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Thursday, February 09, 2012

With headphones now one of the top selling categories in consumer electronics the market has adapted and the audiophile community has latched onto this trend, which was initially driven by neophyte audio listeners.

HiFiMAN, a manufacturer of headphones, high-performance portable audio devices and other components recently introduced its EF-6 headphone amplifier, which it says enables audiophiles and music fans in general to utilize low-efficiency headphones to listen to their favorite tunes.

The 24 pound, robustly built amplifier is made of brushed aluminum and steel with aluminum heat sinks, and internally it provides users with a 5 watt, Class A circuit and a hand-built step attenuator with matched resistors that contribute to its symmetrical output. The EF-6 is stated to produce a quiet 95dB signal-to-noise (s/n) ratio, and HiFiMAN says that as a result of the engineering behind the EF-6, users can enjoy a warm, relaxing sound with lots of detail no matter what headphone it is driving.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

A couple of years ago the Riverside, California A/V manufacturer Proficient introduced its first wireless audio solution it called AirFlex. Recently the company released its latest wireless audio system it calls Zero.

Proficient says the new wireless audio system builds upon the capabilities of the AirFlex and the company says the solution is capable of broadcasting audio signals as far as 90 feet to enable electronics professionals to offer existing home clients whole-house audio solutions that can be tailored to their exact requirements.

Some of the new features Proficient has built into the Zero wireless audio system include the ability to expand up to eight receivers per transmitter, and with the transmitter's three broadcast channels installers can dial in a level of performance that is consistent and reliable. The transmitter also incorporates an optical input that can be transmitted simultaneously with the analog inputs. Proficient says that transmitting all of the inputs allows a transmitter to send "left and right" audio for zone two or rear surrounds, as well as audio for a subwoofer in a home theater. The Zero receiver features a 2x35 watt-per channel amplifier and an LED display that shows system status.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Meridian has earned a reputation within audiophile circles for producing some of the consumer audio industry's finest digital components.

At the recently completed Consumer Electronics Show (CEA) the British A/V company announced its new 818 Reference Audio Core preamplifier that it says will enable its dealers to easily combine its flagship 800 series components with its Sooloos line of digital audio components. The preamplifier incorporates the latest in standard consumer electronics technologies such as XLR (balanced) and RCA (unbalanced) connections, as well as proprietary technologies that include advanced digital signal processing (DSP) and the company's SpeakerLink outputs to facilitate connections to its active DSP line of loudspeakers.

With the 818 Reference Audio Core preamplifier and a choice of Sooloos series components Meridian says that electronics professionals can create a customizable, state-of-the-art audio system for their clients, or they can use the component with standard A/V components to create a system that utilizes the best traditional and digital electronics.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Mark Levinson is one of the most famous names in high performance residential audio and recently at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the respected American manufacturer announced several new products.

Arguably the most interesting of these products is the No.585 integrated amplifier. The No.585 marks a return to the integrated amplifier category, and according to Levinson, the new integrated amp is part of the company's 40th Anniversary Collection of products, which also includes the No.52 Reference Dual-Monaural Preamplifier, the No.519 SACD and the No.560 Digital Audio Processor.

The No.585 integrated amplifier's amplification section is rated to deliver 225 watts into an 8-ohm load, and it offers a choice of three line-level analog inputs, as well as a moving-magnet (MM)/moving-coil (MC) phono input. Levinson also includes a choice of HDMI 1.3, USB, AES/EBU, and coax S/PDIF inputs, along with USB and S/PDIF digital outputs. Internally the integrated amp incorporates 24-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converters (DACs); on-board bass management with high-pass filtering, low-pass crossover controls for use with a subwoofer and the company's SSP mode that supports the unit's integration into a home theater system.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

It doesn't matter if you are a die-hard two-channel enthusiast or a home theater lover when it comes to owning McIntosh gear. The company makes products that satisfies the demands of both markets without compromise.

Adding to its home theater legacy, the Binghampton, N.Y.-based company introduced its latest product to the home theater category: the MC8207 home theater amplifier. McIntosh says the new amplifier is engineered to provide the luxury, high-performance with a product that performs to the highest levels. McIntosh says the seven-channel amplifier incorporates its proprietary Dynamic Power Management circuit that allows for full power delivery into 4- and 8-ohm speaker loads. Aesthetically, the amp features the company's new "theater style" LED watt meters, which allows users to monitor the amount of power sent to their system's front three speakers.

McIntosh says the amp is rated to deliver 200 watts per channel, and it can be used with the company's line of A/V controllers to form a complete home theater electronics solution.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Back in the day there were two ways to listen to music: vinyl and the radio. Today however, vinyl and the radio are just two of the choices music fans have, and in fact many people start with a record or the radio and move on to a CD, DVD, Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-Audio, streaming Internet radio, a streaming service or their iTunes software before they are done with their music listening activities.

NuForce's new Dia digital integrated amplifier is a compact all-in-one solution that supports a music enthusiast's ability to tap into all of today's formats without having to invest the time, space and money of owning a rack full of gear.

The Dia incorporates 24-bit/192kHz DACs, as well as an amplifier section that is rated to deliver 18 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load and 24 watts per channel into a 4-ohm load. The unit also includes two Toslink inputs, a digital coax connection and a 3.5mm line out connection. NuForce says with the small footprint solution electronics professionals can connect a traditional A/V source like a disc player, along with devices such as an Apple TV and Airport Extreme to utilize the latest in audio entertainment.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Since the advent of Class D amplifiers the audiophile community has generally shrugged off these products, as cheap and inferior to traditional Class A and Class A/B amplifiers.

The Canadian manufacturer Anthem is looking to change the audiophile community's perception of Class D products through the release of its Anthem Statement M1 monoblock amplifier. The M1 uses a Class D architecture, which afforded the company the ability to design an efficient, small footprint amplifier that delivers high levels of power with low distortion. Anthem says the amp took nearly 10 years to engineer and it says that most of that time was devoted to the research and development of the technology to push it beyond its current performance levels.

Anthem says the M1 incorporates a proprietary load monitoring system that includes a digital signal processor that operates outside of the signal path to monitor line voltage, output current, ground faults, temperature and DC voltage at the output to ensure the amp works with 120 volt and 240 volt circuits. The company rates the monoblock amp to produce 1,000 watts of power into an 8-ohm load and 2,000 watts into a 4-ohm load.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

The enthusiast audio market is populated with many quality brands that quietly go about their business serving the niche audiophile crowd. One of those companies is the Colorado-based manufacturer Jeff Rowland Design Group who for years has been producing a complete line of two-channel electronics.

Jeff Rowland's latest product is the Model 625 Stereo amplifier and the company says the amp incorporates a balanced topology that reduces distortion and aids the amp's ability to create a low noise floor that reproduces low-level detail. Rated to deliver 300 watts into an 8-ohm load and 550-watts into a 4-ohm load, the company also states that the amp also employs a composite circuit architecture with separate Class A/B voltage and current gain blocks with no overall negative feedback.

The amp also features a precision-machined chassis with integrated aluminum heat sinks and a transformer-coupled input circuit that includes the company's Power Factor Correction (PFC) power supply to eliminate ground loops and AC harmonic line noise to supply the gain circuit with clean power.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Within the audiophile community the company Music Hall has built a reputation for delivering a high level of performance at reasonable price points.

The New York-based company's latest product offers homeowners a reasonably priced all-in-one solution that incorporates everything a user will need to playback their vinyl, CD and other media collections without having to purchase a separate amplifier. The new a70.2 integrated amplifier employs a dual-mono amplifier design that are driven by two toroidal transformers that help the unit to deliver 125 watts of power to each channel. The a70.2 also includes CD, tuner, Aux, iPod, XLR and moving magnet (MM) phono inputs to accommodate everything from CD Players and iPhones, to turntables and TVs.

Music Hall also includes other options such as preamp outputs, headphone outputs, a detachable power cord for cabling upgrades and a dimmable vacuum florescent display to enable users to easily read the status of the unit.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

For the longest time the only thing that kept the tube amplification market alive were guitar players and their preference for tubes. More recently however tube products in the consumer electronics market have started to make a comeback.

Joining tubes in the world of consumer electronics comebacks are a pair of Bobs---Bob Carver and Bob Farinelli--- and the duo's new company Bob Carver LLC first product releases are two new monoblock tube amplifiers. Carver's new Cherry 180 (VTA180M) and Black Beauty (VTA305M) are rated to deliver 180 watts RMS and 305 watts RMS into 8 ohm loads respectively, and the company says that both monoblocks are engineered to drive demanding loads.

The amps incorporate high-impedance inputs, automatic DC restorer circuits, "set and forget" bias adjustments, and they operate with low-idle currents to maintain tube life. Other features offered in the amps include selectable feedback control that allows users to change the sound of the amp from a vintage tone to a modern voiced amp.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Cary Audio is a North Carolina-based company that offers the custom electronic industry a diverse line of electronics that ranges from tube products to compact digital products that fill the growing computer audio niche.

The company's latest products launch fits both the two-channel and multichannel audio categories and it's designed to provide dealers with a choice of affordable, high-performance solid state amplifiers that can be used in many ways. The newly introduced SA-200.2 and SA-500.1 from Cary Audio incorporate a new design that features a modular approach that is said to ensure consistent performance, while aiding in the efficiency of manufacturing and servicing.

The SA-200.2 is a two-channel amp that's rated to deliver 200 watts into an 8-ohm load and 350 watts into a 4-ohm load. The SA-500.1 is a monoblock amplifier that's rated to deliver 500 watts into an 8-ohm load and 1,000 watts into a 4-ohm load. Both amps also incorporate a choice of single-ended RCA and balanced XLR inputs. Cary says the amps are engineered to run reliably with low impedance loads and feature 3dB of dynamic headroom to handle the most demanding audio content.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Harman's Lexicon brand is well known in the pro audio and enthusiast consumer markets, and with the release of its new DD-8 Multi-Room Amplifier the company is looking to make the same type of impression with custom installers.

Using its proprietary DriveCore technology that was co-developed with Texas Instruments, the amplifier is rated to deliver 125-watts to each of its eight channels. The compact, rack-friendly amplifier's dimensions are 1.7-inches high by 17.3-inches wide and 14.9-inches deep, and it weighs under 10 pounds.

Engineered to run coolly, Lexicon says the amp can be used for whole-house audio and home theater and it incorporates provisions such as Phoenix speaker connections, bus inputs and outputs, local channel inputs, a choice of mono or stereo for each output pair, output level adjustments for each channel and trigger options for control purposes.

Friday, May 13, 2011

For decades the Scottish A/V manufacturer Linn Products has set a high standard of design and performance with its line of products.

Over the past couple of years after releasing several home theater products the company has returned to its roots of two-channel audio, but with a twist: it's fully embraced digital audio. The latest product releases to support its emphasis on two-channel digital audio is its new Dynamik power supply, Klimax Solo monoblock amplifier and Klimax Twin stereo amplifier.

Linn says the Dynamik is engineered to lower the noise floor levels of products that are powered by the Dynamik, and the amplifier products; the Klimax Solo and Klimax Twin both employ short signal paths, the company's high-efficiency ultra-linear power amplifier technology and its velvet-touch chassis design that are machined from single billets of aluminum.

These new products join other products in the Klimax line such as the Klimax speakers, Kontrol preamplifier, Klimax DS music server and Aktiv active crossover to provide dealers with a systematic approach to two-channel system building.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Lost in all of the hype of digital audio and even the resurgence of vinyl as a legitimate format is that the industry is also seeing a renewed interest in tube-based technologies.

One of the leading manufacturers of tube-based components in the consumer electronics industry is Minn.-based Audio Research. The company's latest product is its new Reference 150 Stereo Power Amplifier, which it is a replacement for its Reference 110 amplifier. Using the same physical dimensions as the REF 110, the REF 150 features a revised industrial design, as well as a fully balanced circuit design. The amp's back panel features XLR (balanced) outputs, 4-, 8- and 16-ohm output taps and 12-volt triggers to support its integration into a modern home audio system.

Audio Research says the amp utilizes the same design concepts as its anniversary model products, which includes robust power supplies, circuit design and the company's "partially cathode-coupled' topology, which the company says is a better state of operational status than traditional pentode or triode operation. The amp produces full bandwidth 150 watts of power through a tube combination of four 6H30 in the driver stage and four KT-120 tubes in the output stage, and internally the amp keeps cool through the implementation of speed selectable fans.

Friday, April 29, 2011

If someone were to ask three different people to define home theater odds are the responses back would provide three entirely different answers. These answers would like likely include references to video, surround sound, streaming media and traditional two-channel audio content.

Cary Audio's newly released Cinema 12 home theater processor is a component that installers can use to cover the entire home media spectrum, including 3D. The Cinema 12 is a replacement for the company's Cinema 11a pre/pro and the new unit incorporates features such as four HDMI 1.4a inputs to support 3D video playback, as well as other 1.4 specifications like 48-bit Deep Color, an Audio Return Channel, an Ethernet Channel and CEC power on/off controls.

Available in a choice of either black or silver finishes, the Cinema 12 also offers a full array of the latest audio technologies, including a fully differential-balanced circuit design, Burr Brown 32-bit/192kHz DACs and all of today's surround sound processing modes. Cary also builds in video switching provisions and control options that offer the choice of RS-232, IR, 12-volt triggers and a programmable universal remote that's capable of executing macro commands.