Fresh From the Bench: The Magnepan LRS, Back to the Future

Forced to shelter at home, Oliver Masciarotte looked around his home base in the Twin Cities, and decided it was time to have a serious look at the Magnepan LRS (Little Ribbon Speaker) the company's latest affordable, full-range quasi-ribbon speaker. For this review, Masciarotte writes about what he heard, while Kent Peterson (Warkwyn) measures its performance in the lab. If you are curious to see how does a ribbon speaker measures on a Klippel Near-Field Scanning (NFS) system you definitely want to check out this article, originally published in audioXpress, September 2020.

Sound United, the parent company to Denon, Polk Audio, Marantz, Definitive Technology, Classé, and Boston Acoustics, announced that it has finalized the acquisition of Bowers & Wilkins, the famous British brand and manufacturer of luxury home audio speakers, headphones, custom installation products, wireless speakers, and branded audio systems in the automotive and television markets. Following an intricate corporate dispute within former owner EVA Automation, the company initiated negotiations with Sound United in May 2020, with Geoff Edwards leading the operations as CEO.

Hi-fidelity made easy and affordable. That's the pitch for DALI's Oberon C wireless active speakers, complemented with the Sound Hub Compact audio preamplifier, providing simplicity of installation and operation with the best possible sound quality. Lenbrook Americas now launched the DALI OBERON C Series, bringing wireless active Hi-Fi within the reach of many more music enthusiasts.

This Test Bench article addresses an interesting home audio tweeter from Creative Sound Solutions (CSS). The company sent Voice Coil its latest high-end tweeter, the LD25X, a special driver with a unique dual-gap patented XBL2 motor. CSS licenses the XBL2 technology from inventor Dan Wiggins for two of their woofers and for the LD25X tweeter. The XBL2 motor features a short voice coil traveling between two gaps, allowing for a higher Xmax than most conventional motors can provide. The LD25X tweeter features a 25mm silk dome diaphragm and flat silk surround, in a 73 mm diameter six screw cast-aluminum faceplate anodized semi-flat black. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2020.

London-based Cambridge Audio just announced a refresh of its SX series of speakers, a range of compact and very affordable speakers that are ideal for any home audio system. Cambridge Audio’s refreshed line of SX series speakers now has a bold new look, featuring an all-new matte black finish and a new logo. The new range comprises SX-50 and SX-60 compact bookshelf or stand-mount speakers, the SX-70 center speaker, stunning SX-80 floor-standing speakers, and the matching SX-120 subwoofer.

Following the immensely popular and retro styled MA252 and MA352 Integrated Amplifiers, which took design cues from the timeless MC275 Vacuum Tube Amplifier, McIntosh introduced two more matching separates with similar styling: the MC830 Solid State Amplifier and C8 Vacuum Tube Preamplifier. "Featuring styling reminiscent of their 1950s and 1960s designs, the MC830 and C8 are full of modern day technology to produce an amazing home audio experience. When a pair of MC830s are combined with the C8, they can form the foundation of system that can deliver a lifelike home audio experience," McIntosh says.

Canadian decoupling and isolation solution experts IsoAcoustics continue to expand its range of products for high end home audio. The company now added the zaZen I and II isolation platforms, a more affordable solution designed to isolate turntables, tube amps, and other sensitive audio equipment from any interference caused by vibrations and resonances. The name zaZen is from Zen Buddhism and refers to sitting in peaceful meditation.

Dynaudio's much praised and respected Contour speakers series, updated and very warmly received in 2016, was updated again with the introduction of the Contour i series, announced back in April 2020. The models and the outside design remain the same, just the insides were completely updated with new drivers and crossovers, which Dynaudio engineers felt could substantially improve the series - and make their marketing and sales colleagues also happy. Now, they are shipping.

Among the uncertainty of Bowers & Wilkins being acquired (apparently a negotiation process is ongoing with Sound United, the parent company to Denon, Marantz and Polk Audio) and the certainty of the recent restructuring, following the separation from Eva Automation, the famous brand is celebrating 25 years in the audio industry, six generations of engineering, and more than a million products sold. To signal the anniversary, B&W launched the new 600 Series Anniversary Edition, the seventh generation of 600 Series loudspeakers from Bowers & Wilkins.

Andover Audio announced the latest addition to its Spin Collection of products and accessories for vinyl fans. SpinStand ($169) provides a lightweight yet robust storage solution for audio components and up to 150 vinyl records. SpinStand is compatible with all common turntable models, but it’s particularly well-suited to Andover’s own SpinDeck turntable, SpinBase powered speaker system, or even the company’s flagship Model-One Turntable Music System.