Chord's first new integrated amplifier in some seven years combines no fewer than four switchmode PSUs and 125W of stereo power into a very stylish Ultima 3 preamp chassis
First seen in 2023 at Munich's High-End show, Chord Electronics' Ultima Integrated is steadily finding its way into selected hi-fi emporia. Based around John Franks' tried-and-tested amplifier architecture [see PM's boxout, p65], it's the entry point to the Ultima family, whose rollout began with the flagship Ultima monoblocks .
Still big in Japan, the SACD takes pride of place in Soulnote's 'ultimate digital playback system' that also includes the option of digital filterless conversion and external clocking
With Soulnote having already proved its analogue mettle in these pages with the E-2 phono preamp , does the brand have similar prowess with digital? And not just with CDs, for this S-3 flagship is a fully-fledged SACD player.
New from Ferrum is a twin-output edition of its Hypsos DC power supply , intended for systems that, for example, feature both its OOR headphone amp and Wandla DAC .
Having previously introduced the 64-bit Tesla G3 processing platform to its Vega G2.2 DAC/streamer and Aries G2.2 digital server/player , Auralic has now turned its focus to the Altair range.
Netherlands-based Grimm Audio has added a second model to its 'Music Player' range, but unlike the 'digital output' MU1 , the £16,950 MU2 integrates DAC and preamplifier stages to become a fully fledged 'hub'.
Available now for £4195 in natural or black anodised aluminium, Lumin's P1 Mini adapts much of the core technology of the Hong Kong brand's P1 streamer/DAC/preamp into a new, compact chassis. Dual ES9028PRO DAC chips and a proprietary FPGA clock system are employed in a conversion stage supporting files to 384kHz/32-bit PCM and DSD512, via network or USB-B connections - further inputs are optical, coaxial and HDMI.
Matrix Audio's three-strong M series finds the digital music brand expanding into new markets with the £9000 MS-1 streamer joined by the £7000 MP-1 pre and £16,000 stereo/bridged mono MA-1 power amp. Claiming to 'simplify human-machine interaction'....
Re-Imagined Watt/Puppy Speaker Returns For Brand'S Half Century
To mark its 50th anniversary, Wilson Audio has resurrected its iconic WATT/Puppy for a ninth iteration - and the first since the dual-enclosure loudspeaker was discontinued in 2011. Called, simply, The WATT/Puppy, it sells for £41,998 in standard WilsonGloss colourways, with custom and premium finish options, plus choice of grille colour, available.
Naim Audio at last offers a CD player, but how does the CDS compare with its rival from Linn, wonder Christopher Breunig and Steve Harris
Apr 1992
My patience was put to the test with the Naim CDS. As I unpacked the two units and coupled them together I experienced a flush of old 'brand loyalty'. Since the days of the original 12S preamp and NAP160 power amp, my meetings with company founder Julian Vereker had been cordial and I had spent several pleasurable years with my NAP250. My frustration came with the waiting time for the player to warm up before listening began.
A very early use of laser interferometry saw B&O sculpt an injection-moulded speaker cabinet that controlled resonances and could be placed on the wall or floor...
Imagine the difficulty of designing a high-quality loudspeaker with a radically new appearance. While buyers were happy to accept amplifiers, tuners and cassette decks with fascias that looked like the dashboard of a Concorde, speakers were furniture and so had to blend in - square box, plain grille and nothing more. If anyone could solve this problem it would be Bang & Olufsen, masters of creating designs that are at the same time futuristic-looking, appealing and enduring.
Chord's first new integrated amplifier in some seven years combines no fewer than four switchmode PSUs and 125W of stereo power into a very stylish Ultima 3 preamp chassis
Naim Audio at last offers a CD player, but how does the CDS compare with its rival from Linn, wonder Christopher Breunig and Steve Harris
A very early use of laser interferometry saw B&O sculpt an injection-moulded speaker cabinet that controlled resonances and could be placed on the wall or floor...
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