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Details PRODUCT Krell Connect ORIGIN USA TYPE Network music player/DAC WEIGHT 8. 1kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 433 x 88 x 427mm FEATURES ● 6 to 24-bit, 44. 1kHz to 192kHz PCM playback ● FLAC, Ogg, WAV, WMA, Apple Lossless, MP-4a, MP3 files ● ESS Sabre ES-9018 DAC chip ● RCA and balanced XLR outputs DISTRIBUTOR Absolute Sounds TELEPHONE 020 89713909 WEBSITE absolutesounds. com Read the full reveiw in the June 385 issue on sale now.

One of the many demo highlights from last weekend's The Hi-Fi Show Live 2018, the Titan 505 standmount is the latest to join the Kudos Audio flagship series. The two-way isobaric bass reflex design features two new double-coated hard paper cone mid/bass drivers crafted by SEAS in a back-to-back arrangement. Quoted sensitivity is 87dB/1W/1m into 6ohm with a frequency range of 40Hz to 30kHz. The tweeter is saidto be a “precisely tailored” 29mm fabric dome and the loudspeaker’s internal crossover can be bypassed to enable active operation with selected systems including Linn Exakt and Devialet Expert.

According to recent figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), music streaming services like Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz account for more than 50 percent of music consumption in the UK. On the face of it, music file streaming in one form or another appears to be the way many of today’s music fans choose to listen, but despite a statistical decline in physical sales, I wouldn’t mind betting that CD remains the music format of choice for the majority of hi-fi owners. Our own online survey clearly shows that there are plenty of us still listening to music via the 12cm silver disc that prematurely promised “perfect sound forever”. Even if the rate we purchase new albums on the format has declined over recent years, our Twitter poll reveals that almost 50 percent of us own at least 500 albums on CD – that’s a quite considerable number of discs and a lifetime of music collecting for many.

First new range in over a decade

Competition winner: Back in HFC 413 we gave you the chance to win Leema Acoustic’s glorious half-width Elements integrated amplifier. We’re delighted to reveal that John Whitaker from Woking in Surrey was the lucky winner and here he is collecting his prize from David Quigley, Uniletsales advisor. . .

Originally conceived 17 years ago as a cost-no-object nearfield monitor for use in recording studios and broadcast vehicles, Leema Acoustics’ Xen loudspeaker was the result of a research project to squeeze a BBC-graded monitor into a small standmount cabinet that quickly found favour with music lovers. Unlike the original Xen, which was never designed for domestic use, the new Xen 2 offers a host of improvements over its professional predecessor. With a front baffle that’s the size of an A5 paperback book, the new Xen 2 is ultra compact and boastsa claimed frequency responseof 57Hz-25kHz and an output of between 60W and 150W. It benefits from two bass reflex ports, which extend into the cabinet then fold down behind the bass driver – each measuring 260mm.

Wales-based Leema Acoustics has unveiled its Elements Streamer, billed as a space-saving DLNA/UPnP network music player with a built-in DAC, offering integrated Spotify Connect, Deezer, Qobuz and Tidal streaming services alongside USB drive playback. Priced at £1,295 and conceived by Leema co-founder Lee Taylor, the player is based on the streaming module found in the company’s £2,995 Quasar integrated amplifier (HFC 425), and control is via a free app available for Android and iOS devices. Connectivity options include both balanced and unbalanced outputs, optical and coaxial digital outs, as well as a USB input and Ethernet network port. Twin wi-fi antennas aim to provide increased signal stability.