McIntosh Laboratory joins the wireless Apple-compatible ranks with the McAire-- the first AirPlay-equipped tabletop speaker from the creators of the "Wall of Sound" PA system.

The company describes the McAire as an "integrated audio system." It packs two 4" woofers, two 2" inverted-dome midranges and two dome 0.75” tweeters in a chassis measuring 20 x 50 x 43cm.

The speaker lacks a tuner or a CD player, but does have typical McIntosh component-audio cosmetics (black-glass front panel with blue output metres) and embedded wifi and AirPlay connectivity, in addition to an Apple-certified USB port.

The McAire might be the first McIntosh Airplay speaker, but it is actually the second Airplay speaker from the company-- it joins the MX121 home theatre processor.

Go McIntosh McAire

Balanced Music Concept (B.M.C.) launches the CS2-- an integrated Load-Effect Free (LEF) amplifier with a built-in option changing it into a stereo power amplifier.

Boosting the CS2 to a stereo power amp simply involves connecting it to a B.M.C. DAC.

The Discrete Intelligent Gain Management (DIGM) system handles lossless volume control by eliminating unnecessary signal attenuation at input and unnecessary high amplification.

The amp outputs 2 channels of 200W into 8 ohms, and 2 channels of 360W into 4 ohms.

A fully regulated power supply with a large 2kW toroidal transformer and energy storage (via specially designed balanced current capacitors) power the amp.

Go B.M.C. CS2 Amplifier

Light Harmonic claims the Da Vinci 384K USB digital-to-analog converter is  the "world's first true bit-perfect 384K asynchronous DAC using USB 2.0 technology"-- one with a unique design to match.

"Like Leonardo Da Vinci, the famed Renaissance artist, architect and engineer, the Da Vinci DAC embodies superb digital artistry, innovative product architecture, precision engineering and a passion for perfection," the (ever so slightly) excitable copy from the company continues.

The unusual, starship-esque design apparently also serves a function-- Light Harmonic says the 6-piece 28kg aluminium chassis enhances stability while boosting RF and EMI shielding.

"Bit-Perfect" sound comes from a design free from up-sampling, oversampling and all digital signal processing, ensuring all the user hears is the raw file.

Instead it employs Automatic LSB Correction (corrects digital signals in their least significant bits), 3-L Buffering (a buffer able to completely decouple speeds fluctuations in the source) and 3 "highly precise" -166dB phase-error clocks (one for 44.1K, 88.2K, 176.4K and 352.8K music sampling frequencies, one for 48K, 96K, 192K and 384K frequencies, and a 3rd for the USB interface).

Further features include a sample rate of up to 384kHz, 32bit resolution, dedicated digital power and a proprietary Duet Engine doubling original sample rates without digital upsampling, over-sampling or noise shaping.

A pure analog low-pass filter automatically selects the corner frequency for each sample rate.

The Da Vinci DAC ships in 3 different colours-- anodised black silver, titanium and rose gold.

Go Light Harmonic Da Vinci DAC

SVS launches a new speaker series boasting audiophile quality for more average budgets-- the Ultra series, complete with tower, bookshelf speaker, centre channel and flexible surround.

Supposedly designed by audio enthusiasts for audio enthusiasts, each speaker in the Ultra series goes through finite element analysis (FEA), a computer program simulating external forces on every speaker piece.

The series flagship is the Ultra Tower-- a 114cm tall tower with a unique upswept trapezoidal design. It carries a SoundMarch 3.35-way crossover, two 6.5-inch mid-range drivers and two opposite outfacing 8-inch woofers (aka "ForceFactor" woofer array).

The design also reduces internal standing waves while producing tighter low frequently response, SVS claims.

The rest of the series complements the Ultra Tower, with flush-mounted drives and rear-mounted bass reflex ports. The Ultra Surround carries two tweeters and two mid-range/woofer and allows configuration for either bipole or dipole operation.

Each Ultra Surround unit can also operate as x2 independent speaker systems ("Duet" configuration) within a single enclosure for 7.1 setups.

Meanwhile the Ultra Centre features a vertically aligned midrange and tweeter in a horizontal dispersion and two woofers.

SVS should start shipping the Ultra lineup from November 20, with each model available as a pair.

Go SVS Ultra Series

Italy-based Fine Sounds SpA acquires legendary American hifi maker McIntosh Laboratory from D+M Group, adding to a high-end portfolio including the likes of Sonus Faber, Audio Research, Wadia and Sumiko.

Further details of the deal are unavailable, but a source "familiar with the matter" tells the Wall Street Journal McIntosh cost around $50-100 million.

D+M Group (formerly D&M Group and owner of brands such as Denon and Marantz) bought McIntosh from Clarion back in 2003, also for an undisclosed sum.

"We will treasure and protect the legacy of McIntosh as well as its people and reputation," Fine Sounds Group CEO Mauro Grange promises.

Founded in 1947, McIntosh rose in fame in the rock 'n' roll era-- providing the sound system at 1969's Woodstock before building its first "Wall of Sound" PA system for the Grateful Dead in 1974.

"We are very excited to be joining hands with a partner that has a deep appreciation for our unique brand, history and company culture," McIntosh President and CEO Charles Randall says.

Go Fine Sounds to Add McIntosh Laboratory to Portfolio

Go Fine Sounds to Buy "Wall of Sound" Maker McIntosh Laboratory (WSJ.com, subscription required)

With the iPhone 5 and the next generation of iDevices comes a new Apple connector-- and Bang & Olufsen takes advantage to introduce iPhone 5-compatible upgrade to the BeoPlay A8.

Thanks to an exchangeable connector module, the BeoPlay A8 not only works with the smaller iDevice connector but is also backwards-compatible with earlier modules.

Users can even remove the connector module completely should they prefer to listen to music in an entirely wireless manner through Apple AirPlay.

Mini-USB and Aux connectivity are also included.

The BeoPlay 8 is both freestanding and wall-mountable, with optimisation providing the best sound depending on location (wall, corner or freestanding).

Go B&O BeoPlay A8