LATEST ADDITIONS

I was lucky enough to attend the launch of AKG’s N90Q headphones back in June 2015, and am also privileged to be among the few to get their hands on one of the first samples of the flagship model. Regular readers will know that the luxury headphone market is big business for audio fans as more and more of us turn to a pair of high-quality cans as our transducer of choice for a good chunk of home listening. This isn’t the first time we’ve looked at high-end headphones in these Exotica pages either, and the AKG follows Final’s Sonorous VIII £2,300 offering, reviewed back in issue 403. Although the AKG costs £1,000 less, there’s plenty here to ensure it meets our Exotica review criteria as it is blessed with high-class credentials in its construction and tech that includes noise cancelling and sound tuning to tailor the sound output to your ears.

Pro-Ject informs us that the new RPM 9 Carbon has been introduced to satisfy the needs of high-end audio enthusiasts that want a record player that stands apart, and with the same 'tear drop' chassis as its RPM 9. 2 Evolution, it should certainly stand out from the pack. The RPM 9 Carbon is supplied with a 9CC Evolution Tonearm pre-installed. This 9in tonearm has a conical carbon fibre tube and inverted bearing design and is supplied with a 5-Pin to RCA Connect-IT CC cable.

Astell&Kern has launched a limited edition version of its AK Jr portable music player with a stylish red finish. The AK Jr Red has a red aluminium case, machined gold controls and is on saleexclusively via Amazon. The original AK Jr was tested in HFC back in issue 401 and impressed with its superb sound across all file formats and its build quality and affordable price. The red version offers the same 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution audio playback, a high-quality Wolfson DAC, compatibility with music files including DSD and 3.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO is set to deliver a new album which will be the first new ELO music in 15 years. Alone In The Universe, the album is set for global release 12 November on RCA Records in the UK. The first single When I Was a Boy was released in late September and anyone that preorders the album will get it as an instant download. As with ELO’s previous releases, Lynne continuesto serve as producer, songwriter, arranger, lead singer and guitarist.