The SoundStage! Network

Cary Audio of North Carolina, USA, announced the release of the new Nighthawk headphone amplifier. The product is being sold under the Audio Electronics by Cary Audio brand name. According to the company's May 17 press release: "The Nighthawk is an all-new design, featuring top-quality parts mounted on a thick-gauge fiberglass circuit board. A power transformer, rated at three times what is required for the amplifier’s design, feeds a fully regulated discrete power supply for the best sound quality. Operating in Class A throughout, the Nighthawk’s front end is a monolithic high-speed FET, which then goes to a fully complementary high-speed buffered output stage for extremely high linearity and low distortion, leading to musical accuracy. No global feedback is used in the design of the amplifier, and it is designed to drive headphones with an impedance between 20 and 600 ohms. A five second muting circuit prevents any annoying pops and clicks when turning on the Nighthawk headphone amplifier."

The Nighthawk headphone amplifier measures 8.5"W x 14.5"D x 4"H, weighs 10 pounds, and is made in the United States. It will become available May 21 and can be purchased through Cary Audio dealers or directly through Cary's online store on their website.

Cary Audio website

In June, Bowers & Wilkins will release its P3 headphones, which are aimed at a target audience of people on the go. The headphones fold for storage, fitting into a provided compact hard-shell case. New drivers have been designed for the P3 headphones that Bowers & Wilkins claims allow more air flow for uniform sound. Special acoustic fabric and memory foam are claimed to make the headphones more comfortable and form a tight seal over time.

The P3 headphones come in black or white, and are shipped with two cables, one with a remote microphone designed for the iPhone, and one for all other mobile phones and MP3 players. If you buy direct from Bowers & Wilkins you will receive a three-month free membership to the Society of Sound HD download site. Cost of the P3s in the US will be $199.99.

Bowers & Wilkins website

Canada's Axiom Audio has announced the release of 21 new amplifier models grouped under three lines: 1000, 1250, and 1500. Each line has seven models, ranging from two to eight channels of output. All models use Axiom's propriety class-D amplifier technology for highly efficient operation.

The main difference in each line is power output. The 1000-, 1250- and 1500-series amplifiers are rated to deliver 125W, 225W, and 325W into 8 ohms, or 250W, 450W, and 650W into 4 ohms, respectively (in all instances, one-channel driven). The amplifiers range in price from $980 USD for a two-channel 1000-series model to $3880 for an eight-channel 1500-series model, although substantial discounts are in effect for orders placed by May 15 ($735 to $2910 for the models indicated; consult the Axiom website for pricing on other models).

Axiom's new amplifiers will begin shipping July 20 and are available factory-direct through the company's website. The amplifiers come with a five-year warranty, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and lifetime support.

Axiom Audio website

Representatives from MartinLogan, the USA's well-known maker of electrostatic speakers since 1974, are traveling to dealers throughout the United States as part of their Truth in Sound tour. According to MartinLogan, the Truth in Sound tour "will give you a chance to experience sound reproduction like you've never heard, from the world's finest full-range electrostatic line source, the CLX Art. At each event MartinLogan representatives will be there to answer all your tough questions, give intimate demos and provide you with a glimpse into the exciting and unique world of electrostatic speaker technology." The next Truth in Sound stop is on Thursday, May 10, from 2-8 p.m., at Audio Advice in Pineville, NC, USA.

MartinLogan website

Aperion Audio of Redmond, Washington, USA, announced the release of the new ARIS speaker system that has been designed to work with Windows 7 and Windows 8 Consumer Preview, as well as smartphone- and tablet-type devices.

The ARIS has an attractive brushed-aluminum enclosure that measures 14.75" wide by 6.5" high and contains six drivers and four amplifiers. It can be placed anywhere in a home and connected to a network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet and will be seen on a computer as a device that can be controlled with Windows' Play To feature. According to Aperion Audio's product development manager, Mike Hopkins: “The ARIS Wireless Speaker combines our experience in making wireless speaker systems with the media capabilities of the Windows operating system. The result is effortless listening from any room. Plus, with the new ARIS app, smartphone users can choose music from any device on their network and instantly send it to any connected ARIS speaker.” The ARIS will be available for purchase directly from Aperion Audio's website and is expected to start shipping in the middle of June.

aris.aperionaudio.com website

The SoundStage! Network has completed coverage of High End 2012, held May 3-6 in Munich, Germany. All coverage can be found on SoundStage! Global, the SoundStage! Network's site designed specifically for event coverage, company tours, and product introductions. More than 125 photos are now online, making coverage of this year's event the largest ever from Munich. The SoundStage! Network was also the only publishing company in the world to provide on-the-spot coverage of High End on all days of the show.

SoundStageGlobal.com