The new Amora 5 from Japan’s Rotel features a black or matte white MDF cabinet with a modern front panel and a 2-way bass-reflex design.
Weighing 7.7 kilos per speaker with dimensions of just 35 x 19 x 30 cm, the Amora 5 boasts a rigid chassis that houses a 25 mm (1-inch) silk dome tweeter for the high frequencies and a 16.5 cm (6.5”) composite woven-fiber driver for the midrange and bass. The crossover splits the two drivers at 2.5 kHz.
On the back, below the port, two pairs of gold-plated terminals on each speaker allow for bi-wiring or bi-amping if desired, although most users will prefer to leave the copper plates in place to simply connect two cables, either spade or banana plugs.
With a frequency response that’s quite respectable for a small compact speaker (48 Hz–28 kHz), the Amora 5 seems easy to drive, thanks to its nominal impedance of 8 Ω and sensitivity of 87 dB (at 2.83 Vrms / 1 m). The price is set just under the 1k mark, at 999 € / $999 / £999 per pair.
The reference for entry-level hi-fi switches has been updated to support fiber optics. Featuring a more modern design and an aluminum alloy chassis, the N8S replaces the Bonn N8, retaining only three RJ45 ports (10/100/1000 Mbps auto-negotiation) and adding two SFP ports.
Its TCXO oscillator has also been upgraded, now operating at 25 MHz with a jitter of 0.1 ppm. The system is powered by optimized trace lengths and linear LDO (low-dropout) voltage regulators, which improve performance in terms of current noise.
The front-end stage uses ADI LT3042 circuits, combined with PNP bipolar transistors capable of providing a high-current, low-ripple power supply. The rear-end stage is powered by a very low-noise power supply using three SGM2208 circuits.
While still compact, the N8S is slightly larger (205 x 58 x 125 mm) than the Bonn N8; it can be upgraded with the new Forester F1S power supply. We’ll let you know the price as soon as we have it.
In today’s hi-fi market, requests are diverse and still call for devices with CD players, even when they need to be compact and include all modern streaming options.
It is precisely for this type of use that Marantz is now responding with the new MCR 60n DAB. Although the unit measures 28 x 30.3 x 11.1 cm and weighs 4.2 kg –and looks like a small square box when viewed from above– this all-in-one system is actually extremely feature-rich.
For starters, there’s the front-panel CD player, which can still come in handy at times –especially when the internet goes down! But there’s more: the group’s patented Heos platform (compatible with Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, etc.), which we’ll discuss in more detail very soon in our upcoming review of the Denon Home speakers, enables multiroom playback with all other devices connected to the same network, as well as equalization and room correction via the Diract software.
On the other hand, the Bluetooth is here, even if it’s not aptX, while Roon Ready compatibility allows you to use this high-end solution, with file playback supporting up to PCM 384 kHz/32-bit and DSD256 (11.2 MHz). All Connect services are also available, as is Deezer, Stopify Connect, etc.
On the analog side, the FM tuner also supports DAB and DAB+, and a phono input lets you connect a turntable with an MM cartridge. Another pair of RCA inputs lets you connect a second source, as well as a TV via the HDMI eARC digital input, or a USB flash drive.
As we have mentioned, this little 60n DAB is very feature-rich, and that covers its amplification capabilities, since it features not just one pair of speaker terminals, but two, allowing you to connect four speakers using cables with banana plugs or even spade connectors –a relatively rare feature on this type of product. The rated power output is 2 x 65 watts at 6 or 4 ohms, or 4 x 33 watts at 4 ohms, and a subwoofer output is also available.
Unveiled very recently, this new Marantz 60n DAB will be available starting September 15, in black or champagne gold finishes, priced at 900 € including tax.
The specialist in CD and SACD mechanics Esoteric surprised the audiophile community in 2022 by introducing the Grandioso T1 turntable. This year, it’s back at it with a more affordable but high-end model, the T-01, which may be even more refined.
Although the chassis has a more conventional appearance, it nonetheless features a triple-layer base consisting of a thick wooden plate with a piano-lacquered edge, encased within an aluminum sandwich. The patented Esoteric MagneDrive System employs the same principle as the T1, with motion generated contactlessly by magnetic fields between a magnetic motor and an iron induction wheel. The total weight of this chassis and mechanism is 22 kg.
On top of this is a 13-kg platter CNC-machined from a solid block of aluminum, with a surface that is hand-polished to ensure a mirror-like finish and perfect levelness. It is mounted on a dual-floating-magnet spindle. Its rotation is completely silent and features a specified variation of less than 0.06%, ensured by a proprietary 10 MHz Master Sound Discrete Clock circuit, for speeds of 33 or 45 revolutions per minute (78 rpm option not included).
To minimize interference as much as possible, the 7 kg power supply is completely separated from the chassis and decoupled from the floor—as is Esoteric’s custom—resting on just three feet, all positioned on different lines both lengthwise and widthwise.
As for the tonearm, it is a brand-new TA-9S model derived from the TA-9D found on the T1. Its 12-inch (309 mm) length is reduced to an effective length of 9 inches (232 mm) relative to the platter. Its static-balance design relies on high-precision gimbal bearings for smooth movement. It connects to the phono preamp via a 5-pin DIN cable, which is apparently not included.
Just announced, the T-01 comes without cartridge, with tonearm at a price of 48 000 €, and without (T-01 AL) at 45 000 €.
While in the mid-range of the hi-fi market, the question of removing the DAC from certain integrated amplifiers remains –as seen recently with Hegel’s purely analog version (A200) of its new H200– in the ultra-high-end segment, the opposite approach is being considered, as demonstrated today by TAD Labs with the TAD-A1000D.
It took until 2025 for the renowned Japanese brand to dare to launch its very first integrated amplifier, the TAD-A1000, incorporated into the Evolution series. Now, it offers a version with DAC, that remains fully balanced from the power supply stage all the way through to the digital-to-analog conversion stage.
This derivative of the A1000 still delivers 250 W into 4 Ω –though the power output into 8 Ω isn’t specified– and is compatible with all speakers rated between 4 and 16 Ω. It still weighs 29 kilograms. Its analog preamp stage has lost just one pair of balanced XLR inputs out of the four, leaving three, in addition to two pairs of RCA inputs. The flat amplifier located at this stage incorporates a high-performance monostable current-feedback amplifier, originally developed for the Reference series preamplifiers.
The DAC, meanwhile, is a derivative of the one found in the Reference series TAD-D700 CD/SACD player. It is equipped with the same ultra-precise quartz clock (UPCG), whose oscillator features an SC-cut crystal, which reduces phase noise, minimizes temperature drift during oscillation, and prevents thermal shocks to ensure perfectly smooth operation. The proprietary asynchronous USB transfer circuit is designed to minimize delays in the FPGA network’s operation. It supports files with sampling rates up to 11.2 MHz (DSD256) and 384 kHz in PCM. AES, coaxial RCA, and optical ports are also included.
Like the analog version, this new TAD-A1000D is available in silver (TAD-A1000D-S) or black (TAD-A1000D-K) and comes standard with a silver aluminum remote control. Its European price will be announced before its scheduled mid-November release, but it will inevitably be slightly higher than that of the analog version, which is priced at 25 990 €.
