It may be a Bank Holiday in our native Blighty, and many across the pond are likely checking this year’s Memorial Day deals, but that won’t stop us publishing yet another fresh entry into our weekly Rewind column.
As always, our team of hi-fi and home cinema experts condense all the headlines over the past week into a handy, succinct digest, making it quick and easy to stay on top of the latest news.
Despite the team not having High End Munich, or the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones launch to contend with, as we did the previous week, it was another incredibly busy seven days, with surprise announcements from a number of big name brands.
Here’s what you need to know.
Marshall made a Dolby Atmos soundbar
The top-end of the Dolby Atmos soundbar market is a very competitive place, with five-star powerhouses, including the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9, vying for supremacy.
Which is why we were surprised to see Marshall come out guns blazing with its first Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Heston 120, last week.
Costing nearly exactly the same as the Arc Ultra, Marshall is pitching the guitar amp-inspired soundbar as a perfect option for serious movie fans that want a loud and proud Atmos experience at home.
It’s too early for us to tell if it will make good on Marshall’s bold performance claims. But, our staff writer, Robyn Quick, came away from their Marshall Heston 120 preview session impressed, leaving us eager to get it in for proper testing as soon as possible.
Read the full story: Marshall's first ever Dolby Atmos soundbar has been officially unveiled – but can it dethrone the Sonos Arc Ultra?
iFi made some hi-fi travel treats
If you’re a frequent flyer looking to upgrade your portable audio experience, you’ll be pleased to hear that last week iFi launched not one but two new accessories designed to do just that.
The firm behind a sea of hi-fi gadgets and hybrid devices launched its Up Travel Bluetooth DAC and Go Pod Air on the 19th May.
The Go Pod Air is a step-down version of the Go Pod in-ear monitors that launched in 2023, but that we’re yet to review.
The Up Travel is a more interesting and entirely new product. The unit is designed to let you add hi-res Bluetooth streaming to any system with an aux input, including car and inflight entertainment systems.
Read the full story: iFi launches two hi-res travel accessories to soundtrack your summer holidays
HiFi Rose is making a new high-end streamer
We got our first proper look at HiFi Rose’s latest RS451 music streamer at Munich, but only got a chance to publish our findings last week.
Featuring a modern, eye-catching design, we’re sadly yet to get all the details on the unit, including its price. But, what we do know paints a pretty picture. The streamer uses an ES9027 PRO(ESS) DAC at its heart, and is capable of handling PCM files up to 32-bit/868kHz alongside DSD512.
Connectivity is also solid, with the RS451 offering coaxial, optical and USB-A digital outputs, plus balanced and unbalanced analogue outs. There’s even HDMI eARC for those that want to connect it to their TV.
We’re hoping for more information on the unit in the near future, but either way the RS451 has caught our eye and we’ll hopefully get a chance to review it when it launches in the not too distant future.
Read more: HiFi Rose teases its RS451 music streamer with HDMI eARC and AirPlay
We celebrated a classic album’s 40th birthday
Dire Straits iconic fifth album, Brothers In Arms, turned 40 this month. This is a huge deal for a variety of reasons, ranging from it being the first album to sell one million copies on CD to the list of banging songs on it, which include Money for Nothing.
But for our editor (me), there’s one reason in particular the album has stood the test of time so well. Which is why he took the time to pen a feature celebrating it.
Read the full story: Here’s why audiophiles still love Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms 40 years on
Marantz has some new premium AVRs
The Marantz Home Cinema 30 is one of the best AV receivers money can buy. So when Marantz launched a new preamplifier and power amplifier duo based on the Cinema 30 we stood up and took notice.
The AV 20 AV Preamplifier and AMP 20 Power Amplifier feature incredibly similar designs to the Cinema 30, but the similarities don’t end there. Look at either units’ specifications and you will see both are powerhouses.
The AV 20 preamplifier is powered by a SHARC dual-core DSP chipset, coupled with 32-bit two-channel DACs, complete with dedicated jitter reduction technology. Marantz claims this will let it offer unparalleled performance.
Meanwhile, the AMP 20 is confirmed to offer 12 channels of amplification, rated at 200W, letting it support a variety of demanding speaker packages in a variety of arrangements.
Read the full story: Marantz unveils its latest reference AV amplifier combo, and they could outshine the Award-winning Cinema 30
MORE:
These are the best music streamers we’ve reviewed
Our picks of the best soundbars
We rate the best DACs for music fans
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