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Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 15 July 2015

Sanch Electronix, Trinidad and Tobago distributor for NAD, PSB, Aurender, Audience, Torus Power, Berkeley Audio Design, Reference Recordings, Delos, and AudioQuest, among other audiophile brands, has launched a campaign to help educate and inspire underprivileged children using Trinidad and Tobago’s traditional steelpan music as the vehicle. Simeon Sandiford, Sanch Electronix's founder and managing director, states: “Laventille, a Ward in Trinidad and Tobago, is nestled on a hill overlooking Port of Spain, the country’s capital. It is acknowledged as the epicenter and cradle of the steelband -- the home of some of the most famous and infamous names in steelband history. Laventille is also often in the local news as a cauldron of crime, delinquency, and disempowerment. But, that is only part of the story of Laventille.

“At the foot of the hill lies Success Village, home of the Success Laventille Secondary School. We have a vision to leverage the proud history and passion for steelpan music as a fulcrum for empowering students to become self-sufficient, self-confident, and successful global entrepreneurs. We endeavor to change the stereotype of people coming from Laventille.”

Success Stars Pan Sounds

In order to realize this project, Sanch Electronix has launched a GoFundMe campaign in a strategic partnership with the local school board and Success Laventille Secondary School. Contributors will receive a high-resolution download of the Sanch release Success Stars Pan Sounds.

Laventille on GoFundMe website

Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 03 July 2015

Well-known British-based loudspeaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins has now announced a wireless version of their popular P5 headphone model, appropriately called P5 Wireless.

Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless

According to the company’s July 1st press release, the P5 Wireless uses Bluetooth aptX technology, which they also used in their popular T7 portable loudspeaker. Battery life is claimed to be “a class-leading 17 hours before a charge is required,” which is very long. Supplied with the P5 Wireless are two microphone cables, a USB cable is supplied for charging from a computer, and a padded carrying case. The price for the P5 Wireless is $399.99 USD.

Bowers & Wilkins website

Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 01 June 2015

The eighth episode of the SoundStage! InSight series focuses on PSB Speaker’s Imagine T3 loudspeaker, which retails for $7500 USD per and is currently the company’s flagship design. The video went online on YouTube today.

This latest InSight segment features PSB employees Jim Price, Greg Stidsen, and, of course, Paul Barton, who founded the company in 1974 and is still intrinsically involved in all the designs today. The three talk about the founding of PSB, Paul’s work with Dr. Floyd Toole at Canada’s National Research Council (NRC), and the technical details behind the Imagine T3. The footage with Jim and Greg was shot at PSB’s head office, which is based in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. The footage with Paul Barton was shot at Canada's NRC, which is based in Ottawa, Ontario. NRC is also where SoundStage! tests loudspeakers under review.

“PSB’s Imagine T3 Loudspeaker” on YouTube

Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 14 May 2015

The SoundStage! Network is pleased to announce that coverage of High End 2015 has begun. High End is held annually in Munich, Germany, and is now considered to be the world’s top hi-fi event.

High End 2015 began May 14 and will conclude on May 17. On site are Jeff Fritz, Hans Wetzel, and Doug Schneider, who are currently working to provide on-the-spot coverage for SoundStage! Global, the SoundStage! Network’s purpose-built site for show reporting, company tours, and product introductions. Shown in the photo above are Jeff Fritz and Hans Wetzel (front row), along with Francesco Rubenni and Enrico Fiore of Rosso Fiorentino, whose new speaker, the Elba, is featured in the first day’s coverage.

High End 2015 on SoundStage! Global

Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 15 April 2015

The latest installment in the SoundStage! InSight series focuses on Hegel Music Systems and their H160 integrated amplifier-DAC. It went live on YouTube yesterday and is the seventh in the InSight series. The footage for this video was shot in February in Oslo, Norway, where the company is based.

The H160 is the company’s newest integrated amplifier-DAC, which retails for $3500 in the United States and is claimed to deliver up to 150Wpc into 8 ohms. According to Hegel’s Bent Holter (founder and chief designer) and Anders Ertzeid (sales and marketing director), although the H160 supports Apple’s AirPlay, they made significant refinements to the technology to provide true audiophile-grade performance. Should users not wish to use AirPlay, the H160 has numerous analog and digital inputs to support pretty much any source component.

SoundStage! InSight featuring Hegel Music Systems on YouTube

Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 06 April 2015

The new Magico S7 is a full-range, three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker that features all-new drivers derived from the M Project loudspeaker. The acoustic-suspension enclosure of the S7 features curved-aluminum side panels that are machined in-house from half-inch-thick aluminum extrusions 16" in diameter. Internal bracing minimizes resonances.

According to the company's April 6 press release, the S7's 10" bass drivers have "extremely powerful magnets and ultra-stiff aluminum cones, which are capable of producing deep, powerful bass frequencies with speed and accuracy." This woofer is said to be capable of undistorted sound-pressure levels up to 120dB at 50Hz/1m.

The 6" midrange driver is formulated using "Arkema Multi-Wall carbon nanotubes and XG Sciences C-750 Nanographene, which [when] combined is 20% lighter and 300% stiffer than previous cone-material designs. The driver operates in a purpose-built sub-enclosure made of a proprietary polymer material that was first introduced in the S3."

The S7's 1" tweeter features a diamond-coated beryllium diaphragm with "optimized geometry, created using state-of-the-art Finite Element analysis modeling tools. This purpose-built tweeter has extra-long-excursion movement and uses a neodymium-based motor system that is customized to match the sensitivity and power handling capabilities of the S7 while maintaining ultra-wide-dispersion characteristics and ultra-low-distortion measurements."

All five drivers in the S7 are acoustically integrated using Magico’s exclusive Elliptical Symmetry Crossover topology that includes state-of-the-art components from Mundorf of Germany.

The S7 weighs 300 pounds and is priced at $58,000.00 USD per pair. Availability is said to be July of 2015.

Magico website

Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 26 March 2015

Sonus Faber has just announced the introduction of the Chameleon series of speakers, which will be available through dealers next month. The line is comprised of the floorstanding T, stand-mounted B, and center-channel C, which are all made in the company’s headquarters in Italy. According to the company’s press release on March 26: “Chameleon embodies all of the iconic design elements of Sonus Faber while offering a level of customization previously unattainable in this market segment: the entire cabinet is covered in leather; drivers’ flanges are embellished with aluminum trims; the sidewalls house the exchangeable side panels via a system of pins which allows for their simple removal and replacement.

“Thanks to this design, choosing the finish is no longer a permanent decision. Instead it becomes something that identifies the speaker, something that can evolve together with [the] customer’s taste. Owners of the Sonus Faber Chameleon will have the freedom to select the most suitable style for their environment and interior design!

“For the Chameleon collection, Sonus Faber’s designers have developed cabinet shapes and proportions that guarantee exceptional control of internal resonance, perfect acoustics, excellent driver stability and easy integration into rooms. All the driver components are built exclusively for Sonus Faber by the foremost manufacturers in the field. Other special treatments during assembly put the finishing touches on the drivers before being sent to the production line. Extreme care is taken in the design of the crossover network to maintain Sonus Faber’s standards of excellence.”

Chameleon panels

The Chameleon line is being introduced with six finishes -- White, Black, Metal Blue, Metal Grey, Orange, and Red -- with additional finishes becoming available in the coming months. The T retails for $1999 USD per pair, plus $400 for four panels; the B for $899 per pair, plus $180 for four panels; and the C for $549, plus $55 for two panels. The press release states that the “speakers cannot be sold separately from the first side panels set.”

Sonus Faber website

Details: Category: Audio/Video News; Created: 16 March 2015

McIntosh, based in Binghamton, NY, USA, has announced the release of the C22 preamplifier and MC75 mono amplifier, which are based on 1960s and ’70s designs, but have been updated to reflect current standards