Like the compact JOY and the NEL 2-way floorsdanding speakers before it, the NORA now benefits from significant improvements, drawn from developments in the PF2 Signature.
While the French brand’s largest speaker retained its 2-way architecture, which allowed its circuits to be quickly adapted for the JOY Evo and NEL Evo, the only 3-way speaker in the range had not yet been modified.
That has now been rectified, and although it retains the same dimensions as the NORA, the NORA Evo has a redesigned front panel and base and features a new midrange driver. At the rear, the laminar vent has also been modified, as has the interior of the cabinet, which has been redesigned and features new damping. Also inspired by the PF2 Signature, the filter has been redesigned with new components.
Now available for listening at the T&T showroom in Bourg-lès-Valence and at the brand’s retailers, the NORA Evo is priced at 22 300 €.
Previously branded Naim, the Mu-so all-in-one connected speaker is now part of the catalogue of its parent company Focal, with a brand-new Hekla version.
Featuring the same control knob as the Naim Mu-so and Mu-so QB, the Focal Mu-so Hekla is designed with home cinema in mind. To this end, it incorporates Dolby Atmos technology and delivers an immersive sound that can be expanded to 7.1.2 thanks to no fewer than 15 speakers.
The seven front speakers combine three 13 x 6 cm woofers, two 6 cm mid-range speakers and two 25 mm (1-inch) tweeters. On the sides and top, there are two sets of four 7 x 4 cm full-range speakers, all powered by a 40 W Class D amplifier, except for the woofers, which have a power output of up to 60 W each, for a total of 660 W.
If you still find yourself lacking in bass, a pair of RCA output terminals allow you to add a subwoofer, while sources can be integrated via Toslink optical, HDMI eArc or CEC inputs. Ethernet and Wi-Fi are also included, as well as Bluetooth and a Naim Pulse Platform streaming module that is compatible with most apps and services, including UPnP, AirPlay and Google Cast.
For total connectivity in all your rooms, you can manage up to 32 Focal & Naim devices together in multiroom mode using the parent app, which can be downloaded to iOS and Android devices.
Measuring 1 m wide and 29.5 cm deep, the Hekla still requires a stable piece of furniture or installation to support its anodized, brushed and sandblasted aluminum chassis, which weighs a total of 15.5 kg (34.2 Ibs). Designed for rooms up to 40m2, this new Mu-so adapts to any space thanks to its Sphere hybrid mode and ADAPT customization technology.
All that remains is to mention the price, which is the same worldwide depending on the conversion rate: €3 300/$3 600/£3 000.
One of the most user-friendly and well-designed apps on the market, JPLAY is evolving with significant modularity by becoming available on CarPlay.
Thanks to this development, JPLAY users who enjoy sharing their favorite sounds on streaming, playlists and local music at home can now enjoy the same experience behind the wheel.
To make it safer to use than UPnP sharing, this new JPLAY feature allows all albums and playlists to be displayed on the navigation screen with the interface of cars equipped with CarPlay – which is the vast majority of recent models. This Tag display function is in addition to a new ‘Last Played Period’ filter, which is often used by music lovers to find the last tracks they listened to.
Partnering with Qobuz, Tidal, HQPlayer and others, JPLAY has the advantage of bringing together several streaming platforms in a single application, along with music stored on local drives. It is still only available on iOS (i.e. Apple iPhone and iPad) and is sold at a price of $199 for a lifetime license.
While retaining the name Mojo 2, Chord Electronics’ high-performance mini DAC has evolved in two major keys.
Listening to its customers’ needs, Chord Electronics has upgraded its Mojo 2 by replacing one of the 3.5 mm unbalanced inputs with a 4.4 mm balanced output. This is because more and more headphones (including the recent Sigva and Meze models) allow listening via a 4.4 mm jack. However, when switching from a 3.5 mm input to a 4.4 mm output, the adapter often causes signal loss. So, to ensure reliable listening for users of balanced headphones, Chord has simply replaced one of the two 3.5 mm sockets with a 4.4 mm output.
At the same time, on the other side of the case, the USB-C input, which was initially intended only for data transfer, now also allows the battery to be charged. Proven thanks to a new FPGA compared to the first Mojo, charging is further accelerated by the USB-C input, which is now much more conventional among users than the original micro-USB input, which is still available. The operating time remains around 8 hours after a complete charge.
For the rest, the Mojo 2 can still be integrated optically, micro-USB and coaxially in addition to USB-C, and can be connected to a smartphone, computer or any other digital source to be converted to headphones. It is still manufactured in England and sold at the same price as the previous Mojo 2, i.e. £395/499€.
Adapted from the Vinyl 2, the Nu-Vista Vinyl S uses the same Nuvistor 7586 tubes (per 8), with slight revisions to the circuitry and, above all, the chassis of the previous model.
Now designed to match the front panels of the 600.2 and 800.2 integrated amplifiers, the Vinyl S reduces its mechanical footprint by 45% thanks to optimized components and revised PCB boards, which limit the space required inside and therefore the overall dimensions of the device. The Class A topology around the tubes that have made Musical Fidelity’s high-end brand famous remains unchanged, despite modifications that also point to financial savings, as the new model is launched at £5 499, almost half the price of the Vinyl 2 at £9 999.
Made entirely of discrete components and completely symmetrical, the phono equalization curve management circuit is based on three stages. The first two are completely passive, allowing for optimal impedance adaptation and minimal deviation. The third stage amplifies and corrects the signal with a gain of 20 or 26 dB. In addition to the RIAA curve, the Vinyl S supports the COLUMBIA and DECCA curves (this last label which launch a new Pure Analogue vinyl series, but under the RIAA curve).
With two pairs of RCA or XLR inputs to integrate the signal, the Vinyl S is capable of reading MM and MC cartridges over a wide range from 40 dB to 69 dB, with capacitance and impedance adjustments made using relay circuits. This new Nu-Vista phono stage is very quiet and benefits from special care in its power supply, with the current being handled by two ultra-quiet transformers before being filtered by EMI filters. To output from the device, you can choose between balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA connectors, depending on your system.
With its new, slimmer S remote control, the Vinyl S is expected to arrive in Europe soon at a price almost half that of the Vinyl 2, normally around 6 000 €/6 500 €.
