Test Bench: The LD25X High-End Tweeter from Creative Sound Solutions

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.

Sonus faber introduced a new very special speaker, Il Cremonese ex3me. Introduced in 2015 with the intention of completing the Sonus faber Homage Collection, the speaker was named after a traditional Italian violin, the Il Cremonese - the most famous among the master Antonio Stradivari’s creations. The new Il Cremonese ex3me Speaicl Edition combines elements from the original project, such as midrange and woofers, with iconic solutions derived from the brand's 30th Anniversary Celebration concept speaker, Ex3ma.

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.

New York-based Mytek Digital revealed the details on its new Empire DAC/Streamer/Preamplifier, supposed to be the flagship of a new Empire series of very high-end audio products. As the company describes, this is an "all out" assault on the state-of-the-art, establishing Mytek as a top echelon player in the high-performance audio arena. The Streamer will be “Powered by Roon OS” and features an internal Roon Core that can drive both the ultra-high performance Empire DAC and external Roon endpoints.

Soundcare AS was established in June 1996, in Norway. It developed from an idea of making the best spikes for audio equipment that wouldn't cause damage to the surfaces. Now, loudspeaker driver manufacturer SEAS Fabrikker, which has been manufacturing Soundcare products in-house since 2017, is taking over the Soundcare SuperSpikes business and brand.

For those audio enthusiasts considering their options to acquire a new amplifier that uses Purifi Eigentakt amplification technology, NAD Electronics announced another high-performance, affordable and very attractive option. The C 298 is a two-channel design that is a perfect partner to high quality preamplifiers or in any application where additional channels of high end audio amplification are desired. This new NAD classic amp boasts 185 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and can be bridged to 620W X 1 into 8 Ohms to create a huge Monoblock.

Sonus faber announced the new Lumina collection, a new home speaker line conceived on the notion that now, more than ever, it is important to savor time for ourselves and celebrate life’s precious moments. Available with three models for stereo or home theater 5.1 configurations, the new Lumina series speakers are available in three luxury finishes using refined materials and careful craftsmanship. All models offer the natural sound reproduction and voicing of Sonus faber in one of the most affordable speaker series ever from the brand.

The Bavaria-based headphone manufacturer just introduced a new high end product to complement its existing high-end Edition Series headphones. Designed by Ultrasone and manufactured in Hungary, the new Volcano headphone amplifier continues the brand's tradition of aiming for reference products with superior sound quality, also perfectly matched to the Ultrasone Edition 15 reference headphones. Each Volcano is a carefully handcrafted unit, in a solid metal chassis and front panel with real wood side panels.

In this article, Vance Dickason measures the Radian Audio Engineering's LT6 Horn-Loaded Ribbon Device, part of an expanding series designed by 35-year loudspeaker engineering veteran Igor Levitsky for the Californian manufacturer. The LT6 is a pro sound driver but was designed to be a more hi-fidelity substitute for 1" compression drivers, and that is a direct result of Levitsky extensive experience in designing high-end residential, and cinema sound systems. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2020.

For the past six years, Audio Research has been owned by the McIntosh Group. Now, TWS Enterprises, LLC, a privately held company owned wholly by Trent Suggs, has agreed to purchase Audio Research from the McIntosh Group, Inc. subject to completion of due diligence which is expected to be finalized by the end of August 2020. As Audio Research celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year, the Minneapolis company will embark on the next chapter of its journey in high performance music reproduction.