Tested by us in September 2021 (see VU#37 review and Node X review), the Bluesound Powernode is changing for the end of this year.
With the power of 2 x 100 watts under 8 ohms, the Powernode is the amplified version of the Node streamer, whose value for money has been evident since its release, with the competitive advantage of offering an effective multiroom option. Of course, it is still compatible with all other connected electronics and speakers from the brand, and now with some NAD products thanks to its BluOS connectivity. The Powernode can also be listened to through headphones thanks to its 6.35 mm output on the front panel, powered by THX AAA™ technology, and can now be listened to via Bluetooth thanks to an aptX Adaptive module, whereas the first versions limited file transfer to the mother app and Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
The comprehensive 2025 Powernode has not two but three pairs of speaker terminals to better suit home cinema listening, as it allows you to add a center channel to the two stereo speakers, with power up to 80 watts per channel. It also has an HDMI eARC port for connection to a TV or video device, and Dolby Digital® surround technology built in. Compatible with Hi-Res audio files up to 192 kHz sampling rates and DSD256, it decodes MP3 and FLAC files.
Although Qobuz Connect has not yet been announced, Spotify and Tidal Connect are already available, as well as AirPlay 2, Roon Ready compatibility, and Amazon Alexa voice control for those who don’t want to use the touch controls on the glass panel on top. However, there is still no screen, which is understandable given that, at the same price as the Node Icon (1 099 €), it adds Class D amplification and avoids the need to invest in another device.
Upgraded from P100 to P100 SE (for Special Edition), the Melomania has evolved smoothly, still with a design evocative of Px headphones of Bowers & Wilkins.
While the battery still boasts a very long battery life of around 100 hours (for a full recharge in just one hour), the redesigned headband for greater comfort means you feel the headphones even less on your head. Adaptive Bluetooth AptX based on an HD 5.3 chip decodes files up to 96 kHz/24-bit, improving both music quality and connection quality, while a seven-band equalizer allows you to further customize your sound preferences.
Taken from the CX series amplifiers, the Class AB amplification is more powerful on the SE version; it still powers a three-layer composite diaphragm. To allow the listener to also listen to a system without Bluetooth and using only a wired connection, a 3.5 mm jack cable and a USB-C cable are included with the headphones. And the good news is that the Melomania P100 SE is available at the same price, 279 €, while the P100 still available is now priced at 239 €.
Enthusiastic to bring its AE1 back into the spotlight, British manufacturer Acoustic Energy is relaunching this model, which first appeared in 1987, but using technologies developed since 1985.
Completely redesigned, the compact speaker features a two-way design with brand new crossovers inspired by the original Signature series, which, like the speakers, seek to recall the sound of the vintage model while modernizing it. Separated by two vents on either side of the front panel, an aluminum dome tweeter is powered by a 29 mm voice coil, cooled and damped by ferrofluid, as in the original model.
The mid-bass driver now measures 125 mm (5″) and has an aluminum profile, with a sandwich cone reinforced by a hard anodized ceramic coating on both sides. This diaphragm is powered by a thermally conductive aluminum voice coil, with a motor to which an aluminum short-circuit ring has been added.
The cabinet is made of the same RSC material as before, covered with ten layers of glossy black paint or walnut veneer, weighing a total of 7 kg per speaker, proof of its great rigidity, as always with this manufacturer. The European price is 1 790 € per pair, to which you can add the brand’s stands for 550 €.
Between the best-selling SR-L700 Mk2 (1 750 € / $1 649) with rectangular ear cups and the SR-009S (5 395 € / $4 545) with more conventional round ear cups, there was recently a large gap in the Japanese headphone manufacturer’s range. This gap has now been filled with the arrival of the SR-007S.
With a design similar to that of the SR-009S, Stax has taken inspiration from the first SR-007 from 1998 for the new SR-700S, incorporating the latest electrostatic technologies, including a new diaphragm and fixed electrodes. Based on the manufacturer’s most advanced model -the SR-X9000- the structure has been completely redesigned to drastically reduce resonance, notably with a new headband, while the lambskin ear pads improve comfort and optimize wave absorption and therefore sound diffraction.
Supplied with a detachable 2.5 m OFC copper cable, the SR-007S weighs 430 g, but these open-back headphones offer a very wide frequency range, covering 6 Hz to 41 kHz. Manufactured in Japan, they will be released in Europe on August 30 at a price of 3 150 € ($2 390).
Ortofon surprises with the launch of a new series comprising four moving coil cartridges.
Called MC X, this series is priced in the same range as the Danish manufacturer’s Quintet series, starting with the MC X10 just below the Quintet Red ($349) and ending with the MC X40, which is equivalent to the Quintet Black ($999).
Integrated into a chassis reminiscent of a diamond shape, which is also drawn on the front, the four MC cartridges are black and differ only in their number, inscribed on the side. Inside, they incorporate the same elements but differ from the Quintet series in that they feature a new silver wire cross coil, integrated with rubber dampers on an internal stainless-steel frame with a honeycomb structure, to which a vapor deposition surface treatment has been applied. To excite the coil, a new magnet system with a monobloc pole cylinder integrated into a rear magnetic yoke has been developed.
The MC X10 (299 €) leads the way with an aluminum cantilever and elliptical stylus, which changes to a nude elliptical stylus on the MC X20 (499 €) and a nude fine-line stylus on the MC X30 (699 €). The MC X40 (999 €) goes further by incorporating a nude Shibata stylus and a boron cantilever. Each model weighs 8.6 g and has an internal impedance of 6 ohms, requiring a recommended phono preamp load impedance of just over 50 ohms, so obviously requiring devices capable of reading low-level MC cartridges. We cannot wait to hear them!
