Hi-fi

Early last year, Brit audio specialist iFi launched a pocket DAC called the hip-dac, which the company claimed would treat listeners to a "sound as flavorsome and richly detailed as a delicious single malt." Now the hip-dac2 has arrived.

After a dip in sales last year, vinyl records are back on track to continue their steady year-on-year rise in popularity. If you're looking to join the resurgence, hi-fi brand Thorens has just launched a couple of turntables to get you in a spin.

Hi-fi brand Pro-Ject turns 30 this year, and to celebrate the company has added a new member to its affordable Debut family of turntables, which retains the company's minimalist DNA but comes with some key enhancements for improved performance.

A new product announcement from luxury Brit audio house Naim always causes a stir in the hi-fi community, and so it is with the launch of the limited edition Solstice Special Edition, the company's first turntable in its (almost) 50-year history.

Music lovers who want to stream tunes from their smartphone to the home hi-fi or from the hi-fi to Bluetooth headphones might be disappointed. McIntosh Labs engineered the MB20 Bluetooth Transceiver to enable any hi-fi setup to do just that.

A premium audio startup from an ex-Apple design veteran has launched a striking streaming speaker called the Cell Alpha, which uses three drivers and two woofers to immerse listeners in room-filling spatial sound.

High-end audio brand Astell&Kern has added a new music player to its A&futura line, which slots in just below last year's SE200 model. The stand-out feature on the SE180 is the ability to pop out the existing sound module and swap it for another.

Panasonic's luxury audio gear maker Technics has unveiled a new Premium Class turntable called the SL-100C that the brand is calling an entry level model. It's still expensive, just not as pricey as its siblings.

Buyers looking for gadgets that deliver high fidelity audio might keep an eye out for the THX logo as a visual guide to quality assurance, and now the company behind the standard has launched its first consumer device, the Onyx USB DAC/amp.

Much of today's music consumption is digital, and most of that is streamed. Some folks still play CDs though, and McIntosh Labs has today launched a retro-cool player for those who want to rock the house with the help of spinning plastic discs.

The UK's Cambridge Audio has announced a new flagship digital-to-analog converter and headphone amplifier combo that promises a "thrilling performance that’s bigger than the box it comes in."

Harmon-owned JBL has its 75th anniversary this year, and is celebrating by dipping into its past to build a new retro-cool integrated amplifier that's based on models from the 1960s and 70s.