hIGh End 2019
AustralianHi-Fi 51
an XMOS USB input and MQA capability.
The 5805 ($US8,500) is the same amplifier
with the addition of analogue inputs.
Audio-Technica has revived a classic car-
tridge in its moving-coil range.
Focalis 40yearsyoungandcelebratedintypically
Frenchstylebyshowingspecialversionsofnearlyall
theproductsinitsrange,fromheadphones,through
DAC/Ampstoloudspeakers(seebodycopyfordetails). British brand Falcon launched its V-Series HP80
floor-standers (£12,500) which feature a graphene-im-
pregnated Twaron aramid fibre cone in a 165mm diame-
ter chassis that Falcon developed in-house.The new AT-OC9X series starts with entry-lev-
el models featuring aluminium cantilevers
and elliptical styluses (AT-OC9XEB - £210,
AT-OC9XEN - £300) and moves up to the
Microline (AT-OC9XML -£480), Shibata (AT-
OC9XSH - £570) and Special Line (AT-OC9X-
SL - £660) models with boron cantilevers and
permendur yolks. All AT-OC9X cartridges
have dual moving-coil structures.
Californian digital specialist MSB used
to make distinctive if reputedly rather
hot-running, cylindrical power amps. The
new M500 is a bit more conventional if still
pretty serious. Available in mono or stereo
form with modular internal build it offers a
million microfarads (or one farad) of power
filtering and 134dB dynamic range behind a
claimed 500-watt output. Build is to the usual
extremely high standard found with MSB, but