MANUFACTURER - VUMETRE (ENGLISH)

Nano Power 2: optimal in purity

Long convinced that the purity of the electrical current in hi-fi equipment is essential for optimal performance, Charles-Henri Delaleu has developed a range of external power supplies, the first of which, called Nano Power 2, has just been launched on the market. Based on extremely low ripple and noise levels, this new addition to 3D-Lab’s Nano range is available in one or two rails, allowing different output voltages to be set for dual use with products requiring different voltages.

Closer Acoustics Ogy: 2 little french speakers with strong character

LOUDSPEAKERS, CLOSER ACOUSTICS, Hot, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Developed over more than three years by Jacek Grodecki, the two Closer Acoustics Ogy speakers stand out from the Polish brand’s larger models, while retaining the distinctive characteristics of a full-range driver from Catherine Fertin’s French workshops. With their highly distinctive sound, the Ogy speakers are charming companions for natural music, especially intimate music.

SOULNOTE A1

SOULNOTE, AMPLIFIER, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Priority to hearing is the motto of Japanese designer of high-end audiophile equipment SoulNote. Prioritising ‘feel’ and musicality over raw, indisputable but cold figures has always been its guiding principle. Its SoulNote A1 integrated amplifier, which caught our attention, is no exception to this rule and benefits from the years of research and development that SoulNote has devoted to developing systems capable of fully exploiting and expressing the liveliness of a sound source.

CHORD CO PowerARAY Professional

ACCESSORIES, CHORD, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

A little black box, admittedly very heavy, priced at over €6,000 can be a real eye-opener for anyone who loves sound reproduction. However, after several months of intensive and varied testing, we can testify that British manufacturer Chord Co has not gone over to the dark side… On the contrary, with the Chord Co PowerARAY Professional, it delivers the quintessence of its ARAY philosophy. And with this atypical product, we are not at the end of our surprises…

SOLEN HELIOS

SOLEN, LOUDSPEAKERS, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Founded in 1988, Solen is a company based in Grenoble that has long specialised in amplifiers, notably the Tigre hybrid integrated amplifiers, which are sold more widely abroad under the Ensemble brand than in France under their original name. Entering a new era a decade ago, the Alpine manufacturer recently began manufacturing loudspeakers, with two models already available in its catalogue, both based on HEL bass diffusion technology. Rather than the smaller metal HELya, we chose to start by exploring the more imposing the Solen HELios, a large 48 cm tall bookshelf speaker, whose Scan-Speak drivers are complemented by attractive cherry wood side panels and a dual-filter system.

MERASON REUSS

MERASON, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Two years after the excellent DAC 1, Swiss manufacturer Niedal Audio Lab is offering a new version of its flagship converter with the Merason Reuss. Far from following the latest trends, this unconventional device adopts principles that have long proven their worth in delivering timeless musicality.

ACCUPHASE E5000 vs E800: An Impressive Pair

AMPLIFIER, ACCUPHASE, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Following our article on the brand’s new E4000 amplifier (VUmètre 46), some people asked us why choose a class A/B amplifier from this range when the famous Japanese brand has a pure class A E650 in its catalogue. So we came up with the idea of producing a comparison – to our knowledge unavailable in any other magazine at the moment – between the manufacturer’s two biggest integrated amplifiers, the Accuphase E5000, rated at 240W under 8 ohms in class A/B, and the Accuphase E800, capable of reaching 50W under 8 ohms in class A.

LUPHONIC H2

LUPHONIC, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES, VINYL TURNTABLE

Newcomer to the hi-fi market, German brand Luphonic Labs offers a range of turntables that stand out for their original design and ease of use, combined with meticulous, rigorous manufacturing in pursuit of great musicality. Presented at High End Munich in 2022, these turntables caught our attention and piqued our curiosity, until we were finally able to test the H2 model in this issue, equipped with the cartridge with which it is available as a package, the Audio Technica VM760SLC. Let’s discover the Luphonic H2.

WAVAC PR-Z1 and WAVAC TA-805m: Precise and Outstanding

WAVAC, AMPLIFIER, MANUFACTURER, PHONO PREAMP, TESTS, TYPES

Created in 1995, the Wavac brand remains relatively discreet in Europe due to its niche positioning: that of very high-fidelity tube products. From its relatively extensive catalogue of amplifiers and preamplifiers, we now have the Wavac TA-805m pair of power...