisely designed, will offer an equally healthy but a bit more powerful sound? It's a very tempting prospect, only where to find such speakers? One interesting suggestion came from a distributor of Davis Acoustics.

Designers of hi-fi equipment will never cease to amaze me with ideas for the names of their products and brands. We have already seen gear lineups inspired by celestial bodies, mythological characters, precious stones, weather phenomena, and popular drinks. I remember when a friend working in one of the showrooms told me with some disbelief that he would now sell cables called, for example, "Root Beer" or "Vodka." At first, I thought he was screwing me, but it turned out that he was earnest, and now these cables can be found in Audioquest's catalog. Hendry Ramli, the founder of Vermouth Audio, went one step further.

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.

Bowers & Wilkins continues to partner with Volvo Cars with the announcement of a new top-tier audio system, named High Fidelity Sound by Bowers & Wilkins, in the new all-electric Volvo EX90 SUV. The system features iconic and proven loudspeaker technologies, perfectly integrated within Volvo's newest all electric car to give a brand-new audio experience underpinned by more than 50 years of home, studio and automotive audio expertise.