New product launches this month, with Marantz, Mission, Denon and Pro-ject
Five products to look out for this month
1
Marantz 12 Series Special Edition
£2999 each
What’s better than high-end hi-fi? Special edition high-end hi-fi, of course. The PM-12 Special Edition amplifier and SA-12 Special Edition SACD player, are, Marantz says, the result of its engineers (or ‘Sound Masters’) having identified the originals as products with “higher potential than expected”. To release this potential, components have been upgraded so that these Sound Masters can eke out yet more performance, drawing upon learnings from the recent KI Ruby series. whf.cm/12-series
2
Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evolution
£449
Vinyl-lovers take note: Pro-ject has just announced a new addition to its long-standing and affordable Debut range of turntables – the Debut Carbon Evolution, or Evo for short. Another five-star deck? We wouldn’t rule it out. This one features the brand’s now-famous 8.6in one-piece carbon fibre tonearm with integrated headshell and low-friction sapphire tonearm bearings. And you get an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge (or Sumiko Rainier cartridge if you’re buying in the US). whf.cm/debutevo
3
Denon CEOL N11 DAB
£529
There are so many ways to play music these days, either with a CD or vinyl, over the radio, from a USB stick, streaming from a music service… the list goes on. But Denon’s latest CEOL system isn’t biased towards one form of playback. The CEOL N11 DAB is all-encompassing, offering a wealth of options, from network streaming to CD playback to Bluetooth, for anyone after a compact, just-add-speakers, do-it-all music system. whf.cm/ceol11
4
Mission LX MKII
From £189
There aren’t many hi-fi brands that do budget as well as Mission, so we’re eager to hear this latest range, the LX MKII. There are six sets of stereo speakers – three bookshelf and three tower models – plus two centre channel options and a surround sound set that can double as upward-firing Atmos speakers. Due to launch in September, the stereo pairs are priced from £189 to £599. whf.cm/missionlx2
5
Yamaha RX-V
From £449
Yamaha has launched two new 8K home cinema amplifiers with a twist – they’re pitched at gamers as much as they are home cinema buffs. The redesigned line-up consists of the 5.1-channel RX-V4A and the 7.2-channel RX-V6A. Both support 8K and HDR10+, as well as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which should deliver smoother console gameplay. Priced at £449 and £649 respectively, they’re due to hit the stores in October. whf.cm/yamaharxv