All Audio Feeds

The new £2,000 LP12!

Dan George — 1210781120

Linn Products, maker of world’s most iconic turntable – the Linn Sondek LP12 – has announced details of a new, affordable LP12 version.

To celebrate the 35^th anniversary of this treasured turntable, Linn has released an ‘entry-level’ version, called the ‘Majik’ in line with the company’s similarly named electronics range.

Oh no, it's Majik

The Majik LP12, which is competitively priced at £2,000, is a basic version of the popular deck, retaining the standard LP12 turntable, with a simple new internal power supply (33rpm only).

It will also feature a solid baseboard, Linn Adikt moving magnet cartridge and interestingly, a Pro-Ject 9cc carbon tonearm – a tie-in that the Czech manufacturer is delighted with.

Naturally, the Majik LP12 is fully compatible with the wide range of aftermarket parts that are available for the Sondek.

It is, therefore, possible to upgrade the standard £2,000 Majik to a full Sondek LP12 ‘SE’ specification, by adding a Keel sub-chassis, Ekos SE tone arm, Lingo power supply, Trampolin baseboard and Akiva MC cartridge. This will take the £2,000 cost up to £10,000, however!

Other components in Linn’s Majik range include the Majik Kontrol preamp and Majik-I integrated amp, both of which feature a high-quality phono stage for use with the Majik LP12.

Combined with the Majik 140 speakers there’s the making of a system fit for David Copperfield.

Totem Acoustics' Model One special edition

Dan George — 1210780080

Canada’s Totem Acoustics is celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a special edition loudspeaker.

The Montreaul-based loudspeaker specialist – who is renowned for its slow-growing range of speakers – has now released a special edition of The Model One, the speaker that not only started the ball rolling for the firm, but also was the only speaker it produced up until 1992!

You are The One

The new product, simply called The One, builds upon the strengths of the original Model One, and is available in a strictly limited edition. The One features bi-wired WBT Platinum binding posts, improved internal bracing and upgrades to key components within the crossover to facilitate bi-wiring.

The result is claimed to improve the midrange and make the high frequencies smoother. But all that performance takes patience: according to the manufacturer, the speakers require a massive 150-200 hour break-in period.

Totem says that, “No expense or development cost was spared in obtaining the most exotic and musically pleasing componentry. The One has great ability to capture midrange subtlety, dynamics and proper timbre”.

This limited edition model is based around a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter, a 140mm bass driver and 7.2litre cabinet. It is expected to sell for £2,300.

Sony's financial year: our verdict

Marc Chacksfield — 1210778460

Sony’s financial results for the last 12 months are in and TechRadar's had a look at what the company has got up to in the last year. And we must admit that it’s had a pretty good run of things.

Electronics

Sony saw an increase in sales in its electronics range thanks largely to Bravia LCD TVs.

An 8.9 per cent increase was shown in the sales of Bravia LCD TVs, VAIO PCs and CyberShot digital cameras, equating to 6,613.80 billion Yen (£32.3 billion). A slight decrease was seen in the sale of LCD rear projection TVs.

Operating income for the year was more than double FY06 for electronics, up from 160.5 billion Yen (£0.8 billion) in 2006 to 356 billion Yen (£1.7 billion) in 2007.

However, mobile phones were among the worst performers in Sony’s electronics portfolio, the only decreasing factor in Japan and Europe.

Music and film

Sony BMG, the music strand of Sony, saw a small decrease in sales (down four per cent) but a massive increase in income before taxes, up a whopping 90 per cent to $257 million (£132 million).

The company cites a $67 million restructuring process and lower marketing costs as a reason for the increase.

Girl power was the order of the day when it comes to Sony BMG’s best-selling albums of the year. Music from Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis and Avril Lavigne all helped to bring in the cash.

Film-wise the company saw an 11 per cent drop in sales, down from 966 billion Yen (£4.2 billion) FY06 to 858 billion Yen (£4.2 billion) FY07. The company has cited a decrease in films being released in the year as a reason for the drop.

As with the Electronics sector, Sony did see a big increase in operating income, this time of 26.5 per cent.

Games

Although the PS2 is still outselling the PS3, sales of the console have dropped 7 per cent, while both the PSP and the PS3 have seen increases of 46 per cent - something the company is looking to increase next year - and 156 per cent accordingly. PS3 software sales have increased a massive 335 per cent.

And while there’s been a 26 per cent increase of sales – from 1,016 billion Yen (£4.9 billion) to 1,284 billion Yen (6.3 billion) the company is still operating a loss of around £0.6 billion in its gaming sector.

The Creative way to give your PC better audio

Marc Chacksfield — 1210693260

Creative’s new addition to its X-Fi range, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1, is the first of its type that allows you to upgrade your PCs basic, built-in audio system to 5.1 surround sound.

The device comes in black and simply plugs into a USB2.0 port to give your computer advanced audio capabilities - ideal for those who are afraid to open up your PCs to see what lurks inside.

Located on the Sound Blaster are gold-plated RCA ports and mini-jack outputs, while there’s also an optical-out for connecting to surround sound systems. A rather stylish remote control is also supplied.

Let the games begin

The X-Fi Surround 5.1 is not only geared towards those who want to immerse themselves in their DVD collection, it’s ideal for gamers too.

Put a game on and Creative’s EAX Advanced HD effects kick in, giving – in theory – a fantastic 5.1 gaming experience.

The Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 is out now, priced at around £30.

Sonus Faber expands its loudspeaker range

Marc Chacksfield — 1210608300

Luxury hi-fi specialist Sonus Faber has announced an addition to its Cremona speaker range, the Cremona Auditor Elipsa.

The wall-mounted speaker system is in keeping with the Elipsa brand of Cremona speakers launched last year.

Aesthetically, the Elipsa looks the business. The curved cabinet stands at 341mm tall and is made of solid maple wood. But this is no style-over-substance, as the cabinet houses some pretty outstanding features.

Sounding out

Underneath the plush wood is a two-way speaker, a 25mm ultra-dynamic ring-radiator tweeter system and 150mm Symmetric Drive Motor System mid/base driver. The sensitivity of the speaker is 89dB.

Size-wise, the speaker, along with an included wall mount, is a modest 341 x 335 x 224mm, while a pair of them weigh in at 15.2kg.

As with all Sonus Faber’s luxurious kit, you do pay a premium for the quality, and the Cremona Auditor Elipsa is no exception. They are available to buy now for £2,690 a pair. Or if you want just one, expect to pay, not surprisingly, £1,345.

Pioneer updates its Blu-ray range

Marc Chacksfield — 1210586460

Sleek and sexy is the order of the day for Pioneer’s new range of Blu-ray players. The robust, piano-black machines boast impressive audio and visual capabilities, but it all comes at a premium.

Features-wise the BDP-05FD and BDP-51D are jam-packed. They both include 1080p/24fps video output, Picture-in-Picture interactivity, a DVD upscaling option (up to 1080p), and audio options so good that they deserve a new paragraph all to themselves.

Superior sound

Pioneer has managed to squeeze in support for all HD audio formats – an industry first. This means that Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD Master Audio all get a look in when it comes to watching your chosen Blu-ray Disc with superior sound.

As with Pioneer’s previous players, there’s added interactivity with its Kuro range of TVs and AV receivers giving, the company states, “the most true-to-life reproduction of HD feature films.”

The BDP-05FD is the Elite player of the two and has some extras added to its chassis, including gold-plated connection points, touch key buttons and an enhanced video processor.

What Pioneer has failed to include, though, is BD-Live (Profile 2.0). The company has instead decided to stick with BonusView (Profile 1.1). This means that those looking for the most up-to-date interactivity possible should look elsewhere - ie, buy a PlayStation 3.

Pricey players

Even though Blu-ray has won the battle for HD supremacy, the price point for BD players is still high. At the moment there’s no UK prices announced, but the BDP-51FD will be $599 (£300) and the Elite BDP-05FD will be available to buy for $799 (£400) when they are both released in the summer. As with all US-released Blu-ray players, expect the names of the UK versions to change. We will keep you updated prior to release.

Downloads blamed for Warner share slump

Marc Chacksfield — 1210345413

Warner Music Group, the company behind Muse, REM and Nickleback, has announced losses of around $34 million. This second quarter deficit is worse than the loss of $19 million it made a year ago.

The company has blamed the lower revenue on an increase in taxes and a decrease in CD sales, as more and more music buyers migrate online for their tunes. It has also cited illegal downloads as a reason the company is losing money.

Digital downloads up

Even though the company has made a loss, its digital revenue is up a whopping 48 per cent. The digital arm of its company now accounts for just over 20 per cent of sales. This equates to around $164 million.

Warner is also gaining money on the sale of mobile ringtones but even this combined with online sales hasn’t been enough to stop the slump.

To counteract the losses, Warners has announced it is to diversify revenue streams. According to The Guardian, it is to recoup money from ticket sales, merchandising and making deals with MySpace.

New MartinLogan Spires

Dan George — 1210342140

MartinLogan, the American high-end electrostatic loudspeaker manufacturer, has launched a new upmarket model – the Spire. The new ‘panel’ loudspeaker follows the hybrid line most recently popularised by the company’s recent Source and Purity loudspeakers, which broke new price ground for the iconic manufacturer.

The new Spire, however, is a more high-end product, with deep, well extended bass and a host of acronyms to describe MarinLogan’s proprietary technology. It features a ‘CLS’ (Curvilinear Line Source) ‘XStat’ electrostatic panel, mounted in the firm’s rigid, extruded aluminium ‘AirFrame’ chassis.

Panel beater

The speaker’s treble and midrange are handled by a slim-line stator panel, which integrates with the ‘PowerForce’ bass system, to offer a full-range output. PowerForce comprises a 250mm aluminium bass driver coupled with a 200-watt amplifier to deliver bass down to a claimed 29Hz. This unit acts as the literal and figurative base for the panels and takes up approximately the same space as a case of wine.

Further key features include the ‘Vojtko’ crossover – derived from the Summit loudspeaker – which includes a parametric EQ knob (centred around 35Hz) to optimise the interaction between loudspeaker and room. The cabinet part of the panel speaker is offered in a range of wood finishes as standard, in addition to special ‘Custom Shop’ options. The Spire is ready now priced at £7,300.

Gear4 DUO brings satellite speakers to iPods

Patrick Goss — 1210339395

Gear4’s latest ipod speaker is actually fairly astounding - it isn’t a run of the mill docking station by dint of a detachable portable speaker system.

So while you can appreciate the sub-woofer in your own home, it is also possible to detach the bulky bit of kit and take the speakers with you on your merry way.

The Gear4 DUO, available in June, has a total output of 38W, which becomes 18W with just the satellite speaker, a rechargeable Lithium-ion cell and a handy extra battery compartment.

Original

In their own words: “The patented Seamless Sound Technology (SST) allows the Satellite Speaker to be effortlessly docked into the Bass Unit, where its built-in Lithium-ion battery will automatically recharge, making it permanently ready for portable use.

“So, whether you want a home or portable speaker, you’ll Never Miss A Beat!”

At least it’s got a spark of originality in the sea of samey iPod accessories

Audio-Technica's ebony headphones make you feel good about wood

Gareth Beavis — 1210247862

The Audio Technica W5000 headphones are dubbed as ‘high-end’. Luckily, here at TechRadar we have a foolproof checklist to determine what that means:

Cost over £500? Check. (Actually £699.95)
Provide sound quality improvements only the cultured masses could fully comprehend? Check.
Eliminate oxygen somewhere? Check.
Made of some random material to apparently improve sound? Check.

In fairness, these cans do look very, very nice, and sound even nicer, and that’s because they’re made out of ebony wood. For those who only know of ebony when suffixed with ‘and Ivory’, then you should know that hacking into ebony wood is actually harder than cutting steel.

Sounds strong, is hard

But why make headphones out of the stuff, when you’d have to justify not paying bills for a month in order to improve the sound from your iPod?

Well, most headphones use plastic as a ‘foundation’ for the sound to spring into your ears. Given plastic has a certain amount of flexibility and strength, a lot of sound can escape the other way.

Ebony is strong, but also pretty light too, so makes much more sense for these cans. Imagine trying to punch someone on a bouncy castle (maybe because they kept bouncing next to you and making you fall over). It would be difficult to hit them, no?

But stand on concrete (assuming they stand still in front of you and let you punch them) and the whole thing becomes a lot more effective.

The headphones are comfortable on top of the head too, so can be used for many hours, ensuring you unwittingly travel far too many stops on the bus or tube.

The Audio-Technica W5000 headphones have 3 metre cables made from Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) conductors and come supplied with a hard carrying case and a cable storage bag.