Audio Esoterica Issue 2 2019

A classic brand delivers a choice of two thoroughly modern preamplifiers in the solid-state McIntosh C53 (below) and the valve-laden C2700 (left), the first two products to include the company’s new and upgradeable seven-input DA2 Digital Audio Module, offering HDMI ARC audio alongside coaxial, optical, and USB-B up to 384kHz PCM and DSD512 playback. Their analogue input sections add another nine inputs each, including moving-magnet and moving-coil phono stages for turntable playback. And both, of course, sporting those trademark McIntosh ‘teal’-coloured VU meters… More info: www.synergyaudio.com.au…

A classic brand delivers a choice of two thoroughly modern preamplifiers in the solid-state McIntosh C53 (below) and the valve-laden C2700 (left), the first two products to include the company’s new and upgradeable seven-input DA2 Digital Audio Module, offering HDMI ARC audio alongside coaxial, optical, and USB-B up to 384kHz PCM and DSD512 playback. Their analogue input sections add another nine inputs each, including moving-magnet and moving-coil phono stages for turntable playback. And both, of course, sporting those trademark McIntosh ‘teal’-coloured VU meters… More info: www.synergyaudio.com.au…

For its Concert Grand series, Vienna Acoustics allocates a composer to each model, according to stature. Haydn gets standmounts, Mozart the smaller floor-standers. But the new Concert Grand Reference model goes to Beethoven — who else to represent the zenith of the range, featuring Vienna’s patented flat Spidercone technology (as used in the flagship Klimt ‘THE MUSIC’), along with flawlessly-executed hand-coated silk-dome tweeters and unique midrange units containing two cones made from different substances, all in slim 119cm-high cabinets finished in Premium Rosewood, Cherry, or piano-gloss black and white. More info: audioactive.com.au…

For its Concert Grand series, Vienna Acoustics allocates a composer to each model, according to stature. Haydn gets standmounts, Mozart the smaller floor-standers. But the new Concert Grand Reference model goes to Beethoven — who else to represent the zenith of the range, featuring Vienna’s patented flat Spidercone technology (as used in the flagship Klimt ‘THE MUSIC’), along with flawlessly-executed hand-coated silk-dome tweeters and unique midrange units containing two cones made from different substances, all in slim 119cm-high cabinets finished in Premium Rosewood, Cherry, or piano-gloss black and white. More info: audioactive.com.au…

The latest planar magnetic headphones from Audeze promise unrivalled accuracy and power from what Audeze describes as “the most powerful open magnetic circuit ever created”, allowing the company’s Uniforce voice coils to be spread across diaphragms one-tenth the thickness of a red blood cell. And remarkably this flagship version of the LCD-4 has a 15-ohm impedance, so can be driven even from portable devices. RRP is $5799. More info: www.busisoft.com.au…

“Everything that earned Triton Reference Absolute Sound’s Golden Ear Award in a totally gorgeous, super sounding more compact and even more affordable package!”“…an important debut…the speakers certainly bring Triton Ref bonafides to a lower cost segment, with glowing hand-rubbed piano-black lacquer cosmetics and impressive internals.” –Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound GoldenEar Technology is pleased to announce the introduction of the new Triton One.R. This extraordinary new reference quality loudspeaker is a smaller, less expensive follow up to the Triton Reference. The T Ref has been compared with speakers selling for over ten times its surprisingly affordable cost. It has had a remarkable response from both music and hifi enthusiasts as well as press and reviewers from around the world, who have bestowed upon it innumerable Speaker-of-the-Year and Product-of-the-Year awards. Now the…