Hifi Pig

Well known UK retailer Russ Andrews contacted us to tell us about a trio of new kit have in stock.

PowerKord Mains Cables £150 – £440
PowerKord-100™ is the first in Russ Andrew’s range of new PowerKords and
builds on the PowerKord-100™ with the PowerKord-300™ having twice as many separately-insulated woven conductors.
PowerKord-500™ is the top-of-the-range PowerKord and uses 24 separately-insulated conductors.

Balanced Mains Unit BMU1000 £1,588
New for 2014, all Russ Andrews Balanced Mains Units (pictured) feature SuperSilent precision wound, adjustable transformer which is said to virtually eliminate any transformer noise.
A balanced mains units split the mains supply, resulting in 115V on live and 115V on neutral (rather than 230V on live and 0V on neutral). You don’t need to make any modifications to your existing equipment to enable it to work on a balanced mains supply.

The AbZorber £528
Designed by Ben Duncan, the Russ Andrews AbZorber is a type of mains filter that is said to work to reduce the effects of spike activity and noise in Hi-Fi and home cinema systems.

Computer Audio Design (CAD) contacted the Hifi Pig office to tell us that they will be demonstrating all things computer-audio this Wednesday (23rd July) at Walrus Sytems in London from 12 noon until 8pm.

This “Computer Audio Day” will allow visitors to put questions to key industry figures and CAD’s owner and chief engineer, Scott Berry, will be on hand to answer questions and offer help and free advice.
Scott will also be demonstrating CAD’s award winning CAD 1534 DAC, their new USB cable (which we have in for review) and the yet to be announced CAT transport and ripper.

This is a free event and should be of interest to anyone interested in getting the best out of their current computer-audio system or for those looking to dip their toe in the water for the first time.

Henley Designs, who distribute Pro-Ject in the UK, contacted the Hifi Pig office to tell us all about the new Stereo Box Phono from Pro-Ject.
The Stereo Box Phono from Box Design by Pro-Ject Audio Systems combines an integrated amplifier design with one of the best selling hi-fi phono stages of recent years to create a compact solution for vinyl fans on a budget.

The Stereo Box Phono has three analogue line inputs alongside one MM-only phono stage inspired by Pro-Ject’s well known Phono Box design. The new Stereo Box Phono adheres to Pro-Ject’s ongoing philosophy that “less is more” and certainly looks the part. However, its size and construction is also complementary to their wider Box Design S range, so if you can add digital inputs or add a CD player in the future.

The amplifier section is based on the Stereo Box S making the power output 30W (4Ω) per channel, and so capable of driving a decent pair of bookshelf speakers. The power-stage has the ability to drive 2Ω loads which should be good for system matching. A dual-mono design principle is employed inside, and the “low-noise pure audio circuitry and other premium components used make the Stereo Box Phono punch well above its diminutive price-point” says the company’s press release.

The Stereo Box Phono is obviously designed to be a perfect partner for Pro-Ject’s affordable turntable models. Usability is said to be simple and intuitive, but there’s also an included compact IR remote control.

The Stereo Box Phono is available with Black or Silver faceplates.

Price will be £199.95

Monster has unveiled its latest Bluetooth-enabled mobile speaker, the Monster Superstar. This ultra-compact device is comparable in size to a large-format smartphone, small enough to slip into a pocket.

Monster’s press release says that Superstar “challenges the limits of what can be achieved by a pocket-size speaker, delivering a rich, expressive and detailed sound – not dull and tinny like other speakers of similarly diminutive dimensions.”
Its design incorporates two full-range drivers plus a pair of circular bass radiators in the centre of the unit – one firing forwards, the other backwards. The speaker can be either stood on its side to project bass front and rear, or laid on its back to deliver further bass reinforcement.

Superstar will pair with any Bluetooth-compatible device and includes support for the AAC and aptX codecs. It’s robustly designed and splash so good to go in a wide range of environments, from the bathroom to the beach. There’s also built-in microphone with advanced noise cancellation, enabling wireless hands-free calling and conferencing.
The Monster Superstar Bluetooth speaker is available in a choice of Neon Blue, Neon Green/Black and Neon Grey/Black, with an RRP of £99.95.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Californian loudspeaker specialist Magico has announced M Project: a very special limited-edition speaker drawing upon all the elements that have earned the company a great reputation in the world of high-end loudspeakers

In 10, Magico has garnered tremendous respect among the high-end audio fraternity, harnessing exemplary science and engineering to deliver what some say are some of the best-sounding loudspeakers on the planet. The company’s latest design, dubbed ‘M Project’, is the culmination of all it has achieved to date, further developing technologies from existing models to create a special anniversary speaker with production limited to 50 pairs.

The speaker is built to order with prices starting at ￡130,000 per pair, depending on the specified finish (multiple automotive paint options are available if desired). Deliveries begin in October.
• Three-way, five-driver floorstanding loudspeaker
• New enclosure comprising aluminium skeleton topology, acoustically optimised front plate and carbon-fibre sides
• Magico¹s signature front baffle contour further optimised to incorporate edge-free top and bottom plates
• Newly designed curved cabinet shape minimises internal resonances and requires minimal damping
• Unique 28mm diamond-coated beryllium dome tweeter
• 15cm midrange driver derived from Magico¹s much-lauded Q7 speaker, with proprietary Nano-Tec cone (made from a combination of Rohacell, carbon fibre and carbon nanotubes)
• Three 25cm bass drivers with Nano-Tec cones, designed especially for M Project

Parisian audio company Devialet presents Ensemble:

Brought to the UK shores by Absolute Sounds the Ensemble pairs Devialet’s just-launched entry-level amplifier, the Devialet 120, with a pair of GT1 compact loudspeakers from fellow French company Atohm.

Devialet created Ensemble for two reasons. First, to form a complete system purchase option for those seeking a one stop audio solution, with a pair of compact speakers that are fully in tune with Devialet¹s sonic and aesthetic philosophies. Second, to showcase the company’s SAM (Speaker Active Matching) technology, which tailors the amp’s output to precisely match a specific pair of speakers.

Every Devialet 120 amplifier sold as part of an Ensemble system comes preconfigured with SAM data for the GT1s.

The Devialet Ensemble system is priced at £6,290.

KEF has announced that its M200 in-ear headphones will be packaged with the premium Comply ear-tips which KEF say will improve fit, comfort, noise-isolation and performance.

Comply is said to conform more faithfully to the users unique ear canal to create a better seal and because of its soft and flexible, open cell foam is more comfortable.

There will be no increase in price and existing users who have registered their product will be provided with the Comply ear-tips at no extra charge.

The good people at The Missing Link & Vinyl Passion got in touch with Hifi Pig to announce that they have been appointed UK retailer/ Importer of the Vincent Brand and that they now have in stock the long awaited flagship valve phono stage the Vincent PH-700.

The Vincent PH-700 is a two box design with a fully regulated off-board power supply and switchable moving magnet power supply.

The phono stage is priced at £549 in the UK with a 3 year warranty and is claimed to offer unparalleled performance at this price point.

The new Vincent PH-700 is said to build on the strengths of the well established Vincent PH-O8 which sells for £349.

Both of these phono stages are available for demonstration in the Vinyl Passion music room based in the heart of Sherwood Forest and come with the option of black or silver finish.
Hifi Pig will have a UK exclusive review of the new unit in the next few weeks.

Sound Fowndations got in touch with Hifi Pig earlier to tell us they’re on the move to new offices in Aldermaston to accommodate their expanding portfolio of audiophile brands.

The move stems from Sound Fowndations’ need for additional space to accommodate growth in brands and sales. At 1,500 square feet of office and warehouse space, the new premises give the company the opportunity to hold more stock as well as providing room for its expanded staff.

Joining the Sound Fowndations team in the new office is Alex Denyer, a fellow audiophile with a decade of experience in distribution, retail and customer service. Said Alex, ““I’m hugely excited to be joining Sound Fowndations and feel extraordinarily lucky. It’s a real privilege to make a living doing something you love and feel passionate about. I’ve gained a variety of skills in sales, administration, stock control and customer service and I’m keen to apply them in my budding career in the hi-fi industry. And of course this move into the industry will also no doubt fuel the ongoing expansion of my own extensive hi-fi and record collection!”.

Chris Green, Sound Fowndations’ Managing Director, added, “We’ve seen our growth accelerate over the past couple of years, and we were simply out of room. At the same time, I was becoming over-stretched and was struggling to provide the level of service I wanted to provide. Which is a nice problem to have so soon after a major recession! Our new location and facilities, and the addition of Alex to the team, will allow us to continue to grow while also enhancing our levels of service and support to manufacturers, retailers and customers.”

Swedish manufacturer, Primare have announced that they are now shipping the PRE60 preamplifier with the matching A60 power amplifier.

The power amplifier has an output of 2 x 250 W into 8 ohms with this doubling into 4ohms. The design is fully balanced and utilises the company’s UFPD technology with two models for each channel. All internal speaker connection cabling is Van den Hul’s SC12 and the chassis is a heavy duty affair with a 15mm aluminium front panel.
The PRE60 is said to be a “reference audiophile” preamplifier and is designed as a companion to the matching A60 power amp. The PRE60 features an OLED display and has two pairs of low-noise balanced XLR inputs plus four pairs of RCA inputs. There are two pairs of both RCA and XLR outputs as well as record out, RS232, Trigger and IR inputs. The integrated DAC/media board offers PRE60 functionality and straming options that can be controlled using Primare’s app for iOS and Android – these include input selection, volume control, file browsing etc.

Vayta is a new all-British company and they got in touch with Hifi Pig to tell us about the launch of its first range of audio isolation platforms (Vayta dekk) via a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign will launch on 14th July with the dekk being designed for use under turntables, CD players, servers, Streamers, DACs and amplifiers.

The Vaysta dekk contains Sorthobane, which many audiophiles will already be fairly familiar with, and will be available in a wide range of colour finishes with the platform itself being made from Corian.

The company’s patented ADS (Acoustic Damping System) technology is used in the dekk with the feet unlocking and disengaging as soon as weight is put on the platform and thus de-coupling the dekk and leaving your kit floating on the Sorthobane.

Simple Audio has announced a two-month offer to customers giving them the opportunity to try music streaming in their home with the new Roomplayer+ for 30 days on a ’30 days to love me’ guarantee.
Music streaming is on the rise as we are all aware and the Simple Audio Roomplayer+ is not only high-res and capable of streaming 24/192 tracks to multiple rooms, but it also has a number of cool features, including multi-library, multi-user and multi-room, with easy control and music discovery too.
If customers purchase a Roomplayer+ or Roomplayer+ with Amp, anytime during July and August, and decide that it’s not for them within 30 days, they can return it to the store for a full refund or exchange.
• The ‘Roomplayer +with Amp’ featuring an on-board Class D amp that outputs 50 Watts per channel that is designed for direct connection to a pair of loudspeakers and costs £699.
• The ‘Roomplayer+’ (no amp) with high performance signal handling and a high resolution DAC with all the analogue and digital connections needed to connect to a hi-fi system. This version costs £599.

With a few days remaining the Damson Kickstarter campaign to launch the innovative Headbones wireless headphones has hit its initial funding target of £50,000.
The Headbones uses the same IDT (Incisor Diffusion Technology) used in previous Damson models where vibrations are sent through the temporal bone and to to the inner ear so that you never actually put anything in or over your ear.
The Headbones will be compatible with any Bluetooth enabled device and will give up to ten hours of music from a single charge. Charging can be done through a micros USB.