First launched in 1997 by American manufacturer EgglestonWorks, the Andra has been renewed several times, and became better known in Europe from the Andra 3 model, which appeared in 2009. In 2015, an improved version took the name of Andra 3 SE, finally considered today as a real number 4, since it’s now an Andra 5 that we discover this year in Munich.
Once again extensively modified, the Andra in this new 2025 version takes a step backwards in terms of dimensions and weight, dropping from 188 lbs (85 kg) to just 139 lbs (63 kg; i.e. -22 kg). Sleeker and much more dynamic in appearance, the Andra 5 loses a woofer, placed internally at the rear of the 3 SE in an Isobarik process.
Its four remaining drivers stay faithful to a three-way decomposition, with a 1-inch ultra-fine carbon-fiber dome tweeter, two 6.5-inch midrange drivers (16.5 cm, up from 15 cm), and a 12-inch (30 cm) paper-cone woofer. The advertised covered frequency range loses 2 hertz at low frequencies (20 Hz vs. 18 Hz) and remains stable at 24 kHz at high frequencies, with sensitivity rising from 88 to 87.5 dB.
With its superior precision and finesse (we were able to discover a very fine example of this at Munich’s High End), the Andra V is easier to place in many rooms, and if it keeps its metal plates clearly visible, it also offers the possibility of being chosen in any of the RAL automotive colors, i.e. over 160 colors. On the other hand, its price has risen by 5 500 €, bringing it closer to that of the Viginti (48 990 €), since the Andra 5 is marketed at 42 500 €.
Founded by Ole Nielsen, NewOntech has been present in France for several months through distributor RB Acoustique. The company offers compact solutions, mainly oriented towards DACs, with the addition of an amplifier-preamplifier combo and, soon, a phono preamplifier.
Comprising two ranges, Black and UniQue, the Danish brand uses mainly Burr-Brown chips for its converters, with for the moment a DAC 07 & 07 SE model and a top-of-the-range DAC 08 model. Other products including an original DAC30 with 300B output tubes are expected, along with the RIAA 12 phono preamp.
In the UniQue series, the DAC 08 is accompanied by the Pre 08, on a 100 kOhms input impedance, with volume management based on a Khozmo Acoustic attenuator. Inputs and outputs are on Neutrik XLR and Nextgen RCA WBT connectors. The Amp 10 placed into the same compact chassis develops proprietary PurePath™ UltraHD feedback technology and uses the same connectors as the preamplifier. Based on Class D amplification, it delivers 100 W into 8 ohms and 150 W into 4 ohms.
Priced in the mid-range of Danish hi-fi, with a DAC07 at 2 300 € and a DAC08 at 3 900 €, NewOntech is to try for those who enjoy Nordic-style music listening.
Barely a new brand introduced (cf. Luxsin news) than Zidoo, through its streaming subsidiary, presents three new products. All launched at the Munich High-End 2025, these devices complete the catalog with a Z10 DAC in a range equivalent to the DMP-A10 streamer (but on an AKM chip), a Play all-in-one released in two versions (one with a CD player) and a pure network transport T8.
PLAY & PLAY CD EDITION As yet undisclosed on the website, the Play’s square case (depth and width) resembles the Marantz Model M1, but adds a 5.5-inch screen on the front. It boasts Class D amplification of 2 x 60 W at 8 ohms and 2 x 110 W at 4 ohms, as well as a DAC on an AKM AK4493 chip, as yet unused in the range. The CD Edition version adds a Hitachi-LG CD drive redesigned for the product, complementing the possibility of integrating the all-in-one Play with digital and analog inputs, including a high-level expectation for the MM/MC phono input.
Z10 DAC Still wavering between Sabre and AKM chips for its streamers and DACs, the Chinese manufacturer presents a Dac superior to the Z8 that reverts to the second Japanese supplier, while the Z8 uses an ES9038 Pro and the Z6 an ES9068AS. Expected to convert the digital signal on one of the best AKMs in dual-mono (perhaps the 4499EX used for the Luxsin X9), the Z10 is also announced as purely symmetrical, with its power supply managed by triple bespoke toroidal transformers, to avoid any possible electrical interference (and with that electromagnetic noise) between the different circuits.
T8 NETWORK TRANSPORT In a chassis resembling that of the DMP-A6, the T8 is a new DAC-free device, which takes in only the network stream for output to a converter via digital outputs. Of course, it boasts a high-precision clock (femto), HDMI-IIS, AES, coaxial, optical and USB outputs, and in addition to WiFi, Bluetooth and an RJ45 port, an SFP port for direct fiber connection (see our Lumin T3x article; VU#59).
We’ll tell you more in a few days, with photos to back them up!
When one of France’s specialists in streaming devices joins forces with one of the world’s specialists in streaming solutions, the result is the DSAS.
In a silver or black chassis similar to that of the DSS 2 network transport (4 750 €), but with the third bar and the blue-purple logo identifiable to Audirvāna, Métronome releases a new streamer fully manageable by French streaming software.
We recently reported on Audirvāna’s interest in now running under Linux, with the possible developments of being able to be directly integrated into streaming devices, without needing a computer again to make use of the sharing application. The idea goes even further with Métronome’s DSAS, where Audirvāna is directly integrated on a Linux processor with 4 GB RAM to be the main application for network playback.
Thanks to this partnership, you no longer need an external processor or a computer to use the software, but only an iOS (Apple) or Android (Google) compatible smartphone or tablet to use the Audirvāna Remote App. Thanks to this, Métronome associate director Jean-Marie Clauzel announces that he is offering “a new versatile source” with a solution that he has “long appreciated for its features and sound quality ”.
A network transport and a server, the DSAS features a 2TB internal SSD drive that can be expanded to 4TB, but requires a USB connection to a DAC to convert the digital signal to analog. It operates via Ethernet and Wifi and is Chromecast compatible; its launch is scheduled for just after the Munich show, at a price of 5 990 € incl. VAT.
After the triumphant success of Eversolo in 2022, it’s hard to say where Zidoo will stop. In addition to presenting three new models at Munich for its streaming brand, Zidoo is also adding a new brand to its portfolio.
Called Luxsin, this first product features two new high-end conversion chips (one AKM4499EX per channel) combined with a delta-sigma AKM4191EQ modulation chip. Destined to become a high-performance headphone amplifier and an excellent analog preamp, the X9 combines three headphone outputs (unbalanced 6.35 mm and balanced 4.4 mm & XLR 4-pin jacks) with fully balanced R2R volume control.
The unit adds an ultra-low-noise power supply to premium components such as WIMA Red capacitors, and again sets itself apart from the competition with an HD touchscreen, this time 4″. Two Accusilicon AS318-B-451584 crystal oscillators with extremely low phase noise enable frequency management up to 45MHz.
While the power of the 6120 A2 headphone amplifier has not yet been specified, ARC, USB-B, coaxial, optical and RCA inputs are all present, as are Bluetooth 5.0 and, for the preamp part, one XLR and one RCA pair. Although not a streamer (an Eversolo T8 network transport is expected in Munich), the X9 is capable of decoding files up to DSD512 and PCM 768 kHz / 32 bits. Add to this a negative feedback circuit and a control adaptable to most headphones on the market, and it’s hard to see how the Chinese engineers could have hit harder… especially for a device launched at 1 099 € in Europe !
