Astell & Kern bowed a portable, battery-powered headphone amplifier with four digital-to-analog converters offering playback up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and 22.4MHz DSD512. The Acro CA1000 ($2,199) has support for USB-PD 2.0, allowing it to charge to 50% in an hour, and a full charge in 2.5 hours, the company said. Battery life is about 10.5 hours of continuous playback in low-gain mode, less in high-gain mode, a spokesperson emailed. It’s the first Astell & Kern product to support crossfeed, which mixes part of the original signal from one channel and sends it to the opposite channel, with a time difference, to center the sound stage; the crossfeed level is adjustable. The Bluetooth 5.0-enabled Arco can be used as a hi-fi audio system by connecting devices using optical, coaxial, USB-C and analog RCA connections selectable via the integrated touch screen. Roon Ready support will be added in a future firmware update, the company said. Shipping is slated for Jan. 24.
High-res music service Qobuz announced The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne as its first artist ambassador. As an Artist-Approved Sound spokesperson, Coyne will appear in video pieces to be released over the next six months, the company emailed Tuesday. He also will curate playlists and engage with the Qobuz editorial team on a number of initiatives.
NAD revamped the Masters M10 V2 amplifier with Dolby Digital surround decoding, updated gain algorithms and a supplied infrared remote control, it emailed Thursday. The BluOS Wi-Fi streaming amp is part of the company’s “just add speakers” portfolio. The 100-watt-per-channel amp is Roon-ready and has MQA decoding, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control skills and AirPlay 2 integration with support for Siri voice control. The Hi-Res Audio amp has a 7-inch front-panel screen and is due to ship globally this month at $2,749.
PS Audio’s Octave Records released The Complete Bach Cello Suites by cellist Zuill Bailey in Direct Stream Digital format, it emailed Monday. The stereo and multichannel recordings were mastered and mixed using Five/Four Reveal Superior·Dimension·Music DSD technology, it said. The sets include hybrid SACD discs with a master stereo and multichannel DSD layer and a CD layer, plus a DVD data disc with high-res PCM and DSD files. The album is also available as a download bundle including DSD64, 192kHz/24-bit, 96kHz/24-bit and 44.1kHz/24-bit PCM versions.
Alpine introduced what it called the first hi-res audio system for the car with 384 kHz/32-bit playback. The system can deliver 17 times the digital audio data of a standard CD, it said. To achieve hi-res playback, engineers focused on timescale synchronization of audio signal transmission, sound arrival and custom tone frequency range of a four-way speaker system, said the company. A demonstration vehicle will tour the U.S. in summer 2022, with sales expected to follow in fall.
High-end audio features highlight LG’s 2021 sound bar lineup, led by the 520-watt 5.1.2-channel $999 SP9YA, which supports 24-bit/192 kHz playback. The SP8YA ($799), SP7Y ($499), and SPD7Y ($399) support 24-bit/96-kHz playback, said LG Friday. A new Meridian Horizon feature on the SP9YA and SP8YA mixes two-channel stereo content into multichannel audio when the sound bar is in music mode, said the company. The top two are compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri and Google Assistant voice engines and have Apple AirPlay. The top three have upfiring speakers to support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound. HDMI enhanced audio return channel supports higher bitrate content and uncompressed Dolby Atmos audio via a single cable, and they offer USB playback and Bluetooth streaming. The top three have 4K pass-through with Dolby Vision support. The leader 100-watt 2.1-channel SP2 is $179. All bars are available now except for the SP7Y, due next month.
Bluesound redesigned its Node and Powernode BluOS multiroom streaming products with new digital-to-analog converters, quad-core processors and touch panel controls with presets, said the company Monday. Node ($549) supports 24-bit/192kHz audio processing, Master Quality Authenticated encoding, AirPlay 2, aptX HD Bluetooth and has an HDMI enhanced audio return channel input. Voice control is available through Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Powernode streamer ($899) adds an 80-watt-per-channel amplifier and wireless Dolby surround sound. Preorders have begun with availability set for June.
A PS Audio firmware upgrade, Sunlight OS, adds quad-rate Direct Stream Digital capability to the company’s PerfectWave DirectStream digital-to-analog converter, it said Tuesday. The programmable DAC’s flexible architecture allows every parameter to be configured and tweaked, said the company. Sunlight controls clock timing of signals, reducing noise and jitter, resulting in a better sense of space, more natural tonal balance and improved high-frequency extension, it said. Sunlight, available as a free download, can also be bought loaded on an SD card for $29.
High-resolution streaming and download service Qobuz will release The Q Sessions, an exclusive EP from jazz musician Christian McBride, Friday to coincide with International Jazz Day. The project was created at 24-bit/192-kHz quality, and streams and downloads will have no digital compression or downgrading, said the company. The release is the first in a new series of Qobuz exclusives designed to “show the difference Hi-Res recording, production, and listening can make."
The latest BluOS software update adds access to Radio Paradise MQA-encoded audio streams, including 24-bit masters where available, said Lenbrook Wednesday. BluOS 3.14 also adds the ad-supported version of Spotify, SiriusXM and SiriusXM Music for Business. The update supports all BluOS-enabled devices from NAD, Bluesound, Dali Loudspeakers and Monitor Audio and future products from Peachtree Audio, Roksan and PSB Speakers, Lenbrook said.