SoundStageAustralia.com

Details: Written by Barry Jones Barry Jones; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 01 December 2019 01 December 2019

Focal Sopra N° 2 Loudspeakers

Now celebrating its 40^th anniversary, Focal was, originally, first and foremost a driver manufacturer. The company’s continual pursuit of excellence has meant investing heavily in R&D, along with state-of-the-art tools to test and evaluate its designs. Confirmation comes via its superb factory and facilities. Not surprisingly, when moving into designing complete speaker systems, the prevailing philosophy was to start with, and to perfect, the drivers first thus avoid the deleterious effects of complex crossover networks. As a result, Focal speakers are typically amplifier friendly and are therefore likely to perform consistently across a wide variety of equipment, giving the owner more freedom to enjoy their favored amplification. The Sopra range embodies the key technologies that Focal developed for its flagship Utopia range, but in a more compact and affordable package, allowing a wider audience to appreciate Focal’s signature sound. Here, we examine the mid-point in the penultimate range – the Sopra N° 2 loudspeakers.

Details: Written by Peter Katsoolis Peter Katsoolis; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 01 December 2019 01 December 2019

Balanced Audio Technology VK-655SE Power Amplifier

The big, black BAT sat staring back at me with the same undeniable presence as “The Object” on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s album of the same name. The Editor had just left, having indeed delivered, as he had promised, “the flagship solid state Balanced Audio Technology amplifier”. Heeding the Call Up, we continued to eyeball each other as I scrounged around for another power cord to plug into its hulking, monolithic, dual mono chassis. The whole planet’s on fire, not least our sunburnt country right now, so what use did I have for all this grid-draining, solid-state fire-power?

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 29 November 2019 29 November 2019

Vinyl Record Cleaning System Expands Cleaning Options

The indisputable efficacy of the Vinyl Record Cleaning System’s Easy Spread n’ Peel (ESP) is now enhanced by further options to restore and maintain your records in pristine condition.

Details: Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer; Category: Features Features; Published: 25 November 2019 25 November 2019

Halcro Eclipse Monoblock Amplifiers Sydney Launch

After a near-ten-year hiatus, which saw the highly-acclaimed and headline-grabbing Halcro marque going into slumber, the Australian company’s recent relaunch has the potential to revive audiophile fervour around the world.

Details: Written by Barry Jones Barry Jones; Category: Reviews Reviews; Published: 15 November 2019 15 November 2019

McIntosh Laboratory MTI100 Integrated Turntable

I’ve never actually owned any McIntosh audio gear, but when I think of the brand the words ‘classic’ and ‘classy’ spring to mind, and in the case of their new MTI100 so does ‘cool’. As an audiophile, I’ve had positive experiences on occasions where I’ve heard McIntosh amplifiers powering speakers like B&W’s 800D and Sonus faber’s Amati Homage. From the moment I first laid eyes on the MTI100 in my local audio store, I’d been eager to review it – when companies like McIntosh, Linn and Naim turn their efforts to unique products such as this, new benchmarks are often set, the whole industry moves forward and everyone who listens to music benefits.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 14 November 2019 14 November 2019

Astell&Kern Awarded for New Luxury Player

The A&ultima line’s flagship SP2000 high-end portable media player has earned South Korean digital specialist Astell&Kern a CES 2020 ‘Honoree’ award.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 12 November 2019 12 November 2019

Rega Research Planar 10 Needle-Drops in Australia

Renowned analogue specialist Rega Research has released its flagship turntable, the new Planar 10 disc spinner with matching arm and cartridge.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 11 November 2019 11 November 2019

Audio Research Reference 160S Amplifier Lands in Australia

As a further extension of the latest-generation ‘Reference’ products from iconic American high-end specialist Audio Research, the new Reference 160S amplifier hits our shores post its announcement at High End Munich in May 2019.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 11 November 2019 11 November 2019

Brinkmann Audio Announces New Taurus Turntable

Launched at High End Munich 2019 earlier this year to much fanfare, the new Brinkmann Audio Taurus turntable takes the company’s sophisticated Direct Drive technology to the next level.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 06 November 2019 06 November 2019

Summer Sounds Sorted

Major Australian distributor Interdyn is promoting the ‘Sounds of Summer’ with a campaign offering audio enthusiasts the opportunity to further enjoy the natural partnership between Hi-Fi and music.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 05 November 2019 05 November 2019

Bluesound & KEF Team Up

Digital solution specialist Bluesound has joined forces with loudspeaker giant KEF in a bundled offer which represents superb value by providing a turnkey sound option with an AU$400 saving.

Details: Written by News Editor News Editor; Category: News News; Published: 03 November 2019 03 November 2019

Audio Solutions Introduces New Virtuoso Loudspeakers

After making quite the splash at High End Munich 2019, Lithuania’s loudspeaker specialist Audio Solutions is now set to make a big impression in Australia with the announcement of the new Virtuoso line and the arrival of Virtuoso M.