Sound + Image June - July 2015

Trends in Hi-Fi Traditionally most of the Hi-Fi sold in Australia originated in the UK, USA or Japan. In recent years we have seen a notable swing to Europe, and having recently attended the Hi-End Audio show in Munich, I believe that this trend will continue. Of immediate interest to us is France. We have extolled the virtues of French speaker manufacturer Focal for decades. Recently we have come across yet another very high quality French speaker manufacturer – Triangle. I am somewhat surprised that Triangle have never become a recognised brand in this country (although I am sure this is about to change). They have been producing speakers for over 35 years, the range is extensive, the quality is obvious, and they have pioneered many of the innovations in…

I am, clearly, fond of hi-fi — I’ve been hanging out on hi-fi mags since 1989, back when TVs were deeper than they were wide, we were still peering distrustingly at these new-fangled CDs, and we wouldn’t have known an MP3 if it had slid from under its developmental rocks and bitten us on our collective posteriors. So I’ve been reviewing hi-fi (on and just occasionally off) for 27 years. ‘Is it the best job in the world?’ ask my hi-fi-loving friends. Well, I’m not complaining, obviously. But it wasn’t a love of hi-fi that brought me into hi-fi magazines in the first place. Rather it was a meeting point for two big themes of my life — music, in which I had been involved actively and passively pretty much…

Audio Marketing has gained the Australian distribution of French brand Triangle, a wide-ranging and technology-led speaker company based in Picardy’s Villeneuve-Saint-Germain, France. Triangle designs and engineers its speakers in France, and still handcrafts its high-end models there. Its ranges cover everything from top-end loudspeakers to smaller models suitable for desktop listening. At the very top is the Magellan range — pictured right is the Magellan Quatuor, a floorstanding design featuring twin horn-loaded titanium dome tweeters (one facing backwards), one glass-fibre midrange driver and three 6.5-inch glass-fibre woofers in its 133cm-high cabinet, priced at $29,990 a pair. The pinnacle of this range is the $109,000 Magellan Grand Concert — the one Triangle speaker which we gather will be a ‘special order’ from Australia. Below the Magellans, the Signature range comprises two…

NEW-TECH STARTS JULY 31 The Australian Audio & AV Show has expanded this year to cover a wider range of technology — now titled ‘New-Tech 15’, it includes high-end audio sound lounges but also digital photo imaging, new science and tech, satellite navigation, mobile/in-car entertainment, eco-friendly and leisure technologies — a show for all the family and for all ages. Here at NextMedia we are again media partners for the show, which takes place from July 31 to August 2nd 2015 at Sydney Olympic Park in the new Hall 5 at the Sydney Show Ground. Tickets are on sale now: visit www.chestergroup.org  for details. WHAT’S ON NETFLIX? JustWatch has launched here, providing a useful search and ‘what’s new’ updates across streaming and download services including Netflix, Presto, Stan,…

The HEOS by Denon wireless multiroom system is set to expand with the addition of three new products — a soundbar and subwoofer solution (the HEOS HomeCinema), a smaller portable speaker, the HEOS 1, and an intriguing shift sideways with the HEOS Drive multiroom amplifier. Added Bluetooth And hidden among the specs is an interesting nugget which could prove a game-changer for the whole HEOS system — you can add a USB-to-Bluetooth adaptor to any of the standard range in order to stream direct to the speaker from your smart device. This adds significantly to their abilities. Currently HEOS units receive only via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and operate entirely through the dedicated HEOS app (see our April-May issue for our full review of HEOS and other multiroom systems). While the…

Music Flow is LG’s wireless multiroom system, and this has also had new models launched since we went to press on last issue’s review. We have already played with the new H4 portable (see p64 for our review), while two more soundbars have joined the ecosystem, which now comprises H3, H4, H5 and H7 speakers, the HS6 soundbar (LAS650M) at $799, and the two new soundbars, the HS7 (LAS750M, $899, pictured left), and the flagship HS9 (LAS950M, $1299). This last, the rangetopping HS9 soundbar, is quite a beast, 110cm long with three HDMI inputs and one output, and using nine speakers with a quoted 700W of power (no criteria given), including 175W to the wireless subwoofer, together able to deliver 7.1-channel audio. Being part of the Music Flow range, the…