Italian hi-fi maker Volumio has just launched a new audio device called the Motivo Streamer, Transport & Headphone Amplifier, which is best described as a high-res music streamer and iPad rolled into one compact and stylish package.
To control the device, Volumio has combined a sleek-looking 8-inch touchscreen with a retro-styled haptic control dial to make the whole entertainment experience feel more immersive. It boasts a range of software and hardware connectivity options, which means you can use it with any of the best music streaming services. It’ll also play nicely with your current home entertainment set up and a pair of the best noise-cancelling headphones, thanks to wide connectivity options.
Under the hood, you’ll find a Sabre ES9038 DAC (that’s a digital to analogue converter), which supports all of the best-quality high-resolution music files. It also boasts dual-output analogue XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced outputs.
With Volumio’s Premium software, which is included as part of the device, you’ll be able to access any of your favorite streaming services, including Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz and more. In short, the Volumio Motivo is built for audiophiles and with wireless streaming compatibility to the best Sonos speakers and Google Cast speakers, it can fit seamlessly into wired or wireless setups.
(Image credit: Volumio)
Slick styling and Smart suggestions
We’ve covered Volumio’s products before, and we always fall for its blend of state-of-the-art audio that’s housed in modern designs with artisanal touches. But new technology from Volumio makes its latest products even more appealing because they bring AI smarts to your listening experience.
When we first wrote about Supersearch we did say that, of course, you can just use the ChatGPT app and ask it for music recommendations, but this experience is much slicker and more straightforward. The Motivo also comes with Volumio’s ‘Infinity Playback’ tool, which continues to bring you music you’ll like once you reach the end of the recommendations. Sure this all sounds similar to the experience you’ll already get from the likes of Spotify and Tidal, but again, having all of these features built directly into one product makes it infinitely easier.
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We don’t have pricing or availability details about the Volumio Motivo just yet, but it’s not going to be cheap. The Volumio Integro launched for around $1,400 / £1,025 / AU$2,499 and although it’s a different sort of device, it should give you a rough idea about what to expect.
Hi-res audio can be a cruel mistress. You’d be forgiven for thinking two five-star products joined in union will surely bring high fidelity sound to your ears, but, as anyone who’s connected a set of high-impedance IEMs to a hi-res DAP (even if it’s one of the best portable audio players hooked up to some of the best wired headphones) knows, it’s just not that simple.
Why? Because said player may not have the oomph or power to fire up your earphones’ multiple drivers to their full potential, that’s why. And that means you’ll need a separate headphone amp (often bundled in with some of the best portable DACs), which may affect the sonic characteristics of your chosen player’s onboard digital-analog-converter.
And aside from all of this, headphones are tuned specifically by audio engineers (often to reflect the sonic recipe a brand is known for) and said audio curve may not work as beautifully with your player’s presentation as you might hope.
In hi-fi as in life, compatibility is key. And that’s why I want you to know about this little system. It surprised me, in all the right ways.
First off, I decided to start with a set of very big and rather new headphones, namely the December 2023-issue FiiO FT5, also known as FiiO’s first ever planar magnetic design. Why did they set my internal alarm bells ringing – and why might such a product be a tough match for any pocket player? Each ear cup uses a large and extraordinarily thin (6µm) planar magnetic driver, with 11 neodymium magnets on one side and nine on the other. Sounds tough to drive, no? And because these headphones are priced at $449 / £429 / AU$799, (a level at which PM designs aren’t unheard of, but the more practical dynamic driver alternative still dominates) coupled with the fact that this is FiiO’s first stab at a planar magnetic design, I worried sensitivity would be an issue.
On top of all of that, I plugged their 4.4mm balanced output into Astell & Kern’s most ‘entry-level’ player, the Astell & Kern A&norma SR35. I put the term in quotation marks because using it at all requires you to consider $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 a negligible fee – and I cannot do that. No, not even when A&K’s flagship player (the Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 costs $3,699 / £3,799 / AU$5,499, thank you…
Doubt the talents of this A&K x FiiO pairing at your peril
Who wouldn’t love to produce this from a pocket? (Image credit: Future)
So, we know that these cans are big and we know that they use a flat 90mm diaphragm, rather than the traditional cone-shaped one. Because this is sandwiched between a total of 20 magnets to create a diaphragm evenly-suspended between permanent magnetic fields, it should make the sound far more resistant to myriad audio and electronic distortions – so better music – but only if the player can power it properly, to celebrate the resolution of those lossless FLAC files.
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And oh, the Astell & Kern A&norma SR35 can. I hadn’t expected it, and I was wrong to doubt either brand.
A&K’s stone cold serious spec-sheet should have been enough, really, but plenty of brands promise strength and zeal from their players even when they’re tasked with hard-to-drive headphones and sadly, I’ve been disappointed in the past.
But not here. This partnership is one of the best I’ve stumbled upon and it is without doubt my top shout for a portable system costing $1,248 / £1,228 / AU$2,098.
As noted above, the A&norma SR35 isn’t your average ‘entry level’ player. Astell & Kern is a specialist that regularly lists digital audio players costing the better part of four large in its oeuvre, and this particular player certainly exceeds my expectations of a DAP listed alongside the term.
Tempted? Good, the audiophile in you deserves it
Why yes, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds sounds great on it (Image credit: Future)
I’ve listened to FiiO’s novel new over-ears with A&K’s cheapest player for hours (turning into days), and for this money, I cannot suggest a portable solution that could come close to bettering it – and that’s not a statement I make flippantly.
The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights is every bit as vivacious, cutting, textured and punchy as you could hope to enjoy at the level. The Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter is raucous, emotive, foot-tappingly accurate timing-wise and above all, meaningfully immersive. When the beat drops in Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, you know about it and then some.
The SR35’s amplification (the key component in this partnership) comes from a recent A&K in-house design called ‘New Generation AMP’. Digital-to-analogue conversion is handled by not one, not two, but four Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips – and it can even run in ‘dual-DAC’ mode instead, to extend the battery performance. It’s all part of Astell & Kern’s ‘Teraton Alpha’ hardware platform and the choice morsel of intel you need here is that while it’s featured in Astell & Kern players before, it has been reserved for the much more expensive ones until now – namely, the firm’s A&futura and A&ultima lines.
With the A&norma SR35, I now get to combine my oversized FiiO cans with A&K’s 2-step gain mode – yes, I get to select ‘normal’ or ‘high’ gain modes depending on my power needs. You see, the output claim for the SR35 is 6 Vrms from its balanced connections – and that’s huge. If your main issue with DAPs to date has been power (ie. enough to drive your beloved over-ear headphones) the extra fuel injection between the SR35 and the already-much-better A&norma SR25 MKII is significant. The SR35 drives the FiiO FT5 with energy to spare. I never need to go above 60% volume – or, to put it another way, 89 of the SR35’s 0to 150 on its 0.5 dB incremental volume wheel is plenty.
Will the battery life suffer with this little setup? A little, despite the improved efficiency. You should expect to take a slight hit on the 20 hours or so of playback you’ll get using dynamic driver headphones at 50% volume – but then again, using a Bluetooth connection to wireless cans also means taking a hit on stamina, and I know which I prefer.
I appreciate that it’s not an insubstantial amount of money. But I also maintain that these two products in partnership are worth it, because in my honest opinion the sound outperforms the investment considerably.
Known for high-quality earbuds that don’t break the bank, EarFun released a set of over-ear cans Monday for the first time — Earfun Wave Pro Hi-Res ANC Wireless Headphones.
Introduced at CES 2024, the new noise-canceling EarFun Wave Pro cans claim high-resolution audio, hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) and a stalwart 80 hours of playback. And all that comes at a cost of just $80. Actually, even less for early-bird buyers.
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The cans’ hybrid ANC is rated effective up to 45 decibels, which can quiet voices and other mid-range frequencies around you. And active Anti-Wind Noise technology helps when you’re out and about.
And noise cancellation extends to calls, too. Environmental noise cancellation (ENC) technology driven by an AI-powered algorithm removes surrounding noise to emphasize your voice.
Solid sound quality
The new headphones put premiums on quality sound and comfort, but for an affordable price. Photo: EarFun
And as for audio quality, EarFun’s hybrid ANC over-ear wireless headphones come with Hi-Res Audio certifications and LDAC audio codec support (ideal for Android users with compatible devices).
Here’s how EarFun describes sound quality and the accompanying hardware:
Reaching a frequency response up to 96kHz, the Hi-Res certified Wave Pro can deliver music with range while accurately preserving detail. The LDAC certification allows listeners to enjoy the high-fidelity codec with compatible devices and experience the higher end of what Bluetooth audio can offer.
The Wave Pro is equipped with a pair of refined 40mm DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) composite film dynamic coil drivers, producing incredible bass levels, and ultra-clear treble that sustains revealing clarity. Plug-in via the embedded 3.5mm auxiliary port to appreciate EarFun’s dynamic sound signature over large diaphragms with a wired connection.
80 hours of battery life, multipoint connectivity, Game Mode
A comparison puts EarFun Wave Pro up against some bigtime competition. Photo: EarFun
EarFun said it gave its “premier over-ear ANC headphones a battery anxiety-dissolving 80 hours of battery life for a truly wireless experience.” It seems like just yesterday that 50 hours of wireless headphone playback seemed astounding.
And the multipoint connection also takes advantage of Wave Pro’s long battery life. You can stay connected between devices and switch between them with onboard touch controls.
Wave Pro also includes a Game Mode for low latency use. Gaming and streaming experiences benefit from under 55ms-latency to keep input and media in sync.
EarFun Wave Pro headphones: Emphasis on lightweight comfort
The headphones also focus on ergonomic comfort. Their lush earcups provide a gentle but even seal.
EarFun included its companion app to help users tailor their audio experience with the headphones. They can set up and use compatible voice assistance, for example.
Amazingly, even with the low $79.99 price at myearfun.com and Amazon, a limited-time, early-bird special gives you a further 3o% discount. That results in a price of below $60, so check to see if the deal is still on.
Apple could be accelerating plans to introduce an ad-supported Apple TV+ tier, based on a number of recent hires by the company.
Business Insider reports that Apple recently recruited Joseph Cady, who worked as an ad executive for NBCUniversal for over 14 years. Cady’s focus was on data-driven and targeted advertising, including responsibility for the Comcast subsidiary’s partnerships with Amazon, Google, TikTok, and others, according to the report.
Cady is expected to work with Winston Crawford, Apple’s head of global ad sales. Apple’s TV+ team reports to Crawford, who also helped lead Apple’s Major League Soccer ad sales pitch with Todd Teresi, lead of Apple’s ads division.
The report also mentions several other recent recruits to Apple’s ads team, such as Chandler Taylor (formerly a video ads account manager with Peacock), Jacqueline Bleazey from FanDuel’s ad sales team, and Jason Brum, who has worked for DirecTV, NBCUniversal, and more.
Apple has not indicated one way or the other whether an ad-supported tier for TV+ is in the works, but it would make sense given that Netflix, Disney+, and Max all now offer ad-based plans at a discounted price.
Apple increased its TV+ subscription prices in October to $9.99 a month from $6.99 a month, while the annual subscription price increased from $69 per year to $99 per year, so a more affordable option would make sense from a competitive perspective.
The audio technology landscape is set to undergo a significant transformation with the introduction of the LHDC ONE Hi-Res Bluetooth Audio Transmitter by Savitech, a leading innovator in the realm of audio technology. This revolutionary device aims to redefine wireless audio transmission by setting a new standard for audio clarity and fidelity across a variety of electronic devices.
At the heart of the LHDC ONE lies the LHDC, a Hi-Res codec that powers the device. This codec offers an array of advancements that include an unprecedented audio transmission of up to 24-bit/192 kHz, an adaptive data rate that ranges from 128kbps to 1000kbps, and total harmonic distortion as low as -144dB. These features collectively contribute to the LHDC ONE’s ability to deliver high audio transmission, low harmonic distortion, and adaptive data rate, thereby ensuring a superior audio experience for the user.
Savitech LHDC ONE wireless audio transmitter
In addition to these impressive features, the LHDC ONE also brings with it support for LE Audio. This ensures a more power-efficient audio transmission, making it an ideal choice for users who seek a balance between performance and efficiency. The LHDC ONE is designed to be compatible with a wide range of operating systems. Whether it’s Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac, users can expect a streamlined audio experience thanks to the device’s USB-C connection. This universal compatibility further enhances the device’s appeal, making it a versatile choice for audio enthusiasts.
Bluetooth 5.3
One of the standout features of the LHDC ONE is its low latency audio transmission. With a latency as low as 80 milliseconds, users can hear and react in near-real time. This is particularly beneficial for gamers and streamers who require a seamless audio experience.
Savitech is launching the LHDC ONE Hi-Res Bluetooth Audio Transmitter on Kickstarter, with a starting price of just $30 USD. This competitive pricing strategy is aimed at making high-resolution audio more accessible to audio enthusiasts worldwide. The Kickstarter campaign has a funding goal of $1000, a testament to Savitech’s commitment to bringing this innovative product to the market.
Analog and mixed signal
The team behind the LHDC ONE comprises experienced analog and mixed signal integrated circuit design experts from Savitech. Their collective expertise and dedication have been instrumental in carefully designing the LHDC ONE to broaden the audience for high-resolution audio. As the developer of the LHDC codec, Savitech is committed to providing top-notch support to users throughout their audio journey. This commitment is reflected in the high-quality performance and features of the LHDC ONE Hi-Res Bluetooth Audio Transmitter.
For more information about Savitech and the LHDC ONE Hi-Res Bluetooth Audio Transmitter, prospective users and audio enthusiasts are invited to visit the Kickstarter campaign page from November 28th. This will provide an in-depth look at the device’s features, capabilities, and potential impact on the world of audio technology.
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