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pid: 564-2024/12/04 (v1.2)
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Scheu demonstrated their top turntable, the Laufwerk 2. It is a heavy (38kg) construction based on a combination of acrylic materials, steel, and brass, for resonance control. There is enough room for up to three tonearms.
This is Shure's solution for a portable DAC/headphone amplifier. SHA900 offers both an analog line level input and a USB port, that supports 24/96 signals, can deliver up to 135mW/16 Ohm and incorporates a color screen where all the user's options are displayed including the signal level. There is, also, an equalizer with five presets.
Simaudio demonstrated ACE, a device that includes all the necessary parts to manage and playback your digital media. It offers three line inputs, a built-in DAC with eight inputs, capable of 32/384 and DSD256, can perform streaming from the home network and the internet, and features a power amplifier delivering 50W per channel.
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Sonus Faber presented a new line of loudspeakers, called Principia. This is an entry-level loudspeaker series, based on Sonus' experience from the design of Chameleon and uses the same 29mm dome/DKM tweeter but a new mid/woofer driver. Principia includes five models (two stand-mount, two floorstanding, and one center channel model) and is expected in early summer.
Soulution displayed their new power amplifier, the 511. It features a switch-mode power supply and delivers 140W/8 Ohm and 280W/4 Ohm through a Class A power stage, based on the larger 711 and 701 models, supported by a 500.000uF filter.
Soundkaos presented Liberation, an open baffle loudspeaker, based on a Raal super tweeter, two 8-inch Enviee full range drivers, and a 15-inch woofer. It is expected this summer.
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Phonitor e from SPL is a DAC/headphone amplifier adapted to the needs of the home user. It relies on SPL's well-known topology with a high voltage supply, supports 24/192 streams, includes a remote and delivers up to 2x3.7W/120 Ohm.
Stromtank appears to be an effective power re-generator solution for AV systems. It comprises a battery pack which is charged by the mains and a DC/AC converter to produce an AC source with excellent quality characteristics. When used during the charge cycle, it acts as a good quality mains filter.
Masterclass DAC-4 is Sugden's proposal in the field of USB DACs and, of course, the British have done in their own way i.e without oversampling or any other use of filters in the digital field. The class A output stage is implemented with discrete components.
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Sugden, also demonstrated the HA-4 headphone amplifier, a device with similar dimensions and aesthetics to the DAC-4, based on a MOSFET class D output stage, no negative feedback and a regulated power supply. It features both single ended and balanced inputs while the output is the classic 6.4mm TRS jack.
T+A showed the MP 1000 R integrated digital media management device which includes a CD player, a streaming DAC which includes USB and LAN/Internet ports, while not missing a conventional FM/DAB/DAB+ tuner. The DAC supports 32/384 (PCM) and DSD256 (DSD) streams, wireless streaming through a Bluetooth option and the build quality seems particularly good.
Best known for their sensibly priced products, Taga Harmony presented the Azure F100 v.2, a 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker with a titanium dome tweeter, a 165mm polypropylene cone mid/woofer, and a new more rigid cabinet.
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For the new age vinyl lovers: The Teac AI-300 is a belt-drive turntable comprising a phono preamp, two outputs (phono and line to connect as needed) and an integrated ADC with output through a USB port. The package includes an Audiotechnica AT95SE cartridge.
Technics SL-1200 anniversary edition is code named SL-1200GAE. Only 1200 pieces will be manufactured, and the company reports that there will be changes and improvements which include a new motor and control circuit, a new platter finish (with brass as its top surface) and a tonearm tube made from cold-drawing magnesium.
At the other end of the technology spectrum, Technics displayed the Grand Class series products, among them, the network audio player/amplifier SU-G30, a device capable of wired or wireless networking, compatible with 32/384 (PCM) and DSD 2x (DSD) streams and, also, offering analog inputs (including a phono).
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Thorens presented a new series of turntables the 900. It includes three models, the TD 903, TD 905 and TD 907, all with manual, belt-drive, suspended sub-chassis architecture. The suspension tuning is easily done from above. All new models include Thorens' tonearms, the TP 92 model for the 903 and 905 and the TP 88 for the 907.
One of the most interesting exhibits in this year's Munich show were the Elysium monoblocks from Trafomatic. Based on Eimac 250TL tubes, they are capable of 60W in class A. To drive the output tube, a transformer-coupled EML 20b-V4 is used. The power supply features an EML 5Z3 rectifier tube.
HPA V280 from Violectric is a headphone amplifier with adjustable gain, suitable for both single ended and balanced headphone. The user is able to choose from six different DAC modules, including boards with standard digital inputs and an 24/192 capable USB port, according to his needs.
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