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Computer Audio Design has unveiled a refit to its CAD 1543 DAC that now uses proprietary EMI/RFI reduction material, improved circuit boards and refined power supply filtering. The new CAD 1543 MKII retains the key technologies that have made its predecessor popular – namely its use of vintage resistor-ladder DAC chipsets and the removal of the standard digital interpolation filter – and the maker claims that the result is an open and boundless soundstage. The aforementioned resistor-ladder converter chip – the Philips TDA1543/N2 with its 16 selected devices – is now mounted on a revised four-layer circuit board and as well as claiming minimal intrinsic noise, CAD states it allows a native resolution of 192kHz PCM audio. The minimalist design has limited switches and connectors between mains plugs and output sockets.

Originally devised as a project by Kevin Lewandowskiin 2000, Discogs has grown to become an incredible resource for fans of both vinyl and CD. In essence, the site is adatabase of music that has been created by Discogs' dedicated community of users. To date, more than 275,000 people have contributed to help build the site's catalogue of more than 6,900,000 recordings from some 4,300,000 artists. It also provides the ability to catalogue your music collection, wantlist and then share your ratings and reviews.

Building on the success of its Recommended badge-winning Mu-so wireless music system (HFC 391), Naim has unveiled the Mu-so Qb. Described by the manufacturer as combining Naim’s priorities of high-quality, engaging sound and understated design, Mu-so Qb appears in a more compact chassis and boasts a speaker arrangement of five offset and angled drivers (two tweeters, two mids and a woofer), although the bass port of its sibling has been ditched to keep size down. Instead, two tuned pistonic bass radiators work alongside a custom-made woofer driven by the 100W amplifier. The Mu-so Qb can connect to your home wi-fi and can wirelessly stream hi-res music stored on your network or browse and play tracks using Spotify Connect, Tidal, internet radio or Airplay.

Adored by hi-fi fans and DJs alike around the world, it was a sad day in 2010 when Technics finally announced that it would cease production of its iconic SL-1200 direct-drive turntable due to dwindling vinyl sales and the riseof more practical music formats. The SL-1200 was originally built for hi-fi fans when it launched in 1972, but its consistent performance, robust build and unique pitch-shifting ability made it the go-to deck for many DJs, who managed to prolong the deck's life long after many hi-fi fans had sold their record collections to car boot sales. Even so, its departure from the market was a surprise and perhaps even a little premature given the growing interest we've seen in the vinyl market in the last few years. Thankfully though, the legendary vinyl spinner looks set to make a comeback later this year.