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High-End Vienna 2026, Final Thoughts

With the all the dust from the first High-End Vienna now settled, what happened? Despite doom-and-gloom from many in the industry, the show stemmed any declines seen in the Munich attendance figures. Increased international visitors – in particular ones from the US and Asia – were especially welcome. And, while those increases were comparitively small, given the negativity surrounding the change in venue put about by some pundits, some positivity is well received.

Has Munich High-End successfully transitioned to High-End Vienna? Mostly. There are still some issues to be resolved, both by the High-End Society and manufacturers and distributors at large. Many of these issues are teething troubles, with people unused to a new venue and how the rooms performed. In particular, there seemed to be some issues with the larger rooms on some of the lower floors with noisy air-conditioning and sound transmission through ventilation ducting. As we said throughout this report, we chose not to focus too closely on sound this year because it’s the first year in a new venue. Teething troubles about room acoustics and more will be resolved in time for next year. However, those who got it right from the get-go do deserve praise.

For our final look at the show, we’ve concentrated on complete systems that integrated well, regardless of size or price tag.

Abbingdon Music Research

AMR was a company that never quite went away. The brand was the high-end brand that kick-started iFi, but its 77 and 777 series products had been firmly in ‘park’ for the last 15 or so years. But now it’s back and aiming for high-end’s stratosphere. The Luna series, comprising the Ingenii digital platform, the Medii line preamplifier and the John Curl-designed 800W per channel Procellarum mono power amplifiers, was launched in Vienna, but because space in the main hall was strictly limited, the products were shown in a booth. This wasn’t the vehicle best suited to showcase the prospective performance of a system of this grade (even when played through Marten Mingus Quartet speakers), but even with these limitations, it showed great potential. The price? Expect somewhere around £450,000 for the complete amplifier package!

Atlantis Lab

French loudspeaker company Atlantis Lab joined forces with the Japanese Triode company to produce a ‘punches above its weight’ room that more thand delivered the goods. We were extremely impressed by the performance of the AT31 Pro floorstanders playing through Triode’s TRV-CD6SE CD player and new Junone 845SE integrated amplifier. I wanted to hear more from both companies (the Atlantis Labs AT16 at €2,680 was mentioned by several people for sounding excellent when it was playing, and Triode’s Muashi amplifiers serve up a lot for not a lot), but what we heard offers great promise.

 

Audio Group Denmark

There’s rarely a show without a presence from Audio Group Denmark, and the company’s prodigous launch schedule means there’s always something new to see. This time, it was the new Børresen BM2 bass modules. This ‘not a subwoofer’ module is derived from the company’s BM3 units (launched way back in January this year), but this version of the active folded diapole design is half the price of the first model (€9,000 per pair) and designed for smaller systems, such as the A1 stand-mount speakers it was partnered with. Audio Group Denmark prefers stands and booths to traditional rooms at shows of this size, but it still gets the message across.

Audio Reference

Mansour Mamaghani of German and Austrian high-end distributor Audio Reference always had a commanding presence at Munich High-End. His room took up an entire back part of one of the halls and his final flourish at the MOC was to present a system costing well into the millions. But that pales into insignificance next to the stand he took at High-End Vienna 2026. This was the result of months of planning, with the sort of set-building that would shame most theatre productions. This wasn’t just one system, but multiple room sets. In one room, you had a multichannel audio-video Trinnov/Perlisten system, featuring the first outing of dCS’ new sixteen-channel MCD 16 digital processor (pictured above). In another, you had the latest from SME (a new addition to the Audio Reference portfolio), dCS, D’Agostino, and Wilson. Static displays included a Wilson Audio Autobiography and the almighty Velodyne 1812 subwoofer. You could have easily spent half a day in the Audio Reference section and still not seen everything. As an example of how to do a high-end audio presentation ‘right’, this is a tough act to follow.

 

Chord Electronics

Shown at events in prototype form, High-End Vienna saw the first public outing of the company’s new Quartet Scaler, designed to be used in partnership with the evergreen DAVE DAC, being fed by an Innuos server. Used with an Ultima PRE, Ultima 3 mono power amps,  Ultima phono stage from a Rega RP10 turntable) all driving passive ATC SCM50 loudspeakers using Chord Company (no relation) cables. This all-British system was playing an eclectic mix of music, which at once ruffled a few feathers and came as a welcome relief to hour-upon-hour of well-recorded jazz and blues.

 

Constellation Audio

Showing its new Statement Mono amplifiers, Constellation Audio could have made the rookie error of partnering a super-high-end amplifier with giant loudspeakers. Instead, the company went for a more room-sympathetic set-up, culminating in Wilson Audio Sasha V floorstanders. In the way only the best amplifiers can, this showed just how much more can be extracted out of good loudspeakers. This was one of those Sunday morning chill-out rooms, playing jazz effortlessly across the top floor of the ACV… as you might expect from an amplifier capable of delivering 1.7kW per channel into an eight-ohm load.

 

Göbel High-End

Launching the Divin Monarque at the show, Göbel’s new €469,000 per pair statement loudspeaker stands approximately Jeff Goldblum tall and features proprietary twin 15″ bass drivers flanking propritary twin 8″ midrange units and a central AMT high-frequency unit. In a cost-no-object system with Wadax Atlantis digital front end and top Vitus amplification, this system showed a lot of promise for those with a big room and even bigger budgets!

Goldmund

You can’t really think about ultra-fi without thinking ‘Goldmund’. The Swiss company practically defined European high-end audio in the 1970s and 1980s, and today creates the ultimate in wireless active loudspeaker systems, with an eye on what ‘luxury’ means today. And, in Vienna, you couldn’t fault the company for its ambition. Where other companies just turned up with products, some brand identity and maybe a few well-placed room acoustic treatments, Goldmund ‘went for it’. It had a small collection of some of its best-known products, laid out in the style of a modern art gallery. Then, in its main listening space, the company ‘just’ played its Gaia active speakers, with music being professionally curated by DJs and recording engineers. If we ever want high-end audio to move out of the man cave and into the homes of the chic and wealthy… this is how you do it!

Kroma Atelier

It’s all about putting together a good system. That was the case with the small but mighty system Kroma Atelier, which featured the Thais loudspeakers playing through Engstrom’s Arne integrated amplifier and J Sikora Aspire turntable/arm (with Kagami Ema cartridge) with an Engstrom M-Phono phono stage, digital audio from Cinnamon (a Galle model II DAC with the brand’s new Network Transport), Argento Flow cables and Artesania Exoteryc panzerholz based stands and shelves. This featured in one of the smaller rooms at the show, and never put a foot wrong!

 

Innuos

Innuos takes its demonstration and display space extremely seriously. It makes a 3D CAD/CAM image of its rooms for each show, accurately predicting what products to play and with what for maximum effect. This year, as last, the demonstration is all about Nazaré, with the server, NazaréNET (switch) and NazaréFLOW (reclocker) playing through EMM Labs electronics and Marten loudspeakers, with Artesania stands, CAD grounding devices, Transparent cables and Power Conditioner, and Artnovion acoustic treatment. Outside this listening room were prototypes of new versions of the NET and FLOW for the company’s Stream and ZEN lines, replacing and improving on existing models in the range.

Marten and Jorma

 

Marten’s new Dexter range was launched at Vienna High-End. Two of the four new models – the €25,800 Duo stand-mount and the €58,800 Quintet floorstander – were playing in a room featuring the upcoming TechDAS Air Force 20 turntable with Air Force 10 tonearm and TDC 01 cartridge, Goldmund Eidos digital source, Mimesis phono and preamp and Telos 800 power amps, all fettled with Jorma Statement cables. The new speakers all feature a diamond tweeter, the brand’s ‘M-Core’ triple layer cabinet, and the range is designed to fit between the company’s more affordable Oscar line and the cost-no-object Coltrane range.

ProAc

ProAc showed the Response DB1 with its new DB1R ribbon tweeter option at Bristol earlier this year. So, coupling this ‘new-ish’ version of a classic ProAc loudspeaker with a set of classic Aesthetix amplification and an equally classic Origin Live turntable with AudioQuest cables and conditioners and finite elemente stands isn’t the kind of system that gets a journalist’s ‘novelty’ blood pumping. And, we’re consciously not discussing sound quality due to the ‘new’ home. However, this system (in a very small room) just worked together so well that you’d struggle to find anything better at the show at anything close to the price of entry. A great, well-put-together system that sounded great… we needed more of those!

 

 

High-End Vienna 2026 Part One

High-End Vienna 2026 Part Two

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Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition

Don’t let the traditional appearance of the Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition fool you. Yes, it belongs to the Contour line. The physical similarities to the Contour 20/Contour 20i it is based on are obvious. However, that’s like seeing a race-prepped Rallycross car and thinking it’s the same as your VW Polo. This is not your father’s Dynaudio.

From the outside, aside from the all-black appearance, the Contour 20 Black Edition features an Esotar3 soft-dome tweeter and a new 180mm MSP woofer. The new woofer is not present in the standard Contour 20i. However, at a casual glance, you might not notice these differences. Using these new drivers requires a reworking of the crossover network. Similarly, at a glance, you might assume the cabinets are identical. 

A good platform

In fairness to the Contour 20i, it’s a sturdy platform that can handle further development. It features an 18mm thick MDF boat-tailed cabinet, with a dual 18mm front baffle and a deceptively thick aluminium front baffle plate on top. Following the established engineering principle of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ the main modification to the cabinet is in the port. Importantly, the rear-firing port is significantly larger and extends deeper inside the loudspeaker. Staying with the Rallycross/Polo analogy, this is like a big-bore exhaust—an essential way to release extra horsepower in a highly tuned car. However, a boy racer doing the same to their early 1990s Vauxhall Nova delivers dubious (read: zero) benefit.

In other words, simply enlarging a port on the Contour 20i with the original drivers would, at best, do nothing. More likely, it would harm performance. This larger port is not for ‘more’ bass. Instead, it is designed for ‘better’ bass when used together with that new mid-bass unit.

Comparing the original and Black Edition mid-bass drivers, you might initially be surprised to see that the magnet is larger on the Contour 20i drive unit. However, while the older model uses a ferrite magnet, the new driver uses a neodymium magnet. The aim was to redesign the drive unit, but the ferrite magnet grew so large that it distorted the rear air excursion. Although Neodymium is more expensive—hence its common use in tweeters, where the magnet size is smaller—it offers a much stronger magnetic flux than ferrite could ever provide. 

Clever variations

Dynaudio invests a considerable part of its research budget in developing clever variations on the theme of ‘drive unit,’ so the bass unit in the Black Edition might not be surprising. However, its performance is truly impressive.

The Esotar3 is equally surprising, but in a different way. It’s the tweeter used in Dynaudio’s flagship models, and this is one of the most affordable loudspeakers that features it. It may look externally identical to the Esotar2 used in the Contour 20i (mainly because the Esotar3 is derived from the Esotar2). Nevertheless, it employs improved airflow to deliver an even more accurate (and costly to manufacture) tweeter. Meanwhile, the crossover is simpler than the Contour 20i but remains a second-order crossover. That sentence does a lot of heavy lifting. It’s a second-order crossover without the need for phase correction. Moreover, it has a trio of Mundorf resistors across the tweeter to fine-tune the value. In addition, Dynaudio makes the impossible possible by using two spaced first-order crossovers to function as a second-order crossover. 

This results in a second-order crossover with improved phase response and dispersion characteristics. It enables both drivers to remain in positive polarity. To most of us, that elicits a mild ‘huh’. However, to anyone with the smallest amount of speaker smarts, it’s tantalisingly close to the Rosetta Stone of loudspeaker design. 

The listening tells all

This is evident in the listening experience. The classic Dynaudio honest sound remains fully intact. It’s still a loudspeaker with excellent linearity and dispersion qualities. That broadcast heritage (enter most modern production suites, and it’s a pair of Dynaudios – not LS3/5As – staring back at you) is crucial. This loudspeaker is exceptionally detailed and has no unpleasant lumps or bumps in its frequency response or impedance curve. All of which means that, when paired with a good amplifier and set up correctly, it will deliver all the accuracy and fidelity that make the Contour 20 an enduring loudspeaker.

So far, so Dynaudio. But that’s just the Black Edition clearing its throat. This loudspeaker introduces a level of speed and musical immediacy that catches the listener by surprise. There’s an English saying: Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. It means ‘don’t accidentally ruin the good while trying to eliminate the bad.’ This was a key consideration in the design of the Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition. It retains all that was good about the original Contour 20i, while introducing something new, precise and enjoyable.

Musicology binge

It’s a little difficult to convey the performance of the Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition in context because the existing Contour 20i is not a poorly sounding loudspeaker. Quite the opposite, but just a few seconds in front of the Black Edition, the original seems to slow down transients and blur beats. This isn’t limited to anything with a strict rhythm; it managed to play Eric Dolphy and Monteverdi’s madrigals consecutively as if it were a musicologist on a binge.

The dynamic range and bass response of this loudspeaker appear to surpass the 50Hz lower limit suggested by the company. In fact, more precisely, it exactly reaches that lower limit but does so with such energy and accuracy that other loudspeakers in the Black Edition’s class find it hard to match. Usually, at this size and performance level, you can have either deep bass or fast bass. However, the Black Edition convincingly offers both. 

Best in the business

It’s not all about that bass, though. It’s coupled with one of (if not ‘the’) best tweeters in the business, and it shows. Music is clean and extended well into the bat-eared regions, and the level of detail and stress-free listening it creates – without the slightest sign of ‘peakiness’ – is striking. This could easily be an excellent tweeter looking for a bass driver, a fantastic bass driver seeking a tweeter, or even a great pair of drivers in need of a good crossover and cabinet. But it isn’t. Instead, it all comes together here in a truly sublime way.

The Black Editions can deliver good sound at low, medium, high, and ‘The Who Live At Leeds’ sound levels. However, with a sensitivity of 86dB and a solid four-ohm load, they need some oomph from the amplifier to truly unleash their potential. But boy, is it worth connecting them to something powerful!

The only drawback of this loudspeaker is that it should be used with the dedicated stand. Other stands will fit, but the loudspeaker and stand have been designed to work closely together. If you have a pair of existing stands, consider selling them.

The clue is in the name

There’s also a caveat; the clue is in the name. The Black Edition isn’t available in rosewood, white, or a 1990s Memphis-style abstract geometry finish. Just black. Don’t be that person. Don’t be the ‘does it come in piano zebrano’ type. Embrace the ‘none more black’ noir essence of its deep, inky, stygian nature. In other words, if you find black loudspeakers too loud, you might want to give this one a miss. Moreover, I suspect the Contour 20 Black Edition is simply a precursor to the next wave of Dynaudio products. So you may not have to wait too long.

The Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition has no right to be this good. While it benefits from Dynaudio’s full credentials, it’s a well-crafted loudspeaker prioritising performance over price. However, it feels like something has shifted—and for the better. Recently, Dynaudio has revisited its classics, marking a new direction for the company. It’s not a revival, but something destined to become a classic. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Two-way bass reflex stand-mount loudspeaker
  • Drive Units: 1x 28mm Esotar 3 with Hexis tweeter, 1x 18cm MSP with neodymium magnet mid/woofer
  • Crossover: 2nd order, 3.6kHz crossover frequency
  • Frequency Response: 50Hz-23kHz ±3dB
  • Sensitivity: 86dB
  • Rated Impedance: 4Ω
  • Dimensions (WxHxD, excl stand): 21.5x44x40cm
  • Weight: 14.6kg
  • Price: £5,960, €6,998, $8,000 per pair
  • Stands: £475, €550, $598

Manufacturer

Dynaudio A/S

dynaudio.com

UK distributor

Dynaudio UK

dynaudio.com

+44(0)7852 867661

More from Dynaudio

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Atlantis Lab Loudspeakers Make Their UK Premiere at The North West Show 2026

23 June 2026 – Atlantis Lab loudspeakers make their UK premiere at The North West show 2026 with Bourne Audio, displaying their AT16, AT18, AT21 and AT23 models. Located in the heart of the Auvergne forests near to Lyon they have established a full and compelling range of loudspeaker designs since their beginnings in the late 90’s. All are high efficiency designs and are capable of breathing vibrancy and dynamic immediacy into the soundstage when partnered with low power valve or class A solid state amplfiication. The AT16 and AT18 are compact in size and so are ideal for more compact setups in small to medium room sizes. Employing compression high frequency drivers and dual woofers front and back, they achieve 94.5 db/96 db efficiency at 4 ohms with a frequency response of 40 Hz – 20 kHz. The larger AT21 and AT23 also use paper drivers for front and back woofers, but with a 90×90 degrees Dolby Atmos compresion driver horn, and achieve 96 db and 96.5 db efficiences at 4 ohms. The larger woofers and cabinet size enable a wider frequency response stepping down to 35 Hz for AT21 and 33 Hz for AT23, and yet both remain very compact. Both the AT21 and AT23 use the same front drivers with horn compression tweeter and a 21cm paper cone woofer, with a 13cm rear driver for AT21 and a larger 21cm for the AT23.

The Atlantis Lab’s wide reaching range AT13 – AT38 offers a great choice for differing room sizes and system needs. Cabinet quality and feel is very high, and weighty, with the use of oak side panels that are subtly sculptured and grooved, fitting to the sides of a black central inner cabinet. Black faux leather lines the central cabinet and combines with the oak sides for a striking and classic audio visual appearance that easily makes a real sound statement in the home.

UK retail prices £2.5k – £20.5 k

Demonstarting in room 144 at The North West show, please contact Kevin at Bourne Audio 07971937963 for all enquires.

Aavik I-188 integrated amplifier

Part of the I-x88 series, the Aavik I-188 is an integrated Class D amplifier delivering 300 watts into 8 ohms, priced at £15,000. It lacks a streamer, DAC, tone controls, and any distracting features. Instead, it focuses solely on being a high-quality amplifier. Above it is the I-288 at £20,000 and the I-588 at £25,000. Both are 300-watt Class D models. Importantly, the top of the range is the I-880. That model is a 200-watt Class A amplifier costing £67,000. There are also U- (Unity) variants featuring a built-in streamer and DAC. Additionally, Aavik also produces pre- and power amplifiers. They also offer standalone DACs, streamers, and phono stages.

It’s worth setting the scene, but apologies, Hamlet fans… nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark. There have never been so many European hi-fi brands imported into the UK. In particular, Denmark contributes more than its fair share. There are well-known names such as Audiovector, Dynaudio, Raidho, Gryphon, Peak, DALI, Jamo, and, indeed, B&O.

The Fab Four

You can add four more names to that list – Aavik, Børresen, Ansuz, and Axxess. These are all brands of Audio Group Denmark, which was founded at the end of 2020 by Lars Kristensen and Michael Børresen. The son of one of Denmark’s first high-end audio retailers, Kristensen went on to manage his store. He also worked for Nordost. 

It was in his hi-fi shop that he first met Børresen, who was studying to become an engineer, and the two hit it off. Soon they developed amplifiers under the name Aavik and cables under the name Ansuz. Kristensen and Børresen concentrated on these brands starting in 2017. Later they added the speaker brand Børresen. The Axxess brand was launched as an entry-level range into two-channel stereo.

Aavik I-188 side view

In 2021, Flemming Rasmussen, the former owner of the Danish high-end hi-fi brand Gryphon, joined the team, and the Aavik I-188 reviewed here is the direct result of his collaboration with Børresen.

Noise attention

Aavik has paid particular attention to the various types of noise that can affect the performance of their amplifiers. As a Class D design that utilises modules purchased from Pascal, the transistors operate as switches rather than linear gain devices. The analogue signal is converted into a stream of pulses using pulse width modulation (PWM). After amplification, it is then reconverted to analogue with a low-pass filter. These designs are generally more efficient than Class AB or Class A amps. Furthermore, Aavik told me they use Class D in the I-188 as it would have been impossible to fit a 300-watt Class AB amp in the case. They added that they believe using Class AB “would most likely provide no benefits to audio quality”.

The I-188 uses what Aavik calls a resonant mode power supply. Class D amplifiers typically have switch-mode power supplies, which can generate high-frequency noise. However, Aavik says their supply “adjusts its frequency to increase power density, ensuring high peak currents without distortion” and is much quieter than a conventional switch-mode power supply.

It’s Tesla time

Any high-frequency noise from the power supply and the PWM conversion circuits is managed by what Aavik calls Tesla coils, strategically placed at key points in the circuitry. They are also employed to filter out noise picked up by the wiring.

These Tesla coils comprise two spirals. The idea is that any noise component that creates a magnetic field in one coil will also produce one in the opposite direction in the counter-wound coil, which they claim cancels out. Some Tesla coils are active, generating pulsating signals at specific frequencies that are sent in anti-phase and are said to “significantly amplify the music signal and eliminate the background noise floor.” The I-188 has 132 Tesla coils. Moreover, more advanced models use even more Tesla coils.

The materials used in the amplifier case are also selected to help isolate the internal circuitry from both electrical and physical interference. In the I-188, the chassis is a laminate construction of stainless steel, MDF, and copper. The copper layers on the inside create a 360-degree internal shield. These materials were chosen for their ability to “prevent magnetic, resonant and microphonic impacts.” 

As you move up the range, models begin to use some more exotic materials, such as titanium, tungsten, and zirconium. Aavik also cryogenically treats specific components and parts. This process is known to improve the crystalline structure of metals, but not in the I-188.

Grip and gusto

So much for the technology inside the Aavik I-188, but will it pay off in terms of sound quality? To test this, I connected the I-188 to a pair of Russell K Red 150Se floorstanding speakers. I also used an Audio Note CDT-Five CD transport and DAC 5 Special as my source. Moreover, I used an Audio Note TT3/PSU3/Arm Two/Io1 front end, connected through an S9 transformer. I also used a Gold Note PH-5/PSU-5 phono stage.

The Aavik was a pleasure to use. It has only a volume control and input selector on the front panel, and the display is bright and clear, though you can dim it or turn it off if you prefer. The volume control turns smoothly and freely, inspiring confidence. The build quality and finish are excellent. On the back, there are five line-level RCA inputs, an RCA pre-out that can be used for a separate subwoofer or power amplifier. There is also a primary input that allows you to operate just the power amplifier section with a separate preamplifier.

Aavik I-188 rear panel

To familiarise myself with the I-188, I started with the instrumental ‘Being With You’ from George Benson’s In Your Eyes album. Here, I was struck by the presence, sharpness, and clarity of the Fender Rhodes piano in the intro. Benson’s guitar was also well-voiced, and his melodic, soulful tone and quick-fingered technique were well captured.

Beautiful bass

Next up was ‘Sunny Side of the Street’ from singer/songwriter/piano player Ben Sidran’s Enivré d’Amour CD. This track features a beautiful bass line that exudes a distinct swagger, and Aavik conveyed that with control and poise. Meanwhile, Sidran’s DX7 synth had great leading-edge bite and presence. His vocals were expressive and articulate, and the percussion had good detail and syncopation. The track moved well, and the Aavik sounded clean, detailed, dynamic and rhythmically sharp.

I am a big fan of guitarist Peter White and love his signature sound. So I was eager to listen to his cover of Johnny Nash’s ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ from his Groovin’ album. From the outset, the keyboards and percussion were sharp and syncopated, and White’s acoustic guitar was rich in subtle nuances that highlighted his technique. Furthermore, the lilting, reggae-style bass line that supports and propels it was also tight, tuneful and controlled on the Aavik. Overall, it was an excellent performance.

Diction and enunciation

Randy Crawford has a superb voice, and I just had to listen to the beautiful ballad ‘You Bring the Sun Out’ from her Secret Combination album. The strings in the introduction were very well presented with plenty of space around them; the piano was open and detailed. However, it was her voice I wanted to focus on – her excellent diction and enunciation, where you can hear the final ‘t’ on ‘you bring the sun out’ and the final ‘p’ on ‘to warm my life up’. The Aavik captured that well.

Returning to the jazz genre, I listened to guitarist Larry Carlton’s superb instrumental cover of the Doobie Brothers’ ‘Minute by Minute’ from his Discovery album. This track features a wonderful, sinuous bass line that propels the piece forward, and Aavik conveyed that with excellent grip and enthusiasm. Carlton’s impressive guitar technique was also effectively captured; the saxophone solo was well voiced. As a result, the track flowed smoothly and made musical sense.

Syncopation

I then played the track ‘Westward’ from the Eric Marienthal/Chuck Loeb Bridges CD. It features one of the most wonderfully complex, syncopated, and delicate percussion parts you could ever hope to hear, and this was well conveyed by the Aavik – delicate, detailed and dynamic. Marienthal’s saxophone was well-voiced, and his remarkable technique was effectively captured. The same goes for Loeb’s skilled guitar playing.

The Aavik I-188 impressed me from the first few bars of the initial track I played. It has a clean, detailed, dynamic and highly musical sound. At no point during my listening did it detract from my enjoyment of the music. The I-188 offers excellent insights into what each musician is playing and how. Additionally, it brings them all together as a musically coherent whole. It is beautifully made, easy to operate, and has more than enough power for any room or speaker setup. I wholeheartedly recommend it. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Class D integrated amplifier
  • Inputs: Five RCA unbalanced line inputs, RCA power amp in
  • Outputs: Unbalanced preamp/subwoofer output, one pair of speaker binding posts
  • Power output: 300W into 8 ohms, 600W into 4 ohms
  • Frequency response: not quoted
  • THD: 0.0028% (1W, 1kHz, 8 ohms)
  • Total intermodulation distortion: 0.002% (10W, 8 ohms)
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 440mm x 117.8mm x 393.5mm
  • Weight: 23.3kg
  • Price: £15,000, €15,000, $20,000

Manufacturer

Audio Group Denmark

audiogroupdenmark.com    

UK distributor

Signature Audio Systems

signaturesystems.com   

+44(0)1959 569842  

More from Aavik

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Innuos Nazaré music server

We have looked at many Innuos servers, streamers, and network-side devices over the years. Precisely none of which prepares you for the power of the Innuos Nazaré music server. The new flagship from Innuos sees the brand shift into high gear. In the process, Nazaré takes one of the brands with the longest experience in producing servers and places it at the forefront of the high-end revolution. A revolution that has finally moved away from physical discs.

Anyone following the fortunes of super- and ultra-high-end audio will note that it’s only been in the last few years that CD and SACD discs have finally been challenged for their digital top spot. Spinning polycarbonate is still a force to be reckoned with in this select group. However, it’s now more as a one-time carrier to be ripped and stored rather than a disc to be played. This contrasts with music lovers, for whom the air is less thin. They have long since adopted stored and streamed audio as their digital mainstays.

It’s more than just snobbery and one-upmanship that prevented the top tier from fully grasping the digital nettle. It was an understanding that everything matters. Every high-end turntable enthusiast can hold down a week-long conversation about cartridge compliance. All owners of a multi-box CD/SACD player have tried dozens of cable, platform, grounding and even aftermarket fuse options. But in networked systems, the jury was still out. Can the choice of cable affect packetised data? Is there something else at play? Or is it all just nonsense on stilts? Do we need a server anymore? Isn’t it just a computer… why not just buy an off-the-shelf PC?

It all matters

As it turns out, it all matters! And that’s where Nazaré comes in. Innuos started the Nazaré project from the position that ‘it all matters’. The company then applied that thinking to every component, system, and subsystem of an Innuos server. The result is big and heavy because anything else meant compromise.

We first saw the Innuos Nazaré music server as a prototype at the last Munich High-End. It took almost a year to get here. That’s not strictly true; Nazaré has been in regular production for several months, but Innuos can’t build them quickly enough to meet demand. The name comes from Portugal’s Nazaré Canyon. The story goes that Innuos Director of Research and Development, Nuno Vitorino, and the design team wanted the new server to reflect the company’s Portuguese heritage and make that integral to the industrial design.

Innuos Nazaré detail, showing lighthouse inspiration.

The front panel represents that canyon, and the side-mounted vertical light represents Farol da Nazaré atop the cliffs at the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo. Farol da Nazaré is the lighthouse that stands resolute against that elemental force. Innuos also adds that, “Just as the lighthouse stands firm against the spray of the Atlantic, the Nazaré’s internal components are shielded from the ‘spray’ of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and vibration by this massive, fortress-like construction.” That might sound a touch pretentious at one remove. However, after trying to lift a Nazaré and hearing what it can do… maybe Innuos has got a point.

Specific asymmetry

In the spirit of ‘everything matters’, that front panel isn’t just there as a spot of topographic industrial design. It’s designed asymmetrically specifically to help mitigate standing waves and internal structural resonance. As are the asymmetrical panels that form the sides and top panels of the outer shell of the Nazaré. No two panels are the same shape on the Nazaré top plate. This asymmetry prevents resonances in one panel from contributing to those in another. Everything is CNC-machined aerospace-grade aluminium of varying thicknesses. The whole chassis sits on special IsoAcoustics decoupling feet. Put simply, the Innuos Nazaré music server’s entire outer shell creates a ‘mechanical ground.’ And we’re not done with the Nazaré Canyon parallels. There is a ‘wave’ motif subtly integrated into the heat-sinking and the metalwork’s contouring.

Behind that metalwork is a very different server than anything Innuos has made before. Also, directly behind the outer case is a lot of TONEO damping material. In addition, all previous and current Innuos models have the Ethernet connector and USB subsystem on the same main board. Now, the main board is stripped down to just the processor, memory and storage. Innuos make everything else to perform with as little compromise or intrusion as possible. 

Turn it off!

The methodology here is to minimise noise—by turning off noisy components, keeping the path as direct as possible, and regenerating the signal in cleaner, step-by-step stages. It is an architectural approach to electronics. Each section resides in its own ‘room’ within the fortress. So, the CPU’s heavy lifting never corrupts the delicate digital pulse. That fortress approach extends to the main board’s power supply and to separate power supplies for the inputs and outputs. These use two 400VA toroidal transformers, which goes some way to explaining why a server looks as big and feels as heavy as a power amplifier. Each power supply has four separate rails, and everything from the plug socket outwards runs from its own power supply. 

Naturally, the same approach used in the Innuos Nazaré music server’s architecture also extends to mitigating jitter. This is why the Nazaré employs a proprietary Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) clocking system. These clocks are kept at a constant temperature to prevent frequency drift, ensuring precision measured in parts per billion. In the Nazaré, this clock is located mere millimetres from the Ethernet and USB outputs. This ‘short-path’ methodology minimises the opportunity for the signal to pick up noise between the clock and the exit point.   

Supremely easy

It’s supremely easy to hook the Nazaré up, as there aren’t many options to play with. Just add a power cord, an Ethernet cable connecting the Nazaré to the outside world and a USB to a DAC of sufficient quality. You turn it on and off by pressing a touch-sensitive panel beneath the centre of the front panel. If you’ve used an Innuos device, you already have the Sense app. So, once the Nazaré is in the system, a network search will find it. That’s it. Job done… for now. Of course, NazaréNET may well do the same to an Ethernet connection as Nazaré does to the server, and NazaréFLOW will likely reclock your USB signal much better than Nazaré on its own. Still, they are for another day, as they weren’t available at the time of the review.

Innuos rear panel

The Sense app is not simply a throwaway part of the Innuos Nazaré. It’s more like the app-shaped front-end of Innuos’ Sense operating system. Why this matters is that Sense actively creates a quiet environment, avoiding all the background checks and balances that undermine performance. This is no small problem, even if modern computers have sufficient processing speed to make such heavy lifting easy; tying up the CPU with thousands of little background tasks while the app is constantly interrogating the server often profoundly affects the result: the sound quality.

Instead, Innuos creates a ‘quiet’ computing environment within the Nazaré. Because the processor isn’t working as hard, it generates less heat and, more importantly, less electrical noise. This results in a ‘darker’ background—a silence between the notes that makes the natural decay of a piano string or the faint echo in a recording studio audible.

Didn’t matter

I worried that the absence of NazaréNET and NazaréFLOW would mean I was listening to half a Nazaré. Well, if that’s the case, half a Nazaré is twice as good as many of its rivals. I wouldn’t have been able to focus on the extra boxes anyway, as I was too busy having my standards reset by the main Nazaré. As someone who regularly uses an Innuos ZENith NG server (reviewed in Issue 247) and has used Innuos products for some time, I thought I was prepared for the change to Nazaré. After all, the move to ZENith NG from Statement NG (and to Statement NG from the original Statement) was sufficiently wide to make a clear difference. How large can the difference be? Huge!

Listening to the Innuos Nazaré almost immediately highlights the flawed assumption that you need a really top-notch system to hear the nuanced differences between two server products. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Stark differences

I could have made the comparison on even the most humble one-box system and entry-level loudspeakers and still heard the differences between ZENith NG and Nazaré. It’s the kind of difference that is so stark, it would take you longer to read this sentence than to hear what the Nazaré does.

A couple of bars into ‘Stoneyman’ by Craven Faults [Sidings, Leaf] was all it took. That metronomic beat had created depth, shape and drive. The British synthesist of mystery is keeping the Berlin School flame alive with bleak, hypnotic arpeggios and doom-laden basslines that move forward and back in the soundstage. It’s close to 1970s Kosmische Musik, but it’s how the server deals with the synthesised sounds that is key. Even the ZENith NG makes it seem a little spacey and Tangerine Dream-like, whereas the Nazaré evokes images of bleak Northern British landscapes, as it should. This is, in part, how the bass and those phasey sounds play out on both servers, but there’s more to it than that; Nazaré sounds more ‘real’… and yes, saying that about purely electronic instruments sounds like a contradiction in terms. On the Nazaré, it isn’t.

Stream better

I also found that the quality of streamed music from online sources was better through the Nazaré. That came as something of a surprise. I expected the music playing from the Innuos Nazaré music server’s hard drive to sound better, and it did: more space and solidity, more air, clarity, vocal articulation, dynamic range, and a tighter sense of rhythmic precision… the works. But what I didn’t expect was the difference in streaming to be equally profound. I played ‘God Gave Me Feet For Dancing (feat. Yazmin Lacey)’ by Ezra Collective [Dance, No One’s Watching, Partisan], and the Afrobeat-jazz mix is a masterclass in 21st-century British jazz.

As the title suggests, it has to groove and groove hard. You should feel an almost impossible-to-ignore need to move, but beyond that is the drive to walk around the music and focus on different instruments. The guitar part is particularly telling. It can be lost as just a part of the rhythmic backline of the band, but here that neo-Sebene guitar style jumps out at you.

Mere mortals

Once again, this doesn’t need a highly resolving system to show how good the Innuos Nazaré music server is, but the further up the audio food chain you go, the better it sounds and the greater the divide between Nazaré and ‘mere mortals.’

Track after track confirmed the impact of those first two bars of music. Everything was more ‘right’: the music was more focused, the bass was fuller, deeper, and yet tighter. Lyrics were more communicative and evocative. I played ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ by Donizetti (sung by Plácido Domingo, with the LA Philharmonic, conducted by Giulini), and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. If you can then play ‘Terminus, The Creator’ from the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets’ Night Gnomes album [What Reality?] you know the Nazaré can take absolutely anything you throw at it. And yes, I did go looking for the oddest band name I could find!

I tried to find fault with the Nazaré. I really did. But aside from the ongoing ‘WTF!’ factor of facing down a server that is the size and weight of a power amp, I failed. It’s that good.

You get what you pay for

The price of admission to Nazaré-world is fairly steep. However, you get what you pay for, in technology, execution, and performance. Much of what makes Nazaré so good will always be expensive. But, we all benefit from improved streaming, and I hope there’s some trickle-down effect.

Innuos’ Nazaré sets a new high standard for the brand, one that eclipses all that has gone before. It’s not that the ZENith NG that I use daily has become obsolete. However, you can hear the difference on any system. There is so much more bass and energy in the mix with the Innuos Nazaré music server. It joins that select list of ultra-high-performance servers that are so good that they really make you wonder just what all the fuss was about CD and SACD.

Technical specifications

  • Type: Music Server
  • File Formats: WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, AAC, MP3, DSF, DFF, MQA Supported
  • Sample Rates: PCM: Up to 32bit/768KHz. DSD: Up to DSD256 via DoP, up to DSD512 via Native DSD to compatible DACs
  • Connectivity: USB (for DACs, Imports, Backups, USB Drive playback), 2 x USB 3.2, 1 x PreciseUSB (USB 2.0)
  • Network: 1 x PreciseNET (1Gbps RJ45)
  • Other, 1 x Storage Expansion Bay (2 x M.2 NVME SSD), 1 x HDMI (service only), 1 x AC Power Inlet, 1 x 4mm Chassis Ground Port
  • Streaming Sources
  • Streaming Services: Qobuz, TIDAL, Deezer, HighResAudio, IDAGIO, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Internet Radio & Podcasts, Radio Paradise FLAC and Interactive services, 
  • Local Music Files; Internal M2 NVMe SSD, NAS Drives/Servers, USB Drives (’Folder View’ only, full library integration unavailable)
  • CD Ripping: Available via external USB Optical Drive + installed SSD storage
  • Metadata Sources: Discogs, FreeDB, GD3, Musicbrainz
  • Ripping format options: FLAC or WAV
  • Control Software & Integrations: Innuos Sense App for iPadOS/iOS v16.6 (or later), Android 7 (or later), Amazon Fire OS 7 (or later)
  • Any web browser via my.innuos.com or IP address.
  • Optional: Roon (Core and Endpoint modes supported), HQPlayer (NAA Endpoint mode only), AssetUPnP (UPnP Server mode only)
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 48 x 42 x 22cm 
  • Weight: 42kg
  • Price: From £38,000, €40,000, $55,000 (no storage option)

Manufacturer

Innuos

Homepage – https://innuos.com/
Product – https://innuos.com/nazare/
Where to buy – https://innuos.com/where-to-buy/

+351 308 800 826 

UK Sales +44(0)2475 200 210

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HIGH END®Vienna 2026 Final Report – A Successful New Beginning Sets a Strong Course for the Future

22 June 2026 – With a brilliant Vienna premiere, the HIGH END Vienna 2026 has opened a new chapter in its success story. From 4 to 7 June, the Austria Center Vienna transformed into the international meeting point of the audio industry and provided the perfect setting for the world’s leading audio show.

A Successful Start on the Danube

The Austria Center Vienna proves itself as a modern stage for the international audio world

Expectations around the move from Munich to Vienna were high on all sides. Yet from the very first day, the positive response from many exhibitors and visitors was clearly noticeable. “The premiere of the HIGH END Vienna has exceeded our expectations in many respects. We are very pleased about the numerous positive responses from all sides, which confirm us in the path we have chosen and demonstrate the potential that the Vienna location offers for the further development of the show,” explains Manuel Pinke, Managing Director of the organising HIGH END SOCIETY Service GmbH. Exhibitors, trade visitors, media representatives and music lovers alike were impressed by the possibilities of the modern venue. The spacious architecture with wide, airy aisles, plenty of natural daylight and attractive outdoor areas created an open, relaxed and at the same time lively atmosphere. Despite high visitor numbers, the exhibition areas remained pleasantly accessible at all times. Well-attended demonstrations, busy rooms and strong interest at the booths reflected the exceptional appeal of the event. Overall, HIGH END Vienna 2026 recorded a total attendance of 23,106, including 10,603 trade visitors, 11,957 consumers, and 549 media representatives.

An International Platform for Business and Innovation

The HIGH END Vienna brings the global audio industry together

With trade visitors and guests from 104 countries, the HIGH END Vienna underlined its international significance as the world’s most important platform for high-quality audio technology. The first two days of the trade show were dedicated entirely to B2B business and offered ideal conditions for in-depth conversations, new contacts and successful deals. Many of the approximately 500 exhibitors reported high visitor quality and numerous valuable business contacts. The response on the two public days was equally positive throughout. Particularly striking was the strong interest from a broad audience that extended well beyond the traditional Hi-fi community.

The trade show presented itself as a showcase for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial pioneering spirit. Numerous companies seized the new opportunities of the location to stage their brand worlds with great commitment and impressive concepts. International trade media reported on a wide range of world premieres, product launches and technological innovations that made Vienna the centre of the global audio world during these days.

Once again, the Start-Up Area received great recognition. The young companies welcomed the strong interest from trade visitors, media representatives and potential business partners. The high level of attention once more confirmed the importance of the platform as a springboard for new ideas and innovative business models. The exhibitors of the specialised IPS (International Parts + Supply) trade show also experienced rising demand for premium components and accessories for the audio industry.

The Power of Music Captivates the Audience

Musical experiences, personal encounters and emotional moments shape the event

A particular highlight was the extensive supporting programme, through which the central theme “The Power of Music” came alive in many ways. At its heart was the Canadian singer and this year’s brand ambassador, Dominique Fils-Aimé. With her listening sessions and her exclusive live concert, she made HIGH END history: for the first time ever, a concert of this kind took place at the HIGH END. The charismatic artist captivated the audience with her warm-hearted, approachable personality and created numerous emotional moments.

The power of music was tangible throughout the entire event. Time and again, goosebump moments emerged in the demonstration rooms when music was made experiential in all its facets. Many exhibitors took their guests on musical journeys, presented exclusive listening sessions or offered personal consultations and individual demonstrations. The popular special areas also contributed significantly to the success of the event. On the X-PERT Stage, renowned experts shared valuable expertise, the WORLD OF HEADPHONES attracted numerous headphone enthusiasts, and the GAMING ZONE once again showcased the intersections between gaming, technology and audiophile sound worlds.

An Enthusiasm That Reaches Far Beyond the Trade Show

Positive response from around the world confirms the successful new start in Vienna

Favoured by mostly pleasant weather, many visitors took the opportunity to linger in the outdoor areas or the beer garden between appointments and listening sessions. This combination of a professional business environment, inspiring product experiences and high quality of stay shaped the character of the event. Numerous companies also used the HIGH END Vienna to celebrate significant anniversaries. They look back on decades of company history and thus demonstrate the innovative strength and lasting power of the audio industry.

The response from the international community has been correspondingly positive. Many visitors described the event as impressive, brilliant and inspiring. The striking entrance area, the modern infrastructure, the international atmosphere and the palpable sense of new beginnings were highlighted again and again. International reporters particularly praised the size of the new location, the high density of exhibitors and the successful further development of the world’s most important audio show.

The HIGH END Vienna 2026 has thus impressively demonstrated that the new location is not only a worthy successor, but takes the event to a new level. The successful premiere in Vienna sends a strong signal for the future and confirms the HIGH END as an indispensable meeting point for the international audio industry.

The HIGH END Vienna 2027 takes place from 6 to 9 May at the Austria Center Vienna.


Exhibitor statements HIGH END Vienna 2026:

 

“The energy and enthusiasm at HIGH END Vienna 2026 have been truly exceptional. The organization of the event provided a fantastic platform to connect with a deeply engaged and passionate audiophile community. We experienced incredible foot traffic and fantastic engagement from media, distributors and attendees.” – Kyle Leng, Thierry & Wango Audio Ltd.

“HIGH END Vienna 2026, exceeded our expectations in terms of visitor quality, international exposure and industry networking opportunities. We have received strong interest in our latest products and enjoyed valuable discussions with partner, press and end users.The event remains one of the most important platforms in high-end audio industry.” – Felix Li, Defini International Ltd.

“Amazing show for us. Great support from High End Society and ACV staff. Trade days and Saturday were very strong days.” – David Patching, PMC

“Throughout the four days, our booth was consistently busy and we were satisfied with both the visitor traffic and our booth location. The event exceeded our expectations and wer are pleased that we will return to exhibit again at HIGH END Vienna next year.” – Li fen Wu, Jinwei Cable

“I just wanted to congratulate the team for putting on a great show in Vienna! We all really enjoyed ourselves and all the attendees we spoke to agreed it was a massive step up from Munich which was already a good show, well done!” – Patrick Mitchell, Chord Company

Jadis I-88

If ever there was a company that exemplified the phrase ‘sticking to its guns’, it’s Jadis. For a small French tube amplifier firm, it offers a surprisingly broad range of products, including the I-88 integrated amplifier. At a time when much larger brands are simplifying their lines, Jadis still features both digital and analogue sources, along with multiple preamps, phono stages, integrated amplifiers, and stereo and mono power amplifiers. What is Jadis’ secret?

The company excels in three areas. First, it develops its products without a relentless urge to constantly change them. Some products still appear in the Jadis catalogue that were originally made when Michael Jackson was singing about Billie Jean. Next, it manufactures many of these products to order, which means longer lead times; however, it also allows timeless models to stay in production for longer. 

I’ve saved Jadis’ greatest advantage until last: it manufactures its own output transformers and has done so for decades. This enables Jadis to receive early versions of the latest output tubes, allowing them to design their transformers and set the standards for other transformer manufacturers. Although Jadis hand-winds their transformers and seals the final product in resin to ensure thermal stability and eliminate hum, you can’t simply inspect and clone their transformers. However, when it comes to producing an amplifier that features the latest KT150 output tube, Jadis was the first to develop output transformers for their line. 

Combine the three elements, and you get products like the I-88, an integrated amplifier delivering 90W per channel in pure Class A, using a double push-pull circuit inspired by the earlier—and still current—I-50. This amplifier also employs KT150s in a push-pull layout, but with two tubes per channel instead of four.  

‘Thoroughly’ modern

The fact Jadis has been making amplifiers (and more) since 1983 doesn’t mean its models are throwbacks to an earlier time. The I-88 not only includes an autobias circuit (so the tubes will never go out of true) but also an unspecified USB DAC. This last is more an emergency DAC than something you would actively use (I couldn’t get anything higher resolution than 16-bit, 44.1kHz out of it), but it’s better than nothing.

The I-88 also features a remote eye, along with volume, balance, and source selection controls managed via a Philips-style handset. The operation of the I-50 is fully replicated in the I-88, but this model has nearly twice the power, thanks to it having double the number of power output tubes. 

It’s the simplest amp in terms of connections; aside from that USB input, there are four single-ended RCA inputs and two pairs of speaker terminals (for bi-wiring, not different tapped outputs from the transformer). Onboard phono stages, XLR inputs, and theatre or tape loops… nope!

Returning to the extensive range of products in the Jadis catalogue, the commonality between I-50 and I-88 offers another clue about how Jadis manages this; many of the amplifiers share similarities. The question then is ‘why’? Why does a small French company produce nine different integrated amplifiers? Aside from building to order and its reluctance to phase out product lines, Jadis has a distinctly international following, and not every product sells – or sells well – in every country. So, where the Orchestra integrated might perform exceptionally in one country, the very similar DA50S could perform better elsewhere. It’s an old-fashioned approach, compared to the ‘world amp’ concept adopted by most audio brands. But most audio brands are not Jadis.

There is one consistent feature across every market in the world, though: the Jadis style. That chromed chassis and transformer caps, with a contrasting gold front and exposed heatsinks and capacitors on the top plate, have been a hallmark of Jadis’ design since André Calmettes founded the company in a village just outside Carcassonne in 1983. Sadly, the founder of Jadis passed away in January 2025, but the baton was passed to his son, Jean-Christophe, several years ago.

Although not everyone agrees, any design language that has remained unchanged for over 40 years is on the right track. Even the cursive ‘Jadis’ name badge has stayed the same for decades. Whether or not it suits your taste, one thing remains clear: if you own any Jadis product – including the I-88 – invest in plenty of microfibre cloths. Not only does the chrome top tend to attract dust, but the design also invites people to touch it and leave fingerprints.

Well made

The amplifier is exceptionally well crafted. It uses a carefully designed point-to-point wiring loom, with minimal use of circuit boards throughout the entire design. The layout of the point-to-point wiring is less like a bird’s nest (have you seen inside an amplifier from the 1950s? Even the finest look ‘organic’ at best) and more like the circuit diagram it was based on. Larger components are attached to the underside of the top plate, but this point-to-point layout is very different from a surface-mount PCB sitting on shock-mounted standoffs. While attaching smaller components in free space on the internal wiring loom offers significant sonic advantages, it also means you shouldn’t subject your electronics to too harsh treatment.

Manhandling shouldn’t be on any amplifier’s radar. However, an amp weighing just over 40kg – with an uneven load – demands careful handling when moving in and out of its packaging, for both backs and resistors alike.

However, once taken out of the box, it’s time to load the two ECC83s and three ECC82s into the preamp stage, as well as the four KT150s on each side. There is a cage to keep little hands and paws away from parts that can burn, cut, or electrocute the unwary. It looks better without the cage, although the heat output is significant, and even touching the chrome plate near the tubes can cause a burn. 

An important consideration is to ensure that each tube is properly seated and that the loudspeaker cables are connected to the amplifier and speakers before turning it on. This is good practice in general, and especially so for tube or valve amplifiers. Besides choosing from a variety of ECC83/12AX7 and ECC82/12AU7 tubes from different new, old, and NOS (new old stock) suppliers, there isn’t much tube rolling happening, mainly because there are few suppliers of the recently launched KT150.

Regardless of which input tube maker you choose, after you flick that toggle switch and the green LED begins to glow, you’ll hear the gentle tinkling of valves coming to life. After a few minutes, it’s time to enjoy the music. There isn’t a soft-start or automute circuit, but try to resist the temptation to play a track while the amplifier is warming up. 

Ritual enjoyment

If all this sounds a little like it’s some rite of passage or a ritual to appease the hollow-state gods, you are well rewarded for your observance. Because this amplifier sounds exceptionally wonderful; it sounded superb with complex music, simple tunes, music old and new. The excellent sound quality extends to everything, from the most basic folk singing in a pub (The Unthanks) to small halls hosting jazz (Bill Evans), studios (Trentemøller), and stadiums (Queen), as well as concert halls (Georg Solti). Not a single track during the entire listen sounded anything less than thoroughly enjoyable.

However, if you think this sounds like some rose-tinted reproduction with the edges blurred, think again. Out came the heavy stuff – Grinderman’s eponymous debut album [Mute] – and we encountered plenty of 21st-century punk grunge. Then, moving on to the glitchy ‘Mekrev Bass’ by Squarepusher [Be Up a Hello, Warp], everything had its shape, space, detail, speed, and texture. This last track is almost unlistenable at its best (it sounds like someone’s torturing a Nintendo Game Boy, while a drum machine explodes and a digital delay melts down). Still, it reveals everything, and any attempt at cloaking or colouring by the system is laid bare. The Jadis has all the power, detail, and clarity to leave you twitching in a corner somewhere, and rose-tinted it is not. But the music still sounded wonderful, like an eight-bit soundtrack to six horror movies playing simultaneously. Despite all the descriptions, it’s because it makes sense of the music. And if it can make as much sense from Squarepusher as it does with Bill Evans, the I-88 is achieving great things.

It’s easy to get carried away with the hi-fi-like descriptions of this amplifier’s sound, especially because it excels at all of that. It offers a great soundstage, with impressive width and particularly depth, and the kind of grounded-in-space instrument solidity that makes you reach for the ‘holographic’ clichés. It has a broad dynamic range, both large-scale and small-scale, allowing you to hear the valves clicking in that tuba while the orchestra performs with enthusiasm. Then, there’s its vocal projection and articulation, combined with such detail that you can tell what brand of toothpaste the singer uses. It also delivers the sublime coherence and detail that make Porn at the Jazzshop, ‘Temptation’ by Diana Krall, and Cantate Domino sound better than ever. If all you ever want to play is that, the Jadis I-88 will do it superbly. But there is so much more to music than just that.

The audiophile test rarely includes that vital ‘x’ factor that makes you want to play music more and more, but the Jadis I-88 has that ‘x’ factor in spades. It’s a blend of sounding inviting, musically effortless, and informative in a completely non-invasive way. Some systems feel like you are spending time with a music professor on transmit; this feels more like a charming night with a musically skilful guest who hates mansplaining but genuinely loves their music. It’s an abstract concept to convey, but you find yourself drawn to play more music through the Jadis’ sheer innate charm, rather than feeling compelled to do so. Some of the best systems are musical ‘enablers’ – go on, just one more wafer-thin album – but this is a musical friend with whom you want to share the experience. 

Grip and grin

Tube or valve amplifiers are known for having relatively poor damping factors compared to their solid-state equivalents. This means an amplifier like the Jadis I-88 will never grip loudspeakers as tightly as a similarly powered transistor amplifier. However, in real-world conditions, Jadis offers excellent control over a loudspeaker’s bass drivers. Although it’s not a kilowatt powerhouse, it more than holds its own. That extra control will put a smile on anyone’s face.

It’s a testament to how exceptional this amplifier sounds that I couldn’t resist using it during the brief but notably muggy heatwave that the UK experienced in summer 2025. Playing a 90W Class A valve amp in an already blistering listening room seems madness. But I felt driven to do so because my time with the I-88 would be limited. When you find yourself playing Boards of Canada albums at 3am while cooling yourself with ice, you know the Jadis I-88 has truly taken hold of you. 

Yes, the built-in USB DAC is a bit of an afterthought, although it sounds quite decent. But that’s the only real downside to the Jadis I-88. While opinions vary, I think it looks fantastic. And everyone agrees that it sounds pretty damn impressive as well. I’ll ignore those ‘going-commando’ heatwave listening sessions, but they show that when the sound is that enjoyable, you’ll do almost anything to keep listening. This isn’t just a delightfully sounding amplifier; it revives the joy of listening to even the sweatiest ears. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Integrated Amplifier with remote control
  • Inputs: 4x RCA line inputs, 1x USB input
  • Outputs: 2x loudspeaker outputs (for bi wiring)
  • Frequency Response: 10Hz-19kHz ±3dB
  • Tube Compliment: 8x KT150, 2x ECC83/12AX7, 3x ECC82/12AU7
  • Bias: Automatic
  • Input Sensitivity: 190mB
  • Dimensions: 50x40x22cm
  • Weight: 41kg
  • Price: £18,998

Manufacturer

Jadis

jadis-electronics.com

UK distributor

Absolute Sounds

absolutesounds.com

+44(0)208 971 3909

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Chord Company PhonoARAY

Chord Company of Amesbury demonstrated its newly launched PhonoARAY turntable grounding system at the Bristol HiFi Show in early 2025. This was an impressive demonstration and it needed to be; convincing enough despite the exceptionally noisy neighbours in the demo room next door, is no mean feat. Nevertheless, a small room just a partition screen away from six big, active subwoofers pumping out deep electronic bass at high volume is no place for a careful evaluation of a component that may be as nuanced in performance as a turntable’s grounding system. Naturally it proved better still when later deployed in the much quieter listening room at home.

You could be forgiven in thinking that – for all the recent hoo-hah about component grounding in audio – a turntable is the one thing that resolved grounding decades ago. With a few notable exceptions (such as Rega), tonearms have been supplied with separate grounding cables between deck and phono stage for decades. Therefore, anything that adds a grounding component to an already-grounded system is, at best, gilding the lily.

However, as Chord Company’s Alan Gibb notes, we need to ground our tonearms and turntables to avoid hum. But that very act of grounding has a downside. Conventionally it’s done with a thin wire, captive at the tonearm but with a spade termination at the other end for attachment to the grounding post on our phono stage or integrated amplifier. 

Ground as antenna

Grounding silences the hum, but has anyone else spotted that the grounding wire acts as an antenna? Along with metal in the tonearm it picks up localised high frequency radiation from switch-mode power supplies, LED lumens, wi-fi and so on, then injects it into the ground-plane of our audio system where it obscures musical detail. Well, Chord Company has, and if we have any doubt that the company is on to a real issue it’s simple to test; just borrow a PhonoARAY from a Chord Company dealer and try it at home. The PhonoARAY is a rather stout £1,000, but I can’t imagine many are going to be returned to dealers, it’s that much of a sticky enhancement.

The PhonoARAY is a surprisingly weighty CNCd aluminium cylinder, 10cm long and five in diameter, with a single banana/cinch speaker-type terminal at each end. It comes with a screened lead, banana connector at one end and small spade connector at the other. This lead goes between the PhonoARAY and our phono stage while the terminal at the other end takes the thin grounding lead from our tonearm.

The ARAY moniker is applied by the company to more than one technology. Here, it refers to a compound that absorbs high frequency energy. This sandwiches an inductor that acts as a series filter and is potted in resin, says Gibb, to help mitigate any propensity for microphony. He declined to number the frequency range addressed, but did venture that it’s kHz to MHz, in other words most likely concentrating on the fundamental frequencies of the noise generated by the primary radio frequency polluters mentioned earlier rather than much higher frequencies.

Wired into the review system between an Origin Live Agile tonearm and Sovereign S turntable and a Mola Mola Lupe phono stage, the PhonoARAY left zero room for equivocation. The sonic uplift was noted by multiple listeners, most of whom were not audiophiles and thereby not prone to expectation bias. The consensus was that musical energy had notched up a tad (“…it’s got louder….”), bass tune playing was tonally richer and more textured, vocals had been stripped of a degree of grain and now sounded more natural and relaxed, and sound-staging sounded more crisply defined, less blurred.

No surprises

None of these observations will come as a particular surprise to readers who have already deployed grounding elsewhere in their own systems, whether with unitary devices or with a garden grounding rod or array (with two RRs!). They are the to-be-expected outcomes when systemic high frequency noise is mitigated.

What may surprise some is that such thinking in the context of grounding of turntables and tonearms is not more common. The PhonoARAY’s RRP of £1,000 makes it unlikely that many will be paired with low-end turntables and that’s rather a shame because the sonic uplift it delivers would undoubtedly be just as notable. Is Chord Company missing a big chunk of potential market? I think so.

However, in the high-end of turntable design, Chord Company currently has planted its flag in terra incognita and created that great thing; a product that demonstrably makes a difference that no one else can provide. I’d argue that it will not occupy that land alone for long, because as soon as companies get wise to what the PhonoARAY does to record replay, they’ll all want a piece of the action!

This might just be the Next Big Thing in turntable replay systems; the step high-end vinylistas never knew they needed, but will immediately understand. Put it this way; if you are an inveterate cartridge swapper and have an ever-growing collection of almost-new moving coils, the Chord Company PhonoARAY is more likely to be your next vinyl-based purchase than a cartridge. It’s that good! 

Price and Contact details

  • Chord PhonoARAY: £1,000, €1,299, US price to be confirmed

Manufacturer

Chord Company

chord.co.uk

+44(0)1980 625700

More from Chord Company

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Connected-Fidelity CF-1010 tonearm

It was two years ago that I reviewed the excellent Connected-Fidelity TT Hub turntable in hi-fi+ (Issue 237) and first learnt about the company’s plans to produce its own tonearm. After they unveiled it at the Bristol Show in April this year, I knew my wait to try one was over, and a final production sample soon found its way into my listening room.

Connected-Fidelity is the manufacturing arm of Air Audio, which you probably know distributes Hana cartridges and Sorane tonearms from Japan. Owner and designer Michael Osborn has 30 years’ experience in design and manufacturing. Under the Connected-Fidelity brand, he offers a range of products, including mains and interconnect cables, mains distribution boxes, balanced mains supplies, RF filters, and various isolation solutions.

The CF-1010 Reference pickup arm has been in development for about three years. Connected-Fidelity knew from the start that it would be too complex to manufacture in-house, so it approached the well-respected, long-established tonearm design specialist, Alphason, to build it to its specifications.

Compatibility

The 9in S-shaped CF-1010 retails for £3,495. It is supplied with a 2m arm cable and a free digital stylus force gauge and a carbon fibre brush. It certainly looks and feels like a high-quality item and has been designed to be very light, so it will work well with moving-magnet cartridges, which generally have far higher compliance than moving-coil cartridges. That said, it is also ideally suited to moving coils.

The secret of the arm’s compatibility with such a wide variety of cartridges is that it can be supplied with one of six counterweight weights and a variety of headshell shims to optimise the resonant frequency of the cartridge’s suspension system and its bass output. The aim is to tune it to 7 Hz or higher, to suit the cartridge specifications.

Connected-Fidelity makes this easy by offering customers a service it says is unique – whereby the customer tells them which cartridge they wish to use, and they will supply exactly the right counterweight and headshell shim combination to achieve the best performance. This service is free when you first buy the arm. Of course, such details will most likely be sorted for you by the retailer you buy the arm from.

Another key factor in achieving such wide cartridge compatibility is the CF-1010’s one-piece titanium arm tube, chosen for its very low resonance, high stiffness and low weight. The headshell is said to have a composite construction that shifts any resonances above the range of human hearing and dissipates unwanted vibrations within the cartridge body.

The bearings are made from hardened tool steel and are a pre-loaded point-contact design, adjusted to zero tolerance. They decided to avoid ball bearings, as Osborn says, at best these have a tolerance of 3-4 microns. In this way, he says, they have achieved just 50 mg of friction at the stylus. The arm pillar and base are also made from stainless steel, as are the counterbalance weights, which are decoupled to help dissipate unwanted resonances.

The main platform that houses the lift/lower device and arm rest is made from non-resonant, anodised aluminium and also has a useful additional threaded pin that protrudes downwards, so that you can adjust it to always give you the right height and cartridge VTA in the event that you have removed the arm from its base for any reason. Useful if, say, you’re upgrading from a Hana Umami Blue to an Umami Red.

The CF-1010’s internal wiring is UP-OCC (single-crystal) copper. The supplied arm-connection cable is also silver-plated OCC copper. An upgrade cable from Connected-Fidelity, using single-crystal OCC, is available for £600. However, the review sample was supplied with the standard cable.

Lock and load

To make my evaluation of the new CF-1010 arm as straightforward as possible, it was supplied to me already fitted to Connected-Fidelity’s version of the TT Hub turntable, which is designed to accommodate two pickup arms simultaneously. This made it easy for me to fit a second tonearm to the deck – one that I knew well and is priced around £1,000 below the CF-1010, so it would serve as a useful benchmark.

Each arm was fitted with a Hana Umami Red cartridge. I played this combination through my trusty Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister integrated amp, Fyne Audio Vintage 10 speakers with SuperTrax super-tweeters, and a REL S-550 subwoofer. The mains block and mains cables were from MusicWorks.

An album that is becoming a firm favourite of mine is Conversations by jazz bassist Christian McBride. From this, I played his wonderful cover of The Isley Brothers’ It’s Your Thing, where he duets with vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater. His superb bass playing was well conveyed by the CF-1010 – tight, agile, with great body, string resonances and slaps, while the vocals were open, full of character, expressive and exuberant, with all the sassiness that makes Dee Dee Bridgewater unique. Compared with the benchmark arm, the CF-1010 had tighter, fuller, and more articulate bass, and the vocals were cleaner and more nuanced.

Another album I have really got into big time is Stream by jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie. On the track ‘Sun Pillars’, the CF-1010 captured the syncopation, fluidity and movement of his playing, and David Bowden’s superb bass line sounded tighter and more agile. Stephen Henderson’s drumming is amazing, and the CF-1010 captured his delicate touch beautifully, with plenty of subtlety. By comparison, the benchmark arm sounded slower and more muffled on his piano and simply did not place the space around the individual musicians as the CF-1010 did. McCreadie’s piano was also better defined and more focused across all registers, from top to bottom. The track’s rhythmic impetus and ebb and flow were also captured more convincingly on the CF-1010.

And if you want strong rhythmic impetus, try the track ‘No One Emotion’, which kicks off side one of George Benson’s superb 20/20 album. The deep, relentless synth bass line that underpins this track is a key element, and there was no doubt it was stronger, deeper and tighter on the CF-1010. Benson’s vocals were also more open and real, while the keyboards, drum machine and other musicians’ contributions came across as more distinct and present, with more space around them. The CF-1010 simply allowed me to listen into each element of this complex, lush arrangement and enjoy their contribution to the whole. The benchmark arm blurred things together more and lost the rhythmic drive that fuels this uptempo track.

The last track I’d like to mention is ‘Hey Laura’ from the amazing vocalist/songwriter Gregory Porter’s Liquid Spirit album. On this track, I was blown away by how much better the CF-1010 sounded on his vocals. They were more expressive, open, full-bodied and rounded. The benchmark arm, by comparison, seemed to overemphasise the lower registers of his voice and lose some of the vibrato and emotion, just as it tended to make the bass line woollier and less distinct. It was also easier to follow the Hammond organ part on the CF-1010. The drums were tighter, and I could hear better what the pianist was playing and how – and somehow, I simply got a clearer impression of hammers striking strings on the CF-1010. The sax solo was also better defined, and again, there was just more space around all of the musicians and Porter himself. It was a difference that I would gladly pay the extra money for.

A no-brainer

I am sure there are many who think that a pickup arm won’t make as big a difference as you’d hear between cartridges, turntables, amplifiers or speakers. Well, let me dispel any such preconceptions and say that the differences I heard between the CF-1010 and my benchmark arm were every bit as real and significant.

The Connected-Fidelity CF-1010 is a class act. It is beautifully made and finished, and easy to use and set up. Its sound quality is excellent, offering real insight into the music by letting each musician do their thing without blurring them together or losing them in the mix. It also has a good sense of timing and rhythmic impetus, and will keep your foot tapping along to the music from start to finish, whatever that music may be.

I have nothing but praise for the CF-1010 and recommend it enthusiastically. I think it’s a no-brainer at the asking price. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: S-shaped tonearm with fixed headshell
  • Effective length: 229mm from bearing centre point to stylus tip
  • Effective mass: 11.7g with standard counterweight
  • Arm tube: One-piece titanium tube with composite fixed headshell
  • Bearings: Hardened tool steel preloaded point contact bearing adjusted for zero microns tolerance
  • Counterweights: Six different weights available
  • Headshell weights: Choice of five from 3g to 15g
  • Internal wiring: UP-OCC single-crystal copper with Pin Jack connector for consistent signal transfer
  • Price: £3,495, €4,000, $4,600

Manufacturer

Connected-Fidelity (Air Audio)

Homepage – https://www.connected–fidelity.com/
Product – https://www.connected–fidelity.com/cf-1010-tone-arm-from-connected–fidelity
Where to buy – https://www.connected–fidelity.com/where-to-buy-connected–fidelity-products

+44(0)1491 629629

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High-End Vienna 2026: Part Two

Our roundup of some of the best at High-End Vienna continues with roving reporter Ed Selley in search of products beyond the super high-end. The ‘High-End’ part of the name suggests the top end of the audio spectrum, but in reality, the show covers all the bases from the affordable end on up. While it’s sometimes wonderful to bask in the audio might of a system that costs more than you might earn in a lifetime, it’s also pretty good to get great performance from the things we can all afford.

 

 

Eversolo

Eversolo

No less than seven new Eversolo products were on show in Vienna. The most imminent is the T10 streaming transport which is designed to partner the DAC Z10. Like the DAC, the T10 supports the use of an external clock and, as luck would have it, just such a device is due too. Later this year will also see the DMP-A8 streamer updated to Gen2, including a Master Edition with built in CD transport. Next year will also see the company’s first integrated amp.

Ortofon

Delighted with the success of the MC X Series of cartridges, Ortofon introduced the X50 as a new flagship. Featuring a boron cantilever, nude Micro Ridge stylus, pure silver coils and the same sophisticated chassis as the rest of the range, it looks like a lot of cartridge at the asking price. At the other end of the proceedings, the Vertex represents everything the company knows about cartridges, with a new stylus profile mounted on a diamond cantilever and housed in a titanium body formed by selective laser melting.

Arcam

Arcam

Celebrating 50 years in business, Arcam showed off the A50 amp built to mark the occasion. Company founder John Dawson has designed a fully balanced take on the company’s long-running Class G circuit, and the amp is fitted with a useful collection of analogue and digital inputs alongside the XLR connection. This would be an ideal place to attach the new CD25 CD player which features dual ESS DACs and a vibration-reducing transport mount.

Fink Team

Fink

Continuing its unusual naming conventions, the Fink Team Spot is the company’s smallest floorstander to date. It’s a two-way design, pairing a relatively large ribbon tweeter with an eight-inch mid-bass driver. It will be available later in the year for around €10,000, although some of the (many) custom finishes will be extra. This was lb for £ my favourite speaker at the show, and I am very much looking forward to spending some more time with it.

Neat Vito

Having enjoyed considerable success with its relaunched classic range, Neat has created an updated version of the Vito floostander which will be the largest model in the range so far. The Vito uses the same tweeter and midrange driver as the Elite Classic. placed in their own chamber and add an extra dedicated bass driver operating from 80Hz and down. When it goes on sale in September, it’s expected to cost around £5,500 depending on finish.

Ruark Talisman

Having decided to exit the box-speaker market to concentrate on all-in-one devices, Ruark has returned to the field decades later with an updated version of the Talisman floorstander. Like the original, it’s a compact, two-way design with a slope to the front baffle, and, like the original, it was sounding better than you’d expect a £1,500 speaker in a booth to. Running on the end of the R710i streaming amp, the performance was deeply impressive.

High-End Vienna 2026: Part 1

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Meet Your Maker: Atlas Cables

The road to Kilmarnock, just south of Glasgow, is often framed by the moody, low-hanging clouds that define the West of Scotland. It is a landscape of industrial heritage and rugged natural beauty—an apt setting for Atlas Cables. While the high-end audio world often conjures images of manicured technocrats with ornate systems, the reality at Atlas is far more grounded and tactile. Moreover, it is impressively industrious.

Walking into the Atlas facility, you aren’t met with the cold, clinical air of a tech startup. Instead, there is the hum of activity, the faint scent of high-grade polymers, and the unmistakable sense of a craft-driven factory. This is a place where Scottish engineering meets a boutique, artisanal sensibility. Here, the philosophy is simple yet demanding. Everything that can be done in-house should be done in-house.

The Heart of the Workflow: Vertical Integration

The methodology at Atlas is built on a refusal to be a “re-badger.” In the cable industry, some brands buy bulk wire from a massive, nameless factory, slap a fancy braided sleeve over it, and call it ‘high-end’. Atlas operates at the opposite end of that spectrum. 

The workflow begins long before a single strand of copper arrives in Kilmarnock. Atlas controls the metallurgy, specifying the purity of its Ohno Continuous Cast (OCC) copper and silver. But the real magic happens once those raw materials enter the building. The factory floor is organised into specialised zones that follow a cable’s life cycle. These range from raw conductor preparation and dielectric insulation to the final, painstaking hand-assembly and testing.

Stock control

Atlas also ensures consistency by careful component stock control. The stock room has a series of stock control bins that give Atlas enough materials to build what it needs without huge inventory costs. Furthermore, this avoids relying on ‘Just In Time’ logistics. Simple colour-coding of parts bins means production delays are rare.

The Art of the Solderless Connection

As you move through the assembly area, you notice something missing: the acrid smell of soldering resin. This is a core pillar of the Atlas methodology. They are pioneers in ‘cold-weld’ technology. 

In most cables, the delicate copper strands are soldered to the plug. Atlas views solder as a barrier—an impurity that interrupts the signal flow. Watching the assembly team work is a lesson in precision. Using proprietary pneumatic tools and hand-calibrated presses, they cold-weld the connectors to the conductors. This process applies immense pressure to create a gas-tight bond. As a result, the metal of the wire and the metal of the plug effectively become one. 

The technicians handle the delicate silver and copper filaments with the dexterity of watchmakers, ensuring that every strand is perfectly seated before the press is engaged. It is not a high-pressure environment — except for the cold-welding process. However, the result is a connection that is more durable and sonically purer than any soldered joint.

On-Site Printing: The Identity of the Product

One of the most surprising aspects of the Kilmarnock facility is its investment in on-site printing and finishing. In many factories, the branding on a cable is an afterthought—either printed by the bulk supplier or applied with a cheap sticker. At Atlas, the branding is integral to manufacturing integrity.

The on-site printing suite enables Atlas to print its own cable jackets with exceptional precision. Using specialised inks that bond permanently to the outer insulation, it can mark lengths, directions, and model names with total consistency. 

But it isn’t just about the name on the wire. This capability enables bespoke runs and ‘Custom Shop’ services. If a client needs a specific set of markings for a complex professional installation or a unique colour-coding system for a multi-room setup, Atlas can do it in-house within hours. This level of autonomy is rare in the industry and reflects their ethos of total control. By printing on-site, they ensure the inks don’t degrade the chemical properties of the cable jackets over time. This is a small detail that highlights their obsessive approach to longevity.

Hand-Assembly: The Human Element

Despite the high-tech presses and specialised printing machinery, the soul of Atlas remains in the hands of its staff. The assembly benches are where the individual components—the conductors, the foams, the shields, and the plugs—finally come together as a finished product.

Watching a pair of Mavros or Asimi cables being assembled is a slow, methodical process. These flagship products require hours of hand-braiding and the application of microporous Teflon dielectrics. The technicians use specialised jigs to ensure the cable geometry—the exact spacing between the positive and negative conductors—remains perfectly consistent from one end to the other. Even a millimetre of shift can change the cable’s capacitance. At Atlas, that is unacceptable.

There is palpable pride on the factory floor. Many of the staff have been with the company for years, developing an eye for the mechanical feel of a perfect termination. They aren’t just following a manual; they are practising a craft. This human element serves as the final, most rigorous form of quality control. Each cable is visually inspected, mechanically stress-tested, and then electrically verified before it ever goes into a box.

The ‘Achromatic’ Revolution

A signature part of the Atlas ethos comes in the shape of the distinctive ‘Achromatic’ plugs. These are non-conductive, low-mass plugs that have become a hallmark of the brand. Traditionally, cable connectors are heavy, shiny, and made of gold-plated brass. Atlas realised that these heavy metal plugs acted as “heat sinks” for the signal, introducing unwanted interference. The Achromatic plugs are light, minimalist, and designed to stay out of the way of the music. In the factory, you see bins of these elegant, matte-finished components waiting to be mated to their respective cables. The assembly of these plugs is a dry-fit process that requires no heat, further reinforcing the company’s commitment to ‘cold’ assembly. Seeing these plugs fitted highlights the Atlas ethos. If a component doesn’t help the sound, get rid of it.

Testing and Validation

The final stop on the tour is the testing station. Every cable leaving the Kilmarnock factory is plugged into a diagnostic suite. It isn’t just a “does it work?” test. They check for continuity, resistance, and capacitance to ensure the cable meets the exact specifications of the design prototype. 

For the higher-end lines, this process is even more stringent. There is a quiet gravity to this room; it is the final gatekeeper. The ethos here is that an Atlas cable is a ‘component’ in its own right, not an accessory. Therefore, it must be measured with the same seriousness as an amplifier or a DAC.

Refreshingly transparent

What stays with you after leaving the Atlas factory is the absence of ‘voodoo’. In an industry often criticised for ‘snake oil’ and magical thinking, Atlas is refreshingly transparent. Their methodology is grounded in physics, materials science, and –in particular –repeatable manufacturing processes.

The ethos of Atlas Cables is “Quiet Accomplishment.” Atlas isn’t interested in being the loudest brand in the room or the one with the flashiest packaging; that doesn’t really fit in with the Scottish way of doing things. Instead, it focuses on the integrity of the connection. From the way they cold-weld their plugs to the way they print their own jackets in the heart of Scotland, every action is aimed at removing the ‘veils’ between the listener and the music.

They believe the best cable is the one that disappears. By controlling every variable—from the raw copper to the final print on the jacket—they ensure that when a customer plugs an Atlas cable into their system, they aren’t hearing the cable. Rather, they are finally hearing their music. As you walk back out into the Scottish rain, you realise that while the weather outside might be grey, the engineering inside those walls is vibrantly, brilliantly clear.  

Contact details

Manufacturer

Atlas Cables

atlascables.com

+44(0)1563 572666

 

Monitor Audio Evolves The Radius Series For Modern Spaces

Essex, UK – 15th June 2026: Monitor Audio is proud to announce the launch of the Radius Series 4G, a comprehensive reinvention of one of the brand’s most celebrated compact speaker ranges. Built upon Monitor Audio’s Transparent Design Philosophy, the Radius Series 4G represents the perfect balance of advanced acoustic engineering and considered, contemporary aesthetics, delivering genuinely high-fidelity sound from speakers that are designed to be seen as well as heard.

The Radius Series 4G comprises three speakers: the Radius 1, Radius 3, and Radius On-Wall, alongside a carefully curated range of matching accessories including a custom Floor Stand, Desk Pad, and two Wall Bracket solutions. Together they form a scalable, versatile system capable of serving everything from discreet stereo listening to full multi-channel home cinema, multi-room audio, commercial installations, and near-field desktop environments.

Acoustic Performance

At the heart of the Radius Series 4G are a series of significant technological advancements, each developed to raise the performance benchmark of the compact speaker category.

C-CAM
Monitor Audio’s proprietary C-CAM (Ceramic-Coated Aluminium/Magnesium) cone technology remains central to the Radius 4G’s driver design. Lightweight, exceptionally strong, and more rigid than conventional cone materials, C-CAM works pistonically to deliver impressive levels of fidelity.

RST III

For this 4th generation, the C-CAM technology makes use of the new RST III (Rigid Surface Technology) cone geometry that further reduces breakup and resonances across the frequency range for an even more accurate, natural sound.

Gold Dome Tweeter

The Radius Series 4G introduces a completely redesigned C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter. Departing from conventional architecture, the new tweeter utilises an external magnet motor system, akin to that of a full drive unit, rather than a traditional internal puck magnet.

New Crossover Design

The crossover networks in the Radius Series 4G have been subjected to extensive measurement, careful listening, and painstaking component selection. Every element has been curated to ensure the purest possible signal transfer between amplification and drive units.

Design

Through-Bolt Driver Bracing

Utilising through-Bolt Driver Bracing, the drive units can be securely braced to the rear of the cabinet and tightened to a specific torque, ensuring structural rigidity between driver and cabinet while eliminating unwanted chassis resonances.

HiVe II Port

Each Radius 4G features HiVe II (High-Velocity II) port design. This supports smooth airflow and delivers tighter, more controlled bass performance. On the all-new Radius 3 model, the port has  been enlarged by 50% compared to the previous generation to deliver even greater levels of LF performance from its compact form.

Accessories

Floor Stands

The custom Radius 4G Floor Stand features wooden tripod legs for a modern aesthetic, with clean cable routing from the terminals down through the stand to the base.

Desk Pad

A precision-engineered Desk Pad, made from rubber of a specific hardness for effective vibration isolation, offers a stable platform with a subtle upward tilt for optimal near-field performance.

Summary of key features:

  • Three-model range: Radius 1, Radius 3, and Radius On-Wall with matching accessories: Floor Stand and Desk Pad and Wall Brackets.
  • New C-CAM drivers with RST III cone geometry for reduced resonance and improved fidelity
  • Completely redesigned C-CAM Gold Dome tweeter with external magnet motor system
  • New RST III bass/mid driver with increased voice coil diameter for tighter, more controlled bass
  • New crossover design
  • Through-Bolt driver bracing for structural rigidity and reduced chassis resonance
  • Wall mounting is accommodated via the MASM bracket (Radius 1) and FIX-M bracket (Radius 3).
  • Scalable from stereo to full multi-channel AV and multi-room configurations

Pricing:

Radius 1 4G                               MSRP: £425.00 / €475.00 / $525.00 Pair

Radius 3 4G                               MSRP: £575.00 / €675.00 / $725.00 Pair

Radius On-Wall 4G                    MSRP: £450.00 / €525.00 / $575.00 Piece

Radius Floor Stand 4G    MSRP: £300.00 / €350.00 / $395.00 Pair

Radius Desk Pad 4G       MSRP: £30.00 / €35.00 / $40.00 Pair

MASM Wall Bracket                  MSRP: £20.00 / €30.00 / $35.00 Piece

FIX-M Wall Bracket                    MSRP: £45.00 / €50.00 / $55.00 Piece

 

Availability:
Radius Series 4G will be available in June 2026.

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