News

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has teamed up with legendary Oscar winner Martin Scorsese to tell the tale of a fictional record label in the seventies. The hour-long special is being produced and shown on US cable network HBO and has been named Vinyl. AsVarietyreports, the drama – which isritten by Terence Winter (who collaborated with Scorsese on The Wolf Of Wall Street and TV series Boardwalk Empire – features Bobby Cannavale as label boss Richie Finestra, who hasa knack for discovering talent, but faces a crisis when confronted with a life-changing decision. Vinyl is expected to appear on US screens in 2016, but as yet no details have been announced about who has picked up the UK rights to screen it.

Flip over the 1976 Pan edition of Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel The Man Who Fell To Earth, re-released to tie in with the film of the same name by Nicolas Roeg that featured the Thin White Duke in his first major movie, and you’ll find the following tantalising statements: music by David Bowie; album available on RCA. After scratching your head and attempting to recall the cover of the release, and before you head to Discogs to fill that hole in your record collection, the disappointing news is that it doesn’t exist – not as a legitimate release, and certainly not as was originally intended. “The Man Who Fell To Earth is a powerful love story; a cosmic mystery; a spectacular fantasy;a shocking, mind-stretching experience in sight, in space, in sex,” runs the deep-throated voiceover to the movie’s trailer. The casting of David Bowie – billed as “phenomenon of our time” and riding his first peak of US popularity – in his debut major motion picture was big news.

David Price listens in to thestandmounting speakerhitting all the right notes. Read the full article in Hi-Fi Choice issue 377, November2013. PRODUCT Mission SX2 ORIGIN UK/China TYPE standmount speaker WEIGHT 10kg FEATURES ● 25mm titanium dometweeter ●160mm metal/fibre cone mid/bass driver ● Claimedimpedance: 6-8ohms ● Claimed frequencyresponse: 58Hz- 40kHz DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 231 x 381 x 365mm DISTRIBUTOR IAG Group Ltd TELEPHONE 01480 447700 WEBSITE www. mission.

Budget two-way speakers the LX-2 and LX-3 (shown) are the debut models from Mission’s latest entry-level loudspeaker range, the LX Series. Despite their affordable price tags, Mission informs us that the new models have been designed to deliver compelling musicality. For the LX Series the company has produced a tweeter with a neodymium magnet (selected for maximum magnetic force in such a small space) and a 25mm microfibre dome. This is partnered with the 130mm mid/bass driver unit (one in the case of the LX-2 and two for the LX-3), sporting cones fashioned from an advanced fibre formulation apparently selected for its superior self damping and excellent stiffness.

Positioned above Mission’s entry-level LX loudspeaker range (see reviews in HFC 426 and 430), the new QX lineup comprises five stereo models – two standmounts and three floorstanders plus home cinema options. Priced from £299 to £999, all employ Mission’s DiaDrive cone system with inverted cone driven by a secondary sub cone and a new 38mm ring-dome tweeter that is designed to offer high detail and low levels of distortion. A slot port system allows for effective movement of air through the cabinet and helps to reduce unwanted noise. The range is available in a choice of black, white and walnut finishes.

New British bookshelf speaker

Designed and built in the UK, Mitchell & Johnson has announced the launch of its 800 Series of hi-fi components. The first two products to be unveiled in the new flagship series are the S800 preampwith multi-input DAC and phono stage, and matching S815 power amp – both priced £1,299 each. A matching CD player is expectedto follow in November.