Hi-fi

Sales of music on vinyl have been steadily rising for the past few years, which has also meant the return of turntables to the living room hi-fi setup. Now Pro-Ject has launched the X2 B disc spinner, which is aimed at folks looking for true balance.

Austrian hi-fi gear maker Pro-Ject has announced the X8 turntable, its first model to feature "True Balanced Connection" technology for improved signal purity and the promise of more detailed playback.

Korean mobile audiophile brand Astell&Kern has entered the crowded true wireless earphone space with the angular UW100 earbuds, which rock a 32-bit DAC, balanced armature drivers, Bluetooth 5.2 and aptX Adaptive.

Music lovers hoping to enjoy high-resolution audio from a smartphone may well find that the conversion circuitry inside is simply not up to the task. The Zen One Signature DAC from Brit audio specialist iFi has been designed to rectify that.

UK hi-fi specialist Audiolab has leveraged its award-winning know-how to create a "just add speakers" music system called the Omnia, which features a Class AB amp, rocks a CD player, caters to streaming needs, and can even be cabled to a turntable.

New York hi-fi gear maker Music Hall has launched its first direct-drive turntable. The weighty Stealth is designed for ease of use, precision playback and low maintenance, and comes with an Ortofon cartridge already mounted and aligned.

High-end audio specialist Astell&Kern has launched a Bluetooth speaker called the Acro BE100 that's designed to deliver the company's signature hi-fi sound in a compact package sporting the look of its award-winning digital audio players.

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.