Radial Launches Nuance Select Studio Monitor Controller

Radial Engineering continues to create products that are unique problem solvers for musicians and studio owners. The company is now shipping its new Nuance Select Studio Monitor Controller featuring a patent pending Clarity Circuit low distortion design. This new monitor controller has a simple but professional-looking surface with a central volume knob and an intuitive layout, offering two monitor and two headphone outputs from only two sources. The big differentiator is the complete transparency of the audio line-level pass-through.

Audio-Technica is introducing its Narukami ultra-high-end audio products, which are meant to take the pursuit of analog and tube sound reproduction to a new level of excellence. Making their US premiere at CanJam NYC 2024 (March 9 – 10 at the Marriott Marquis, New York), the Narukami HPA-KG NARU Tube Headphone Amplifier and ATH-AWKG Closed-Back Dynamic Wooden Headphones are ultimate-quality works of audio art. With a price that could buy a house not a long time ago, this is in the above-luxury category.

Among the very exclusive number of highly recognized ultra-high-end audio builders, Metaxas & Sins, a greek family affair based in Switzerland with headquarters in Amsterdam, is by far the most exquisite. All the company's designs are simultaneously design masterpieces and beautiful, unique art pieces. The most recent proposal is the Ethereal Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier, combining horology (the study of mechanical time-keeping devices) with reverie.

Lake People opened a new production facility in Gauting, Germany. In addition to the company’s headquarters in Constance, a team of experienced specialists will now manufacture Lake People and selected Violectric product series in a new workshop, where Mogami cables for the European market are also produced. Other Violectric models, all Niimbus products and the entire R&D department remains in the original facilities, in fabulous Lake Constance, relatively close to Gauting.

iFi, the UK-based brand specializing in lifestyle audio products and high-end hifi components, announced a new reference headphone amplifier. The brand is already recognized for the diverse range of headphone amplifiers, from small and affordable portable devices to high-performance designs to use at home. The new iCAN Phantom is the ultimate effort to create the last headphone amplifier anyone will need, able to drive hypersensitive in-ear monitors, all the way to the most power-hungry electrostatic headphones.

Polish audio manufacturer HEM continues to introduce new high-end audio products under its brand Ferrum. First it launched the HYPSOS hybrid power system, followed by the OOR headphone amplifier, and the ERCO USB-C DAC with headphone preamp, establishing a new reference in quality and price for a desktop high end design. Now, the company introduced the new WANDLA, a flagship DA converter that can also be powered by the HYPSOS.

Solid State Logic announced the new SSL 12 USB-C desktop audio interface. The new SSL 12, priced at $499, is a 12-in 8-out bus-powered audio interface that combines professional features in a portable desktop format. Building on the success of ​the existing SSL 2 and SSL 2+ interface models, the new SSL 12 expands in almost every way; more microphone preamplifiers, enhanced headphone performance, advanced routing and monitor controls, ADAT input, as well as next-gen converters delivering superior audio performance.

Schiit Audio is promoting the 10-tube Folkvangr, its first limited-edition headphone amplifier. The first DC-coupled, output transformerless (OTL) and output capacitorless (OCL) headphone amp, Folkvangr also includes an 8X impedance multiplier to increase versatility with low-impedance headphones. Limited to a 250-piece run, the Folkvangr headphone amp is priced at $1799, including a full complement of input and output tubes.

Stuart Yaniger shares his impressions and measurements of the Phonitor One d Headphone Amplifier System, designed by SPL of Germany. This product uses the company’s unique 120V circuitry, and also features an acclaimed AKM premium USB DAC and balanced stereo line output, effectively enabling it to function as a combination DAC and preamp. An interesting design also because of its Phonitor Matrix, a unique feature designed to electronically create a crosstalk signal and generate something similar to the effect of acoustic crosstalk around our head when listening through headphones. This article was originally published in audioXpress, November 2021.

The February 2022 edition of audioXpress is now available and features our annual Market Update on Microphone technology. Vikrant Singh Tomar discusses TinyML and Voice Recognition Technology On the Edge, Richard Honeycutt writes about Quantification of Speech Intelligibility, and Mike Klasco expands on audio applications for Haptic Devices. George Ntanavaras builds a phono and line/headphone amplifier project, Brian Bylenok proposes a refined Current Feedback Headphone Amplifier, and Richard Honeycutt reminds us that Tube Power Amps also have Classes. Now available in print and online.