Audirvana Plus Software Player Now Available for Windows 10

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.

An invite-only audience in Austin experienced the debut of “MQA Live”, a new way for fans to connect to musicians. Jake Isaac and his band performed from London's Rocket Studios – the first time a live performance has been streamed in real time using MQA's technology and a new reference real time MQA encoder. The performance was listened to live in an Austin home on a variety of devices to recreate everyday listening environments.

At CES 2018, Mytek confirmed the shipping date for its new Clef portable DAC, which was unveiled precisely a year ago at the Las Vegas industry event. Now available for pre-order, the new Mytek Clef is an ergonomic hi-res audio headphone amplifier and DAC, offering up to 32bit/384kHz PCM, DSD 128, and 120dB of dynamic range, with driverless USB Class 2, MQA unfolding capability, plus aptX Bluetooth and AAC for improved Bluetooth audio streaming.

The OPPO UDP-205 is a universal disc player specifically designed for audio performance, providing reference level sound quality for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and many other digital audio and video formats. In many ways, the perfect audio source device for todays audio enthusiasts. Now, the latest firmware update to the UDP-205 adds MQA decoding to the UDP-205’s digital audio file playback, thanks to the recently established partnership between the two companies.