Hi Fi News May 2022

This month I had planned to devote my Welcome page to the growing excitement, the light at the end of the Covid tunnel, as hi-fi shows re-open and audiophiles can again look, touch and hear those rare breeds of our hi-fi world. We have a report from Florida in this issue [p26], Montréal next and, of course, Munich’s seminal High End after that. We are also beginning our ‘sneak previews’ from the Ascot Grandstand as key brands start their preparations for our own UK Hi-Fi Show Live in September [p25]. But, unless you have been entirely oblivious to the carnage playing out on our TV screens, radios and Internet streams day and night, the last six weeks have been like no other. So I’m also going to use this column…

New kid on the block, Perlisten Audio, has announced details of a more affordable six-model R Series to follow its premium S Series lineup [HFN Apr ’22]. Flagships of the range are the £4050 R7t (pictured far left) and £3150 R5t floorstanders, joined by the £2250 ‘bookshelf’ R4b and £2700 R5m monitor (pictured). The remaining models (R5c centre and R4s surround) are aimed at AV installations. Trickled down from the pricier S Series, all these R Series models feature the American brand’s DPC (Directivity Pattern Control) array comprising a central dome tweeter flanked by a pair of dome upper-midrange units within a dished waveguide. In this case, however, the tweeter is a 26mm silk rather than 28mm beryllium dome just as the partnering check-patterned HPF polymer bass/mid and bass drivers…

Utilising the same 278x205x375mm (whd) chassis construction–and black, red or silver finish options with swappable trim panels–as SPL’s m1000 monoblock, the £6499 Performer s1200 is a stereo power amp claiming 2x300W/8ohm (2x520W/4ohm) of Class A/B clout. SPL’s proprietary ±60V VOLTAiR op-amps, already seen in the Phonitor xe DAC/headphone amp [HFN Jul ’21], are used again here in the line/preamp stage. Balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) inputs are offered while a ±0.5dB trim control allows a maximum–5.5dB input attenuation. There’s a 12V trigger port too and, keeping this big beast cool, six micro-controlled fans as backup for the internal heatsinks. SPL Electronics GmbH, Niederkruechten, Germany, 03301 222500;  www.spl.audio/en;  www.scvdistribution.co.uk…

VERTERE IMPERIUM Hot on the heels of the new SG-PTA tonearm and VeRum interconnect comes the Imperium Motor Drive to further complement Vertere’s SG-1 turntable. At £7950 the Imperium is still more affordable than the Reference MD from which it takes its cues. Inside the solid alloy case, separately regulated supplies include a 12V feed for the SG-1’s illumination and for the digital (microprocessor/DAC) core of the Imperium. The updatable CPU generates the 17V phased motor supply (adjustable in ±0.25% increments) which is output via a DAC and two ‘power amplifiers’. www.vertereacoustics.com HI-FI ON THE HOOF Promising ‘class-leading, truly wireless hi-fi-grade sound’, Astell&Kern’s £249 AK UW100 earphones combine Knowles Balanced Armature drivers with an AKM AK4332ECB DAC, offering compatibility with Bluetooth 5.2 and aptX (24-bit/420kps). Six hours of battery playback…

Launched to partner its TuneTot bookshelf speakers [HFN Nov ’18], and suggested for use with the SabrinaX, Yvette and Sasha DAW floorstanders, Wilson Audio’s LōKē subwoofer is priced £8998 in standard finishes (Galaxy Gray, GT Silver, Quartz and Carbon), with a dozen ‘upgrade’ options at £9500 and five £10,998 ‘premium pearl’ variants. Regardless of colourway, buyers get the same custom 10in driver and integrated 500W amp module, the latter making use of signal filtering and setup technologies found in the brand’s outboard ActivXO Dual Subwoofer Crossover. XLR and RCA inputs are included at the rear of the enclosure, the latter fashioned from Wilson’s X-Material and braced with a blend of X-Material and HDF. Wilson Audio, Utah, USA, 0208 971 3909; www.wilsonaudio.com;  www.absolutesounds.com…

The latest IAG brand to turn back the clock for a ‘new’ model – following Wharfedale’s recent Denton and Linton revivals – is Mission, which has launched a ‘re-engineered’ update of its 1970s-era 770 standmount [HFN Mar ’79]. Featuring a white laminated front baffle and real-wood veneer cabinet that apes the look of the original, the £3500 770 has been designed by Mission’s Peter Comeau around the same ‘blueprint’, including the use of a polypropylene bass/mid driver and ‘resonance-controlled’ enclosure. The reformulated 220mm polymer woofer is improved with mineral-loading and mounted into a die-cast chassis. It’s joined by a 28mm microfibre dome tweeter, the two-way speaker being integrated via a 2.9kHz crossover with separate PCBs for bass and treble arms. The front-ported cabinet benefits from a twin-wall HDF construction with…