Harman's Mark Levinson Introduces New 5000 Series Integrated Amplifiers

A major highlight among new product announcements at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2018, Harman's Mark Levinson introduced the first two models from the new 5000 series, the № 5805 (with new MM/MC phono stage) and № 5802 (w/Bluetooth) integrated amplifiers. The Mark Levinson 5000 series amplifiers deliver renowned Mark Levinson luxury and fidelity at an exceptional value, now featuring ESS Sabre32 converters and MQA support, among many exceptional updated features.

Support for Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), the technology that delivers master quality audio in a file small enough to stream, continues to receive consistent support across the audio industry. MQA adoption will be a dominant topic at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2018 show, October 5-7, in Denver, CO, where Astell&Kern and DALI, among others, will announce MQA support on new products and the company will be running two MQA Live events, as well as supporting its many partners.

In audioXpress we've published several stories about French music streaming provider Qobuz, soon to be launching in the US this Fall. The company claims to be "the world's highest resolution music streaming service," meaning they have more hi-res audio files to download than any other. But the interesting part is their claim that, with the launch in the US, they will be also providing a hi-res streaming option based on FLAC (lossless compression). A world first, which the company will be introducing at CEDIA Expo 2018.

Audirvana, maker of Audirvana Plus, the hi-fi audio player first released for Mac users, announced the commercial release of the highly anticipated Windows 10 version. This new version features a totally redesigned user interface designed to change the way PC users enjoy and organize their music. The French software house is also teaming up with audio streaming services Tidal and Qobuz in its support of higher-quality streaming options, including MQA support and Qobuz Hi-Fi Sublime+.

ACTIVO is a new audio brand focused on portable devices and high-resolution music. The CT10 portable audio player is the brand's first product, and the first hi-res portable audio player with MQA support at an affordable price of just $299. The device, probably the first portable player with a decent design since Apple's iPod, is actually designed by groovers Japan, a high-res jazz music label and distribution website. The ACTIVO CT10 is now available in the US!

The Audio Engineering Society (AES) Milan 144th International Convention, May 23–26, 2018, was a small but well-attended event, extremely enjoyable for all those that participated. As always, a mix of audio industry professionals, students, educators, and top brands and audio service providers from around the world met "for the purpose of advancing the art and science of audio engineering."

The June 2018 edition of audioXpress is now available. In this edition, read how MPEG-H audio is introducing new dimensions to television sound, how to deal with mixing and mastering music for music streaming services, and how to design new voice-enabled smart gadgets. You can also build a turntable speed measurement device, and learn more about MQA streaming. And be sure to read the interview with Robert Oliveira, the founder of Comply Foam. Get your issue now.

ESS Technology has announced that it will be launching versions of its popular SABRE audio DACs that feature integrated MQA rendering. This will enable easy implementation of MQA across a wide variety of applications, including more mobile devices. As MQA technology is becoming widely accepted as a standard for distributing high resolution files and streams across a variety of platforms, the new ESS chips will enable manufacturers to easily implement MQA support.

Roon Labs has launched its much anticipated MQA integration with its version 1.5 update. The new updated Roon music player, supports and decodes MQA files and streams, as part of Roon’s multi-room, multi-user networked audio platform. Enno Vandermeer, Founder & CEO, Roon Labs, said, “We feel that the rapidly expanding ecosystem of ‘Roon-ready’ audio products, combined with the growing number of MQA-enabled products and services in the market, makes this a powerful partnership.”

The May edition of audioXpress continues to be a favorite among tube and audio electronics aficionados. For this Glass Audio Special issue, Menno van der Veen, details his fifth 300B-SE amplifier, Patrick Brunner discusses DIY Tube Amp Heat Management, and Gerhard Haas shares what he knows about output transformers for tube amplifiers. We interviewed Jason Stoddard, the heart and mind of Schiit Audio, and Richard Honeycutt compares Tubes, FET, and BJT circuits. Also in this edition, Andy Lewis looks at Back EMF in loudspeakers, and Ron Tipton finds a way to measure the high-frequency content of Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) recordings. Download your May issue now.