NAD Electronics reveals a trio of AirPlay-enabled audio products-- the D 3020 DAC/Amplifier, D 7050 Direct Digital Network Receiver, and D 1050 USB 24/192 DAC.

The D 3020 is a DAC/amplifier modeled after the late 1970's NAD 3020 integrated amplifier. It features built-in 2x30W Class D amplifier, stereo AptX Bluetooth connectivity, asynchronous USB input, subwoofer output, separate embedded headphone amp (with volume control), x2 optical, x2 coax digital and x1 analog inputs, remote and, of course, AirPlay streaming capability.

NAD describes the D 7050 digital network receiver as the first successful closed loop digital amplifier in the world-- meaning it compares output to input before compensating for any difference to achieve "perfect" output. DAC performance is 24/196 and the 2x50W amp uses pulse width modulation (PWM) and Direct Digital technology.

Accessory Power launches the GOgroove BlueSync LX-- a 2.1-channel speaker system complete with Bluetooth connectivity, full-range satellite speakers, built-in control hub and LCD display.

The speaker configuration features x2 satellite speakers with 3-inch drivers and a 4-inch high-excursion subwoofer. It connects to mobile devices via Bluetooth, as well as wired devices and microphones via aux-in 3.5mm jack.

The subwoofer features an LCD display, while the included remote allows for equaliser, playlist, Bluetooth sync and power control.

Go GOgroove BlueSync LX Multimedia Bluetooth Stereo Speakers

Thiel announces an update on CS1.6 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker-- the CS1.7, leveraging on technology from the flagship CS3.7 to establish what the company claims are "new standards for resolution of detail, imaging and staging, dynamic capability and tonal purity."

It features an optimised CS1.6 tweeter, with voice coil, magnetic circuit and aluminium diaphragm reworked to increase linearity and lower distortion. The "star" diaphragm in the aluminium woofer is produced via laser measurement technology, the voice coil and magnetic structure enable the driver to operate as a piston through a greater frequency range and the crossover network maintains phase and time coherent nature.

The cabinet is 2.5cm thick and the baffle is 5cm thick, providing plenty of rigidity and inertness, and even the magnetically-adhered grille is engineered to prevent diffraction.

Measuring 24x30x92.4cm (350x380x97.7cm with outriggers), the loudspeaker ships with levelling feet, and Thiel also offers an optional brushed aluminium Outrigger base to improve stability on most surfaces.

The CS1.7 is available now.

Go Thiel CS1.7

As vinyl grows in popularity as the music format of audiophile choice, more customers will demand turntables-- and the biggest spenders might like the Caliburn, a player Australian audio maker Continuum describes as “something beyond the state-of-the-art.”

A made-to-order product with a recommended retail price of $160000, the Caliburn is something of a beast. Designed for the ultimate in stability, the stand incorporates a "floating platform" in “precision-machined in aircraft-grade aluminum.”

The platter employs a custom-designed motor using technology "elected by the US military for select advanced motion control systems," the chassis is in "unique" magnesium alloy and the "Cobra" tonearm promises “infinite stiffness with lowest mass.”

Customers wanting to play older mono LPs will also have to shell out a further $18000 for an additional tonearm.

The Caliburn is available now-- but be prepared to wait up to 10 months for manufacture and delivery.

Go Continuum Caliburn

Niles Audio showed CEPro a clever take on the soundbar at the HTSA Spring Conference-- the Cynema Soundfield, reportedly the first in-wall soundbar with speakers and amp behind the wall and a grille flush with the surface.

According to an exclusive interview in CEpro, The Soundfield consists of a mounting bracket, a thin strip of metal with vertical bars one can slide laterally to match stud spacing, allowing installers to position the unit precisely under the TV after cutting into the drywall.

“To accommodate flat panel TVs getting thinner and thinner, soundbars have tried to go in the same direction, which has had a detrimental effect on performance,” Core Brands engineering VP Jim Hardiman told CEpro's Julie Jacobsen. “I found myself in the enviable position of being able to shed the challenges and compromises of ultra-thin transducer designs and do something that could be both acoustically and aesthetically pleasing, and most importantly simple to install.”

British audio maker Quad Hifi adds to the previous L-ite and L-ite 2 systems with the L-ite Plus-- a package consisting of x4 satellite speakers (front and rear) plus matching centre and compact active subwoofer.

With driver technology from Quad's own L-Classic full-size speaker range, each L-ite Plus speaker incorporates a long throw mid/bass driver (1 in the satellites, 2 in the centre speaker) with 100mm cones in bi-directional Kevlar weave.

A double hand-would voice-coil and a high powered magnet assembly mounted in a die-cast aluminium chassis drive the cones. A profiled phase plug in the centre of each mid/bass cone helps smooth response through the crossover region, enabling a phase linear response to the tweeter.

The 25mm tweeter uses a soft fabric dome with a waveguide to integrate midrange and treble, while the 25cm-tall cabinets are profiled with smooth, curved surfaces to aid dispersion.

The subwoofer houses x2 mechanically opposed bass drivers with 150mm Duo Tri-Lam cones and a 200W amplifier, pushing bass extension down to 35Hz (+/-3db) or 30Hz at -6dB.

All the speakers are finished in multiple layers of high-gloss lacquer, and should be available as either a package or separately from May 2013.

Go Quad Hifi