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Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Features Features; Published: 17 February 2020 17 February 2020

Factory Tour – Focal, Part 2 – A Driver’s Perspective

Saint Étienne

It’s become lore that one of Focal founder Jacques Mahul’s motivations for designing loudspeakers was his fervent desire to listen to quality music ‘dans la voiture’. It was that budding kernel – spawning a high quality car audio driver – that later flowered into JM-lab, a full-blown international transducer-producing concern, then further blossoming into the giant loudspeaker manufacturer Focal is today. Mahul’s self-mandated mission was to create the very best drivers that technology allowed at the time.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Features Features; Published: 15 February 2020 15 February 2020

Factory Tour – Focal, Part 1 – Respect for Wood

Bourbon-Lancy

Fly to Switzerland in order to get to France. But that was the plan prior to touch down. To make the best time ex-Geneva tout suite to Focal’s Franco factory duo in Bourbon-Lancy et Saint Étienne. That way, going Franco-side is an easy 2-hour coach ride from UN-HQ to stop 1 in B-L.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 12 February 2020 12 February 2020

Chord Electronics Ultima PRE 2 Preamplifier Available in Australia

Chord Electronics makes available in Australia its new Ultima PRE 2 preamplifier to perfectly complement the highly acclaimed and award-winning Ultima power amplifiers.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 06 February 2020 06 February 2020

Pro-Ject X1 Turntable Packages Offered in Australia

The X1 turntable, the latest offering from analogue specialist Pro-Ject, is now available in Australia in a number of packaged options with-and-without Ortofon cartridges.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 01 February 2020 01 February 2020

New Reference Models from Audio Research

Enduring American electronics specialist Audio Research has released the Reference 6SE preamplifier and Reference 750SEL monoblock amplifiers, with the latter’s availability being limited to only 10 pairs globally.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 02 February 2020 02 February 2020

Chord Electronics Expands Ultima Amplifier Range

Following the success of the Ultima range of high-tech power amplifiers from specialist Chord Electronics, the company now takes the lessons learnt on those flagship product to the new Ultima 5 and Ultima 6 stereo power amplifiers.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 01 February 2020 01 February 2020

Rogers LS3/5a Classic Loudspeakers

When, in the early 1970s, the engineering team at Britain’s BBC network was tasked with producing a small, dependable, accurate and consistent reference loudspeaker for outside broadcasting audio monitoring, the Dudley Harwood and Spencer Hughes-led team (later of Harbeth and Spendor respectively) produced the archetypal LS3/5. Subsequently, a modification to the original spawned the ‘A’ version which became, simultaneously, the classic and iconic LS3/5a, a superb design that also inspired many licenced versions by major British brands (one of these being Rogers). Its production ran for many years but the diminutive monitor has been in hibernation since the late 1990s. That is until the recent re-emergence of the Rogers brand under a new and dynamic leadership. With new engineering ideologies and in-house manufacturing, the new Rogers entity is now offering a revitalisation of both the iconic LS3/5a and LS5/9 BBC monitors. Here, we embrace the opportunity of scrutinising the classic LS3/5a Classic mini-monitor.

Details: Written by Vedran Simunovic Vedran Simunovic; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 01 February 2020 01 February 2020

in-akustik Referenz LS-4004 & LS-2404 AIR Pure Silver Loudspeaker Cables

Many years ago I bought a pair of speaker cables that retailed for about $550 at their prime but were heavily discounted “for a quick sale”. Despite that, at the time I still thought that I paid a lot (yes, I can be rather mean about some things Hi-Fi!). What I got for my money were (and still are) copper cables, while in-akustik’s Referenz (Reference) speaker cables reviewed here are made of silver. The connectors on my cables are gold-plated, which is great, while in-akustik connectors are plated with rhodium, a much tougher material that forms highly stable low resistance contacts. The list goes on, but to cut the long story short, Reference cables strive to deliver the best possible electrical parameters to your Hi-Fi system with very few – if any – compromises. And they look great!

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 31 January 2020 31 January 2020

Linn LP12 ‘Majik’ Upgrades Offer

From February 1 until the end of March 2020, Linn’s Majik modular turntable, a descendant of the immortal LP12, is being offered in Australia with a range of upgrades at half price which can ultimately elevate it to flagship Akurate level.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 22 January 2020 22 January 2020

Bowers & Wilkins Has a Gift For You!

As part of a new local ‘Diamond Rewards’ promotion to kick-off 2020, Bowers & Wilkins Australia is offering a free gift with selected loudspeaker purchases.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 17 January 2020 17 January 2020

New Rega Research Ania Pro MC Cartridge

From UK analogue specialist Rega Research comes the new Ania Pro Moving Coil cartridge aimed to provide a solution across the company’s acclaimed Planar turntables.

Details: Written by Josh Givorshner Josh Givorshner; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 15 January 2020 15 January 2020

Magico A3 Loudspeakers

In the pursuit of the perfect loudspeaker design, audio engineers are faced with a number of imposing challenges. Obviously, careful thought must be devoted to the proper design of a driver complement, understanding the way in which those drivers, each manipulating or moving air within a given frequency range, will interact with one another in the final design. This complex interaction will in no small part also depend on the nature, components and execution of the crossover network and of course, the partnering or driving electronics (the amplifier) to which the speaker will be connected.