News

Danish loudspeaker designer Vifa has unveiled its latest product, a portable Bluetooth speaker with a distinctly Scandinavian flavour. Constructed from a single-piece of diecast aluminium (dimensions 181 x 268 x 90mm – wxhxd), the Oslo generates its sound from a pair of 50mm full-range drivers with aluminium cones and neodymium magnets alongside a pair of 65mm woofer drivers with flat sandwich core and neodymium magnets. The woofers are mechanically mounted back to back in a force balanced configuration supported by a brace of passive radiators. There's a 3.

Online hi-res music provider HighResAudio is now offering VirtualVault,a systemthat allowsits existing customers to stream their own music librariesfree of charge via the HighResAudio mobile home page. The system, claims HRA, works with all mobile devices (smartphone/tablet PC), desktop web browser and/or evenvia the web browser in your car. It caters, for wireless transmission via Bluetooth and is compatible with wireless multi-room solutions, says company CEO Lothar Kerestedjian. HRA claims to be the first to introduce Adaptive Audio Streaming (HLS/HTTP) and, depending uponthe available network bandwidth, it promises to deliver sound quality that’s on a par with CD.

Fresh from updating its Prime family of turntables (Prime Scout HFC 422), VPI has released the Player, its entry-level deck. Builtas a complete solution with a moving-magnet phono stage and headphone amplifier on board, it consists of a non-resonant MDF chassis with an aluminium platter. The 9in tonearm uses bearings rather than the unipivot principle seen on VPI’s more upmarket decks and comes premounted with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge as part of the £1,500 package. The Player leaves the factoryin a pre-configured condition, meaning owners only need to carry out a very simple setup procedure to start playing LPs.

As the vinyl format continues to attract greater audiences, so does the rise in the number of players available to spin LPs on, with many turntable brands covering all sectors of the market with a range of prices to suit. US-firm VPI Industries is no exception, and covers starter turntable packages as well as mid-priced and more specialist decks to appeal to vinyl newbies and junkies alike. The Prime Signature fits into the growing super deck category, and is the latest model to join the New Jersey firm’s expanding lineup. Its plinth is composed of layers of gloss MDF and machined aluminium partnered with a stainless-steel motor housing – claiming improved resonance damping, owing to its heftier weight over the original Prime motor – corner posts, bearing nut bell and arm board.

MusicCast made easy Want to know more about Yamaha’s MusicCast wireless streaming tech, which lets you share music across multiple rooms and devices via a single app? Watch these videos explaining all uk. yamaha. com/en/products/audio-visual/musiccast . .

Flat’s all folks! Warped vinyl can be the bane of the record collector, but help is at hand in this excellent guide to restoring your beloved music to pristine condition again, along with some top tips to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the first place. Click here to learn more. This is the end “The end of owning music” screams Rolling Stone magazine in this alarmist, but admittedly rather thought-provoking piece on what the future holds for physical music, featuring insight from industry insiders, record label owners and Jack White. read it for yourself here and see if you agree.