News

AVID Hi-Fi has announced its first new turntable since 2018. Priced £10,000, the Acutus Dark Iron replaces the previous Acutus Dark Limited Edition to become the new entry model in the manufacturer’s top-line series, and debuts a new AC motor system – with DSP-generated adjustable speed control – that’s coupled to the deck’s cast aluminium sprung-suspension chassis.

Following on from its all-solid-state REX 500 power amplified, Balanced Audio Technology (aka BAT) has launched a solid-state preamplifier in the shape of the VK-85. Joining the company’s trio of SuperTube preamps, and priced £12,500, the unit is said to result from a new design strategy and employs N-channel MOSFET drivers in the amplifier circuit and a fourth-generation implementation of BAT’s ‘Super Pak’ power supply topology.

Audiovector has returned to the design of founder Ole Klifoth’s first ever loudspeaker – the 1979 Trapez – for a new £15,500 model called Trapeze Reimagined.

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'.

Magico says its new S5 loudspeaker ‘continues what began’ with the S3 2023 model [HFN May ’24], leveraging new design and test technologies at its Californian R&D facility. These include a Klippel Near-Field Scanner to fully quantify its on and off-axis responses, and a laser vibrometer to identify and minimise vibrations in its 1.21m-tall, 118.8kg cabinet.