Townshend Audio’s Max Townshend will be explaining through short presentations just how important it is to isolate Hi-Fi components, especially loud-speakers from ground-borne vibrations.townshend_supertweeter_compact_disc

Townshend have been working to measure the phenomenon and will be presenting their results over the weekend at the High End Munich. show.

The team will be on hand to provide the best advice for you.

Townshend will be in Halle 2 M09/NO6

On show:

The full Seismic Isolation range .

Maximum Supertweeters

The Allegri preamp

Rock 7 turntable + Excalibur tone-arm + Merlin power supply

On demonstration :

The Seismic Podium,

Competition:

Win a pair of Townshend Maximum Supertweeters worth £899!

 

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Tellurium Q will be exhibiting at this year’s Munich High End show with Monaco’s Sound Galleries in Halle 4 Room D33.TQ_Munich_High_End

The British cable manufacturer will be showcasing its new Silver Diamond cables that we at Hifi Pig have already been lucky enough to hear…in fact they are in the system at this very moment.

 

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Launched in 2011, the Reference Series is the pinnacle of Acoustic Energy’s loudspeaker engineering and expertise. With a clear lineage that extends back to the original AE1, brought right AE_new_finishes_hifi_newsup to date with cutting edge materials and production techniques, Reference models have only been previously available in Piano Ebony finish.

Following demand from AE customers from around the globe, three new contemporary finishes have been added to this flagship range for 2015; Piano High Gloss Black across the range and Piano High Gloss White plus the ultra-modern Satin White on the Reference 1. The high-tech finishes offer an eye-catching style that complements the aluminium driver and metal trim profiles.

Reference 1: Piano High Gloss Ebony, Black, White and Satin White

Reference 2: Piano High Gloss Ebony and Black
Reference 3: Piano High Gloss Ebony and Black

To complement the Reference 1 and Reference 2, the matching Reference Stands are also available with a matching centre panel.

To celebrate the re-launch of Reference for 2015 with these new cabinet finishes and matching stands, Acoustic Energy is offering special package prices on loudspeakers and matching stands:

Reference 1 / stands: £1,600.00 (saving £275)
Reference 2 / stands: £2,150.00 (saving £275)

 

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Tannoy will be rocking this year’s Munich High-End audio show with three new floorstanding loudspeakers. The Revolution XT 8F is the flagship of the new Revolution XT series, boasting the Tannoy_high_end_munich200mm (8.00in) version of the all new Omnimagnet Dual Concentric driver with matching 200mm bass driver in Revolution’s signature trapezoid cabinet. This latest iteration features twin-cavity port loading and a downward firing port for deep bass and easy room placement.

Building on the strength of the Definition series, the high efficiency Definition DC10Ti  with its contemporary curved cabinet, 250mm (10.00”) Dual Concentric driver and mass-loaded stabilising plinth is set to catch the eye as well as the ear of Munich visitors.

For traditionalists no High End Show would be complete without a Tannoy Prestige model. This year’s Prestige will be the Limited Edition Turnberry GR with its Alnico Dual, custom crossover and unique LE trim. Tannoy will also be displaying the entire revolution XT series, the Definition DC8Ti, Limited Edition Precision models and an exciting new finish option for the mighty Kingdom Royal.

 

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At the High End Show 2015 in Munich Norwegian high end cable manufacturer will show and give auditions with their new upgraded audio cable product lines. The cables have been upgradedSkogrand_high_end_munich with increased flexibility, easy installation and handling, enhanced durability, redesigned inner frameworks and general cosmetic enhancements.

They will also be introducing their new SCD Grieg digital interconnects 75 Ohm and AES/EBU 110 Ohm.

Knut from Skogrand says they will be bringing their top of the line cables, the SC and SCI Beethoven cables, to the show together with the SC and SCI Tchaikovsky, SCAC Wagner, SC Ravel and SC Brahms models.

Skogrand will be co-exhibiting with ModWright, Tune Audio and VPI in room E215 Atrium 4 2nd floor.

 

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French manufacturer Amadeus is previewing a ‘Hi-Fi’ model of their new ‘Philharmonia’ speakers at the ‘High End’ Show in Munich. The Company expects to release the Hi-Fi model of the newAmadeus_high_end_munich Philharmonia reference speakers in Q4 of 2015, with pricing to be announced soon. Amadeus can be found at the High End Show in Halle 3 J05/K08.

The new ‘Philharmonia’ 2-way, self-powered speakers feature a 28-mm soft-domed tweeter and a handmade 8-inch woofer. The ‘Philharmonia’ comprises a line level input with a customised analogue integrated tone control system.

The speakers were designed by Amadeus’ Michel DELUC, who has designed speakers over the past 30 years, along with French architect Jean Nouvel, who created the Philharmonie de Paris building, home to the Paris Symphony Orchestra and the custom recording studios, that feature the first sets of the new ‘studio version’ of the Amadeus Philharmonia speakers.

The ‘studio’ version of the Philharmonia speakers were unveiled at the Prolight + Sound Expo in Frankfurt in April, 2015.

Bernard BYK, co-founder and CEO of Amadeus, says, “Imagine a reference sound reinforcement system, adapted to the dimension of this architectural gem, with exceptional design, ergonomics and acoustics is a kind of consecration! Jean Nouvel’s imagination, exuberance and creative genius brought a brilliant solution, beyond the original specifications. Amadeus especially praises tradition. Combining innovation and timeless beauty, this system, christened ‘Philharmonia’, embodies the know-how, the creativity and the values on which we have been building our History for more than 35 years.”

Gaetan BYK, Marketing Manager at Amadeus, continues describing the genesis of the Philharmonia speakers, “This project, under the direction of Jean Nouvel, is the result of a unique collaboration between professionals with talents, sensitivities and careers, both original, and complementary. They have achieved an amazingly transparent sound as well as a stunning look with Philharmonia. We have been pursuing this quest for ultimate timbral neutrality, along with musicians, recording engineers and artists who use our products, for a very long time. Now we can bring this result to the Hi-Fi community. We look forward to the reactions at the High End Show in Munich.”

 

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French breakthrough technology company LEEDH, whose very distinctive E2 loudspeakers we loved when we reviewed them, will be at the High End show in Munich in Atrium 4.2, room E210 Enceinte-Leedh-C_170-410

LEEDH will present a full optimized system and say that it will be the most neutral and holographic representation of an original recorded sound you will hear!

The system for Munich will be composed of :

– LEEDH E2 Loudspeakers

– 20.1 Subwoofer

– Universal cable

– Swissonor RIA preamp

– Thorens TD160 turntable with Orthofon cartridge

– Devialet Dual D200

 

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British hi-fi brand Exposure is updating its range to add fresh features to meet the latest audiophile wants.Exposure 2010S2-D Integrated (with CD player) silver

Currently being released is the 2010S2-D, an upgraded version of the 2010S2 integrated amplifier. Like its predecessor, the new 2010S2-D comes with six line level inputs. However, one of these is now a direct AV input with fixed gain, to enable integration within a surround sound system.

Special high-quality capacitors are used in the signal path and the circuit topology has been mapped with a view to keeping signal and power supply paths short.

The power supply in the 2010S2-D an entirely bespoke 200 Watt toroidal power transformer which feeds two large reservoir capacitors to provide ample power. To ensure excellent performance in all situations, Cascode circuitry improves immunity to noise and ripple on the power supply rails.

A preamp output allows for tagging-on of a separate power amplifier, in case you want to bi-amp your system. Speaker terminals are doubled to allow bi-wiring.

Finally, there is also the option to fit a moving magnet or moving coil phonostage inside the 2010S2-D, enabling a one-box amplifier solution for vinyl playback.
The Exposure 2010S2-D integrated amplifier is available now in silver or black, priced at £1,020. The optional MM or MC phono boards are priced at £110.

 

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Soundkaos will be exhibiting at the High End show in Munich and have their wave 40 audio Speakers and the new SK16 Skinny model on demo.SWISS_affair_Munich'15
In a supporting act they be showing/demoing both their D12 and D8 sub wave units with their external amplifier modules.

Partnering equipment will be from NAGRA Audio Technology Switzerland and all sound and power conductors from VOVOX a Swiss manufacturer of pro/high end audio cables.

The company will feature the brand new just launched CLASSIC amplifier from NAGRA together with their HD DAC, Jazz Pre amplifier, CD Player and MSP power supply.

On the sound conductor side they will have all VOCALIS IC’s and powered supply cables/distributors from the TEXTURA range.

All this will take place in our custom built sound room in Hall 1 of the downstairs MOC. Their location is stand T11.

 

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Métronome Technologie was founded in 1987 and designs and manufactures all their products in France, in its workshop located in Roquemaure near Toulouse. Music_center_high_end_munich

The Munich HighEnd show has been for years a classic of the audio high-end industry, and Métronome says they are proud to exhibit again this year, together with a partner for loudspeakers  the Canadian company Focus Audio.

Metronome will display the following:

MUSIC CENTER : a music server, the first one from Métronome, for storage and display of all hi-resolution files formats. The Music Center will also read CDs, with a ripping function.. All functions monitored with specific app on all tablets and smartphones.

CD8 S : this is the evolution of their CD8, DAC and CD Player combo. The implementation of new DACs and USB input allows reading of DSD files in native format (up to DSD128).

Le Player : entry-range CD player and DAC, unveiled at CES in January 2015 and already on the market.

C8 + : C8 is the big converter from Métronome, and the “+” evolution includes DSD reading..

You can see them in ATRIUM 4.2, room 222.

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Concrete Audio of Germany presents its monolithically poured loudspeakers at Munich High End show. F1, the world’s flattest loudspeaker, active and wireless and made of concrete.concrete_audio_munich_high_end

They include an integrated amplifier, streams using Audiofly Syncronice and are just 32mm thick.

 

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Leema Acoustics’ new high-end Libra DAC will be shown for the first time in mainland Europe at High-End, Munich. The Welsh company will be at High End this year with a wide range of Welsh-Leema_high_end_munichmade hi-fi, including the new Libra DAC (£6,000).

Based in Halle 1, S10, Leema Acoustics’ Lee Taylor and Mallory Nicholls will be debuting the new Libra for the first time in mainland Europe. The new flagship DAC will be joined by the Hydra II stereo power amp (£ 3,595), plus both the Xone 2.5 floorstanding speakers (£1,750) and the diminutive new Xen 2 micro monitor (£1,295).

In addition, Leema Acoustics will also have selected models from its wide range of hand- made hi-fi on static display. The new Libra DAC is expected to be in retailers in the weeks that follow High End.

 

 

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Graditech whose Lumi cable system we reviewed some time ago will be sharing a room with Lansche who will be demonstrating their plasma tweeter speakers, Mola Mola amplifiers and graditech_munich_high_endInnofusor who have a  unique acoustic material made from peat on show.

The room, as you can see from the picture looks great.

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Making its world premiere at this year’s High End Munich is the Art Deco valve Pre-Phono from Polish manufacturer Zontek.Zontek_phono_munich_high_end

Three inputs are available to serve all 3 tonearm bases of the company’s turntable from single unit, each fully adjustable to handle every cartridge loading. A single set of RCA and Balanced signal outputs are available.

 

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Chord Electronics is set to launch a new reference-level product at High End, Munich. The new device will be revealed to invited guests* by John Franks and Rob Watts at 6pm on the opening Chord_munich_high_end_newsday of the show. “Its introduction will mark the end of an era for one of Chord’s best-loved devices, but will showcase Chord Electronics’ extraordinary capability in high-end digital audio” says the company’s recent press release.

The Kent-based company is hosting its biggest-ever High End this year. In addition to its now familiar atrium-located demonstration room, Chord will have dynamic product displays and meeting room facilities in a suite shared with its German distributor, G8 and friends.

Attendees to the two Chord rooms will get the chance to experience the new 2Qute DAC, Chord’s flagship Reference system, a full Choral system, plus see and hear the new Hugo TT and Hugo. Many more key products will also be available, including the new CPM 2800 MkII.

Room C122 in Atrium 3 will have Hugo TT and Hugo demo stations, plus key Chord team members including John Franks, and for Thursday and Friday, Rob Watts will also be present. Room F104 in Atrium 4 will have a full Reference system on demonstration.

 

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11. May 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Hifi News · Tags:

High End Munich 2015 is almost upon us and we at Hifi Pig are busy bringing you all the latest news as we get it. MUNICHLOGOSQUAREMERRILL1
Here is an update of the previous weeks news and a couple of articles about things to do and see in Munich other than High End.

Mark Levinson No. 536 To Be Unveiled At Munich High End

Soulutions To Introduce Three New Products at High End Munich

Merging Technologies To Launch NADAC DAC At Munich High End

Things To Do in Munich Other Than The High End Show – Art Galleries and Museums

LAB 12 Introduce Three New Products for High End Munich

Definitive Audio At Munich – A Must See Room !

Meridian At High End Munich

Things To Do in Munich Other Than The High End Show – Out and About in The City

Diesis At Munich

EMMESpeakers At Munich High End

Aurender To Launch New Music Server at Munich High End

Lumen White To Premiere White Light Anniversary at Munich High End

Lector Audio At High End Munich

More news will be added as and when we get it and don’t forget to look out for our comprehensive show reports.

If you are going to High End Munich this year then don’t forget to say hello to us!

 

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Italian brand Lector Audio will be exhibiting at this year’s High End Munich with their full range of products which includes:High_end_munich_lector_audio

  • Dot Bit DSD DAC
  • ZAX 70 integrated amplifier
  • CDP 603 CD player
  • Digitube S 192 DAC

They will be in  Halle 3 booth L08.

 

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11. May 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Hifi News · Tags:

Berkshire-based high-end audio distributor Sound Fowndations has announced they will be delivering USA brands Musical Surroundings and Fosgate to the UK market.Fozgometer

California-based Musical Surroundings is widely known is its home country as a hi-fi distributor (with inbound brands including Germany’s AMG and Clearaudio) as well as a manufacturer of a small range of phonostages and DACs.

Musical Surroundings’ products are designed by audio engineer Michael Yee, who has put a great deal of thought into the concept of why we listen. “Many conversations about high-end audio focus on the nuances of accurately reproduced sound,” says Yee, “but our design philosophy goes beyond being accurate. Body, texture, and the overall beauty of the sounds are important considerations.”

To that end, Yee applies the concepts of tonal imaging and harmonic integrity, which are at the heart of Musical Surroundings’ technology. Tonal imaging is a set of techniques allowing for objective evaluation of the different components of sound, while harmonic integrity relates to the accurate placement and balance of sound within a listening field.

At the same time, the brand is equally committed to delivering high fidelity at a reasonable cost and so Musical Surroundings’ Phenomena II, Nova II and Supernova II phonostages, as well as the MYDAC II, are all fully adjustable audiophile-grade components with a surprisingly mid-range price tag.

World-class audio engineer Jim Fosgate is the vision and expertise behind the Fosgate brand. His award-winning Fozgometer has developed something of a cult status in the USA. Hailed as a breakthrough for azimuth adjustment, the Fozgometer is a small portable battery powered unit that is used in conjunction with a test record. It measures channel separation over a wide range of signal levels, channel balance and signal direction quickly and accurately. Readings are taken without needing to touch the unit, leaving your hands free to work with the tonearm.

Chris Green, Sound Fowndations’ Managing Director, said, “I suspect that the Fozgometer’s popularity in the USA could soon be mirrored here in the UK. Our first order went in, and then the products went straight out again. And deservedly so, this is a brilliant piece of kit.”

Meanwhile, the Fosgate Signature Tube Headphone Amplifier has also been making waves. It uses unique and patented circuit topologies that aim to elevate the headphone listening experience and which were reviewed by CNET’s Steve Guttenberg as “one of the very best-sounding amps I’ve ever used”.

Lumen White will premiere the “white light anniversary” reference monitor loudspeakers at the munich high-end show 2015  celebrating 15 years of benchmark shifting innovation in high end M-Y-S-T-E-R-E-2010-G-S-Paudio design.

Introduced  in  2000,  lumen  white`s  original  “white  light”  reference  monitors featured the world`s first all-ceramic driver array, “radically advanced pressure- and flow-dynamics optimized, air-damped, instrument-grade  tone-wood  cabinets,  purist  crossover  design  and  further advancements of the art”.

5 years in the making, a completely new generation of significantly advanced, custom designed drivers and continuous refinements of their loudspeaker technologies have prepared the stage for lumen white to introduce the latest generation of their reference monitor speaker designs. The new technologies will be premiered in a special “anniversary” model of the iconic “white light” monitors format.

The “white light anniversary” reference monitors will be premiered in a white macassar finish at the High End 2015 show in Munich, together with the latest generation of lumen white`s limited edition “mystere” air bearing turntable system (pictured). The products will be demonstrated in hall 1, booth S03, may 14 through may 17.

 

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Aurender will be at this year’s High End Munich event in Halle 4 E17 where they will introduce the new N100H Music Server/Player.Aurender_media_player_munich_high_end

“The N100H Server/Player allows users store up to a 2TB music collection via its internal hard drive. And while its performance is audiophile-quality, you don’t have to be an IT expert to setup and enjoy the N100H,” says Harry Lee, Aurender’s Director. “It has all the qualities that an audio enthusiast seeks, but with streamlined simplicity, design, and tremendous functionality for the average user. The 2TB drive provides enough space to store all but the most extensive music libraries making the N100H the ideal solution for most music lovers.”

The N100H Server/Player accesses and plays music stored on an internal drive and also provides for storage capacity expansion via an external network-attached-storage (NAS) device or USB hard drive.

Because the N100H features Solid-State-Drive (SSD) cached playback of the 2TB internal or NAS or USB attached drives (via its 120GB SSD), both internal and external drives simply store music. When music is selected, it’s quickly loaded into the SSD cache drive for playback.

You can control the N100N Server/Player with the Aurender Conductor App for iPad (or the new Android “Lite” App).

The N100H with 2TB internal storage and 120GB SSD for caching playback is available May, 2015 ($2,699).

 

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Here’s a sneaky peek at the upcoming COPERNICUS by EMMESpeakers, that will be presented at the Munich High End Show 2015 (Halle 3 – Stand L08). 08052015-IMGP3963
They have a “rust-like” finish which is quite unusual we thought….

More pictures of these and lots more in our upcoming show report from High End Munich.

 

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Diesis Audio whose Aura loudspeakers Hifi Pig reviewed got in touch to tell us they will be at HiGH END Munich, at Hall 3 stand G 14. A full demonstration room will be set up at diesisthe HiFi DeLuxe show in Munich May 14th to May 16th.  where their full range of speakers (Caput Mundi, Aura, Ludos) and their integrated amp, Evento 20-11 are going to be demoed.

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Munich is a truly stunning city with amazing architecture and there is nothing I like more than wandering around a city armed with a camera…it is the perfect way to get to know the place.MUNICHLOGOSQUAREMERRILL1

The underground system is excellent and aside from getting you to the High End Munich Show it can wiz you around to different parts of the city safely and efficiently when your feet start to get tiered!

The Marienplatz is the main square in the centre of Munich, you are bound to end up here at some point so take a chance to stroll around, look in the shops and admire the buildings.

It was originally where the market was held and is the place where Munich’s two town hall’s.  The Alte (old) Rathaus was practically destroyed in WWII and then rebuilt so strangely it looks newer than the Neue (New) Rathaus which also houses the Glockenspiel Clock.  The clock puts on a show when it chimes at 11am, 12pm and 5pm and the figures spring into action.

The square is named after the column which is is topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The Viktualienmarkt is where the Munich market moved to and is perhaps the most stunning market I have ever visited, even if you are not shopping it is a feast for the senses featuring lavish displays of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bread and flowers.

There is a beer garden in the centre and a traditional Maypole and numerous small bars and cafes among the stalls selling food and drink.

It is open Monday to Saturday.

A perfect place to shop, browse, eat, drink and people watch.

I am yet to make it to the English Garden which was Europe’s first urban park, so I am hoping for some time off coinciding with sunny weather when we visit Munich this year.

The English (Englischer) garden is so named as the landscaping follows the English style of gardening, with winding paths through ponds, meadows and woods.

There is of course a selection of beer gardens for refreshments and also a Chinese Tower.

You may also see surfers on the rapids and apparently it is fine to sunbathe nude here!

The Olympic Park was built for the 1972 Olympic games and is now a popular tourist attraction with lots to do including the possibility to walk over the stadium roof and an incredibly high Olympic Tower to go up….owing to Mr Hifi Pigs aversion to heights we will probably give this a miss!

The Frauenkirche is Munich’s main cathedral and is another building that was badly damaged in WWII and restored since.

It features twin domes and stunning stained glass and also the Devils footprint where the Devil was said to have stamped his foot in rage when he was trying to steal the soul of the builder of the church.

There is plenty to discover so try and get out and about if you have the time…more information here from the Munich Tourist Board.

http://www.muenchen.de/rathaus/home_en/Tourist-Office

 

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Flare Audio is planning to take its technology to the listening public, with the launch of a campaign on Kickstarter to raise awareness of its consumer headphones. The campaign launched this Team_Flareweek (May 5th) and runs until June 3rd 2015.

The Kickstarter campaign enables investors to purchase one of three in-ear R2 models, and the R1 Mk2 over ear model, all at an introductory campaign price that will revert to full SRP following the end of the campaign. Hifi Pig recently reviewed the R1.

“The Reference R2 in-ear phones provide listeners with an ‘in the room’ experience, and takes Flare’s innovation in distortion-free sound to the micro level. The R2’s innovative design offers unrivalled purity of sound in a small, lightweight package, while its enclosures are precision-milled so that the pressures on both sides of the driver are balanced. The sound is channelled to minimise internal reflections as it travels into the ear” says the recent press release  we received..

The R2 earphones will be available in the following options:

  • R2ANatural aluminium
  • R2ABlack anodised aluminium
  • R2A Olympic Studios Limited Edition anodised in Olympic Red.
  • R2S Stainless Steel: Each R2S is manufactured from a solid bar of stainless steel 303. This material is 6x stronger than aluminium 6082, with the idea being to improving sound quality when coupled with Flare’s pressure-balancing technology.
  • R2PRO Titanium:Each R2PRO enclosure is manufactured from a solid bar of titanium grade 5. This material is 12x stronger than aluminium 6082 and is the only element to feature a close packed hexagonal structure. It’s this atomic symmetry coupled with R2’s cylindrical design (the strongest possible shape) and Flare’s patent-pending pressure-balancing technology that results in the R2PRO’s enclosure being very rigid.

The Reference R1 Mk2 over-ear headphones follow the soft launch of the R1s earlier this year. These have been designed for the pro audio market and provide distortion-free sound using Flare’s patent-pending Space™ and Vortex™ technologies to remove loudspeaker ‘noise’, keeping the audio signal true to the artist’s original sound. They’re serious kit for those who are serious about sound, and the longer you listen the more the ears ‘adjust’ to hearing ‘pure sound’, as it was created as source.

Options for backers range from pre-ordering one headphone models for delivery this summer, including Flare’s ‘want list’ R2 titanium grade 5 model. In addition, to celebrate the unique Flare Audio relationship with Olympic Studios, the company is offering Kickstarter investors a limited edition of their Reference R2 earphones, anodised in Olympic Studios red in limited edition Olympic branded carry bag.

 

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