Following its all-in-one living room systems, the German company Sonoro is entering the connected speaker market with the VIBES.
Designed exclusively for Bluetooth to simplify use, the VIBES features the latest-generation Qualcomm aptX™ HD 5.4 chip, as well as the Auracast protocol, allowing it to be paired with a large number of devices from a single terminal.
Controlled via the VIBES Remote app (iOS or Android) or directly through a music app to stream audio via Bluetooth, this new speaker is designed to be moved quickly thanks to its handle on top—though its weight (7.5 kilos for the L version and 12.3 kilos for the XL) means it’s best suited for use within the same general area, such as between a sunroom and a garden, for example.
Its IPX 4 rating ensures splash resistance, so it can also be placed around a pool (you can even set up about ten of them all around it) or safely withstand brief exposure to the elements. However, it is not “weatherproof,” and as you can see from its finish, the idea is to bring it indoors after use.
Its battery offers a claimed runtime of approximately 16 hours, but it can also be plugged in, and a switch is provided to bypass the battery in this case. The VIBES XL delivers 360° sound thanks to four 3“ full-range speakers and an 8” subwoofer. The VIBES L features two 3-inch full-range speakers and a 6.5-inch subwoofer. Both models utilize the EQ Boost spatial sound reproduction feature.
Priced at 699 € and 999 €, respectively, the Sonoro VIBES are available now in black, white, or beige to keep you company during the summer heat.
With audiophile subwoofers gaining popularity in both home cinema and hi-fi, they have been developing in recent years and are now featured in the catalogues of speaker brands such as the Swiss benchmark Stenheim.
Whilst North American manufacturers have never been shy about subwoofers – which have been available for decades from virtually every speaker brand in the US and Canada – their European counterparts, particularly those specializing in high-fidelity, have often been slower to embrace them.
It was therefore with some surprise, but also an understanding of the value in offering such a product, that we discovered Stenheim’s Alumine S10 in Vienna. Designed primarily to complement the speakers in the range – notably as an ideal addition to the compact Alumine Two and Two SE models (review VU#57 FR) – or to enhance the bass response of the Alumine Three and Five floorstanding speakers, this new subwoofer has also been developed to work with other brands.
The S10 fits perfectly within the Alumine series, being made entirely of aluminium and having undergone extensive testing of its internal structure, which comprises three independent chambers. Featuring an isobaric design, it incorporates not one, but two 10-inch (26 cm) cones aligned with the acoustic suspension system. Its frequency response is limited to the sub-bass range, from 20 to 100 Hz, driven by a 1,200 W internal amplifier.
When installing it, its weight of 44.5 kg (98.1 Ib) must be considered, but its dimensions – 32 cm wide, 34.2 cm high and 43 cm deep – make it a relatively unobtrusive piece of kit, fairly easy to position even in stylish living rooms. With connectivity options including XLR, RCA, Toslink optical, SPDIF coaxial, AES and RJ45, the Alumine S10 also offers direct XLR, RCA and Toslink outputs.
It is initially being launched in two colors – light grey or dark grey – with a black front panel, but will soon be available in optional all-black, ivory or mocha finishes, with prices starting from 18 500 €.
It didn’t take long for Gryphon to complement its new Helios with a heroic power amplifier called the Hyperion.
Between the Apex and its 1,040,000 μF of capacitive load from its capacitor bank (including the zinc-foil capacitors used for decoupling the local power supply) and the Antileon with 335,000 μF, there was room for a companion ideally suited to the preamplifier unveiled in early April. With 500,000 μF and 40 bipolar output transistors (compared to 64 on the Apex), the Hyperion is available like the other models as a stereo unit, or as two mono units (which also doubles all components, and thus the filtering capacity per channel).
In a configuration that is obviously dual-mono from the stereo version onwards, this new large Gryphon designed by Tom Møller still uses zero global feedback technology and delivers a gigantic 180 W into 8 Ω per channel, 360 W into 4 Ω and 720 W into 2 Ω in Classe A; these power figures rise to 200 W, 400 W and 800 W respectively in mono mode, with the power doubling each time the impedance is halved, a linear response made possible by a very substantial power supply; in this case, that provided by two toroidal transformers of 1,500 VA each.
With a very understated front panel, the new Gryphon features on the rear panel a complete internal left-right separation, with a mains socket per channel for power supply, each fitted with its own switch. A pair of speaker terminals is then provided on each side, along with an XLR input terminal on each side.
With a depth of 65.4 cm and a net weight of 126 kg, the Hyperion seems almost reasonable compared to the Apex, which measures 88.6 cm and weighs 202 kg net per unit.
Yamaha is entering the smart hi-fi speaker market with the NX-70A; a product unveiled at a launch event in Vienna, marking the arrival of this promising new addition to the Japanese manufacturer’s range.
Already established in the connected desktop speaker segment with its True X Speaker 1A and the MusicCast 20 and 50, the brand had not yet entered the connected hi-fi speaker segment, where speakers are sold in pairs and feature a design much closer to passive versions, like competing models from Kef or Dynaudio.
With the NX-70A, Yamaha is therefore entering this category, opting for a setup comprising a master speaker and a second speaker dependent on the first, connected via an Ethernet cable. On the master speaker, an Ethernet port allows connection to the router to ensure a reliable audio link, otherwise available via Wi-Fi. A stereo mini-jack port, a USB-A port, an optical port and an HDMI eARC port allow other sources to be connected.
A YPAO mic port is used to connect a microphone for room calibration and to optimize the balance of the speakers within their environment. And if you wish to add more bass, an RCA subwoofer output is also provided.
Powered by two amplifiers—100 watts (mid-bass) and 60 watts (tweeters)—also housed within the main speaker, the NX-70A features a modern design and, on the passive side, follows a relatively conventional 2-way bass-reflex configuration. The mid-bass is handled by a proprietary Harmonious 13 cm (5-1/4‘) cone driver, whilst the tweeter uses a 3 cm (1-1/4’) Harmonious dome driver, all of which delivers a claimed frequency response of 50 Hz to 35 kHz (when the speakers are connected via a cable) or up to 21 kHz (when used via Wi-Fi).
Compatible with most streaming platforms on the market, these standalone speakers are compact enough to fit easily into any room (189 x 234 x 333 mm) but still weigh 5.7 kg and 5.4 kg respectively. This makes them well worth placing on hi-fi stands where possible, and Yamaha has provided a dedicated SPS-70A model for this purpose.
Available in white or black upon release, the NX-70A is expected to be priced at 3 000 € per pair.
Demonstrated alongside Kora electronics, Diptyque unveiled a new DP170 soundbar at this year’s High End Vienna show.
Standing 10 cm taller than the DP160 MkII – at 170 cm – this new model is in fact much more of a ‘small’ Reference Mk2 than a ‘large’ DP160 MkII, as unlike all other 2-way ‘DP’ models, it features a 3-way design and thus comes closer to the higher-end model, which is a 3.5-way system.
However, its nominal impedance remains at 6 ohms like the DP160, whereas that of the Reference model drops to 4 ohms, whilst the DP170’s sensitivity of 88 dB falls between that of the two models flanking it (87 dB for the DP160 MkII and 89 dB for the Reference MkII respectively).
More reasonable in terms of weight (55 kg each, nonetheless), the DP170 comes close to the bandwidth of the top-of-the-range model with a frequency response of 28 Hz to 40 kHz. At the lower end, this improvement over the other models stems in particular from the fact that the two 3,600 cm² bass-midrange drivers handle only frequencies below 900 Hz, whereas the DP160’s drivers handle those from 1,600 Hz and below.
Featuring a new crossover made from top-of-the-range components, the DP170 continues to use the sandwich structure first seen on the Reference, as well as the PPBM principle for the diaphragms (see our detailed explanations of the DP160 MkII; VU#63). Two further isodynamic ribbon drivers with neodymium magnets allow the midrange (900 Hz–7 kHz) and treble (7–40 kHz) to be handled separately.
Like the other models, these panels are fully customisable, with four leather finishes for the side baffle and 160 RAL colours for the front and rear panels. The new stands introduced last year have been optimised for this version, which also features a new grille structure, enhanced by small perforations thanks to Diptyque’s partnership with the ONERA physics institute, which enabled the membranes to be precisely laser-gridded to identify micro-distortions.
Like all the brand’s other products, the DP170s are manufactured in Montauban using components mostly produced by local subcontractors. Their retail price sits between that of the DP160 MkII and the Reference MkII, at 35 900 €.
