Innehållsförteckning för October - November 2016 från Sound + Image

With exhibitors up 13% and floor space up 5% including a new venue in central Berlin, IFA remains Europe’s leading consumer electronics event. There’s less classic two-channel gear featuring in the Messe Berlin showgrounds these days, with Munich’s High End filling that role, but there’s halls galore of TVs, AV, headphones and wireless audio — with LG’s spectacular tunnel of OLED (above) delivering the biggest ‘wow’ in visual terms. Here’s our pick of the news, with more to read at Sound+Image online: AVHub.com.au.…

Sony has been championing high-res gear since IFA 2013, and this year’s IFA saw the launch of a new ‘Signature’ collection comprising the MDR-Z1R headphones with large 70mm magnesium-dome diaphragms quoted as capable to 120kHz, two WM1 series high-res Walkmans, and a sexy little headphone amplifier, the TA-ZH1ES (pictured right). This high-res headphone audio amplifier uses what the company calls a D.A. hybrid amplifier circuit, a new design which uses an unusual combination of digital and analogue amplification. This is not a variant of hybrids where high levels of digital power take over from analogue when required, but rather uses fully digital amplification alongside an analogue stage which is used to lower noise from the digital output in a form of feedback which corrects waveform errors, in particular when high…

SUMMARY Panasonic DMP-UB900 UHD Blu-ray player Price: $1099 + Ultra High Definition! + Two HDMI outputs for backward compatibility + Very good local network functionality - Online functions use a clunky old interface This is the second Ultra HD Blu-ray player to reach the Australian market, Panasonic launching it rather earlier than expected here. And while the DMP-UB900 is a fair bit more expensive than the Samsung we reviewed last issue, it’s clearly a higher end unit, and is not unreasonably priced — this is, after all, a brand new format. And we’re kind of excited. Panasonic has long had one of the best picture processing engines in the business, and usually offers good signal control. Let’s see if that stuff has made its way into this unit. Equipment The…

SUMMARY Yamaha Aventage RX-A3060 AV receiver Price: $2999 + Excellent all round performance + Good video handling + MusicCast + Very useful ‘Scenes’ function - Support for 4-ohm speakers limited to front stereo The Yamaha Aventage RX-A3060 is the seventh generation of the company’s top-of-the-line AV receiver. It’s about as fully-featured as receivers get, yet still scrapes in under the $3000 price-point. Equipment Fully-featured, here, means eight HDMI inputs, nine amplifier channels, the ability to add two more power amp channels externally to provide full 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos/Dolby Surround/DTS:X sound, and even a phono input for turntables. Plus much, much more. Each of those amplifier channels is rated at 150W into eight ohms across the full audio bandwidth with less than 0.06% distortion. As is Yamaha’s habit, a setting must…

A very warm welcome back to everyone, not least our fantastic show visitors, who have made this show one of the most enjoyable in the world. We had a break last year but always intended to return to Melbourne, which has so many happy memories. Although as Organisers we are on the other side of the globe, we have developed a kinship for this show like no other, and long as the trip to Australia might be, we look forward to it every year. Hi-fi Shows such as the Australian Hi-Fi and AV Show are in many ways quite unique, in that there are very ‘few’ consumer products that support such stand-alone events. And that is partly down to the enormous number of brands that exist in this diverse market…

SUMMARY NAD D 8020 stereo loudspeakers Price: $499 + Ideal for desktop pairing with NAD’s D 3020 amp + Compact yet delivering a sound beyond their size - Lowest bass limited by their size NAD does headphones, it’s done wireless speakers, but it does not, as a rule, extend its hand to passive loudspeakers — the parent company Lenbrook has PSB Speakers for that, after all. So why now? Well the packaging for the little NAD D 8020 speakers notes that they are “custom-tuned” for the company’s D 7050 and D 3020 Digital Series amplifiers. NAD obviously wishes to serve those who wish to avoid a mixed-brand system, preferring to stay all NAD. Equipment While we can see their black gloss finish making a fine and thrillingly dinky matching system…

So the rumours were true, and Apple has ditched the minijack socket on the new iPhone 7, leaving only digital or Bluetooth output, and clever little AirPod earbuds to lose down the nearest drain. Should we be crying to save the analogue phone? Or are analogue headphone outputs best avoided anyway by those with a desire for quality audio? Is Apple doing us all a favour? There remain plenty of phones to choose from, of course, and as with every tech purchase, there isn’t one that’s best on every single front of phone performance, so you have to weight some aspect of performance or operation higher than others. The fact that you read Sound+Image suggests that you might be interested in sound quality as a priority. That’s what we’re focusing…

So the LG G5 is modular, eh? Yes indeed. We got ahold of the ‘LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play’ module that claims to enhance the audio capabilities of the LG G5. To be clear, this replaces the built-in audio, with the module replacing the bottom section of the phone, adding about 8.5mm to its length. It has a 3.5mm stereo headphone socket and a USB Type-C connection, so you can give the phone power and files in the usual way. It also has a phone speaker, though this merely carries sound from the normal phone circuits, not from the module. It packs an ESS ES9028C2M SABRE32 DAC chip, which supports PCM to 32 bits and 384kHz sampling, and DSD up to (the datasheet says) DSD512 (Octa-DSD). A separate ESS…

Around Christmas time back in 2010, I sounded-off loud and clear in this column when the free-to-air networks took away their HD versions of the main broadcast channels (Channel 2, 7, 9, etc.). At the time, this left viewers who had invested in expensive ‘Full Hi-Def’ 1080i TVs without high-definition access to their favourite shows. The main channels, along with all the top-quality shows, were relegated to Standard Definition, while the HD slots were taken over by special interest channels like ABC News 24, 7Mate and Gem. Worse still, those special interest channels (at least at the time) ran an amalgam of re-runs and re-cycled content — much of which was not even in widescreen, let alone high definition! As I noted back in 2010, the HD switch-off utterly enraged…

There has been a distinct shortage of truly innovative companies in this industry during the last few decades. Certainly the internet has changed the methods of content delivery, but from there it has been business as usual. French company Devialet have really bucked the trend. Their Expert range of amplifiers are a total departure from what has come before. The technology that goes into these models is amazing. However it is their wireless speakers, the Phantom series, which is attracting most of the attention, and for good reason. This range represents a showcase of extraordinary engineering. Firstly, this products looks like nothing that has preceded it. It looks more like a piece of modern sculpture than a piece of audio. Secondly the level of power and performance that they achieve…

Marantz is rolling out both hi-fi and AV components for the new season, led by the ‘Special Edition’ 14 Series, “fine-tuned and passionately optimised for High Resolution files”, says the company, “marking the new era in music adoration”. It is 30 years since Marantz pioneered the special edition concept in hi-fi, and this is “the most fitting way possible to celebrate that first SE event,” says Ken Ishiwata, the man behind Marantz’s KI Signature creations. “We wanted to do something extra special, and the moment I heard these exquisite instruments, I knew that we had achieved just that.” The SA-14S1 SE Premium SACD player ($4520) plays both CDs and SACDs, and its internal DAC can be accessed via optical and coaxial digital inputs as well by USB-B from computer, which…

The stand for Klipsch was heaving with new product, including a range of soundbars and ‘Heritage Wireless powered audio systems’, all incorporating the DTS Play-Fi wireless multiroom platform, which the company is, for its purposes, calling Klipsch Stream. The attractive Heritage range includes The One (pictured) and Three standalone wireless speakers and the Sixes, a pair of wireless speakers, while the soundbars include the PlayFi-equipped RSB-14 and RSB-8 Reference models. Klipsch had the clever Reference Premier HD Wireless home cinema system operating on the stand, while we were also delighted to see the ‘Music Crate’ package (in Europe apparently called merely the ‘Turntable Bundle’), which combines a special edition Pro-Ject Primary turntable with Ortofon OM 5e cartridge and the company’s wireless R-15PM powered monitor speakers which, handily, include a built-in…

DALI used IFA to unveil its first portable Bluetooth speaker, the Katch, which features Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX and NFC along with an 18W per channel Class-D amplifier that drives two 90mm aluminium-coned bass/midrange drivers and two 21mm soft-dome tweeters, one pair facing front, and one pair at the rear. The compact aluminium body can also deliver wired music via a stereo minijack input, and you can use the USB charge connector to drive a Chromecast Audio dongle so the Katch can integrate into your home network. Two ‘placement’ profiles optimise the sound for freestanding or shelf positioning. When you’re not using mains power, the Katch has a 2600mAH re-chargeable battery that DALI claims can operate for up to 24 hours, after which it can be fully re-charged in only…

SUMMARY Epson EH-TW9300W AV projector Price: $4999 + Excellent picture performance + Supports High Dynamic Range and WCG from UHD Blu-ray + WirelessHD connectivity can deal with situations where cables are impossible - Badly mishandles 1080i/50 and 576i/50 Well we’ve been waiting for 4K projection from brands such as Epson, of course, and confess to be mildly disappointed there’s none on the menu for this season. But we can’t be too disappointed when it comes to the new EH-TW9300W, the second highest home theatre projector Epson presently offers (behind only the laser-light sourced EH-LS10000). And it turns out that apart from one strange oversight, this is Epson’s best conventionally powered AV projector yet. Equipment The EH-TW9300 is a good sized projector, fairly bulky and fairly heavy (around 11kg). It is…

SUMMARY Redgum Magnificata pre/power amplifiers Price: $24,500 + High power output + Low-impedance capability + Hand-made in Oz - Stick-on labels - Balance control Redgum’s ‘Magnificata’ system (comprising two monobloc power amplifiers and a stereo passive preamplifier) is released to celebrate the occasion of Redgum’s 21st birthday. It is not exactly a new design, since the power amplifiers are heavily based on the company’s ‘Signature Series’ RGM300ENR (released in 2004) and the pre-amp on the one used in Redgum’s Splendens system. We’re not privy to any of the minor changes that have been wrought by Redgum’s designer, Ian Robinson, but he says the major changes to each monobloc include larger (1kVA) power transformers with a higher current capability, the use of 12×250W MOSFET output devices (up from just four), and…

SUMMARY Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A6 wireless speaker Price: $1599 + Connects by DLNA, AirPlay, GoogleCast & Bluetooth + Big room-filling sound + Nice app brings it all together - Over-egged low bass - Some fizzy sibilance Like nearly all things B&O, the BeoPlay A6 wireless speaker surprises. Firstly the images don’t prepare you for such a large unit — 52cm across, and 60cm around the fabric-covered bulge... something the size of a wide first-class seat headrest, perhaps. Yet its depth is shallow, with the rear following the front curve. You can switch the fabric cover to other options — various interchangeable wool-blend options from Kvadrat’s high-end textile range — and they click on and off easily, thereby revealing drive units that don’t seem to match the quoted specs of…

WINNER: Zene Private Theater FINALISTS: Electronic Living, Wavetrain Cinemas, Zene Private Theater Excellence in Home Cinema WINNER: Zene Private Theater Beijing-based Zene took out the Home Theater category with this home cinema themed with a “Star Wars touch”, capable of delivering 4K screen images from a Sony VW-1100ES projector and Screen Excellence screen, while the Dolby Atmos sound system includes Marantz AV8802 processing, 3 Aragon Iridium 400W monoblocks and 5 Aragon 8008 two-channel amps to drive GTL Sound Labs LCR speakers plus 4 side surrounds, 2 rear surrounds and 4 in-ceiling speakers. Four Bay Audio subs are driven by dedicated James Audio power — all under Control4 app operation. FINALIST: Wavetrain Cinemas We featured the Wavetrain Cinemas project recognised as a Finalist in this category in our April-May 2016 issue…

As Convoy International takes over distribution of NAD electronics and PSB Speakers in Australia, the parent company Lenbrook has announced new products which signal a notable expansion in the Bluesound wireless multiroom eco-system. For the Bluesound range itself comes the Pulse soundbar solution (pictured above), intended for use with 42-inch TVs and above. It uses a three-way speaker configuration with each driver having a dedicated amplifier channel and DSP crossover filters, its acoustic design and speaker voicing undertaken at Canada’s National Research Council by Paul Barton. At $1799 it does not come with a subwoofer, claiming standalone bass performance flat to 70Hz and only down 3dB at 55Hz. However it will be supplemented later in the year by a Pulse subwoofer, to retail at $999. As with all Bluesound components…

Krix has added the usefully compact Helix flush-mount in-ceiling loudspeaker to its range of ‘concealed’ speakers, priced at $295 each. The Helix has an overall diameter of 180mm and a cut-out size of 164mm, and it features a durable polypropylene 150mm (6-inch) bass/mid driver with an oversized, low distortion magnet system, plus a high-grade 20mm dome tweeter concentrically mounted within the voice coil of the bass driver, Krix citing the resulting uniform dispersion as an essential benefit for in-ceiling performance. Weather-resistant materials and a rust-resistant paintable stainless steel grille make the Helix suitable for use outside in alfresco areas and under eaves, or in bathrooms, en suites, or any other room. As with all concealed Krix models, the Helix uses a proper back-box in a semi-enclosed design, protected from dust…

Yamaha had a full focus on MusicCast at the IFA show in Berlin, and has certainly followed through on its promise to incorporate this wireless multiroom system into every possible product range... even crossing over to the instrument division by adding MusicCast to this Disklavier ENSPIRE, the showstopper on Yamaha’s IFA stand. It’s one of Yamaha’s pianos that can be played as a genuine acoustic piano, but which also contains a high-precision digital control system that can move the keys and hammers to play any of 500 built-in music pieces, plus others downloaded from the internet. So you can tinkle away (or auto-tinkle) while broadcasting the sound and music of your piano to any room of your house. (But how does it digitise the sound of the acoustic piano?) At…

It was all hands-on at Bang&Olufsen’s stand, with punters invited to twiddle the tops of the new BeoSound 1 (small, with an internal battery) and BeoSound 2 (larger, mains powered) wireless speakers. Although B&O’s “most affordable loudspeakers yet” at $1950 and $2475 respectively, they still feature B&O’s ‘Acoustic Lens’ technology and have proximity sensors to enhance the user control experience. The column designs aim to deliver 360-degree sound, both units able to stream via GoogleCast, AirPlay, DNLA or Bluetooth, with integrated access to TuneIn internet radio stations and services including Spotify and Deezer. More info: www.bang-olufsen.com…

UNLOCKED BY UNDOK: The third-party Undok app isn’t the richest control app in terms of beauty, but it’s fast, effective, and brings easy access to internet radio and network streaming. SUMMARY Sangean WFT-3 digital component tuner Price: $549 + Three types of radio + Undok control app + UPnP network streaming - No Bluetooth/Airplay - No high-res audio support - No AM - This version of Undok doesn’t offer multiroom Many companies would call this a network streamer which also has radio. But Sangean comes from a background of radio products, so considers the WFT-3 to be more a ‘component radio tuner’ which also has digital extras. Same same? Or slightly different? Set-up & performance Sangean certainly makes things easy for you. Where so many products today come with a…

SUMMARY HEOS Link HS2 wireless multiroom stereo preamplifier Price: $599 + High quality wireless multiroom audio system + Now with Bluetooth + Now with high-res support - No physical remote - No AirPlay A few months back we published an article called ‘Don’t Junk Your Hi-Fi’, which tried to make the point that the new breed of wireless multiroom music systems don’t have to replace your existing hi-fi, they can augment it. The leading platforms — HEOS here, Sonos, Bluesound, MusicCast, DTS Play-Fi — each offer a relatively simple ‘receiver’ unit (we call them ‘squirters’) which has all the wireless and streaming capabilities of the platform and can deliver them into a spare input on any hi-fi system. Then the many other units — wireless speakers of various sizes —…

SUMMARY Sony GTK-XB7 Bluetooth speaker Price: $549 + A lot of fun + Can pair up to eight Bluetooth devices and chain XB7s + Surprisingly dynamic sound - Clearly not super hi-fi Enough with the OLED TVs and 11.1-channel theatre systems, let’s just have some good old musical fun. Please welcome to the dance floor, then, the Sony GTK-XB7 Bluetooth speaker. With, I hasten to add, EXTRA BASS. You won’t fail to notice that, since EXTRA BASS is the one attribute that Sony chooses to emphasise in four-centimetre-tall letters on the carton. (And according to the website, EXTRA BASS is a trademark of Sony Corporation, so use the term with care. Perhaps it only applies if capitalised.). Equipment What we have is a large Bluetooth (and other things) speaker. It…

Measurements & conclusions As you can see, the graphs above show the high frequency performance of the phones at three common sampling frequencies: 44.1kHz (CD standard), 96kHz and 192kHz (both common high-resolution formats). The iPhone is only shown on the 44.1kHz graph, since you have to go to heroic lengths to even get 96kHz files onto it. At 44.1kHz, the LG Stylus DAB+ graph (yellow, see below) is almost entirely obscured by the LG G5 graph (white). It’s clear that the LG Hi-Fi Plus module works quite differently depending on whether it’s being used as part of the LG G5 (blue trace) or as an external DAC to another phone (the purple trace). By any reasonable interpretation, the 44.1kHz handling delivered by the iPhone 6s, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and…

WINNER: Look & Listen FINALISTS: Electronic Living (twice), Look & Listen Excellence in Integrated Homes WINNER: Look & Listen “Create a home that ‘lives’ the way my family does”, was the client’s brief for this beautiful Queensland home, with security, comfort and sustainability also high priorities. Look & Listen worked with the architect to provide natural convection cooling alongside 18 automated louvre/blinds to minimise AC use, while Savant control systems bring together integration of distributed entertainment (7 video and 11 audio zones) plus 139 Dynalite lighting channels, Ness security, VOIP telephony, data and much much more!…