Sound + Image November - December 2020

Those readers particularly prone to peer carefully at magazine page ‘straps’ may have noticed that in recent issues we’ve divided up our Sound+Image review section into categorised blocks — this issue there’s our vinyl section, then hi-fi, an audio-visual section, and a lone headphone. These categories intersect — obviously we’re not implying that audio-visual can’t be ‘hi-fi’ too. But certainly not all audio-visual and audio gear qualifies as hi-fi. And by hi-fi I mean equipment of a level that delivers a sufficient semblance of the original performance that it makes recorded music come alive — it works, it’s real, it recreates a moment in time. Which is something I think most people will have experienced at some point (hopefully daily for many of our well-equipped readers). It’s quite the moment when…

The ultra-short-throw projector seems to be coming of age in homes where it’s a fit, and Epson’s $5499 4K Pro-UHD EH-LS500 is the latest contender, sitting close to the wall, shining up to illuminate a screen or wall, and having its own speakers too. “Even though panels are getting bigger and bigger, they can get nowhere near as big as a home theatre projector,” Epson Australia’s Bruce Bealby told us when the projector was first shown in Sydney, pre-COVID. “The LS500 has a screen size of up to 130-inches — that’s equivalent to four 65-inch panels.” The EH-LS500 can be purchased alone with an RRP of $5499, but Epson also has two bundles, coming either with a 100-inch screen for a total price of $6599, or with a 120-incher for $7199. For…

Naim Audio has had an association with car-maker Bentley for some years; now the association has been extended to sister company Focal. Engineers from both brands work together on in-car systems known as ‘Naim for Bentley’ in every Bentley model, and now two new audio products (sold together) have been released in ‘Bentley’ liveries: an Ayous-wood cabinet version of the Naim Mu-so wireless speaker system with an RRP of $3700, plus $2000 ‘Focal for Bentley’ Radiance headphones. More info: www.busisoft.com.au…

Yamaha is in full launch mode at present, so that while we await news of the 10th anniversary Aventage AV receiver range, the company is rolling out new soundbars, RX-V range receivers and headphones. AV RECEIVERS: The new RX-V receiver range is redesigned from the ground up, and looks it, with two minimalist-fronted models — the $899 RX-V4A and $1299 RX-V6A — sporting a new, high-res LCD display and front jog-dial knob plus touch-sensitive buttons. The receivers offer five and seven channels of power respectively, and come with impressive 8K future-proofing onboard. “No other AV receiver on the market offers as many 8K HDMI inputs as Yamaha, as of today,” boasts the company, with three of the seven HDMI inputs on the RX-V6A and all four inputs on the RX-V4A being able…

There is finally proof-positive of Loewe’s continuing life under its new management. The new team responsible for reanimating the site in Kronach, Germany, had promised fresh designs and new categories to be launched during IFA 2020 in Berlin, but with that great European showcase much reduced this year, we got the news first from Loewe’s Australian distributor, Indi Imports. Together Indi and Loewe have announced a new branding — ‘We. by Loewe’ — which “is characterised by progressive, modern designs and differentiates itself from Loewe in terms of price and appearance”. The new ranges will be aimed strongly at “a younger customer that expresses their personality through product and colour”, noting that this is “in contrast” with the main Loewe brand. The first products are promised in the new year, starting with…

Sony has brought a little bit of Bravia TV technology to three new projector models just announced, spearheaded by an all-new flagship VPL-GTZ380 4K laser projector which Sony Australia’s Michael Bromley described during the online launch as “an absolute beast”. This model and the other two new releases — the lamp-based VPL-VW590ES model and laser-based VPL-VW790ES models which replace the VW570ES and VW760ES respectively — all feature processing by the company’s X1 Ultimate picture processor, an optimised-for-projector version of the X1 processor found in Sony Bravia TVs. The processor powers various processes including an object-based HDR remastering tool that aims to enhance details and colours specifically based on the type of object in the frame — flowers, faces, hands etc. Two databases work together in real-time to clean up noise and…