Discovered with the S1 streamer, XACT is the hardware counterpart to the JPlay software created by the engineer Marcin Ostapowicz. For the more affluent, the S1 could be duplicated to use one as a pure Internet switch and the other as a network transport – an expensive and complex solution, now simplified with the new N1 switch.
Still based on the components and circuits developed by the Polish engineer, the XACT N1 incorporates some elements from his OEM brand JCAT, integrated in a smaller case than the S1. Linear power supply is thus derived from an OPTIMO N1 toroidal transformer filtered by two capacitor sections, connected by cables to a second circuit on which are arranged five RJ45 Ethernet ports -one of those galvanically isolated- and one SFP fiber port.
The signal is handled by a processor and a network chip, and controlled by an OXCO ultra-low-noise clock powered by its own current section. Launched this month, the XACT N1 is a top-of-the-range audiophile switch, priced at 6 000 € incl. VAT.
Presented last year at the Munich High End, the Madison Amplifier never saw the light of day in this prototype version, but now appears in an optimized version, of which we have the first worldwide test in Vumètre n°59.
For a quick reminder, let’s recall that immediately after the Munich 2024 trade show, the takeover of Swiss company Wattson Audio was announced by compatriot high-end company CH Precision. The engineers immediately decided to collaborate, with the result that the largest streamers (Madison & Madison LE) were redesigned as one, and the brand-new power amplifier was revised.
A year later, the Madison Amplifier finally saw the light of day, and while it retains the launch case, identical in design but much larger than that of the Streamer, it has benefited from numerous internal modifications. Intended to be bridgeable (i.e., monophonic, to be combined with a second Amp to drive each speaker separately), the Amplifier can now also, like the big CH blocks, become “bi-amp”, i.e., still be used on one side only, but in order to use its two pairs of terminals for the two pairs of speaker terminals (when the latter have four terminals each).
From 2 x 50 W into 8 ohms and up to 2 x 120 W into 2 ohms, the Madison Amplifier can be integrated with a preamp or a source with digital volume control via one RCA and one XLR pair, and is available in Europe at a price of 6 495 €, a substantial but ultimately reasonable price when you consider that the product is now a small CH.
Smaller than the Euphoria Evo (reviewed on VU#51), the Echo headphone amplifier from Polish manufacturer Feliks Audio becomes mkII Vibe.
Immediately recognizable from the first version, its real wood sides are now outlined by a CNC-milled pattern. The hood has been redesigned at the same time as the chassis, to better armor the little device, which can also be used as an analog preamplifier thanks to a pair of RCA output terminals, in addition to three pairs of inputs – also unbalanced RCA.
As an OTL (Output TransformerLess) tube amplifier, the Echo mkII Vibe has four upgraded filter capacitors, and two 6NP6 double triodes to handle amplification power up to 2 x 350 mW. Two further double triodes (6N1P) are used for preamplification, with inputs selected by a knob on the right of the front panel, while volume is controlled by an ALPS potentiometer with a large central knob.
On this new entry-level model from Feliks Audio (which has three other models for headphone amplification alone), only a 6.35 mm jack is available – by far the most useful in this range – capable of bringing extra power to many headphones compared with the less sophisticated connections of most integrated amplifiers. Recommended for headphones with an impedance of 80 to 600 ohms, it is 100 € more expensive than the Echo mkII, since the Vibe is launched in Europe at 999 €.
Introduced just 3 years ago, Diptyque Audio’s Reference panel has since extended its design to all the Montalban brand’s lower-end models. This year, however, it has already been modified with a Mk2 version.
Having become one of the world’s leading isodynamic panel manufacturers in just a few years, French company Diptyque made an impression in 2022 with the launch of its aptly-named Référence model (reviewed here https://vumetre.com/diptyque-audio-reference/), featuring a more innovative design than that of the older DP77 or DP140. At the High End 2025 trade show in Munich, the manufacturer is already planning to present a Référence Mk2, whose modifications will not be so much to the panel itself, although its dimensions have been revised upwards (185 cm high vs. 180 cm previously, for a width of 70 cm vs. 65 cm in Mk1) as to the components.
For example, the panel gains a new, larger aluminum foot, less subject to vibration. There are better capacitors on the midrange ribbon, a new connector between the crossover and the panel, and on the bass diaphragms, an optimized design for the rear grilles to improve damping, as well as a new ultra-rigid chassis to hold them in place.
Already very attracted by the first version, we cannot wait to hear this new version, especially when we know that it will be amplified at theMunich show by Kora’s huge new pure Class A power amplifiers!
Founded in 1949, British manufacturer Rogers is celebrating its 75th anniversary with three limited series, including a red one to pay tribute to the creation the same year of the People’s Republic of China.
Without changing any of its sound components, Rogers celebrates its three-quarters-century anniversary with a bright red LS3/5A column, to be paired if desired with the AB3A subwoofer, also repainted in red. More discreet, the LS3/5A classic and SE bookcases, as well as the more massive LS5/9 classic and SE, feature a new veneer in vintage Teak, combined with black Tygan grilles with gold “Rogers” insignia, reminiscent of models from the 70s and 80s.
Limited to 150 classic pairs and 150 SEs for the LS3/5A, and half that number for the LS5/9, these editions are numbered and feature an official plate on the back of the box to justify their uniqueness. However, prices are set to rise, now announced only in pounds, at £3,499 and £4,499 for the LS3/5A and LS3/SE, and £5,999 or £6,999 for the LS5/9.
