Enter the new X1 from Alpha Design Labs (ADL), a division of Tokyo-based brand Furutech. The X1 is a small, discrete and high-spec’ portable headphone amplifier and digital to analogue convertor (DAC). It supports digital input from Apple iOS devices up to 16-bit/48kHz as well as 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution files from PC via USB. In addition, […]
Auden Distribution has announced the availability of the LUMIN audiophile network music player to UK retailers. LUMIN, from Pixel Magic Systems, is billed as a high-end network music player that supports the widest range of audio formats available, including native DSD and lossless recordings up to 384kHz/32bit studio masters. In lossless playback the player supports […]
The Tuning Stick from Akiko comes in a variety of different models including the RCA, the AC and the Universal. They have now introduced the XLR Tuning Stick which plugs into a free XLR input, with the wiring in the plugcoming solely into contact with the grounding of the device. The contents of a Tuning […]
Custom Cable, UK based reseller of headphones, cables and accessories, is launching the Resonessence Herus personal headphone DAC. Small on form factor, at just 63mm long, 32mm wide and 19mm high, the Herus has Asynchronous USB Audio 2.0, DXD and DSD capabilities. Designed and manufactured by Resonessence in Canada, Herus is crafted from a solid […]
The Longdog Audio VDt1 DAC is a £3650 Digital to Analogue Converter that has been designed by well known valve guru Nick Goreham and so expectations were high when Hifi Pig reviewer Jerry plugged it into his system for a proper evaluation. “Three regulated power supplies are provided;- for the digital board main supply, the […]
The Concept 20 loudspeaker from Q Acoustics is a smallish standmount speaker which comes with its own very attractive support stand. It’s been getting rave reviews from all over the place and so we thought it about time that we had a listen to see if the praise they were receiving was justified. “One of […]
Everyone loves a freebie and we were really please to hear that Computer Audio Design (CAD), manufacturer of the CAD 1543 USB DAC, has created a number of free system set-up and optimisation guides, which are now available to download from their website. With computer audio destined to be the dominant source of high-quality music […]
McIntosh Laboratory has introduced the latest version of its free AP1 Audio Player app and very cool looking it is too for a freebie. Version 1.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Store, allowing iTunes® to be run with the classic look and feel of a full sized McIntosh component. Featuring the ‘McIntosh Blue’ watt […]
Commencing on the 1st November, Hi-fi and Custom Installation specialists Music Matters will be hosting a month long series of events based in their Midlands branches and London store showcasing a series of events for customers old and new – The Hi-Fi Festival! “We’re delighted to be hosting this four week Hi-Fi Festival as its […]
Aries Cerat got in touch with Hifi Pig to tell us all about the concept behind their latest preamplifier, the Incito. The Incito preamp comes about from the desire for Aries Cerat to find a high performance preamplifier that matched their latest tube amplifiers whilst keeping costs and size to manageable levels. The Incito has […]
AKG have announced its new K812 reference headphones – a completely new open-back design. The K812 offers an oversized 53mm drivers and copper-covered aluminium voice coils partnered with adjustable headband and extremely soft ear pads which AKG say will ensure comfort in any application, for extended periods of time. “The AKG K812’s are not only […]
There’s a huge problem with HD music today say Benchmark and recent advances in high-resolution digital formats have well outpaced most existing amplifier technologies they say. Whilst recordings are possible that have dynamic ranges that exceed 120 to 125 dB Benchmark claim it’s hard to find a power amplifier that can deliver more than 100 […]
Oppo, those of the famous DVD and BluRay players, have announced they will be launching a new Planar Magnetic Headphone (PM-1) and a headphone amplifier (HA-1). The PM-1 headphones use an FEM optimised magnet system with very high energy Neodymium magnets. The headphones magnetic system and conductor patterns are said to be optimized for maximum […]
“The Cartridge Man is Len Gregory and he’s been making cartridges for a good number of years now. He used to produce a cartridge based on the AKG P8ES, but as AKG ceased production and were eventually bought this eventually meant that Len’s supply of components dried up. Around the same time (twenty-ish years ago) […]
Forming part of the bijou Chordette range, the new Qute EX adds a new chipset and circuit board which enables decoding at up to 384kHz PCM and DSD 128 over USB (against the QuteHD’s 192kHz PCM and DSD 64). Existing QuteHD DACs can be upgraded with the new chipset and board at the factory for […]
JoSound Cartouche loudspeakers use a Voxativ driver and an innovative bamboo construction that makes these €22 000 loudspeakers really stand out from the crowd. “We first came across the JoSound range of loudspeakers twelve months or so ago when we attended the Paris Hifi and Home Cinema Salon and were very impressed with what we […]
Norwegian-based manufacturer and quirkily named QNKTC (Quantization Noise Killed The Cat!) has unveiled its new competitively priced DAC, the £110 AB-1.2. The device has is roots in an open source project, as a hardware implementation of the Audio Widget venture. The project was started by an online group who wanted to develop the very best […]
Hifi Pig announced the launch of these new loudspeaker cables from Atlas way back in June and here Jerry takes a listen to them and gives his impressions of how they perform in his system. “The cables appear well made and very easy to use – the “Z-plugs” (4mm banana) on the set of cables […]
At the top of the Tellurium Q range the Black Diamond USB cable comes in at £636 for a 1 metre length. Dan gives it a serous listen and see if it reaches muster. “The Black Diamond, as all other Tellurium products, doesn’t come accompanied with a huge white paper of techno-babble, it simply comes […]
Keith Monks today announced that the new discOveryOne Record Cleaner had started production in the UK. Jon Monks, son of the founder, Keith, will be demonstrating the discOveryOne Record Cleaner during the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Cleaning is a simple process of applying cleaning fluid and cleaning brush manually in the case of the standard […]
The next generation of Motive speakers from Neat Acoustics, the SX series, will be demonstrated for the first time in Atrium Room 422 of the Denver Marriott Tech Center Hotel at RMAF. The first and most obvious change from original to SX is to the tweeter. A newly designed, aluminium dome that is black anodised […]
Meridian Audio has announced the introduction of their Distributor 3, a seamless way of distributing audio from a central location to three additional “zones”. A zone can be built from a pair of DSP loudspeakers up to a full entertainment system with local sources. Each zone can be fed a discrete audio signal as well […]
When a manufacturer baptises a new audio component in honour of a Greek goddess whose name literally means “beautiful voice” and follows that up with a five-figure price tag, this represents a definite promise and considerable commitment on their part… but that’s just what Gryphon have done. Premiered in late prototype form at the Munich […]
Bryston got in touch with us to let us know what they would be exhibiting at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest this coming weekend and here it is. Loudspeakers will be in the shape of Brystons new Model T Signatures and these will be fed with a pair of S8BSST thousand Watt amplifiers. BP26 preamp […]
Reference Fidelity Components (UK) has expanded its’ services to include full loudspeaker refurbishment including: crossover refurbishment and up-grading services driver replacement internal re-wiring internal damping/wadding improvements cabinet refurbishment new cabinet construction external crossover conversions Paul from RFC commented “There are many loudspeakers from several decades ago which properly fettled are a match for many modern […]
DEQX Pty Ltd, manufacturers of preamp processors providing speaker calibration, crossover and room compensation will be exhibiting at RMAF with their DEQX PreMate. The PreMate delivers the same speaker and room calibration features as the company’s DEQX Mate plus the preamp functions of the HDP-4. DEQX preamp/processors calibrate your space by removing speaker distortion with […]
Raven Audio, a manufacturer of tube preamplifiers, integrated, stereo and monoblock amplifiers will be exhibiting their Silhouette Reference Preamplifier and Silhouette Reference monoblocks driving Joseph Audio Perspective speakers, with a Mytek Stereo192-DSD USB DAC, a Hanss Acoustics T20 turntable with a SoundSmith high-output Paua cartridge, and all Cardas cabling at RMAF this year.. The Silhouette […]
A new Dutch hifi brand arrived on the market, called Simply Audio whose core business of is producing high quality Audio Cables. Simply Audio’s Cadenza series of cables is made of silver and includes loudspeaker cables, two RCA interconnects and a digital cable. Termination is with Audio Note RCA’s or bananas but if clients prefer […]