darTZeelから、プリメインアンプ「 LHC-208 」登場！！

海外ニュース速報 [World]

200W

Aurenderから、デジタルトランスポート「 X100 Series Music Server 」登場！！USBデジタル出力のみ可能。

海外ニュース速報 [World]

Specification

Control：
Aurender Conductor for iPad Series

Storage:
X100L – 6TB HDD & 120GB SSD
X100S – 1TB HDD & 120GB SSD

Output：
USB 2.0　＊DSD出力可能。

Format：
AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, APE, DIFF, DSF

Size:
X100L – 215mm x 83mm x 355mm
X100S – 215mm x 83mm x 257mm

Weight:
X100L – 7.5kg
X100S – 5.0kg

対応DAC：
・dCS: Vivialdi, Debussy
・MSB: DAC IV, Analog DAC
・Auralic: Vega
・Bricasti: M1
・Weiss: DAC202DSD, Medea + DSD, Medusa
・Chord: Chordette quteHD
・BMC: DAC-1
・Mytek
・Luxman
・Lumin Audio
・Meitner MA1, MA2

WilsonAudio、「 Sasha Series-2 」を正式発表！！！

海外ニュース速報 [World] 新製品速報

[youtube width=”670″ height=”542.3″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9W52566qr0[/youtube]

$29,900

Sasha S2 Press Release

 

Jorma Designから「 Statement 」フラグシップシリーズ登場！！

海外ニュース速報 [World]

Jorma’s new flagship cable, it’s called Statement and will be introduced at CES2014.
For now this series only contain single wire loudspeaker cables and jumpers.

D’Agostinoから、「 Momentum integrated amp 」登場！！！

海外ニュース速報 [World]

Industry awards and new Momentum integrated amp highlight D’Agostino LLC plans for 2014 International CES

At International CES, January 7-10, 2014, in Venetian Hotel suite 29-223, Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems will be debuting its new Momentum integrated amplifier and celebrating many recent honors from industry publications and organizations. The company invites and encourages CES attendees to visit the Venetian suite to audition its latest products.

The Momentum integrated amplifier brings many of the technologies from the Momentum amplifiers and preamplifier to a broader market. From the front, the integrated amp closely resembles with Momentum preamp, with the same illuminated indicator dial inspired by Swiss watches. Like the preamp, the integrated amp offers six balanced XLR inputs. It also continues the preamp’s bypassable tone controls for bass and treble, so the sound can be adjusted to suit the recording, the room or the other equipment in the system, all without affecting fundamental audio quality and musicality.

Using the same essential design concepts as the original Momentum amplifiers, the Momentum integrated amp delivers 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 400 watts per channel into 4 ohms, both rated conservatively. Like the originals, the integrated draws less than 1 watt of power in standby mode, and employs 1% metal-film resistors, 69 MHz output transistors

Berkeley Audio Designから、「 Alpha DAC Reference Series 」登場！！！

海外ニュース速報 [World]

$14,000.00 USD.

 

Berkeley Audio Design is extremely pleased to announce the availability of the new Alpha DAC Reference Series.

The Alpha DAC Reference Series embodies everything we know about digital to analogue conversion taken to an unprecedented level – a level that requires new design concepts & new components at the edge of what is possible.  The result is an immediacy and presence of music reproduction that is simply real.

We literally designed the Reference Series before is was possible to built it.  Almost three years in development, the Alpha DAC Reference Series uses components designed to our specifications that were not commercially available.  Several suppliers were not able to meet our requirements which delayed the release of the Reference Series by more than one year.  But those obstacles were overcome and now the Alpha DAC Reference Series is a reality.

The presence & sonic reality of the Reference Series is the result of digital to analogue conversion at a new level of accuracy made possible by tremendous electrical & mechanical noise isolation coupled with extreme time domain stability.  Ceramic circuit board materials are used in all critical areas and the enclosure is carefully engineered to minimize electrical noise while maximizing mechanical stability.  The Reference Series weighs over 40 pounds and the entire enclosure is precision machined from a a solid billet of 6061 – T aluminum alloy.

A new high output, all metal IR remote control with direct input source selection is provided with the Reference Series.

Careful consideration was given to providing the highest possible reproduction of DSD files by the Alpha DAC Reference Series.  99% of modern DAC’s, including the Alpha Reference Series use mult-bit D/A converters because they provide better performance than 1-bit converters – even those who advertise “native” DSD compatibility.  So, at some point, the 1-bit DSD stream must be converted to multi-bit for all of those DAC’s.

We could, like many other manufacturers, convert 1-bit DSD to multi-bit within the Alpha DAC Reference Series and show “DSD” in the front panel display.  That would be the easiest approach from a marketing perspective.  But that would also mean increasing the amount of processing in the DAC during playback which would degrade audio quality, and audio quality is the reason the Alpha Reference Series exists.

Fortunately, virtually all reproduction of DSD files using external DAC’s occurs with a computer based music server as the source.  If the 1-bit DSD to multi-bit conversion is done first in the computer it can be performed with extremely high precision and superior filtering that preserves all of the content of the DSD file.  Computer DSD to multi-bit conversion can be at least as good as that performed in a DAC and without adding processing noise near or in the D/A converter chip.  Another advantage of computer based DSD to PCM conversion is that if higher performance DSD versions such as DSD 4x appear in the future they can easily be supported with a software upgrade.

For all of those reasons, DSD capability for the Alpha DAC Reference Series is provided by an included state of the art software application that provides either real time conversion of DSD 1x and DSD 2x to 176.4 kHz 24 bit PCM during playback or conversion to 176.4 kHz 24 bit AIFF or WAV files.  The software application is included in the price of the Alpha DAC Reference Series and is compatible with either Windows OS or Mac OS based music servers.

The Alpha DAC Reference Series supports 32 kHz to 192 kHz 24-bit PCM through four input; Balanced AES, Coaxial SPDIF 1, Coaxial SPDIF 2 and Toslink Optical.  Independent, single-ended and true balanced analogue outputs are provided.  Dimensions are 17.5 inches Wide X 12.5 inches Deep X 3.5 inches High.

More detailed information & a brochure for the Alpha DAC Reference Series will be available by the end of December, 2013.

The Alpha DAC Reference Series is being publicly introduced by a full page advertisement in the January, 2014 issue of The Absolute Sound that will reach subscribers in the first half of December, 2013.  Berkeley Audio Designs hope to have units available for CES in January, 2014.

The retail price of the Alpha DAC Reference Series is $14,000.00 USD.

Please note that the Alpha DAC Series 2 will continue to be available at its current pricing and now provides two SPDIF inputs.

 

YG Acoustics、「 Hailey 」のカタログを公開。

海外ニュース速報 [World]

既に日本では発表済みですが、Haileyのカタログが公開されています。
＊海外はCES2014にて正式発表です。

 

YG Hailey Brochure

 

CHORD、DAC/headphone amp「 Hugo 」を正式発表。

海外ニュース速報 [World]

既に、日本では発表会が行われています。

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of our ground-breaking and game-changing DAC 64, we will be launching something very special in the new year. Based on the same FPGA DAC technology that has helped establish Chord Electronics as an authority in digital audio, the company will be introducing a reference-level portable – a world first in audio history.

Called Hugo (because you can take Hugo wherever ‘you-go’), the new device offers studio-master-tape sound quality, advanced connectivity and uncompromising file playback capability, all from a palm-sized player. Hugo is the world’s most advanced headphone amp/DAC, offering five digital inputs including A2DP aptX Bluetooth, plus advanced 384kHz PCM and DSD 128 playback for today’s high-resolution DXD (Digital eXtreme Definition) music files.

The new Hugo, which can be used as both a portable headphone amp/DAC as well as a reference-level source component in a static system, brings the renowned digital audio expertise of Rob Watts and Chord Electronics to serious headphone listening, enabling consumers to experience a world of super-high-resolution music via their headphones. It offers unsurpassed performance and technology and is unrivaled in the marketplace, thanks to its bespoke technology, FPGA circuitry and advanced file-playback capability.

Hugo is ready to take advantage of today’s advanced studio-master-quality (DXD) music files. It can decode sample rates ranging from 44.1kHz to 384kHz (PCM), allowing audiophiles to experience music in true high definition, along with the best possible reproduction of CD-quality music. Hugo also benefits from two advanced USB inputs: one driverless input for legacy USB devices and one asynchronous high- definition USB port for operation up to 384kHz. Thanks to two additional digital inputs, coaxial and optical, any connected component with a digital output will also benefit from Hugo’s advanced technology.

Building on the strengths on the (two-years’-running) What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision ‘Best DAC’ QuteHD, the new Hugo also has A2DP Bluetooth capability and uses a custom-made module with the aptX codec to feed a digital signal directly into the DAC circuitry, so even without cables, high-quality music can still be enjoyed.

In addition to 384kHz PCM files, the Hugo can also process DSD 128 data using the latest DSD-over-PCM standard (DoP). Whether using Mac OS or Windows OS, Chord Electronics’ own proprietary driver software is provided, removing the restrictions of current operating system audio playback.

Hugo has a built-in battery-charging circuit, with a full charge reached in approximately two hours. Hugo takes no power over its USB input (as this is severely limited with many partnering products) and only takes signal data, therefore, it is fully compatible with all iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Further features include an advanced reference-grade digital volume control that does not lose bits.

Like all Chord Electronics products, Hugo is built to last. The casework is precision- machined from aircraft-grade aluminium, with a bright silver hard-anodised finish (note: spotlight image shows titanium-finish prototype). Complementing the design is a top-mounted ‘porthole’ that gives users an intriguing insight into the internal circuitry, which changes colour with differing incoming sample rates.

Hugo is based upon Rob Watts’ and Chord Electronics’ famous bespoke DAC technologies and is the latest edition to Chord Electronics’ beautiful high-performance product range.

Specifications

Inputs
• Optical TOSLink 24-bit/192kHz-capable
• RCA coaxial input 24-bit/384kHz-capable
• Driverless USB input 16-bit/48kHz-capable (designed for tablets/phones)
• HD USB input 32-bit/384KHz and DSD128-capable (for computer/laptop playback; requires driver installation on Windows, others TBC)

Outputs
• 2×3.5mm headphone jacks
• 1×6.35mm (1/4 inch) headphone jack
• 1x (pair) stereo RCA phono output

Technical specs
• Advanced digital volume control
• Crossfeed filter network
• Battery powered for approximately 14 hours operation
• Input, sample rate and volume level indication by colour-change LEDs
• 26K tap-length filter (more than double when compared to the QuteHD DAC)
• THD: 140dB
• Headphone output: 110dB SPL into a 300ohm headphone load

Focal、「 UTOPIA GOLD VERSION 」を発表！！

海外ニュース速報 [World]

New exclusive finish: the prestigious Focal Utopia range takes its best clothes and is now available on demand in Gold finish.

Utopia Finition Gold

Utopia III is a world reference loudspeaker line, an icon which incarnates the luxury and the values of the Focal brand. Our leitmotif for Utopia has always been to push back the limits… Today, the new exclusive “Gold Finish” just brings an extra touch of luxury to the famous line of the Grande Utopia EM.

This new “Gold finish” consists of real 24-karat gold leaves a several microns thick and requires the special techniques and expertise of our cabinet-making facility in Bourbon Lancy.

The cost for the Gold finish for models in the Utopia III is double the cost of the catalogue version.

Once ordered, products with this finish will require 3 months to complete.

WilsonAudioから、「 SASHA W/P Series2 」登場！！！

海外ニュース速報 [World]

2014年第一四半期発売予定。ソフトドームトゥイーター搭載。

For the past quarter century, one iconic product has been emblematic of our quest to employ experience and technology to advance the state of the art in compact loudspeakers, while still honoring the brilliance of the original design.  Now we’re about to raise the performance bar once again…

[youtube width=”670″ height=”542.3″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUSuYs-5V8s[/youtube]