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Astell&Kern’s impressive AK70 (HFC 428)has been given a reboot and for just £100 extra nowoffers a dual-DAC design, enhanced amplification, wi-fi connectivity and the ability to also be used as a USB DAC when it’s not playing back hi-res music files. Unlike the original AK70, the MK II version has a Cirrus Logic CS4298 chipset for both left and right channels, offering bit-to-bit playback of files up to 24/192 and DSD128. Its stylish block aluminium casing remains finished in two-tone black with a 3. 3in touchscreen, but now is a fraction larger and weighs 18g more than its predecessor.

Fresh from updating its Prime family of turntables (Prime Scout HFC 422), VPI has released the Player, its entry-level deck. Builtas a complete solution with a moving-magnet phono stage and headphone amplifier on board, it consists of a non-resonant MDF chassis with an aluminium platter. The 9in tonearm uses bearings rather than the unipivot principle seen on VPI’s more upmarket decks and comes premounted with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge as part of the £1,500 package. The Player leaves the factoryin a pre-configured condition, meaning owners only need to carry out a very simple setup procedure to start playing LPs.

Beryllium and Flax are not materials usually associated withone another, but that might be set to change with the announcement of Focal's all-new speaker called Kanta. Unveiled at a press conference back in September, the loudspeaker from the French manufacturer slots in neatly between its Aria and Sopra ranges. As with its existing models, it is handmade at Focal's manufacturing plant in Saint-Étienne, and marries concepts seen in both these designs while introducing a few new ones, too. The £6,999 Kanta No2 is a three-way floorstanding speaker.

Introducing Lehmannaudio’s latest headphone amplifier, the £450 Drachenfels. Named after a hill in the North Rhine-Westphalia region in Germany, it can be used as a headphone amp and has twin 6. 35mm jack outputs with gold-plated contacts, or as a single-input preamp for a power amplifier or set of powered speakers. Lehmannaudio claims it provides 12dB of gain, and says that because of its Alps Blue Velvet potentiometer and synchronism with the ultra low-noise circuit, there is no need for a gain switch.

Audio lovers and high-end enthusiasts will be able to share their passion at The Hi-Fi ShowLive2017, held once again at the exclusive Beaumont Estate in Old Windsor over the weekend of 21-22 October. Now in its fifth consecutive year, the two-day hi-fi extravaganza is the UK’s biggest celebration of high-end hi-fi for dedicated fans. Advance Tickets The on-line ticket office is now open, so snap up your guaranteed place for Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd or buy a full weekend pass to theHi-Fi ShowLive. Tickets cost £20 (£30 for a weekend pass) viaeventbrite.

Not content with offering vinyl lovers the ooportunity to pick up the black stuff on Record Store Day, there is now Record Store Day Black Friday and vinylistas should mark down 24 November in their diaries. Rhino is preparing 12 special, limited edition releases especially for 2017’s Record Store Day Black Friday. Fans of Aretha Franklin, Dimebag Darrell, The Doors, Grateful Dead, The Notorious B. I.

If proof were needed of vinyl's return as a mainstream format,then Technics' comeback with the reimagining of its legendary SL-1200 turntable in 2016, was a powerful symbol of just how popular the music format has become. Technics ceased production of its turntables back in 2010, which lead to protests fromits loyal fans around the world. Seemingly, someone at Technicswas listening, as the iconic turntable returned in a redesigned limited-edition SL-1200GAE form last year and was so popular that several incarnations have since followed, broadening its appeal to new fansat more accessible price points. It seems nothing can stop the company's passion for the vinyl format, and the star of this year's IFA show held in September to the delight of many audio fans was the announcement of a flagship SP-10R turntable motor unit expected to be released in summer 2018.