LATEST ADDITIONS

Prepare to start feeling old. It was 20 years ago that Audio Analogue released the original Puccini integrated amplifier and it quickly formed a reputation for high-end performance at an affordable price point. The amp was AA's first product and a fine way to introduce itself to the world. To celebrate the anniversary, Audio Analogue has updated the Puccini into the Puccini Anniversary, which is claimed to be a genuine zero feedback design that's been developed by the company's AirTech R&D department.

Columbia Records has confirmed that a new studio album from Bob Dylan, his 37th studio LP,will be released on 20 May. Featuring 12 classic American tunes written by some of music’s most acclaimed and influential songwriters, Fallen Angels showcases Dylan’s unique and much-lauded talents as a vocalist, arranger and bandleader. The Jack Frost-produced album marks the first new music from the artist since 2015'sShadows In The Night. One of the album’s recordings, “Melancholy Mood” is available now on iTunes as an Instant Gratification track, and will also be released as part of a four-track 7in EP on 16 April for Record Store Day.

Sitting comfortably? Good, then we’ll begin… How do you like to listen to your music? Laid flat out on a sofa, perched attentively on an office chair or dancing around the room lost in the music? Have you ever considered investing in a proper dedicated listening chair? Danish manufacturer Gamut Audio has become the first to produce a chair that’s designed specifically for listening to your hi-fi. The chair has been designed to control the sound reflections that reach the ears, allowing the listener to hear a more precise and natural soundstage – at least, that’s the claim. Specifically, it shields the ear from reflections emanating from behind the listening position, while at the same time preventing the sound from reflecting on the forward-facing areas of the headrest that flank the listener’s head. The Lobster Chair – so called because of its distinctive shape – is the creation of iconic Danish designers Lund and Paarmann and is manufactured by high-end furniture makers Kvist Industries.

Forget vinyl, the biggest-growing format currently in the UK is eight-track tape, according to the latest figures. Data announced this morning has revealed that the long-forgotten analogue format has overtaken streaming, hi-res music downloads and vinyl to become the format of choice among hipsters and the young. Manager of Harry's Hi-Fi, Avril Foal, exclusively told HFC: "The kids just adore its analogue sound. They love the simplicity that the format offers and they can't get enough of those cartidges and the ability to switch between tracks.