Frontrunners

FRONTRUNNERS Vivid Audio’s new speaker delivers massive bass slam with its redesigned woofers.

“LIGHT TRAVELS FASTER THAN SOUND. THIS IS WHY SOME PEOPLE APPEAR BRIGHT UNTIL YOU HEAR THEM SPEAK.” Alan Dundes

Anew addition to the growing ranks of six-figure loudspeakers is the Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit. Available in Singapore through X Audio, it’s priced at US$102,000 (RM420,000) for any singletone paint finish (US$93,000 in pearl white or piano black). The Spirit evolved from the Giya G1, which debuted in 2008 and turned the audiophile community on its collective ear with an organic form in service of stateof-the-art sound.

The neutral sonic signature of the Giya G1 Spirit begins with a cabinet made of fibrereinforced plastic resin that is much lighter and stiffer than conventional cabinets and shaped to eliminate resonances and distortion artefacts. Each speaker stands 160cm tall, weighs 86kg and employs five all-new drivers — hand-built at the Vivid factory in South Africa — that reproduce every delicate nuance of recordings. Together they create a huge and lifelike sound stage without any strain or distortion, even at extremely high volumes. The Spirit presents an easy amplifier load, but each woofer handles 1,600 watts on peaks and sings when powered by one of the big amps that are typically matched with a loudspeaker of this calibre. www.vividaudio.com ≠

Gramovox turns vinyl on its head with its ingenious turntable.

Here’s a turntable that’s going to make you flip out in the best way possible. Gramovox has come up with its clever, high-performance Floating Record Vertical Turntable (US$550, RM2,320), which is just as eye- catching as it sounds. Better yet, it delivers acoustically, thanks to its built-in phono pre-amp, twoinch neodymium, full-range stereo speakers, and an AT95E diamond-tip cartridge. Built entirely in Chicago, the Floating Record comes with a genuine wood veneer finish of either maple or walnut - both of which look great while you’re spinning vinyl right out of the box.

Spin Me Right Round

EKrug champagne deserves a suitably special bag to carry it in.

nvisioned to inspire spontaneous escapes down paths less travelled, the Berluti pour Krug Wild Adventure Backpack (€4,900, RM24,340) will safely transport a bottle of Krug — a fitting reward at your journey’s end. Crafted from the Maison’s signature Venezia leather finished in Krug dark cherry patina, the backpack unzips to reveal a thermofoil lining. Within this soft compartment, a removable insulated foam insert keeps the bottle — in this case, Krug Rose — at the perfect temperature alongside two rose glasses and a chrome stopper. www. berluti.com

Bubbly Style

SMontblanc issues a tribute to the Fab Four.

ince 2009, Montblanc’s Great Characters Limited Edition has paid homage to the individuals whose lives and work have made a lasting impact on human civilisation. Hence, this month’s release of the Great Characters The Beatles Limited Edition 88 fountain pen (RM136,800), which features a solid gold skeletonised cap and barrel, with lacquer adorning its metal inlays. On it, one finds British icons and The Beatles’ signatures and portraits, with a cap top shaped to look like a microphone.

Beatlemania