breaking news
High End Vienna 2026: Esprit Generation X
For the past few years, Esprit has used the High End trade shows in Munich to launch its own range of speakers. Following the compact Stella and the Amelia floorstanding speakers in 2024 (review VU#54 FR), the more imposing Lisa was added last year (review VU#63 FR),...
High End Vienna 2026: Atoll Launches the IN800 Evolution!
Officially scheduled for release at the end of the year, the IN800 is already making an appearance in a pre-production version at the High-End show in Vienna. The new flagship of the lineup, the IN800 integrated amplifier—which adopts the term “Evolution” to align...
High-End Vienna 2026: Ortofon MC Vertex
As well as unveiling a high-end version of its new MC X series, the MC X50 – of which we have reviewed the X20 and X40 (test VU#63 FR) – Ortofon is now setting its sights on the stars with its new MC Vertex. This new cartridge features the new Vertex stylus, developed...
NEWS
Moon Expands Its Compass Line with the 461 & 491
Launched with the 371 all-in-one model, the Compass line from Canadian manufacturer Moon (by Simaudio) is now expanding with two new additions. Simply put, the two new components take the elements of the 371 model and improve upon them by separating them into two...
Magico’s S7 returns in a 2026 version
Unveiled at the Axpona show in Chicago in April and soon to be featured in Europe at the Vienna High End, the Magico S7 2026 is reshaping the top tier of the American manufacturer’s lineup. Weighing 3 kilograms (or 6 pounds) less than the M6 (174 kg each versus 177...
High End Vienna 2026: SOLEN LYNX
Solen pays homage to its 1990s “Tiger” with a new integrated amplifier based on a 3-stage hybrid architecture. Premiering in Vienna on June 4, the Lynx combines a transistor-based input stage and power stage with a tube driver stage. To ensure signal linearity...
High End Vienna 2026: Solidsteel unveils the UL feet
With two models already in its catalogue –the NS and the SS (VU45 review & here; Essentiel)- Italian manufacturer Solidsteel is now launching the UL model. Intended to replace the NS in the future, the new UL stands feature twin rectangular aluminium profiles...
SONNY ROLLINS – THE LAST BREATH OF A GIANT
The word of jazz has just lost one of its last giants. Sonny Rollins passed away on Monday 25 May 2026 at the age of 95, at his home in Woodstock. With him, the final living chapter of a golden age has ended, leaving the world of music bereft of a sound that was...
Neodio takes Lilli to the next level with Lolla
‘Lilliputian’—that was Stéphane Even’s concept for the compact speaker recently launched by his brand Neodio, which is currently being put through its paces at VUmètre for a review in our issue 66. With the Lolla, the design principles and components are partly...
TESTS
B.Audio Alpha One
Founded in 2016, B.Audio is still run from Saint-Hippolyte by Sébastien and Cédric Bermann. After making a name for itself with its very first DAC, the Haut-Rhin-based manufacturer expanded its product line by creating a more affordable series called One, which included a DAC that could be paired with a preamp section and a network card, followed by a power amplifier. Today, the combination of these devices makes it possible to introduce a groundbreaking all-in-one unit—a combination of a DAC, preamplifier, and network player with an amplification section—to create the B.Audio Alpha One. Self-contained, this device simply needs to be connected to a pair of speakers to enjoy its full finesse and purity of sound.
WATTSON AUDIO EMERSON DIGITAL
Recently acquired by CH Precision, Wattson Audio had not yet been tested by us. But rather than starting with the new Madison LE Amplifier power amplifier, unveiled last May in Munich, we decided to go back to the company’s basics: its streamers. The smaller of the two ranges and available in analog or digital versions, the Wattson Audio Emerson Digital, despite its compact case, demonstrates all the finesse and purity of reproduction that have made the Swiss brand’s reputation.
MEZE Alba
A regular on our test benches, Meze returns this year not with headphones but with in-ear headphones: the Meze Alba. A model presented as more accessible than its big brother, the Advar, aimed at both novice music lovers and demanding audiophiles looking for affordable, stylish, and high-performance headphones. No small feat. A new gem from the Romanian manufacturer?
STAX SR-L500 mk2 & SRM-D10 II
While the reputation of headphones designed around electrostatic transducers is based on the finesse of their sound reproduction and the sharpness of the sound image they deliver, this technology remains particularly difficult to implement. Very few manufacturers venture into this field, even among the most expert in the world of headphones. Japanese headphone designer Stax has over 70 years of expertise and mastery of this technology. Today, it presents a unique combination of electrostatic headphones and a dedicated portable headphone amplifier. A first in this field!
SOULINES KUBRICK DCX & SORANE SA-1.2
Inspired by the spacecraft in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Soulines Kubrick DCX features an all-aluminum base designed around the golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence. Adaptable to a wide range of tonearms thanks to three interchangeable bases, this Serbian-made turntable is available in France with a Japanese tonearm that is particularly well suited, both in terms of its modern design and innovative technology: the Sorane SA-1.2, also made entirely of aluminum, giving it a fast and tight sound that is as neutral as possible in its tones.
YG Acoustics Peak Ascent
At the start of this year, it is taking advantage of a new distribution network to regain the upper hand, especially as it now offers a new range that is more affordable than the Reference. Named YG Acoustics Peak Ascent in homage to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, this new series of six models starts with two compact speakers, a subwoofer, and three floorstanding speakers, of which we are testing the mid-range, a magnificent three-way model called Ascent.
INTERVIEWS
Provence Audio Show in Aix on November 15 & 16
This weekend at the Renaissance Hotel in Aix-en-Provence, the Provence Audio Show invites you to discover more than 70 hi-fi brands across 300 m2, presented on two floors by around twenty exhibitors. In this particularly pleasant location, you can listen to both major...
MATTHEW WEBSTER – YG ACOUSTICS
Present in Munich with most of his staff, Matthew Webster, YG Acoustic CEO, answered our questions about the launch of a new Ultimate range, which includes the Gemini project. Definitively named Titan for its commercial release, the new pair of ultimate speakers was recently heard again in excellent acoustic conditions in Tokyo and will also be presented in France at the Paris Audio Video Show at the end of October.
ACCUPHASE INTERVIEW 2023
After attending the High End trade show in Munich, Accuphase’s management team headed for Paris, where they visited Music Hall, one of the most important resellers for the company in France. On this occasion, we had the privilege of meeting one of the brand’s founders, Jim S. Saito, surrounded by his team of engineers and sales staff.
REPORTS
THE BRISTOL HI-FI SHOW 2026
Among the world’s major hi-fi shows, the one in Bristol is the most famous in the United Kingdom. Held in a large downtown hotel, it occupies a long ground floor, a terrace, a basement, and four mezzanine levels, each with about fifteen rooms. At the 2026 show, we...
Report: Provence Audio Show in Aix, 15 & 16 November 2025
Three weekends after the Paris Audio Video Show, the Provence Audio Show was held on the other side of France. Like last year at the Mariott Renaissance Hotel in Aix-en-Provence, the second edition of this show allowed more than a thousand enthusiasts and...
Tokyo International Audio Show 2025 (TIAS)
The International Forum from October 17 to 19 was held the Tokyo Audio Video Show 2025. This annual hi-fi gala in Japan provides an opportunity to take the pulse of current innovations and interests among the country's music lovers. While turntables, CD players, and...
MUSICS
JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ – AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT
Gentleness and inspiration form the foundation of José González’s 5th album, on which he needs nothing more than his acoustic guitar and his voice to showcase his talent.
VINCENT PEIRANI – LIVING BEING IV (TIME REFLECTIONS)
Inspired by many styles, accordionist Vincent Peirani brings them together with his quintet in Living Being IV (Time Reflections), a jazz album that is both accessible and invigorating.
TORO Y MOI – UNERTHED: HOLE ERTH UNPLUGGED
Accustomed to regularly changing styles, Toro Y Mio delivers Unerthed: Hole Erth Unplugged, a tender folk version of the previous album, which was much more electronic-oriented.