LATEST ADDITIONS

The premier of the monster ULTIMA preamp and monoblock power amps from Chord Electronics certainly drew big crowds eager to geta first look at the newest beasts to arrive from the Kent-based specialist audio brand at last year’s Hi-Fi Show Live held in Windsor. Launched to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary with two ground-breaking introductions to its Reference range, the ULTIMA preamp (above) and twin mono power amps dominated one of the show’s largest demo spaces in a spectacular showcase that was joined by the company’s Blu MkII CD/ digital transport and DAVE DAC/preamp and partnered with probablythe world’s most striking loudspeaker – supplied in the shape of KEF’s Muon flagship. A single ULTIMA power amp measures 480 x 350 x 670mm (WxHxD) and weighs in at 86kg. It’s rated at 780W into 8ohm (for 0.

Wales-based Leema Acoustics has unveiled its Elements Streamer, billed as a space-saving DLNA/UPnP network music player with a built-in DAC, offering integrated Spotify Connect, Deezer, Qobuz and Tidal streaming services alongside USB drive playback. Priced at £1,295 and conceived by Leema co-founder Lee Taylor, the player is based on the streaming module found in the company’s £2,995 Quasar integrated amplifier (HFC 425), and control is via a free app available for Android and iOS devices. Connectivity options include both balanced and unbalanced outputs, optical and coaxial digital outs, as well as a USB input and Ethernet network port. Twin wi-fi antennas aim to provide increased signal stability.

One event that really caught our eye at last year’s busy Hi-Fi Show Live was the unveiling of Copland’s CTA408 hybrid integrated amplifier that utilises both valve and solid-state circuitry. Unlike many other manufacturers, Copenhagen-based Copland prefers to do things differently and the CTA408 is based around an arrangement usingthe latest KT150 output valves and its own output transformers, offering a power stage rated a 2x 75W into4 and 8ohm that’s equipped with a special startup procedure designed to prolong valve life. Measuring 435 x 220 x 460mm (WxHxD) and weighing 26kg, it offers four line-level inputs and a tape loop, plus a fully shielded phono stage that has dedicated moving-magnet and moving-coil inputs and a solid-state circuitry design said to use 100+ discrete components. A dedicated Class A headphone amplifier is also built in, and the 6.

Sometimes, the arrival of an entirely expected model can still be surprising. For the last couple of years Rega has been replacing its RP series of turntables with Planar decks, so it didn’t take an enormous amount of deduction to work out that this would continue up the range to include the RP8. What wasn’t so obvious is that the Planar 8 would be so different to its predecessor and almost every other Rega turntable that came before it.