Unless you’ve chosen the blue version of the SA2. Because in addition to black and white, the more advanced model is also available in a bright blue colour. The model we tested, however, was in black with copper-coloured details.

When we tested the Argon SA1 back in the day, the conclusion was that the only thing missing was networking, multi-room functionality and app control. It’s nice when a manufacturer so diligently follows our advice! Because those three features are exactly what set the Argon Audio SA1 and SA2 apart. And then the price, which has increased by a third due to the extra features.

Like most others in its class, the Argon Audio SA2 is made of plastic. Five blue LEDs on the front (without any explanatory text) indicate input selection. They are also used while struggling to connect the amplifier to DTS Play-Fi, the open multi-room standard chosen by Argon.

Open standards are good, but the setup is neither easy nor logical. And the sound and light indications along the way don’t follow the Play-Fi standard. Eventually, however, we managed to get the amplifier to show up on the network.

If you don’t have the patience for setting up Play-Fi, Argon Audio SA2 also supports the somewhat more useful Chromecast.

Plenty of connections

The SA2 has the same physical connections as the SA1. And that’s a lot! In addition to line input and ditto output, there’s a real turntable input for MM pickup. All connections are made with gold-plated RCA connectors.

The speaker outputs are made with lovely terminals that look like those from WBT without being just that. The icing on the cake is an excellent remote control.

<

>

The SA2 is available in black, white - and blue. (Photo: Argon Audio)

The sound of the Argon Audio SA2

With so many functions and features for so little money, you can hardly expect to get the ultimate sound. You won’t, but the Argon Audio SA2 plays really well.

The dynamics are fine and when turned up loud enough, the bottom end is punchy. Although the bass is not as firm and dry as on the Harman Kardon Citation Amp.

Perspective is fine, and if you’ve just upgraded from a multi-room speaker, you’ll enjoy proper stereo. Although the acoustic stage isn’t as big and wide or as clearly delineated as on more expensive alternatives.

The bass isn’t razor-sharp accurate, but the dynamics are very good and, as mentioned, there’s also a punchy bottom end – as long as you turn it up enough.

But the price has to be taken into account. It’s one of the cheapest streaming amplifiers on the market. And it’s miraculous that you can get so much hi-fi for so little money.

Conclusion

The Argon Audio SA2 offers a lot and costs little. For just over half the price of a Sonos Amp, you get a versatile stereo amplifier with turntable input and two multi-room standards. Sonically, it can’t quite keep up with the best and most expensive. But these are small details that most people won’t notice – and that only become apparent when you combine it with speakers far beyond its price range.

The same goes for the new Marantz Model M1, a compact streaming amplifier in the same style as the Wiim Amp.

Offering a solid 100W of power per channel, the slim M1 can do network streaming, either wirelessly or with an Ethernet cable. It supports popular services like Spotify Connect and Apple users can enjoy Airplay 2.

The HEOS streaming platform is well-known from other Denon and Marantz products and everything can be controlled via a mobile app.

If you turn the compact amplifier around, you’ll find an analog input for alternate sources and a subwoofer output. There’s also an HDMI eARC for connecting TV audio with Dolby Digital+ and an optical input for a digital audio source.

The signal processing is digital and the M1 makes use of Marantz Musical Digital Filtering for better sound and it supports 24-bit/192kHz audio files. Marantz says the M1 will get support for Tidal Connect and Roon in a later update.

The amplifier is also “Sound Master” tuned for better audio in the spirit of Marantz and is actually built at Shirakawa Audio Works in Japan, not China.

The price is expected to be around 1000 USD and the amplifier will be available in June.

The world’s most powerful magnet type

Named after the element Neodymium, the Nd3 is the first moving magnet pickup to utilise a Neodymium N55 magnet. The N55 magnet is the world’s most powerful commercially available magnet type. Developed over a 10-year period, the design is said to deliver more dynamics and more detail in music.

The pickup is mounted in an injection moulded polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) housing with glass filling. It is a lightweight and very rigid material that helps reduce stress on the tonearm bearings. The new body design is inspired by Rega’s successful MC pickup series. The Nd3 has an aluminium needle tube and is equipped with an elliptical needle in Rega’s own design

Hand-built in England

Each Nd3 pickup is hand-built at Rega in the South of England. The design features a new symmetrical generator that improves the highest frequencies and has less crosstalk than conventional MM pickups. This contributes to a more accurate reading of the groove with typically better separation of instruments and details than other MM pickups.

<

>

(Photo: Rega)

Price and availability

With so many superlatives and brand new technologies, the price is surprisingly affordable. The Rega Nd3 costs the same as the Elys pickup: €228.

More info: Rega

Arcam Radia ST25

For many, the star of the new trio will be the Arcam Radia ST25; a digital audio player targeted at people with existing separate audio systems or those looking to build a new Radia system from scratch. The ST25 features a new digital audio and streaming platform, a power supply with a newly developed toroidal transformer and an improved user interface with a sleek, high-resolution colour screen.

Arcam Radia SA35 and SA45

The Radia SA35 and SA45 are streaming amplifiers based on the latest streaming platform and Arcam’s outstanding Class G amplifier technology. These versatile devices fit into both traditional and modern audio setups; for example, there’s an MC/MM phono input with switch for the vinyl enthusiasts and HDMI ARC audio return for connecting to the TV. And with two-way aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, it’s easy to stream music directly to the system from your mobile or from the system to your wireless headphones.

The top model of the two is the Radia SA45. With fully balanced digital and analogue signal paths, a new power supply and a whopping 180 watts per channel in 8 ohms and 300 watts in 4 ohms, this is a powerhouse of an all-in-one amplifier. The SA35 is no slouch either, with 120 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 220 watts into 4 ohms and an appealing 6.5-inch high-resolution display.

Dirac Live

As if all this wasn’t enough, both the SA35 and SA45 are equipped with Dirac Live room correction to optimise the sound experience in your listening room. Each model also comes with a measurement microphone and a remote control to make calibration a breeze.

Arcam Radia ST25, SA35 and SA45: Price and availability

We are very excited about what the new products have to offer. Even if we have to wait until September to get our hands on them, there’s no doubt that Arcam has given us something to look forward to.

Prices are €1,799 for the ST25, €3,499 for the SA35 and €4,999 for the SA45.

More info: arcam.co.uk

The Lenco LBT-335BA has an FSC-certified solid bamboo plinth and Ortofon 2M Red pickup. There’s a built-in RIAA amplifier, so the turntable can also be used on systems without a phono input. In fact, it can be used without any amplifier inputs at all, as there’s also Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. Finally, there’s also a USB output that allows you to convert vinyl to digital on PC or Mac.

<

>

The tonearm is made of carbon fibre and the platter is made of cork. (Photo: Lenco)

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing woods (well, actually it’s a grass), which counts well on the sustainability front. But according to Lenco, bamboo also has excellent acoustic properties, promising that its natural resonance contributes to the clarity and warmth of the sound being played. Hopefully in the form of a lack of resonance, we presume.

The platter mat is also made of low-resonance natural materials, namely cork. The tonearm is Lenco’s own, and made of carbon fibre. The Lenco LBT-335BA comes with a 45 RPM adapter, RCA and USB cables and a removable cover.

Price and availability

The Lenco LBT-335BA is available to buy now. The price is listed at €449.

There’s a small amplifier built in to drive the speakers and a Wi-Fi streaming module that you control with an app on your mobile phone.

The streaming amplifier, shown here on a pair of Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 S2, uses an external power supply and can be connected to most speakers with standard cable terminals on the back.

Lichtenegger believes it’s a low-cost solution that makes good speakers active while giving the user the benefit of streaming.

As he puts it:

It’s better to create a smart solution for an already good pair of speakers than to waste money on a Bluetooth speaker.’

Back in the 70s, many Polish music enthusiasts probably dreamed of McIntosh or Bowers & Wilkins, but the availability of Western hi-fi products was sparse. So they made their own stuff. Like Unitra. A manufacturer I’d never heard of before, but who re-emerged in Munich, where they exhibited and demonstrated everything you see in the pictures here. Except for this one:

Altus was the name Unitra used for its export products and this integrated amplifier from the 1970s was known as Altus or Emerson, depending on where it was being exported to. It’s quite a serious amplifier with two circuits, one for each channel, and they even have separate transformers.

The WSH-205, as it’s called, is the inspiration for Unitra’s new products. Amplifiers, CD players, speakers and turntables. Like Edmund in the picture below.

Or GSH-801, as it is also called. It’s a direct-drive affair with a motor control that they developed themselves and an arm that they also invented. It’s quite luxurious with an external power supply and a rather massive plinth to dampen resonances.

Just like in the old days, exports are minimal, but the Unitra team is looking for foreign distributors, and judging by listening impressions, they deserve it.

The Ortofon Concorde hasn’t just been the domain of DJs, there have also been pickups for home use in the same series, but now there’s a brand new one called Ortofon Concorde Music.

The pickup is of the moving magnet type and based on the 2M series with the same colours indicating which model it is. Ortofon Concorde Music Red is the entry-level model at 150 euros, for 100 euros more you get Blue, which has a better needle, followed by Bronze and Black with an even better needle, suspension and sharper grind.

At the top of the line-up is the LVB 250 for 999 euros. It is based on the 2M model of the same name.

In quick succession they have launched both more expensive and cheaper streamers, and it wasn’t long before they also launched amplifiers.

Now they are launching their first digital converter, the RD160. A DAC that can be connected to a HiFi Rose streamer and has enough inputs for all the digital audio sources you might have.

The front is covered by a large AMOLED screen that comes to life at the touch of a button. It can display all sorts of both useful and useless information. For example, the signal path from input to output as in the picture above.

It is built around an AKM DAC in collaboration with Muses. The AKM DAC is isolated from the analogue circuitry to eliminate interference. It also has three power supplies, each with their own tasks, and uses J-FET transistors in the analogue output stage.

The DAC won’t go on sale until August and the price is not clear, but it is estimated at €5,000, which would be relatively expensive. But as mentioned, it has everything built in to be a digital control centre in the system. Seven digital inputs, including HDMI, should go a long way.

The Quad ESL-2912, which we tested many years ago and which comes in a new version this year. Now called the Quad ESL-2912X, it’s a 2912 in a new guise with a new power supply, better components, new foil and better suspension. Quad says the upgrades have given the speakers better bass response and dynamics, which bodes well as there’s not much else the originals lack.

The speakers are priced at 17,000 euros for a pair.

Just before the Quad ESL-2912X is ready for stores, Quad 33 and 303 will be released in new versions. The preamplifier and power amplifier have been out of production for decades, but the retro revival seems to have no end and Quad will no doubt sell a lot of these amplifiers.

The 303 power amp delivers 55-60 watts per channel, but can be bridged in mono to deliver about twice as much. Like the 33 on the right, it can be connected with balanced cables and the one I looked at seemed very solidly built.

The same can be said for the 33, which also has balanced input and output, with phono stages for both moving coil and moving magnet pickup.

A remote control is also included and each component will cost €1,300 when they hit stores in October this year.

The turntable is exactly the same as the turntable we tested, but in addition to the exclusive Automobili Lamborghini colours, it also comes with an exclusive LP containing engine sounds from six Lamborghini models with V12 engines.

The six models are the 400GT 2+2, Miura SV, 25th Anniversary Edition Countach, Diablo 6.0 SE, Murciélago LP 640 and Revuelto. The vinyl itself is moulded with inserts showing the rim and tyres of a Revuelto.

Also included are stickers with the Automobili Lamborghini and Technics logos and a slip mat with the Automobili Lamborghini bull.

The turntable is otherwise direct-drive like the original, with pitch control and manual operation. And despite the sport tuning, the engine speed is the same.

What’s next? A cassette player?

However, there’s no getting away from the fact that Dynaudio’s turntable is actually pretty cool. The player is based on a direct-drive Thorens TD 403DD, with a TP 150 arm, but with a twist.

There’s a built-in riaa stage that can be disconnected, but there’s also an optical output here for connection to an amplifier with a DAC. That’s not all, there’s also Bluetooth here for those who want to stream. Interestingly, it’s not equipped with a dodgy cartridge, but with Ortofon’s brand new Concorde Music Blue. A new MM pickup that comes fully assembled on a removable headshell.

It is available in black or white, but also in walnut or oak veneer, and looked pretty snazzy connected to a pair of Focus 50 in black high gloss.

By the way, Dynaudio also showed the new loudspeakers, and they’ll be arriving like pearls on a string in the autumn. That’s also when the turntable arrives, November to be precise. The price is estimated at around 2,000 euros.

In August, Wiim Ultra will hit the market. An even better streamer with a 3.5-inch colour touchscreen and a better ESS Sabre ES9038QM2 DAC that can handle high-resolution audio files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM – and DSD512.

It has multiple inputs, including HDMI ARC, and a headphone output on the front. As usual, it supports AirPlay 2, Chromecast, DLNA, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz and Deezer, among others.

Ultra is priced at around 400 euros, which we still think is ridiculously cheap.

Around the same time as Ultra comes WiiM Amp Pro, an upgraded version of Amp, but with the same ESS DAC that Ultra gets.

NAD Electronics has announced a new amplifier in the Classic series, the C 379 HybridDigital DAC Amplifier.

The amplifier is built over a Class D output stage. The digital conversion is done with the recognised ESS SABRE DAC. And the amplifier is expandable with second generation Modular Design Construction (MDC) plug-in cards.

The output stage of the NAD C 379 is a specially designed UcD HybridDigital module that delivers 80 watts continuous power into 8 and 4 ohms. The C 379 can also be paired with the C 268 stereo power amplifier in a fully balanced configuration for 300 watts of continuous power.

The NAD C 379’s high-efficiency power supply uses less than half the power of conventional amplifiers in the same class, which must mean it’s switched mode.

Covers all signal sources

‘The NAD C 379 is in a class of its own, integrating all the essential components of a high-performance music system and accommodating all music sources from vinyl to digital streaming,’ says Cas Oostvogel, Product Manager at NAD Electronics.

The digital circuitry is built around the renowned 32-bit ESS SABRE ES9028 DAC. It’s a choice this editor can only applaud, as I’ve encountered many highly musical digital converters with that particular chip.

On the back are two expansion slots for NAD’s MDC modules, allowing you to upgrade the amplifier’s capabilities with new features and A/V technologies. These include BluOS multi-room streaming and Dirac Live room correction.

However, the NAD C 379 comes factory equipped with a range of analogue and digital connectivity options, including aptX HD Bluetooth, HDMI eARC, MM Phono stage and two independent subwoofer outputs.

Price and availability

The NAD C 379 will be available at the end of June 2024. The price in Europe is € 1,199.

If you think two mono amplifiers are a little too impractical to have on your living room floor, the Telos 800 stereo amplifier is now available.

The amplifier delivers 300 watts (RMS) per channel into 8 ohms or 390 watts into 4 ohms. A solid 3,200VA toroidal transformer and an impressive 93,600 μF capacitor bank ensure a stable power supply for what is described as top-notch sound quality.

Goldmund promises a distortion of less than 0.05% (intermodulation and harmonic distortion combined) and a noise floor of less than 3 microvolts. The signal-to-noise ratio is stated at a respectable 110 dB.

Specifications alone say very little about sound quality, especially when we know how much cheating and fudging sometimes goes into many claimed specifications. So these numbers don’t look very impressive. But if they actually deliver what they promise, and we reckon they do in this case, that’s pretty good.

Digital connection

In terms of connections, we find both unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR inputs. Nothing unusual there. You can also ground the speaker connections, which is pretty special.

The most special thing about the Goldmund Telos 800, however, is that it has both digital input and output, in the form of coaxial SPDIF. The idea is that it can be used in digital mode with, for example, the Mimesis 32.5 processor. The digital output can, for example, be connected to a subwoofer to keep the music signal as unaffected as possible throughout the chain.

Silver grey – but also in black

The Telos 800 comes in Goldmund’s familiar silver grey finish, but is also available in black on request. And for those who want a personal touch, one of the silver grey rings on top can be replaced with a gold one.

Goldmund recommends its own Mimesis Signature as an ideal preamp for the Telos 800, but emphasises that it will work well with any high-end preamplifier.

Goldmund Telos 800: Availability and price

The amplifier falls into the category “If you need to ask the price, you can’t afford it.” But just for fun, we can mention that the price is set at 72,500 euros. That actually makes it one of the least unaffordable we’ve seen from Goldmund. And you can also rest assured that we’re talking about really good stuff…

More info: goldmund.com

Of course, to play the cassettes, you need a cassette player. Which for many of us is a journey back to a bygone era. French company We Are Rewind has taken this nostalgia to a new level with their portable cassette player, simply called the Cassette Player.

Build quality, Bluetooth – and a pencil

The Cassette Player is a beautiful piece of technology. The design is directly inspired by Sony’s first Walkman cassette player, the original TPS-L2 from 1979. But where Sony has a plastic cover, the French player uses high-quality aluminium instead.

The compact player has replaced the traditional disposable batteries with a rechargeable lithium battery that lasts for 10-12 hours of playback. And to bring the old technology into the present, the cassette player has been equipped with Bluetooth connectivity! This means you can use it with your noise-cancelling headphones when you’re on the go. That way you will be able to hear the tape noise better.

The Cassette Player also has a recording function so you can make your own mixtapes. For that, you’ll need the 3.5 mm line input.

And here’s a fun gimmick: Should you experience “tape salad”, i.e. the cassette tape curls, a pencil is included for the occasion, which you insert into one of the notched holes to wind the tape back into the cassette. Just like we did in the 80s.

Tape salad? Relax – pencil included! (Photo: Geir Gråbein Nordby)

“Not for earbuds”

For some reason, the specifications state that the player is not compatible with earbuds. I’m sure not every Bluetooth product can be paired with a product that only has one button for pairing, but at least I’ve gotten both earbuds and wireless headphones to work with the player.

Wired headphones also work well. For example, I’ve had good experiences with the Sennheiser IE 600 high end earbuds.

All types of tapes

We Are Rewind Cassette Player supports all cassette tapes, from Type I to Type IV, which indicates the composition of the tape. Type I is a standard tape and pretty much the only one available today. Type II, also known as chrome tape, is mixed with a little cobalt for increased sound quality, while Type IV is metal tape with even higher magnetic capacity – giving a wider dynamic and frequency range. And what about Type III: It was the FerriChrome format that never made a big impact on the market.

We Are Rewind Cassette Player: Test procedure

To test the sound quality in a favourable environment, I recorded on a newly restored Nakamichi 1000 II that I inherited from my father. A high-end cassette player from the late 1970s that still sounds better than most other cassette players on the market.

The sound was tested both through headphones and earplugs, and also through a real vintage reference stereo system, with a Harman Kardon 730 stereo receiver from the late 1970s and a pair of JBL 4411s from the early 1980s. Together with the Nakamichi recorder, it’s a system full of charm, but also with great sound quality!

The recordings were made on older, but completely unopened Type II Maxell XL-II and XL-IIS tapes. They were considered to be the very best money could buy before cassettes were phased out. I’ve also recorded on newer Type I tapes.

As the portable cassette player does not support Dolby noise reduction, the recordings were made without it, otherwise there would be too much treble during playback.

Original tapes were also tested, in the form of the album Sehnsucht by German metal band Rammstein. The seal on this was broken exclusively for this test.

Finally, I tested the recording function of the portable cassette player to see how suitable it is.

Ease of use

The Cassette Player is essentially very simple to use. The controls are intuitive and easy to navigate, even for those unfamiliar with cassette players. However, there is no EQ or tone control, which I would have liked.

I miss being able to hear a muted playback sound when rewinding so you can hear when one song ends and the next begins. You could do that on the coolest players of the 1990s. The stop button has no trigger function, instead you have to lift the lid manually.

During recording, there is no sound from the recording source through the headphones. This means that you can’t hear what’s going on while recording. To do this, make sure the audio source you’re recording from has two outputs so you can hear music while recording.

Playback quality

With a high-quality recording, the Cassette Player delivers surprisingly well. Even with audible tape noise, I think the music flows well, there’s good channel separation and the warmth that characterises analogue sound is also present here. There are some slight speed deviations, which are most audible when listening to piano music. Wow/flutter is present on all analogue equipment, and here it is audible. But not so much as to be annoying.

The sparse output means you need lightly powered headphones to get the most out of the player. Neither the closed Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X nor the open Sony MDR-MV1 thrive on low power, but the quality of what comes out is good. The sound level is just a little low.

It’s better with the Sennheiser IE 600 earbuds. I’m defying the rules from the manual here, because with them the soundstage comes alive. The dynamics come out better and the bass is well preserved. The soundstage is never as clean, vibrant and resolved as streaming or CD, and the Rammstein cassette in particular is a rather flat experience. But good music recordings made even on a good cassette have significantly more rhythm and especially bass.

What’s missing is deep bass and also overtones. There is clearly less air in the top end than we are used to from digital and the soundstage is also narrower. The stereo image doesn’t extend to the sides like I’m used to. Some people think that’s an advantage. That’s why you’ll find a crosstalk function on many headphone amplifiers and digital players.

By the way, you can almost forget about wireless headphones. The sound signal is far too low, even at maximum level. Audible hiss and almost no sound level is a bad combination.

Recording quality

I would advise against recording with the cassette player. There is an extreme amount of tape noise, and more of the low-frequency type than when the same recording is made on the Nakamichi. It’s simply a stopgap solution that never sounds very good.

Conclusion

The We Are Rewind cassette player evokes nostalgic feelings, both in appearance and in use. The charming design, recognisable ease of use and decent sound make it a fun product for anyone who wants to relive the joy of cassettes. The price is high but still affordable, although you get much better sound from a streaming service and the headphone output on your smartphone.

The most disappointing aspect was the wireless functionality, which provided far too low a sound level on both headphones and earbuds.

The Cassette Player should be seen as an investment in musical memories. As pure, unadulterated nostalgia, it does the job and the Cassette Player is definitely worth checking out.

They are both built on the same platform called Tesla G3, and the same technology is on board as in Auralic’s more expensive streamers: Galvanic isolation, two 60fs Femto clocks, Direct Memory Access (DMA), Direct Data Recording (DDR), Fusion DAC and so on. They also have Ethernet, AirPlay 2, TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, Internet Radio, and they will be Roon Ready.

The difference between Vega S1 and Aries A1 is visible from the back. While the Vega S1 is a dedicated stream processor with digital connections only, the Aries A1 also has analogue outputs for connecting to an amplifier.

The digital inputs can be used for a connected USB stick with music, and with optical and coaxial inputs you can connect a CD player or other digital audio source.

Both can be upgraded with an external power supply, as shown in the picture above, which should further improve the sound quality.

The larger Altair G2.2 also gets an update with Auralics Direct Data Recording (DDR), Fusion DAC, galvanic isolation and an HDMI eARC input for TV audio.

The Auralics operating system will be updated to Lightning OS V10 and will also come as a wireless update for existing devices.

Prices for Aries S1 and Vega S1 are not available in all countries, but the starting point of €1,999 for Aries S1 or Vega S1 and €999 for the power supply indicates that prices will be much lower in the Nordic market than Altair.

For most people, the best bet is to find a player from Rega, Pro-Ject or Argon. They come in all price ranges, even on the nice and budget-friendly end. You get a quality player with good sound that also looks good.

Of course, there are other manufacturers too, and with the TT-S303, Yamaha enters the battle for the budget segment.

The black lacquered player is a simple, belt-driven and manual player with a built-in phono stage. This means it can be connected directly to an amplifier or speaker with an audio input. A Bluetooth speaker if that’s what you have, but it can also be connected to a separate phono stage or an amplifier with a built-in phono stage. Then you can also get slightly better sound.

Yamaha is by no means a newcomer to analogue playback. They’ve been making turntables for ages, but stopped in the 90s when the CD became the dominant music medium.

They picked up again a few years ago with an excellent model that could play music wirelessly over the network, and not long ago they entered the high-end class with one of the best turntables we’ve tested. The Yamaha GT-5000. In other words, they are on home turf – also when it comes to turntables.

Easy to use

The TT-S303 was hardly developed by Yamaha itself, but is an off the shelf OEM product branded as a Yamaha player. The quality is a few notches down from the wireless TT-N503 (MusicCast VINYL 500), but it comes with a detachable pickup housing and the arm is far from the worst we’ve seen in this class. It’s identical to the arm in the TT-N503.

The turntable is built on a lightweight MDF base with a thin aluminium platter driven by a silicone belt. It comes with a felt mat, cables, dust cover, single adapter and a pre-assembled Audio-Technica MM pickup.

All you need to do is mount the counterweight, pickup housing and pull the belt over the shaft when you attach the thin – and undamped – disc. Follow the instructions for use to set the needle pressure. Then choose whether or not to use the built-in phono stage, plug it in and it’s ready to compete.

The removable pickup housing makes it easy to change the needle or replace the entire pickup. That’s pretty much the only thing you can do to increase the sound quality from the player. Except for one thing.

The speed can be fine-tuned with two screws on the underside labelled 33, 33 and 45 rpm.

You might not need to, because our measurements showed a moderate deviation in rotation speed -0.32 per cent from 33.33 rpm. The Wow & flutter measurement showed a deviation of 0.47 per cent. This is a good result for a turntable in this price range and better than the JBL BT Spinner that we recently tested.

Listener-friendly sound

We recognise the Audio Technica pickup from other budget players and we know it works well for the price, but it’s not on par with Audio Technica’s more expensive AT-VM95 or an Ortofon 2M Red. As we often see on turntables in the lower price range.

It’s not very sensitive to vibrations and resonances aren’t noticeable as long as it’s placed flat on a stable surface. There isn’t much play in the arm mount either. All in all, this simple player is designed to produce good sound.

And it does. You may not get fireworks and confetti, but it plays rhythmically and balanced. The sound is more open than the JBL player, which uses the same MM pickup, but the Yamaha player doesn’t have the dynamic contrast or bass punch of a Rega Planar 2 that costs the same.

With the player connected to an amplifier with a phono stage, such as our reference among integrateds, the Yamaha A-S3200, or a reference in the lower price range – the Hegel H190V, the player does a great job of bringing the rhythm of Pat Metheny’s Are You Going With Me to life. It should be said that the guitar sound is a bit woolly, but the music flows nicely out of the speakers and the sound is warm and rich.

Vocals, on the other hand, sound a little too withdrawn and the player dampens the biggest dynamic fluctuations on Dire Straits Private Investigations. Here I miss that the drums are both heard and felt. But overall, the player does a convincing job of conveying the music, considering the price.

If you switch to the player’s built-in phono stage, anything can happen. Of course, depending on what you’re comparing it to. The MM input on the A-S3200 and H190V is of far higher quality than any built-in phono stage.

It’s noticeable. The sound stages collapses somewhat when you play from the built-in phono stage. The rhythm loses its drive, there’s almost no dynamic contrast, and details disappear and drown in a woolly broth of sound.

It’s strange really, because the turntable has obvious qualities, they just don’t come out if you use the player’s built-in phono stage.

Conclusion

The Yamaha TT-S303 is actually a decent budget turntable. It plays engagingly enough when connected to an amplifier with a proper phono stage. However, the built-in stage leaves us with the impression that it’s only there as a stopgap measure. Something to get you started until you buy a better phono stage or a well-equipped amplifier. Which you should definitely have if you want to spend money on the Yamaha player. It feels a bit like a Jekyll/Hyde player, with a good side and a bad side.

The new system is a fully restored and reimagined version of the classic Beosound 9000 CD player from 1996, paired with Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab 28 speakers from 2021. Every single component of the 28-year-old CD player has been tested and cleaned before being reinstalled in the player.

The system was shown at a sneak preview in Copenhagen on Tuesday evening, which we attended.

This is the second time Bang & Olufsen has launched a restored version of one of its classic products. The first was the Beogram 4000c turntable, which, after many years of vinyl renaissance, was rejuvenated in 2020. Now it’s time to give the CD medium a new lease of life.

“We want to show that a second-hand product can be just as attractive as a new product and that a high-quality sound system like Beosound 9000 doesn’t have to have an expiration date,” says Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, Head of Product Circularity & Portfolio Planning at Bang & Olufsen.

He won’t go so far as to promise that the CD is on the verge of a renaissance to rival the vinyl revolution. It’s all about opportunity.

“As well as showing our dedication to product longevity, we also wanted to celebrate the resurgence of physical audio media that has taken place in recent years. Vinyl and CDs have become something special again, with people investing time and energy in being more connected to the music and artists they love. It’s about keeping listening opportunities alive.”

200 units

Bang & Olufsen has sourced 200 units of the original Beosound 9000 CD player and sent them back to the company’s
factory in Struer. Here, the CD players are disassembled and thoroughly inspected by a team of service technicians, many of whom helped build the Beosound 9000 in the 1990s. The player gets a new look with a deep black finish that B&O calls Cosmic Black.

Instead of sourcing and refurbishing speakers from back then, B&O has chosen to combine the player with active speakers from the current programme. These are the Beolab 28, which for this occasion is made in the same black colour as the CD player. As you may know, the speakers are active and include modern streaming options. So you have the freedom to choose between all kinds of signal sources and everything can be controlled from the speakers.

<

>

The old Beosound 9000 CD players have been refurbished component by component at the factory in Struer. By some of the same employees who built them in the 90s. (Photo: Bang & Olufsen)

Playlist from 1996

Nowadays, it’s commonplace for us to put together our personalised light tracks for everyday life from an infinite number of music tracks. Not so in 1996. Beosound 9000 was among the first to provide some of that freedom of choice, with audio fast switching between tracks on six CDs.

The automated glass door on the Beosound 9000 opens and closes in the same smooth motion whether it’s lying down, standing up or
hanging on the wall. Two optical sensors and a digital timer constantly monitor the door, which opens and closes within the set
time limit of 3.5 – 4.0 seconds.

Price and (in)availability

The Beosystem 9000c Recreated Classic in Cosmic Black / Natural Aluminium will be available in a limited quantity of 200
units globally. The price is €50,000.

A set of Beolab 28 costs from €18,000, so if you’re wondering if that means Bang & Olufsen is asking €32,000 for a used CD player, the answer is yes. They do. But in all fairness, a used CD player that has been rebuilt by hand, component by component.

Many have already realised this, and 2023 was the second year in a row that vinyl sales surpassed CD sales, according to the American industry organisation RIAA, which has given its name to the RIAA tier. Or the phono stage, as we like to say.

And it’s actually built into the Pro-Ject T2 Super Phono, so you can just unpack your turntable and plug it in without the need for a separate phono stage.

The turntable is available in black or white lacquer, or walnut finish as pictured above. It has a built-in phono stage for MM pickups and comes with a Sumiko MM pickup fully assembled. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Although the T2 is moderately priced, Pro-Ject has equipped it with a new 9-inch arm with a one-piece aluminium arm tube and a nickel-plated counterweight at the other end.

The built-in phono stage can be switched off with a button if you have an amplifier with a better phono stage. Good quality detachable cables are included and the player comes with a dust cover and external power supply.

The T2 is also available in a version without a phono stage if you prefer. This saves money that you don’t have to spend if you already have a phono stage available.

The price for the T2 Super Phono is 650 euros, while the T2 without phono stage costs 549 euros.

In addition, Cambridge Audio has used new premium components in the amplifier circuits, allowing their engineers to “fine-tune and perfect” the sound. The goal has been to improve depth, sensitivity and stereo perspective by using higher quality components in the signal path.

AudioCambridge Audio promises “even greater clarity and musicality” in the updated amplifier. Unfortunately, we never got to test its predecessors.

However, we’ve been happy with most Cambridge Audio products, including the more expensive Evo 150 streaming amplifier.

Same feature set

And the Mk II version doesn’t get anything other than Bluetooth streaming either, as the CXA81 MK II has exactly the same features as its predecessor. Fortunately, there are plenty of digital connectivity options, including an asynchronous USB-B DAC input that handles the highest file resolutions.

Analogue inputs include both unbalanced RCA connectors and a pair of balanced XLR connectors. With dual speaker terminals, the amplifier can drive two pairs of speakers if desired.

2 x 80 watts

As before, the CXA81 Mk II delivers 2 x 80 watts into 8 ohms from its class A/B amplifier. Bluetooth connectivity supports aptX HD codec for better sound, and the amplifier has both preamp and subwoofer outputs. A 3.5 mm headphone jack adorns the front panel, right next to an identical display/control panel as on the previous model.

The lack of significant visual or external updates may disappoint some, but it already looks good. The real difference is to be found in the sound quality.

Cambridge Audio CX81 Mk II: Price and availability

The CXA81 Mk II will be available in May at a price of €1,199.

The style is unmistakably retro, reminiscent of the walnut or rosewood radio cabinets of yesteryear.

But the Ruark R810 is far more modern, with a 32-bit DAC from Burr Brown inside, a 10 cm colour screen on the front and audio inputs on the back.

There is an input for TV audio with HDMI eARC, an analogue stereo input with RCA, Toslink digital and a turntable input for MM pickup.

The system also supports Google Chromecast, and both Qobuz and Deezer users can stream music with the Ruark system.

(Foto: Ruark)

The total power output is 180 W, which supplies music to two 30 mm tweeters and two 10 cm midrange speakers. Deep bass is provided by a 20 cm subwoofer.

The system, which also supports UPnP, can be controlled from an app on your mobile phone or with a rechargeable RotoDial Bluetooth remote control.

DAB/DAB+, internet radio and FM radio are integrated, and you can choose to stream music over the network or via Bluetooth 5.1 aptX.

The Ruark R810 has a handmade front grill and is available in walnut wood or grey lacquer with walnut grill.

The price is listed at 3.685 EUR.

This is according to the annual statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America (better known by its acronym, RIAA). It shows that the number of analogue records sold in 2023 was 43 million albums, while only 37 million CDs were sold. This is the second year in a row that more LPs than CDs have been sold.

The LP’s victory over the CD should of course be seen in the context that digital discs have been in decline for years, to put it mildly, and that CD sales have fallen by 95 percent since their peak in 2000. However, the 43 million vinyl records sold still generated a respectable $1.4 billion in revenue.

Although CD sales were almost as high as vinyl sales, digital aluminium discs only brought in $537 million. That’s less than half of LP sales. So while LPs have become a luxury lifestyle product, CDs are something we pick up from the bargain bin.

Streaming is all-dominant

Before the vinyl fanatics and turntablists pop the champagne corks, it’s worth mentioning that physical music sales are second only to digital. In 2023, music streaming, with or without adverts, generated a total revenue of 14.4 billion dollars. That’s more than 10 times as much as LP sales. And when we look at streaming revenue, it’s important to remember that the cost of streaming a single song must be calculated in fractions of a cent. The total number of plays on music streaming should be counted in trillions of songs.

If you are one of those music users who prefer to buy your music in the form of downloaded files on your hard drive, you are part of a small exclusive community. Only 20 million music albums were sold as downloads in 2023, with a total value of $204.7 million. Only extremely esoteric things like cassette tapes and SACD discs are less popular than that.

According to renowned tech journalist Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Sonos is busy preparing its new Roam 2 for launch. And it looks like they’re not stopping there – the long-rumoured Sonos headphones will also be ready at the same time.

What’s new about Roam 2?

The original Sonos Roam has been a favourite of many since it launched in 2021, but it has also had some weaknesses, such as the lack of multipoint connectivity on Bluetooth and the fact that it doesn’t always automatically switch between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Sonos has reportedly rectified this with the Roam 2.

In addition to the upgraded hardware, the Roam 2 also gets a new touch panel on the top that makes it easier to play and control the volume. Design-wise, it will reportedly look more like its big brothers Era 100 and 300.

New app on the way

Things are also happening on the app front. Gurman claims that Sonos is working on a brand new app tailored to the new portable products. However, there have been issues getting existing products to work with the new app, so initially only the Roam 2 and headphones will be supported. Support for Move and the older Roam will have to wait until later.

Even more Sonos?

In addition, rumour has it that there will be updates to several bestsellers like Arc, Sub and Era 100, as well as a brand new TV streamer.

If the rumours are true, it looks like Sonos fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming year. And if Sonos headphones deliver as we hope, it could be a great year for wireless head-fi.

Only time will tell if the rumours are true. And that time may come soon. In any case, Sonos has invited us to a press conference in May.

Sources:

The Verge

Bloomberg

Nucleus One replaces the old and significantly more expensive Nucleus model. Roon promises that the new server offers upgraded hardware and performance on par with its predecessor, despite its modest price tag.

Equipment

Under the hood, we find space for a 2.5-inch SATA SSD or hard drive up to 8 TB. That should be plenty for most people, with room for 100,000 tracks or 10,000 albums. In addition, we find support for Network Attached Storage (NAS), two USB-A ports and an HDMI port dedicated to audio.

Nucleus One can handle up to six zones of multi-room audio. Although Titan and One look similar with the matte black polycarbonate finish, One is equipped with its own cooling fan and ventilation, which is hidden in the design. One will therefore be slightly noisy, unlike the fanless Titan.

Alternative to Bluesound and Sonos?

On paper, it looks like the Nucleus One is the Roon product that everyone will be drooling over. For users of Roon’s playback software for PC and Mac, this is finally a tangible Roon product that takes on music streamers like Bluesound Node and Sonos Port.

Well, maybe not quite. Because while other streamers have built-in streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal and Cobuz, Roon currently only supports Tidal and Cobuz. As well as stored music files. The Nucleus One also doesn’t have a built-in digital converter, but needs to be connected to a USB DAC or a DAC with an HDMI input.

If the little black box performs as well as it looks, it could very well be many people’s first step into Roon’s world of seamless music enjoyment without the need for a PC on the side.

Roon Nucleus One: Price and availability

Roon Nucleus One will be launched on 15 May, and the price is, as mentioned, $500. European pricing is not yet known.

More info: roonlabs.com

Now they have taken the successful streaming platform one step further and combined it with an amplifier. In a slightly larger cabinet, in aluminium, with the same form factor as the streaming boxes.

Wiim Amp, as it’s called, has a 60 W class D amplifier inside and inputs for analogue and digital audio sources, a separate output for a subwoofer and HDMI with eARC for the TV sound. As the amplifier is built on the Wiim streaming platform, it can be easily controlled with the Wiim app on your mobile phone or with the included remote control. Which, incidentally, connects to the amplifier via Bluetooth.

It looks like a Mac Mini with volume control, is four centimetres wider and deeper than a WiiM Pro Plus streamer and costs about half the price of a Sonos Amp.
With AirPlay 2, Chromecast and DLNA, you can stream from any device. Or connect it to your network with an Ethernet cable, which we recommend for the best possible sound. You can control the music yourself with an app that supports streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer and more. If you like to give commands, you can control your music with voice control via Siri, Google or Alexa.

App

The volume button on the front can also be used to start and stop music at the touch of a button. In the absence of a display or LEDs showing which input is connected, you have to rely on the colour of an LED. Apart from a voice saying connected when you’ve selected Wi-Fi, it’s the only way you can tell which input is active.

<

>

All this is included. (Photo: Lasse Svendsen)

The app is the same as the one used for Wiim’s streaming devices. You use it to control the music, but also to set the EQ and other parameters. Here you can choose between a 10-band graphic EQ and a four-band parametric EQ. If you connect a subwoofer, the amplifier will recognise it and switch on the output. Then use the app to adjust the crossover frequency (30-200 Hz) and the level of the subwoofer.

Powerful amplifier

Wiim’s streaming platform supports high-resolution audio up to 24-bit and 192 kHz, but Amp has a simpler DAC from ESS – ES9018K2M – than the AKM DAC found in Pro Plus.

The amplifier section in Amp is built around a class D chip from Texas Instruments, TI TPA 3255, which provides 2 x 60 W power in 8 Ohm. And a full 120 W in 4 ohms. With so much power in such a small enclosure, you’d think the amplifier would get very hot, but it doesn’t get hotter than you can put your hand on it.

The powerful amplifier section means you can connect a wide range of speakers. The excellent 606 S3 from Bowers & Wilkins, both Prodigy models from PMC or the brilliant KEF LS50 Meta will fit the Wiim Amp like a glove.

Brilliant sound quality

The same goes for the much more expensive Dynaudio Special Forty, which with a sensitivity of a moderate 86 dB requires an amplifier with some bottom end torque. I was therefore a little sceptical as to whether the small amplifier would be able to control the speaker if I turned it up too much.

My fears turned out to be unfounded.

The Wiim amplifier had no problems controlling the speaker. Reproducing Arild Andersen’s double bass on the album Fifth Winter is demanding enough, but the amp took hold of the bass and controlled the music with impeccable precision. Daniel Sommer’s drums on the same album sounded dynamic and well-defined, and Rob Luft’s guitar sound had both weight and substance.

The amplifier doesn’t have quite the same rich bottom end as the twice as expensive Yamaha R-N600A. But it had no problem making the rhythm of Zara Larsson’s More Than This Was sound engaging and captivating.

The dynamics from the amplifier are remarkably crisp and vibrant. In fact, on par with the Yamaha receiver, but perhaps not quite on the same level as a Hegel H95.
It should be noted that the Wiim amplifier is also not as resolved and airy as either the Yamaha receiver, the Hegel amplifier or a Rega Brio for that matter.
But you can’t get everything in this world for 359 euros.

Conclusion

This small amplifier from Wiim is one of the very best buys on the market at the moment. The price is as remarkably low as the performance is high. Usually amplifiers in this price range are too weak, too anaemic to play music with conviction. Not so with the Wiim Amp. It remarkably combines power and finesse with user-friendly streaming in high-resolution quality. If we were to be really critical, we could have pointed to too few inputs and the absence of any kind of indicator telling us which input is selected, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Wiim Amp is a sensational bargain.

The entire technical design was based on near-field listening, but the commercialisation of the loudspeaker led to as many as over 60,000 pairs being sold to customers worldwide. And they had no intention of sitting next to a pair of LS3/5As at a mixing console. The qualities of the small speakers were so obvious to people who heard them that they became hugely popular for home use.

More than Rogers had the licence from the BBC to produce the LS3/5A, and KEF, Audiomaster, Spendor, Chartwell, Stirling and Harbeth were among the most widespread suppliers of their versions of the BBC monitor.

Technically, the Rogers loudspeaker wasn’t anything impressive. A foam padded three-piece chassis with fabric-covered grill hid relatively mundane drivers from KEF. Inside the 31cm high cabinet was a complex crossover with 26 components, giving the speaker a system impedance of 15 and in some versions 11 ohms, and an efficiency of a modest 82.5dB.

The sound pressure limit was 95 dB. The small woofer from Kef was a 110 mm B110, while the tweeter was a 19 mm KEF T27 with a dome diaphragm. The crossover was optimised for a clean and clear midrange, although many thought – and still think – that the midrange reproduction is somewhat nasal.

The bass response is adjusted in the crossover to give the small speaker a bit of fullness, but they don’t go any deeper than 70-80 Hz at -3 dB.

Later versions of the LS3/5A were of course modernised, design-wise the JR149 is perhaps the coolest, but most stuck to the BBC recipe.

Linn Kan was actually based on the basic design for the LS3/5A, and many believe it is better than the original, however, the fact is that Rogers LS3/5A is the original, and the one collectors are willing to pay for.

Despite its refusal to play loud, the tame bass response, the nasal midrange and the restrained treble.

Those who love an LS3/5A, and there are many thousands of them, will often have several pairs. And they appreciate the brilliant three-dimensionality and, after almost 50 years, very lifelike vocal reproduction.

The consumer market is not exactly overflowing with Rogers loudspeakers, but it is not hard to find nice and well-functioning pairs around €1000 to €1,5000, considerably more for limited editions, and a little less for somewhat battered specimens.

Truly a legendary speaker, whether you like the sound or not.

Discovering new music is fun and the millions of tracks on streaming services are a goldmine for music lovers. Unfortunately, music links you receive from friends are often useless because they link to a streaming service you don’t subscribe to.

That problem may be about to become a thing of the past. Streaming service Tidal is now reaching out to competitors by offering universal links that apply across streaming services.

From now on, when you share a track in Tidal with others, you will get a link that looks like a regular Tidal link, but if you look at the code, a “u” has been added at the end:

tidal.com/browse/track/106257794/u

When you copypaste the link to a browser, you don’t get Tidal’s web player on the screen, but rather a menu where you can choose between opening the track in five music services so far: Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and Amazon Music. If the track is not available on any of the services, it is greyed out.

So far, only Tidal’s playback programme for computers includes the ability to share music across services. It will be interesting to see if competitors take Tidal’s outstretched hand and offer the same openness to their customers. But here at the editorial office, we can only applaud this excellent initiative. An initiative that comes in the same month that Tidal surprised everyone by halving the price of their best subscription.

How to share a track with everyone

To share music across services, you need the Tidal desktop application for Windows or Mac.

1. Select the track you want to share and right-click on the three dots…
2. Select Share, Copy track link
3. Now you can send the link to all your friends without worrying about which music service they use.

Qobuz is not on the list yet, but Tidal is working on expanding the number of supported music services.

The little 25-watt amplifier launched one of Norway’s best-known amplifier manufacturers in earnest. Audio Critic in the US tested the 2 Channel Audio Power Amplifier in 1977 and said: “Audio freaks – eat your hearts out: This is the world’s best sounding amplifier, and you can’t buy one in this country.”

The amplifier was Per Abrahamsen and Electrocompaniet’s first hi-fi amplifier. Svein Erik Børja, who worked for Norway’s National Radio, NRK, and had a trained ear for sound, and Terje Sandstrøm helped bringing it to life. But nothing would have happened without Dr Matti Otala and Jan Lohstrog’s original amplifier circuit from 1973.

Otala also pioneered the Harman Kardon Citation XX series, which addressed the problem of transient intermodulation distortion (TIM) in amplifiers. An obnoxious problem that, among other things, created phase errors and other inaccuracies that were detrimental to sound quality.

First seen as a prototype in 1974, the little amplifier went through several revisions before the final version found its way to stores.

One of the early examples managed to start smoking when it was demonstrated to interested parties in the US. The hunt for the source of the fault led to a revision of components in the amplifier, filters were changed and eventually it was fitted with higher quality output transistors.

With increased power thorugh the Philips transistors, better bandwidth (100 KHz) and reduced distortion, the amplifier was not only reliable; it also sounded better. The amplifier’s internal feedback was increased to 30 dB, which, according to the developers, led to a dramatic improvement in sound quality.

Thus a Norwegian legend was born, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Munich show has become one of Europe’s (and the world’s) biggest hi-fi events, especially for enthusiasts who appreciate exotic high-end products at the more expensive end of the spectrum. International exhibitors come here to showcase the latest trends and innovations from the industry.

Here, the latest flagship products are often presented to the public for the first time, often with head-spinning technology, jaw-dropping sound – and teeth-grinding prices. But hopefully, things will eventually trickle down to the more “sober” models that ordinary enthusiasts can afford.

More than 500 exhibitors

The exhibitor list for 2024 has passed 500 and includes well-known Nordic brands such as DALI and Hegel. Every corner of the approximately 30,000 square metres of exhibition space at MOC is being utilised.

The number of bookings confirms once again that HIGH END’s position as the industry’s leading international trade fair is undisputed,” says Stefan Dreischärf, Managing Director of the organiser HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH.

The interest from exhibitors has been enormous, so we are fully booked again this year and have a waiting list of registrations that we have not been able to take into account.

The product range includes all conceivable and inconceivable varieties of speakers, modern streaming solutions, turntables, amplifiers, compact all-in-one systems and much more. The fair usually also features many extravagant sound and music demos.

Extra focus on “head-fi”

This year there will also be a specialised headphone section – THE WORLD OF HEADPHONES – in Hall 1, where a wide range of headphones and portable audio accessories will be on display and where you can try and compare the different products.

Panel discussions with industry experts promise exciting insights into the latest trends and developments in the audio environment. In addition, there will be a separate exhibition area for suppliers and professionals (IPS).