Through distributor Ana Mighty Sound, high-end Aidas cartridges are now available in France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Starting out as a cartridge repairer in the late 1990s, Aidas Svazas quickly became a refinisher, then a designer. At first, this resulted in models that were even better than those on the market once they had passed through the Lithuanian’s hands. Then, in 2010, the inevitable happened: the first AS-1 cartridge from a new brand, simply named after its creator: Aidas.
All moving coil (MC) cartridges, they are now available in four series. The first, labeled CU, uses copper coils and wood for its chassis. This series includes the Panzerholz, Durawood, Durawook BE, and Composite (all priced at 4 500 €). With an AlNiCo5 magnet system and a Japanese Namiki boron cantilever, these cartridges, like all the others, use a MicroRidge stylus.
The AG series features a 6N silver-plated copper coil (0.03 mm) in the unique Malachite Green model, made of green hard stone (5 500 €). Then the AU-CU series makes way for a gold-plated copper coil, with the Tru-Stone Gold Web, African Blackwood, and Brazilian Purpleheart Wood models, the latter two in a rare wood chassis from Gabon and Brazil. In this range, while the stone version may be risky on certain tonearms due to its 12.6 g weight, the wooden versions weigh just 8 g, and the first black wooden version even offers a “Baby” version, weighing 6.8 g (still 5 500 €).
And to top off the range, an AU series now incorporates pure gold for its coils. But while the Tru-Stone Violet Gold stone version (6 700 €) is already impressive, the cartridge that everyone remembers at each of the brand’s presentations is the latest: the Mammoth Gold. Available in a classic version (11.2 g; 9 000 €) and a Baby version (6.8 g; 7 900 €), this cartridge is simply made from one of the lightest and most resistant materials: ivory. But to protect living animals, the use of elephant ivory is prohibited, which we fully support. Aidas Svazas simply recovered a piece of mammoth tusk that could not be used by museums. This provided him with material for a limited and exclusive number of cells, which can be heard very soon in Paris in the new Ana Mighty Sound showroom, right next to the Eiffel Tower.
As if it didn’t already have enough in its catalog, or as if the number 13 was unlucky for the Canadian manufacturer, Paradigm has added two more pairs of subwoofers this year.
The 10-inch and 12-inch Essentials Sub and Defiance S have been added to the Defiance V and XR series, as well as the impressive Signature Sub2 (14 990 €) and Persona SUB (10 790 €). At much more affordable prices, the Essentials Sub is priced at 529 € (Sub 10) and 719 € (Sub 12), while the more refined S10 and S12 cost 1 390 € and 1 790 € respectively.
Housed in MDF cabinets, the Essentials combine a 200W Class D amplifier with 350W continuous power, capable of doubling the peak power. The Defiance S series is designed to be livelier, with the same size satin anodized aluminum cones rather than carbon-polypropylene cones, powered by more powerful magnets and 500 W and 800 W Class D amplifiers, capable of delivering up to 1 000 W and 1 200 W.
A wireless kit can be added to the first series, which uses a high-resolution 56-bit DSP, whereas the Defiance S series integrates Wi-Fi and a 64-bit DSP directly. And above all, in addition to their denser chassis and improved vibration control, thanks not only to 1-inch (25 mm) thick MDF panels, but also to well-designed anti-vibration feet, the Defiance speakers also feature ARC (Anthem Room Correction) room correction. When used with a microphone and ARC Genesis software, these models become very user-friendly, especially when configured using the Paradigm SubControl smartphone app.
These subwoofers can be integrated via Sub, LFE, or even HP inputs, and can be used for both hi-fi and home theater setups.
The 12th device in Austrian manufacturer Pro-Ject’s RS series, the RS2 Tube CD box is the 3rd to feature tubes and the 1st CD player in this range.
The RS2 T CD box already exists for playing compact discs, but as its T indicates, it is only a transport. In contrast, this new player adds a DAC chip, in this case the new Texas Instrument PCM1796, around a SUOS DM-3381 Red Book mechanism positioned on a damper and a rigid plate on the top of the chassis to reduce vibration and avoid problems associated with drawers.
Taking up the entire center of the front panel, the monochrome LCD screen, together with the mechanism in the center of the unit, means that the two tubes have to be placed where there is space left, in this case at the rear. And to handle the output stage, E88CC double triodes (replaceable with 6922s) were chosen and used in a symmetrical configuration to ensure the new CD Box’s fluidity, warmth and harmony.
Thanks to its structure, the new player, which comes with a remote control, not only offers two optical and coaxial digital outputs for use as a transport, but also RCA and XLR analogue outputs for direct connection to an integrated amplifier. The 20V power supply is provided by a separate unit, which reduces noise in the chassis.
Available to order now in silver or black, the CD Box RS2 Tube is priced at 1 990 €, which is 500 € less than the RS2 T.
Following on from its innovative AT-VMx series of dual moving magnet cartridges, Audio Technica is back at the end of the year with a range of AT33x dual moving coil cartridges.
Made with PCOCC copper (Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting), the coils are placed on either side of the support of the cantilever, which is made from duralumin on four of the five models and boron on the top-of-the-range model (AT33xMLB). On this latter, as on the previous model (AT33xMLD), they are fitted with a MicroLinear diamond stylus, which is elliptical (0.3 x 0.7 mm) on the first stereo cartridge in the series (AT33xEN) and conical on the two mono versions (AT33xMONO/I & /II).
Composed of three materials, these cartridges have a die-cast zinc base, combined with an aluminum body and a lower section made from a high-rigidity polymer. The suspension uses piano wire to ensure high tracking accuracy while slightly reducing compliance. On all models, the recommended tracking force is 1.8 to 2.0 g and the load impedance is greater than or equal to 100 Ω.
And the best news of all? The price, of course, which remains affordable, with the MONO/II version starting at 399 €, the MONO/I at 549 € and the stereos at 599 € (AT33xEN), 699 € (AT33xMLD) and, for the most expensive, 799 € (AT33xMLB). Everything you need for a wonderful Christmas filled with music!
Previewed during our test of the DP-570 and DP-770 (VU#62 FR, Japan Special) and heard in Yokohama and then at the Tokyo International Audio Show (see our photo report), Accuphase’s new CD/SACD player is set to arrive in Europe in early 2026.
Even more stable, the mechanism incorporates some of the features of the DP-770, notably the rubber dampers, which reduce the transfer of vibrations from the transport section, itself mounted on a rigid three-layer base. On top, a longer five-layer plate covers the entire mechanism, while the tray, carved from a single block of aluminum, is finished with a satin anodized treatment and uses steel pins to open and close with minimal noise.
At the risk of causing confusion by not giving it a new number, but simply adding an S to its name, like all recent Accuphase models (E-800S, A-48S, C-3900S), the DP-570S retains the same ESS ES9028PRO conversion chip, used on its 8 DACs in parallel, or 4 per channel. However, while the digital-to-analogue conversion uses the proprietary MDS+ process, which refers to a current-to-voltage conversion amplifier, it now incorporates the excellent ANCC (Accuphase Noise and Distortion Cancelling Circuit) technology, which was not present in the DP-570.
Thanks to its new components, including two large 15,000 µF filter capacitors positioned after the shielded toroidal transformer, the new player manages to further improve its total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N) to around 0.0002%. Visually, the chassis remains almost identical, with the front panel elements in the same places and with the same shape (five round buttons and three rectangular buttons as before), but it features the angular drawer face of the DP-770, with a slight space between the input button and the open button. The information on the screen has been repositioned to make it easier to read.
In terms of digital inputs and outputs, the model is identical to its predecessor, i.e. coaxial, optical and HS-Link in both cases (the latter being the only one capable of supporting DSD), and a USB-Audio port to integrate the DAC. The analogue outputs remain a pair of RCA and a pair of balanced XLR, with a switch to select the output phase. Surprisingly, even though very few music files exist, the maximum playback rate remains at 384 kHz/32-bit in PCM, but rises to DSD512 for files transferred via USB, with HS-Link stopping at DSD128 for input and DSD64 (SACD format) for output.
Having already listened to it twice, this new Accuphase DP-570S, which is far superior in terms of noise reduction and fluidity, should remain at a price close to that of the DP-570, i.e. between 10 000 € and 11 000 €.
