Midland Audio Exchange will be holding a Naim Statement event in June. More »
Pass Labs has started shipping their new XA25 Class A Power Amplifier, the most affordable power amplifier in their current line. With 2 x 25W @ 8 ohms, 2 x 50/W at 4 ohms and 2 x 100WClass A/AB at 2 ohms, and priced at $4,900, the XA25 is not meant as merely an “Entry-Level” model, but rather, a more affordable way for consumers to experience the Pass Labs line. In other words: A smaller, lighter and less expensive Pass Labs Class A power amplifier. More »
Zesto Audio will be at Axpona 2017 in Chicago, USA. More »
2017 marks the 40th anniversary of Conrad-Johnson design inc. and to celebrate, they are introducing two new anniversary tube amplifiers – the ART150 and ART300. These amplifiers employ the recently developed KT150 output tubes. More »
Lab 12 are based in Greece and that is where they handcraft all their products. Here Stuart Smith takes a listen to their pre 1 valve preamplifier costing €1440 and their knack power cable costing a further €210. More »
Nord Acoustics have launched their new Nord MP range of class D Amplifiers. From a Stereo 250W & 500W to an 8 Channel 250W with 90% of the SQ of the NC500, priced from £749. Based on Hypex NCore NC252MP and NC502MP modules. More »
Goldmund has just released a new generation of analogue products. Anne-Karine of Goldmund got in touch to explain further: “They represent a milestone in the way amplifiers and preamplifiers are designed while they continue capitalising on the expertise Goldmund has developed over almost 40 years of research and development”. More »
Amare Musica of Poland, who have manufactured audio products since 2012, have announced that all of their products will now be supplied with Franc Audio Accessories feet. More »
When we were asked to take the trip down Valence in the South East of France to visit APURNATM we naturally jumped at the chance. Not only is this an absolutely beautiful part of the world, situated as it is on the left bank of the Rhone and surrounded the Massif Central and the Ardèche hills to the west, and the Vercors Massif in the French Prealps to the east, but we were also going to be treated to a private and exclusive viewing and listen to APURNATM’s two hundred thousand euros (per stereo pair) Pure 200 amplifiers.
When we were asked to take the trip down Valence in the South East of France to visit APURNATM we naturally jumped at the chance. Not only is this an absolutely beautiful part of the world, situated as it is on the left bank of the Rhone and surrounded the Massif Central and the Ardèche hills to the west, and the Vercors Massif in the French Prealps to the east, but we were also going to be treated to a private and exclusive viewing and listen to APURNATM’s two hundred thousand euros (per stereo pair) Pure 200 amplifiers. More »
Based in Serbia, Trafomatic are well known in audio circles, not least for their £100 000 Elysium amplifiers, but they also produce more moderately priced products. However, £2350 is a serious commitment for a headphone amplifier, Janine Elliot takes a listen to the Audio Head 2 and tells us if it is worth the outlay. More »
Stemfoort may not be a name that immediately trips off the tongue when speaking about amplifiers, but the companies heritage goes back to the mid eighties and they are owned by J.E.Sugden, who many will know for their Class A amplifiers. Lionel Payne takes a listen to their SF-200 Passive Line Amplifier costing £2135 for Hifi Pig. More »
In case you are not familiar with the name Unison Research, it is an Italian company in business for some 20 years or so at Treviso, a municipality just to the north of Venice, with a well earned reputation for producing some excellent hifi components. Dominic Marsh has a play with their Triode 25 valve amplifier. More »
APURNA is a new brand of audio amplifier from France, but above all is a brand telling the story of one couple’s “passion for the purest technology and elegance”. After years of work and thought, Catherine and Franck Borne today are proud to launch their analogue amplifier that, they say “delivers not only on performance, but every bit as much on refinement and design”. More »
Dominic Marsh takes a listen to the £ 699 budget conscious Cyrus ONE integrated amplifier for Hifi Pig More »
The £2800 Simaudio Moon Neo ACE is a versatile, all-in-one solution that you need only add speakers to…there’s even an on-board moving magnet phonostage. John Scott finds out just how ACE it really is. More »
Class D is gaining a good deal of momentum in the audio world. Lionel Payne listens to the the Nord One UP NC500 DMST stereo power amplifier costing £1409. More »
Westminster Lab makes no claims as to how good it is, rather just invite you to enter into their ‘new dimension’ of music experience. According to them words are totally futile. But that would make for a short review, so, not known for keeping quiet, Janine Elliot wanted to tell readers about this unique amp costing £32 000. More »
Chord Electronics is showing its new TToby power amp for the first time in the UK at The Indulgence Show (14-16th October). The new TToby is a 100-watt stereo power amplifier and has been designed to complement the Hugo TT DAC/headphone amplifier.
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Hand-built by ATC in the UK, the P2 class A/B stereo power amplifier is designed to complement the brand’s range of hifi preamplifiers aesthetically and operationally. Rated at 300W continuous power per channel and developed in tandem with the P2-Pro studio amplifier, the ATC P2 is a Dual Mono design, keeping the power supplies, signal and return paths discreet. This approach ensures that the amplifier will achieve the maximum signal separation with minimal crosstalk, and that inter-modulation between channels via the power supplies is reduced to an absolute minimum across a frequency range of 400kHz. It also means that the power delivery from one channel cannot affect the specified power available from the other.
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ETAL Group today unveiled a Class D amplifier in a format smaller than a business card – opening the way to highly compact lifestyle electronics, networked audio and battery powered applications. 
Stefan Ruuth, Sales Manager at ETAL, said, “In terms of size-performance, the Anaview ALA is unmatched, delivering amazingly clean and room-filling sound from a very small module. We’ve already seen a lot of interest from designers of networked audio devices, portable audio devices, docking stations, audio receivers, powered speakers and residential audio systems. It’s perfect for applications that need great sound but where space and/or power are limited.”
With overall dimensions of just 68mm x 33mm x 18mm, the ETAL Anaview ALA Series delivers 2 x 45Wrms into 6 Ω. It is designed for board to board mounting and can be powered by a single voltage of 12-25V DC making it easy to integrate. The Anaview ALA has an 80kHz load independent frequency range (-3dB) and a 115dB dynamic range with low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) throughout. Features include an entirely differential patented Adaptive Pole Control (APC) amplifier technology.
The Anaview ALA can be supplied from a simple single voltage AC/DC power supply, commonly available at low-cost, alleviates end-product UL-certification. Alternatively, the low power draw and single-sided supply means that the module is also compatible with Power–over-Ethernet (PoE) for commercial network audio applications where audio and power are provided on a single Cat-5 cable. Equally, it can be easily integrated into battery–powered and rechargeable products.
Creek Audio Systems have recently introduced their Evolution 100 range and here we have two of the line-up for review – namely the Evolution 100CD (£1350) and the 100P (£1350) which Lionel Payne will review for Hifi Pig. More »
At £900 for the amplifier and £995 for the CD player these two units from Audiolab are relatively inexpensive but well specified. Ian Ringstead plumbs them into his system and rather likes what he hears. More »
Now in its 81st year, Quad has been making valve amplifiers for home use since the late 1940s. The company’s latest model, the VA-One, brings the concept bang up to date; a compact integrated amplifier that fuses Quad’s traditional valve-based audio expertise with modern digital audio streaming.
With a footprint measuring just 18x33cm, the VA-One is very compact for a stereo valve amp – sufficiently small to sit comfortably on a desk.
Three digital audio inputs – optical, coaxial and asynchronous USB – support data up to 24-bit/192kHz, and an RCA-phono input gives the option to connect an analogue source like a CD player or a turntable (when used with a suitable phono stage). In addition, those who enjoy the freedom of wireless connectivity can pair smartphones, tablets and computers via Bluetooth, with support for the sonically superior aptX codec.
The preamp section incorporates an ECC83 high-impedance triode, feeding an ECC82 twin triode driver and phase splitter stage. The output stage uses two EL84 pentodes per channel in push-pull configuration, delivering 2x15W.
External styling is classically Quad, finished in traditional ‘Lancaster Grey’. The amp’s front panel sports a smooth-acting volume control incorporating a motorised potentiometer, allowing adjustment via the supplied remote control, together with a headphone output and controls for input selection and Bluetooth pairing.
The Quad VA-One integrated valve amplifier is available from mid-August, priced at £1299.95 (RRP). It joins the similarly styled PA-One headphone amp in Quad’s expanding ‘One’ range of valve-based amplifiers with integrated DAC circuitry.
“The SI-300.2d integrated amplifier is yet another milestone as Cary Audio forges deeper into the new era of sought after premium audio systems” the North Carolina company says in its latest press release. 
The SI-300.2d mates a 300 watts per channel stereo Class A/B power amplifier with analogue RCA and XLR inputs to a Class A analogue preamplifier gain stage. The amplifier itself is biased to run Class A for an extended portion of the power output. The digital section is a chip off Cary’s reference products thereby including technologies like their proprietary TruBit™ Upsampling and OSO™ reclocking features.
Digital inputs include; XMOS USB capable of True native DSD up to 256 and PCM/DXD up to 32 Bit / 384kHz, as well as Coaxial (2), Optical, AES/EBU, and aptX® Bluetooth inputs. All SPDIF and Bluetooth digital sources offer 10 TruBit™ selectable upsampling or PCM to DSD conversion options. On the analogue side, the SI-300.2d includes 4 analogue inputs (2-balanced XLR, 2-RCA), with one each of the XLR and RCA inputs offering true Cinema Bypass features.
Additional features include: a pre/subwoofer output, coaxial and optical digital outputs, IR hand held remote, trigger out, IR sensor input, and Ethernet and Wi-Fi for controlling the SI-300.2d with free iOS and Android apps.
Weight: 52 lbs.
Dimensions: 6″ H x 17.25″ W x 18 ” D
Retail Price: $5,995
The SI-300.2d is now shipping
