KEF KF92 SUBWOOFER

KEF’s new KF92 subwoofer has what KEF calls a ‘Music Integrity Engine’ and ‘Intelligent Bass Extension’ (iBX) circuitry that extend bass down to 11Hz, and increase sound pressure levels at sub-audible frequencies. Why increase SPLs at sub-audible frequencies? According to Nigel Ng, of Advance Audio, which distributes KEF in Australia, ‘You can’t hear 11Hz, but you can feel it, and more importantly, by ensuring the KF92 is able to play that low, KEF’s engineers have ensured that the very lowest frequencies we can hear are reproduced cleanly and quickly, with no distortion.’

To deliver high sound pressure levels at such low frequencies, the KEF KF92 contains two 230mm diameter hybrid aluminium/ paper-coned drivers mounted in a force-cancelling array whereby the two drivers are coupling to each other in such a way that unwanted reactive forces are cancelled, so there’s no excess energy to excite the cabinet and interfere with the bass response of the drivers. Each driver is driven by its own Class-D amplifier, which KEF rates with a power output of 500-watts, so total power available is 1,000-watts. ‘ The hybrid construction of the new cone—paper with an aluminium skin—is the ideal cone material, with the paper ensuring low-mass and thus accurate response, while the aluminium skin increases the strength and provides damping,’ said Ng. Although it doesn’t have automatic room calibration circuitry onboard, the

KEF KF92 has five equalisation contours that can be used to optimise performance when the subwoofer is placed near a wall, in a corner, in a cabinet or the optimum position in the room.

The KEF KF92’s cabinet walls are curved, to eliminate the ‘boxy’ look typical of subwoofers finished in black high gloss. Multiple inputs and outputs are provided, including one with an adjustable high-pass filter. You can now also buy a wireless kit (KW-1) that connects to the KF92 via its proprietary expansion port that allows you to send signals to the KF92 wirelessly. It retails for $399 (RRP). As for the new KEF

KF92 subwoofer, that’s available now, and sells for $3,995 (RRP). (A full review of the KEF KF92 appeared in Australian Hi-Fi March/April 2020 issue, available via Zinio.)

For more information, contact Advance Audio Australia, on (02) 9561 0799 or at

A new all-Australian designed and built microphone will improve the look and sound of your videos and teleconferences.

The Rode Wireless GO ultra-compact wireless microphone system has become a favourite of filmmakers and vloggers because it’s ultra-small, easy to use, has outstanding battery life, and delivers high-fidelity sound no matter how many other Wi-Fi or Bluetooth transmitters are in the immediate area.

But until now, it’s only been available in black with a matching black Lavalier microphone, so despite the tiny size of the transmitter and microphone, they sometimes become obvious in videos, particularly close-ups. Rode, which designs and builds the Wireless Go entirely in Australia, has announced that the entire Wireless Go system – microphones, transmitters, and accessories such as wind shields – is now available in white.

The Wireless GO transmitter (TX) measures only 44×46×19mm, weighs just 31g and has a built-in omnidirectional condenser microphone so it can be used as a clip-on microphone in many situations, but for an even-higher level of invisibility, you can hide the transmitter and run a lead to a Rode Lavalier microphone, choosing whichever microphone colour is most inconspicuous - white or black.

The connection between transmitter and receiver (RX) is via Series III 2.4GHz digital wireless transmission with 128-bit encryption and is claimed to be optimised for short-range operation in congested RF environments, but able to work over a range of up to 70 metres under ideal conditions. The RF receiver is the same size and weight as the transmitter, so it will attach to any size camera without adding weight or interfering with camera operations. Both transmitter and receiver have in-built rechargeable batteries that last up to 7 hours and are charged via USB-C.

“We designed the Wireless GO to deliver crystal-clear broadcast-grade audio in all conditions and so that its performance would excel even in dense Wi-Fi and Bluetooth environments such as shopping malls, convention centres and hotels,” said Nick Stillman, Communications Manager at Rode. “It’s the perfect wireless mic solution for content creators in all disciplines: filmmakers, on-camera presenters, news gatherers, vloggers and more.”

Available now, the Wireless Go TX/RX pair sells for $299 and the Rode Lavalier microphone for $99. For more information, contact RØDE on (02) 9648 5855 or at

Yamaha has released the A-S3200, the first and most powerful amplifier in its newest series of pure analogue stereo amplifiers. It features many of the same technologies used in Yamaha’s flagship 5000 Series amplifiers and although the new amplifiers look similar to the A-S1100, A-S2100 and A-S3000 models they replace, Yamaha says these latest models use new technology and components.

“The new A-S3200 incorporates key features from the 5000 Series, including mechanical grounding to reduce unwanted vibration, thick wires for ground connection to ensure lower impedance and the toroidal transformer uses drawn-out wiring to reduce energy loss,” said Simon Goldsworthy, General Manager of Yamaha Music Australia’s AV Division. “The A-S3200’s circuitry has been re-invented and is the result of years of customer feedback, research and development.”

It turns out that power output meters have been a hit with Yamaha’s customers, so they’re a feature on the A-S3200 and also on the soon-to-be-released A-S1200 and A-S2200. Unlike most power meters, the ones on the new models can be switched to show Peak, VU or Average power output readings. Yamaha has also by popular demand retained bass and treble tone controls on the new models, and implemented them via its unique bar-shaped controls, rather than the more usual rotary types.

Rated with a power output of 100-watts per channel into 8 (150-watts per channel into 4 ), the Yamaha A-S3200’s power supply combines a 623VA toroidal transformer with 22,000uF/63V block capacitors. Thanks to its fully-balanced, fully-floating design circuit design, Yamaha says the A-S3200’s damping factor is greater than 250 at 1kHz, and its frequency response extends from 5Hz to 100kHz (-3dB). THD is specified at less than 0.05% and signal-tonoise ratio at 114dB.

The Yamaha A-S3200 is full-featured, with seven line-level inputs, two of which are balanced, and a separate phono input that can be switched for either moving-magnet or moving-coil operation. It also has a discrete headphone amplifier with a useful volume trim function. In keeping with Yamaha’s ‘pure analogue’ concept for its stereo amplifiers, there is no digital circuitry inside and no digital inputs. “Music lovers deserve a rewarding and authentic reproduction of their favourite tunes,” said Goldworthy, “and Yamaha’s concept is to deliver the most accurate and dynamic expression of ‘True Sound’, which is based on the ideal that the sound of voices and of musical instruments should always be produced in the most natural and lifelike way.”

Available in Australia now, the Yamaha A-S3200 retails for $9,999 (RRP). More details from Yamaha Music Australia on 1800 805 413 or

Australia’s hi-fi showgoers and followers of the high-end will know Kyron, whose unique speaker systems have carved the company’s positionat the highest levels of audio performance, using box-less dipole designs which deliver literally showstopping realism.

First came the statement Gaia system, currently priced at $289,000, and then the Kronos ($161,000 with its optional subwoofer). And finally the flagship $349,000 Phoenix system, with seven different elements and twice the processing power of Kronos.

Now the company is producing all these models in a new and mighty cool livery — the only catch being that you’ll have to buy a $1.3m car first, the world’s most track-focused hypercar, indeed: Australia’s own Brabham Automotive BT62. Only 70 of these cars, with their tubular spaceframe steel chassis and naturally aspirated 5.4-litre V8 engines, will be produced, all built here in Australia by a team led by British-born Australian racing driver

JBL’s latest upgrade to its original 2017 Boombox leaves it with a similar appearance to its predecessor, but there have been some design tweaks. The new model is fractionally heavier (it weighs 5.9kg) but the biggest change is that JBL says that it can run on batteries for 24 hours whilst delivering what JBL describes as “original Pro Sound that combines loudness monstrous bass”. It also has an unusual handle.

Dario Distefano, principal industrial designer for JBL explains: “One element that we wanted to improve was the grip of the handle. We were inspired by motorbike

David Brabham, son of Sir Jack, the only man to win a Formula 1 world championship driving a car of his own construction, threetime F1 world champion, and founder of the Brabham team that won 35 F1 races.

In the newly-announced partnership between the two Adelaide-based companies, Brabham customers can order Kyron systems in liveries matching their BT62 — and this is part of a Kyron bespoke production program that will also see Kyron developing audio systems for future Brabham road-based vehicles.

“Brabham is pushing the envelope in car design, driven to develop the world’s best hypercar,” says Lee Gray, who heads up Kyron alongside Leon Suter. “The partnership makes sense as we share the same passion for extreme performance in our respective fields. Most prestige motor manufacturers have aligned with high-end audio companies, and currently we are designing the audio for the street-legal version of the BT-62. In the near handlebars that have a grip designed for performance in all conditions. We also used new cutting-edge materials to make the speaker super stable even when blasting loud music.”

Also now onboard is JBL’s PartyBoost feature so you can daisy-chain the Boombox 2 to another Boombox 2, or a JBL Flip 5 or JBL Pulse 4, or any JBL product with PartyBoost built in for added loudness, improved outdoor coverage or, indoors, to enable multi-room sound. The Boombox 2 has a

USB output that can be used to charge your mobile phone, plus there’s no issue if you accidentally leave the Boombox 2 out in the rain because JBL says the Boombox 2 is the most water-proof portable it’s ever built, and future we’ll start work on an audio system for their planned road car. We will use the same rotary touch-screen interface in both the car and the home system, so a seamless transition between the two. There will also be aesthetic enhancements such as carbon-fibre detailing, gold pinstriping, leathers, and of course sporting the Brabham and Kyron badges.”

Beyond the music, the Kyron team has also had input into the cars themselves.

“We’re there to advise them on all their acoustic needs,” says Gray. “Leon recently assisted in the modelling of an exhaust system for the BT62 to ensure it met SPL requirements for the track. This is a new adventure for us into a slightly different field, but as we have tackled everything from room acoustics and active dipole design to defence simulators, we are up for the challenge!”

More info: is able to be completely submerged in water to a depth of one metre for up to 30 minutes.

Available now, the JBL Boombox 2 retails for $799. For more information, contact Convoy International on (02) 9774 9900 or via the website at