In the storms that have been raging in the world of hi-fi for many years, bad winds alternate with promising new breezes. Take Auralic, founded in 2009 by Xuanqian Wang, whose announcement of his departure at the beginning of this year was not a good sign, especially as it came just before the release of the new flagship product, the Aquila X3. This week, we learned through a press release that the company was ceasing operations immediately, citing an 80% drop in sales in 20251. The reasons given were a price war and music lovers’ supposed interest in much cheaper streaming devices. Despite these explanations, there are several contradictory reports, as some suppliers are said to have excess stock of the brand, while other countries have announced that they have been unable to obtain adequate supplies of certain models for several months. We called two French retailers, who admitted that sales of the brand had been sluggish since the beginning of the year, but not as drastic as the overall decline announced. A note for Auralic device owners: as almost all of them are UPnP, even if the excellent proprietary app were to disappear, most devices will still be usable for many years thanks to third-party apps, starting with Qobuz Connect, for example. Without specifying the amount of its liabilities, the company has announced that it is putting the brand up for sale for $2 million. Let’s hope that we will hear about a takeover in the coming weeks.
MBL
And since we are talking about takeovers, it is precisely a large Chinese luxury consortium, Chow Tai Seng, that has just bought and, at the same time, breathed new life into the German high-end brand MBL International GmbH. With 4,200 employees and 4,700 stores in China, the company is injecting the necessary cash to allow MBL to continue its activities and development for the time being, with around 50 staffs according to our sources. Although most of the buyer group’s stores are not in the hi-fi sector, it should be noted that it also owns United Audio, which already distributes many German brands on the Chinese market. With this good news, MBL, headquartered in Berlin and assembled entirely in Germany, is back on track, with more ambition than ever to conquer the international market! 2
1 « …effective immediately, the company will no longer continue operations due to a significant decline in sales performance. Sales have dropped by 80% this year due to the tariff war, increasing competition from cheaper streaming products and challenging economic conditions worldwide.”
2 « We are convinced that MBL is in excellent hands with MBL International GmbH, backed by Chow Tai Seng. The owner himself is a passionate music lover and a long-standing user of our products. Our location in Berlin, our production in Germany, our team, and our core values remain unchanged,” says Christian Hermeling, CEO of MBL. “Equally important, our strong international distribution network is recognized as one of our greatest strengths and will be further developed under the new ownership. »
The latest addition to the Goldmund electronics range, the Telos 670 is more compact and affordable than the Telos 690, without compromising on the quality of its components or its musical performance.
With 215 watts per channel into 8 ohms in class AB, this little Swiss amplifier still packs a punch, losing only 35 W compared to its bigger brother. It retains the same solid aluminum chassis, available in gray or black, with discreet heat sinks on the sides. Compared to the larger model, its dimensions are just 0.5 cm shorter in height and 5 cm thinner in depth, with the advantage of making it easier to fit on a small hi-fi furniture.
Identical to the Telos 690, the front panel retains the two large buttons around a central red LED display topped by a gold plate engraved with the brand logo and the name of the device. The rear panel is also identical, with eight inputs, the first three digital (USB Audio, optical, coaxial) and the other five analog (all RCA as standard). For USB, compatibility with Apple and Linux is immediate; it only requires the installation of a driver for use with Microsoft. Thanks to this input, files can be decoded up to sample rates of 384 kHz/32-bit and DSD128 (we will ask the engineers why DSD256 is not supported).
Designed to be as linear and stable as possible, the Telos 670 has very low resonance, intermodulation, and harmonic distortion levels, with the aim of providing the smoothest possible sound reproduction. At 24 000 €, it remains in the realm of Swiss high-fidelity, but is positioned at a third less than the Telos 690, becoming the manufacturer’s new entry point into the amplification market. We look forward to listening to it soon to discover all its merits and tell you more.
Long faithful to the “shoebox” format, Hungarian manufacturer Heed is now revamping its Obelisk range of electronics by switching to conventional formats.
Now, only the Asterisk and Elixir ranges are still in half-size format, as the two new Obelisk I (Integrated) and SI (Super Integrated) integrated amplifiers join the Lagrange in terms of chassis dimensions – which, incidentally, was discreetly redesigned two years ago as the more musical Lagrange S.
The main reason for this change is the need to integrate more components, as buyers of integrated amplifiers now often want them to also have a DAC or even a streamer. And while these digital options are available in two different packs, Bluetooth and an MM phono input are standard on these new devices.
Another reason for the change is that certain miniature components are now difficult to find or much more expensive than before. So, in order to avoid increasing costs, the Budapest-based manufacturer has opted to increase the size of the case and integrate larger components. In addition, while the small format is particularly popular on the French market, it is a hindrance on others, which already prefer larger and more luxurious chassis in these price ranges.
Thanks to its dimensions, the Integrated can accommodate a more powerful power supply: it is advertised as being as powerful as the old Si3 with separate X2 power supply. Although not yet officially measured, the Integrated should deliver around 2 x 50W, while the Super Integrated, with a more powerful output stage and a larger power supply, is advertised as delivering 2 x 100W into 4 ohms. Its preamp section allows it to integrate four analog sources, and it has a 6.35 mm headphone jack on the front panel. The optional DAC card is based on one of the latest AKM conversion chips, which the brand uses for all its DACs, including the Abacus S, soon to be discontinued (test VU#43; Essential).
The Obelisk I is priced at 2 490 €, plus 500 € for the DAC (with 1 coaxial, 2 optical, and 1 USB) or 1 200 € for the DAC + Streamer version. A separate power supply will also be available in the near future to further enhance the performance of these new powerhouses, which will soon be reviewed in our magazine!
Like the Px7, which recently moved to S3, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 has been redesigned three years after its launch to improve its sound quality, comfort, and practical features.
The Px8 S2 has inherited the 8 better-positioned microphones from the new Px7 S3, which improve comfort during calls and, above all, pick up noise better to make the active noise cancellation (ANC) even more reliable, surpassing that of the previous generation, already very good.
Equipped with Qualcomm aptXTM Adaptive and aptXTM Lossless Bluetooth chips, the new B&W headphones allow you to listen to files at sampling rates of up to 96 kHz/24 bits thanks to their DSP and five-band equalizer. Added to the app at the end of the year, a spatial audio system will make listening even more immersive.
With its carbon cone drivers better anchored in the ear cup structure, the Px8 S2 gains in bass concentration and finesse across the entire spectrum. The silhouette is slimmer than the Px7 S3, gaining 6 mm and looking more luxurious, especially as it retains the Nappa leather ear cushion and headband covers, as well as an aluminum structure that is even purer than the previous model.
The USB-C port is used both for charging, for an improved battery life of around 30 hours, and for listening, which can also be enjoyed via a 3.5 mm cable with devices that do not have Bluetooth. Thanks to the redesigned parent app and better-placed buttons on the sides of each ear cup, the new Px8 S2 adds even more features that set it apart in the high-end wireless headphone segment.
Launched in Europe in two colors, dark (Onyx Black) and light (Warm Stone), it will be available on September 24 for 729 €.
To ensure the utmost temporal precision in its new digital-to-analog converter, Mutec combines a DAC with its proprietary 1G-Clock technology, known for its use in the MC3+ series.
With its clock and REVIVE resynchronization algorithm system, to which an external clock (REF10, REF10 Nano, etc.) can be added to manage streams with a frequency of over 10 MHz, the Australius stabilizes digital signals as effectively as possible, enabling it to decode files up to PCM 768 kHz and DSD512. To integrate the device digitally, eight inputs are available, including the usual S/PDIF or Toslink optical, but also an AES/EBU port, USB Audio with galvanic isolation, and I²S via HDMI or RJ45 ports.
Double mono for conversion based on Sabre PRO chips, which we were unable to find the reference, the DAC is powered by two separate power supplies between digital and analog sections. Designed entirely to reproduce and transfer the purest possible signal to the RCA or XLR terminals, the Australius also benefits from a generously filtered dual linear power supply. It will be available from the 4th quarter.
