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New spatial audio cans from the US

Feet of engineering adds support to hi-fi components

This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys' classic albumPet Sounds. To mark the occasion, the band is planning to release a special 50th Anniversary boxset in June. The deluxe collector's edition comes on four CD/Blu-ray discs stored in a natty-looking hardback book. The collection will include stereo, mono and high-resolution recordings of the album, plus instrumentals, 5.

Were I gifted the time and resources to write a hi-fi thesis, I feel there is a strong case to be made for exploring regional similarities in the design and creation of audio equipment that is broader than national borders. If I needed physical evidence to back this up, I could do a lot worse than point to this system. There are roughly 400 miles between Cliffwood New Jersey and Montreal in Canada – in North American terms a journey of very little consequence. There is also a national border and a partial language change.

Bixiga 70 has announced details of their latest album, III, which is released on 11 September on Glitterbeat Records. The São Paulo-based combo is one of the guiding voices of Brazil’s contemporary instrumental music scene. Taking Fela Kuti’s Afrika 70 band as a launchpad both in name and spirit, this explosive 10-piece unleashes a ground-breaking fusion of African and South American rhythms and sounds. The band’s aptly named third album, III, is a luminescent and energised mixture of Atlantic cultures.

With JJ Electronics European-produced valves, the V40 Blackline is claimed to provide the warm, luxurious sound that’s so commonly associated with tube amplifiers. Output is quoted as 30W with an impedance of 4 or 8ohm, and the V40 is the first product in the Blackline range to offer Bluetooth4. 0 connectivity – aptX no less. Additional socketry includes RCA phono inputs and a micro USB port.

New compact streamer from Canada