Hi Fi News July 2021

New materials, and material technologies, are keenly anticipated in many quarters of our hi-fiindustry. If there’s a way that an unusual metal, native or alloy, can be incorporated into a cable or connector then our hobby will find a way. Same goes for novel semiconductors, power transistor substrates or tube variants. But if there’s one quarter of hi-fi’s commonwealth of components that’s more keenly influenced by new materials then that’s in the land of loudspeakers. While birch-ply panels never entirely went out of fashion, plain vanilla MDF is no longer the go-to material for loudspeaker cabinets hosting drivers of distinction. Curved, laminated woodwork, constrained-layer damping and critical bracing are today’s tools of the trade as speaker designers seek inert but practical and attractive cabinet solutions. It’s arguable that the 180lb weight of…

NEW ACTIVE SUB TO PARTNER LS3/5A Extending the low-frequency performance of the classic, but seemingly evergreen, LS3/5A BBC monitor loudspeaker is not a new idea but we do have a new take on its execution courtesy of Rogers’ £3500 AB3a subwoofer. This is an active successor to the company’s 1990s-era passive AB1 model and is designed to partner Rogers’ £2750 LS3/5A Classic [HFN Jul ’19] or other ‘similar small monitors’. Moreover, the AB3a performs double duty as both subwoofer system and 600x190x165mm (hwd) speaker stand with outrigger feet. Its frequency response is rated down to 60Hz (–3dB) via two rearfiring woofers, a seemingly minor but subjectively useful extension on the 80Hz (–3dB) reach of the LS3/5A Classic. The drivers – 125mm bextrene woofers with dual-layer damping and rubber surrounds – are the…

NEXT GEN WIRELESS NODE AND POWERNODE Just arrived from multiroom audio marque Bluesound are new generations of its Node networked streamer and ‘just-add-speakers’ PowerNode streaming amplifier, priced £549 and £849 respectively. Updates over the previous 2i versions include new 32-bit DACs, increased processing power via quadcore 1.8GHz ARM Cortex devices, HDMI ARC connection and an expanded touch-sensitive control system on the top panel that adds preset keys and a proximity sensor. Meanwhile the PowerNode’s Class D ‘HybridDigital’ amps, from sister brand NAD, claim an increase in power from 2x60W to 2x80W. Both models are available in black and white satin finishes and support control and hi-res file playback (inc. MQA) through Bluesound’s BluOS app. Lenbrook Inc, Ontario, Canada, 01732 459555; http://nadelectronics.com…

CELLO CHASING A year in the making, Bach’s complete Cello Suites are now available from audiophile label Chasing The Dragon. Captured using just two tube mics, the performances in London’s Temple Church and St Botolph’s Church in Kent include the 3rd Suite on the cello with and without piano accompaniment. The 6th Suite is performed on a five-string cello. This five LP box set is packaged with a paperback copy of The Cello Suites by Eric Siblin, plus a 32-page behind-the-scenes booklet. www.chasingthedragon.co.uk SILTECH LEGEND Thirty years of research into audio cable design has culminated in the new ‘Classic Legend’ series from Siltech. The range encompasses interconnect, speaker, and power cables and features its new G9 silver/gold conductors that are up to 2x thicker than used in previous Siltech designs. An improved dielectric and…

NAIM’S HEADPHONE-OPTIMISED UNTI ATOM Naim has unveiled a ‘Headphone Edition’ of its Uniti Atom all-in-one networked music system. Available now priced £2399 (the same as the standard edition), it replaces the 2x40W Class AB amplifier of the original Atom with a headphone amplifier stage the manufacturer says employs trickle-down technology from its Statement power amps. This, and a new PSU transformer design. Described as suitable for ‘even the most premium of headphones’, the Uniti Atom Headphone Edition features 4.4mm Pentaconn and four-pin XLR balanced headphone outputs, plus a conventional 6.35mm socket. Another addition is a balanced XLR preamp output (joining the pre-existing unbalanced RCA connection) for improved integration with high-end speaker-based set-ups. Naim Audio Ltd, Salisbury, 01722 426600; www.naimaudio.com…

AUDIOQUEST’S USB NOISE FILTER GETS A ‘FULL METAL JACKET’ AudioQuest’s JitterBug USB data and power line noise filter [HFN Oct ’15] has been tailored with a new ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (FMJ). This includes both a shielded metal case and ‘noise-stopper’ carbon cover for its ‘A’ connection. This £50 USB 2.0 accessory mirrors the functionality of AudioQuest’s earlier model – it’s a purely passive device (drawing no power from the USB hub) but provides transformer-isolation and RF filtering of both the 5V USB ‘VBUS’ and its differential data lines. The enhancements, meanwhile, are intended to ‘further reduce RF noise, jitter and packet data errors from USB playback hardware’, the hinged cover specifically for when one JitterBug FMJ is used in parallel with another (in a USB service port, for example), and its…