TOP FIVE LAUNCHES

Five products to look out for this month

1

DCS Rossini Apex DAC

£25,000

We called dcs’s original Ring DAC technology one of history’s best British hi-fi innovations, so the fact that it has entered its next generation is kind of a big deal. dcs’s Ring Apex seems to be a thorough overhaul, featuring an improved reference supply, filter and summing stages, an all-new output stage and a circuit board reconfiguration – and it is inspiring new versions of the five-star Rossini DAC and the Vivaldi DAC, and Rossini player too. whf.cm/dcsapex

2

Arcam AVR31

£5799

Arcam’s new four-strong home cinema amp and processor range is seemingly as well-equipped as they come, with HDMI 2.1 connectivity, 8K@60fps and 4K@120fps support, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3d compatibility, Dirac Live room correction software and a suite of streaming features. The AVR31 is the flagship AVR, offering seven channels of Class G amplification delivering 100 Watts per channel, and is joined by two Class AB amps (AVR21, AVR11) and a 16-channel processor (AV41). whf.cm/arcamavreceiver

3 ifi Zen Air DAC

£99 ifi’s popular Zen Series has arguably already achieved the company’s aim of making high-performance audio more accessible, but the company’s ambition clearly knows no bounds. The UK audio specialist now has a new affordable Zen Air range, which has more simplified circuitry, some stripped-back features, and more affordable prices. The Zen Air Dac/headphone amp is one of them, offering 32-bit/384khz, DSD256 and MQA support. whf.cm/ifizenair

4

Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3

£899

Say hello to B&W’S first standalone Dolby Atmos speaker. The Panorama 3 is a single 3.1.2 soundbar that the company is so confident can offer a room-filling Atmos sound, there are no options to add an additional subwoofer or surround speakers. To that end, there are 13 individual driver units (including two upward-firers) driven by ten 40-watt amplifiers – impressive on paper. And streaming is also part of the package courtesy of Airplay 2, aptx Adaptive Bluetooth, Spotify Connect and the Bowers & Wilkins Music App. whf.cm/panorama3

5

Reavon UBR-X110

£700

Following on from the four-star UBR-X100, the X110 spins all the discs of its predecessor (UHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, DVD Audio, CD) with the addition of SACD. About the only disc format it won’t play is HD-DVD, if anyone remembers that! SACD aside, it’s a very similar proposition to the X100: connections include dual HDMIS (one is audio only), optical, coaxial and ethernet, while it also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 codecs. whf.cm/reavonubrx110