12 Australian Hi-Fi http://www.avhub.com.au
AMINA EDGE
INVISIBLE
SPEAKERS
Canohm, which distributes Amina
products in Australia, has an-
nounced a new generation of fully-
concealed Amina Edge speakers
that it says deliver ‘best in class’ au-
dio performance. Amina Edge series
speakers have panels made from a
glass-filled core, making them stiff
yet light enough to be acoustically
efficient, with Amina claiming ef-
ficiencies of 93dBSPL for the Edge
7 and 90dBSPL for the Edge 5 (both
at 1w/1m). They’re installed via a dry-wall/dry-lining installation
technique suitable for new builds or retrofit applications and when
installed correctly, are invisible. ‘Installing sound systems that are
simply heard and not seen is music to the ears of interior designers, ar-
chitects and audiophiles,’ saidRobert Costello, of Canohm. ‘Audio/
design professionals can respond to a client’s needs to preserve the interior
aesthetic of a beautiful home or commercial property by hiding a room’s
audio source, without compromising sound quality.’
Costello said the form factor of the Amina Edge’s design meant
contractors had plenty of depth to place joint tape around the
boundary without any danger of exposing the scrim by sanding
away the joint filler. ‘The rounded corners allow smooth application of
dry-wall compound avoiding a sharp change in direction of the dry-wall
blade,’ he said. Once installed Amina Edge products can be finished
with paint, fabric or lightweight wallpaper. Available now, the
Edge7 speakers retail for $1,959.00 each, and the Edge5s
for $1,199 each.For further information, please contact Canohm on
1800 636 026 or visit the website at http://www.canohm.com.auBENCHMARK DAC
Benchmark has released its new DAC
digital-to-analogue converter, which features
ESS Technologies’ ES9028PRO converter chip,
which offers active THD compensation. The
new DAC3 builds on the previous DAC2. It
maintains the same form factor and feature
set as the DAC2, but adds the higher perfor-
mance available from the new ES9028PRO
D/A converter and also adds the following
improvements: active 2nd harmonic com-
pensation; active 3rd harmonic compensa-
tion; lower THD+N; lower passband ripple;
improved frequency response; faster PLL lock
times; and faster switching between input
signals.
The DAC3’s circuitry uses an advanced
high-headroom digital filter design and a
high-sample-rate asynchronous USB audio
interface. All inputs are fully isolated from
interface jitter by Benchmark’s latest ‘Ul-
traLock3’ jitter attenuation system. Internal
digital processing and conversion is 32-bits
and this processing includes 3.5dB of head-room above 0dBFS to prevent
the DSP overloads that com-
monly occur in D/A convert-
ers that don’t have headroom
above 0dB. The balanced analog
output is fed by four balanced 3
whose outputs are summed to improve per-
formance and give a 6dB reduction in noise.
‘It is rare to find a converter review that does not
draw comparisons to the DAC1 or the DAC2,’
saidJohn Siau, of Benchmark. ‘Benchmark
converters are in daily use in many of the world’s
finest recording studios and mastering rooms.
Benchmark converters are also enjoyed by thou-
sands of audiophiles. Benchmark has raised the
bar again... the DAC3 defines a new reference.’
All digital inputs on the DAC3 support
native PCM or DSD conversion so there are
no DSD to PCM or PCM to DSD conver-
sions—both DSD and PCM are both natively
converted to analog. As on the DAC1 and
DAC2, the new DAC3 has adjustable low-
impedance passive attenuators on the XLRoutputs to optimise the interface to the
power amplifier. ‘The importance of proper gain
staging cannot be overemphasised,’ Siau told
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine. ‘When audio stages
are properly matched, each component in the au-
dio chain is able to operate at its optimum signal
level, and the system performance is significantly
improved so you can enjoy pure music without
any coloration from the electronics and hear the
music exactly the way it was heard in the studio,
and exactly the way the artists intended.’For further information, please contact
Sound & Music Promotions on
(03) 9555 8081 or visit the website
at http://www.sound-music.comNAD M50.2 DIGITAL
MUSIC PLAYER
Convoy International, the sole Australian distributor for NAD Electron-
ics, has released the much-awaited NAD M50.2 Digital Music Player.
The NAD M50.2 Digital Music Player ($6,699) offers high-resolution
music listening, multi-room wireless streaming to BluOS-enabled
speakers, 24/192 storage, and CD ripping.‘With the M50.2, music lovers
can simply network music throughout their home,’ saidJohn Martin,of
Convoy. ‘They can do this effortlessly as they digitise and centrally store
their music library and then make it available to other BluOS-enabled com-
ponents throughout their home, all in high resolution audio... and it can all
be controlled with the tap of the finger on a smartphone or tablet.’
The NAD M50.2 can automatically rip CDs at 24/192 onto its
internal RAID (two 2TB hard drives), stream from any cloud service,
or access an existing digital music library stored on an external NAS
or computer. Says NAD: ‘wherever or however music is accessed it can be
enjoyed with the M50.2.’
‘In addition to using the most efficient and highest-performing internal
components available, the M50.2 is also elegantly designed, with a bright
control panel and a sleek and streamlined look that will complement most
any décor,’ Martin told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine. ‘The M50.2 is a major
upgrade on the company’s landmark M50, which itself was heralded as a
bold step forward in digital music reproduction. The M50.2 builds upon its
predecessor’s legacy with a variety of performance upgrades and innovative
features, including full BluOs interconnectivity.’For further information, please contact Convoy International on
1800 817 787 or visit the website at http://www.convoy.com.auBENCHMARK | NAD | AMINA