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Ortofon releases new MC Windfeld Ti cartridge
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Sep 18, 2017  |  0 comments
With similarities to its high-end Cadenza Series, Ortofon’s new MC Windfeld Ti moving-coil cartridge uses titanium to increase the rigidity of the body, eliminate unwanted vibrations and increase its dynamic capability. It uses “the finest diamond in the world” – the Ortofon Replicant 100 – which boasts a thin and light profile, with a long vertical contact surface making it as close as possible to an original record cutting stylus. By specially polishing the stylus and then mounting it onto a boron cantilever, Ortofon claims that it offers remarkable transparency, speed and responsiveness beyond that of any other combination. It weighs 11g and is available to buy now for £3,100 and is distributed in the UK by Henley Audio.
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B&O unveils BeoLab 50
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Sep 15, 2017  |  0 comments
B&O’s newly unveiled BeoLab 50 floorstanding loudspeaker utilises the same active room compensation technology that’s found in the BeoLab 90 – enabling it to use an external microphone to measure the physical acoustic properties of the room that it’s placed in and then adjust its compensation filters accordingly to provide what the company describes as optimum sound, no matter where you choose to listen in the room. B&O’s Acoustic Lens Technology is applied to the top of the BeoLab 50 to handle dispersion of the upper frequencies. Using beam width control, it is able to project the sound in 180° mode or a narrow sweet spot for a dedicated listening position. Each wireless active loudspeakers weighs 61kg and the system claims 2,100W of precision power connected in a master-slave configuration.
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New issue on sale
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Sep 12, 2017  |  0 comments
Are music systems getting smaller? In terms of physical dimensions, audio components are definitely shrinking in my setup. A quick flick through this month’s issue is testament to the audio industry’s move towards compact design and practical portability – and I don’t mean the kind of shrinkage that leaves you feeling short changed as you do with unscrupulous food brands reducing their pack sizes. Technology is a wonderful thing and a move to downsize a hi-fi product doesn’t have to mean a sacrifice in audio quality or resolving power, as our reviews of Chord Electronics’ Hugo 2 and Audiolab’s M-DAC Mini demonstrate. Even the briefest audition of the all-new Hugo 2 DAC and headphone amplifier will leave you in no doubt that this is a tremendously mighty and flexible device that builds on the success of its quirky predecessor and redefines what we can realistically expect from something that’s not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes.
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Bowers & Wilkins unveils new 700 Series
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Sep 06, 2017  |  0 comments
Earlier in the summer, we visited B&W's impressive facility in Worthing (see Insider Feature in the October issue, on sale 14 September)to preview a new mid-priced series of loudspeakers being kept under wraps until now. The range, called the 700 Series, replaces the long-running CM Series with six new stereo models – three standmounts and three floorstanders – plus two dedicated centre channel models for fans of multi-channel setups. Unsurprisingly, it draws on the considerable expertise and technology established in the company's well-regarded high-end 800 Diamond Series and so employs Continuum midrange drivers. A new versionof the Aerofoil cone has also been developed, but the 700 Series design uses paper rather than carbon fibre skins with an EPS filling material adopted instead of syntactic foam.
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Edwards Audio unveils new IA3-R amplifier
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 28, 2017  |  0 comments
Two years in development, Talk Electronics has unveiled its latest Edwards Audio integrated amplifier. The IA3-R boasts a new MOSFET output stage, RF filtering, improved small signal transistors and a new custom-wound toroidal transformer. It claims power output of 2x 90W into 8ohm and a signal-to-noise ratio of 85dB at 1W. Completely designed and manufactured in the UK, it hasa blue backlit display and comes equipped with a remote control handset.
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Keith Monks new vinyl cleaners
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 25, 2017  |  0 comments
Keith Monks has unveiled two new record cleaning machines, one of which is its smallest ever – the discOvery microLight (above). Designed to remove mould release oils, grime and dust from vinyl, they can clean both sides of the record in around three minutes using the company’s specialist fluid before fully drying with a medical-grade suction pump that’s imported from Germany. Best of all, the entire process is carried out in near silence. The £1,995 discOvery One Redux (pictured above) brings together the best of previous Keith Monks cleaners in a compact, low-profile cabinet (bottom pic), while the £1,795 discOvery microLight offers the same functionality in a smaller chassis with a specially designed panel into which personalised images can be attached.
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Arcam introduces new Solo Muso
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 24, 2017  |  0 comments
Specifically designed to complement Arcam’s Solo Music and Movie systems (HFC 414), the Solo Muso loudspeaker is rated at 80W (4ohm) and comes in a robust cast aluminium chassis. The main 125mm driver is constructed from a proprietary paper pulp fibre sandwich cone for its stiff but light properties. It is supported by a die-cast basket to minimise sound reflecting back towards the speaker cone and causing distortion in the process. The accompanying 25mm tweeter is of the neodymium aluminium dome variety and damped to similarly reduce distortion and improve the clarity of fine details.
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Furutech despatches static with the Destat III
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 23, 2017  |  0 comments
Already an award winner in its native Japan, Furutech’s solution for eliminating dust and static from analogue and digital media and components is now available in the UK. Delivering a claimed 30 percent more ‘zapping power’ than its predecessor, the third-generation destat claims to remove the static charge that builds up on vinyl or CDs as well as hardware in just 15 seconds. The combination of a powerful fan to remove dust and a balanced ion flow generator to eliminate static is available at the touch of a button from the newly designed and more ergonomic handset. Destat III is battery operated and available now for £299 from UK distributor Sound Fowndations.
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PMC’s new cor integrated
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 22, 2017  |  0 comments
PMC has unveiled its first consumer integrated amplifier, hoping to deliver its high-end electronics to a whole new audience. Claimed to be completely neutral, the cor (as in ‘heart’) adds no character of its own to music, following precisely the same ethos as the company’s loudspeakers where nothing is added or taken away. According to PMC, every individual element of the cor has been developed with purity of sound upper most in the design process. Power output from the Class AB design is rated at 95W into 8ohm (and 140W into 4ohm) and a Class AB headphone amplifier is also built-in.
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JBL unleashes 4312SE monitor
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 21, 2017  |  0 comments
What better way to celebrate 70 years of being in the business of sound than by introducing a new model that harks back to a legendary three-way speaker fromthe seventies? That’s precisely what JBL had in mindwhen it decided to rework its classic three-way compact studio monitor, and the result is the £2,500 4312SE. Reprisingthe driver configuration and aesthetics of the renowned 4310/4311 studio and L100 ‘Century’ hi-fi monitors, the new speaker includes JBL’s latest transducers in the shape of the 300mm Aqua-Plas-coated pure pulp cone bass driver, 125mmm polymer-coated pure pulp cone midrange and a 25mm aluminium/magnesium alloy tweeter with waveguide and configured in mirror-image pairs. Additional features include a bass reflex enclosure with front-firing port, front panel mid and high-frequency controls and a removable black cloth grille. Each speaker has a special 70th anniversary badge and certificate with signatures of the engineer and assembly technician.
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