LATEST ADDITIONS

Japanese brand Luxman celebrates 90 years in the audio business with the launch of its new D-06u CD/SACD player, C-700u stereo preamplifier and M-700u stereo power amplifier. The D-06u is fitted with a Burr-Brown PCM1792A D/A convertor and supports PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD data up to 5. 64MHz via the USB input. According to Luxman, the player also comes with dedicated audio player software with support for FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, DSF and DSIDIFF playback from either a PC or Mac.

PRICE: £160-£700 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01268 740580 WEB: MONITORAUDIO. COM MONITOR AUDIO HAS been busy stepping its loudspeakers up a gear, and the latest range to get some attention is its popular BX range with the next generation of models. The redefined lineup of seven Bronze speakers draws on developments further up the maker’s extensive range. It carries four new hi-fi models that include the Bronze One and Bronze Two standmounts, along with the Bronze Five and Bronze Six floorstanding models.

We all know what a good speaker should do, but how to do it is another matter altogether – there are many different ways of attempting this. Moving coil drive units in a wooden box are the most common and simplest type to produce, but arguably the most flawed. Still, because the concept is so old there has been plenty of time to refine it, and Tannoy came up with its own solution nearly 70 years ago. Its first dual concentric design – the Monitor Black of 1946 – was a coaxial speaker combining mid/bass and treble units in one drive unit.

This month sees our 400th issue, a special anniversary edition celebrating 40 years of expert hi-fi reviews and buying advice. In putting together this issue, I have come to realise just how significantly the world of audio has changed in an amazingly short amount of time. I was perhaps a bit too young to remember the very first issue of Hi-Fi Choice when it launched in its original A5 format back in 1975, but I do remember the music and sounds of the time that got me hooked, even if I was listening on a mono cassette radio recorder or my dad’s 8-track tape player in the family car. For anyone wanting to recall the era our Year In Music feature is just for you, and revisits 1975 with a comprehensive rundown of the bands and albums that defined the magazine’s birth year.