New music and technology: August 2021
Gary Steel is back with the latest in music and technology
SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer
$1999
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The SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer—chest-pounding bass |
Sadly, consumers have become accustomed to the giant fib that the bass box attached to most soundbars is a subwoofer. Most often, it’s simply a conventional bass driver that can’t fit on the slim dimensions of a soundbar.
A genuine subwoofer will go much lower than a bass driver in a pair of speakers, and that’s where you’ll hear the deep rumble of a genuine cinema experience or the tummy tickling bass from a dub record. But real subwoofers are almost always big, expensive boxes, which rarely appeal to those members of the household who crave designer aesthetics.
The latest subwoofer from the multiple award-winning SVS brand rewrites the rules. While it’s still a box, it’s not called a ‘Micro Subwoofer’ for nothing – its dimensions are a mere 10 inches.
The SVS 3000 Micro bends the laws of physics by employing dual opposing eight-inch drivers, which for the first time, allows chest-pounding output at the lowest frequencies. Utilising a colossal 800 watts of power, this box will astound bass fans with its incredible slam, power, and control, as well as its clever DSP brains, all controlled by an app on your phone. Available in gloss black or white.
Luxman D-10X SACD/CD Player
$27,000
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Luxman’s D-10X may well be the ultimate CD player
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I have it on good authority that the manager of one of New Zealand’s most successful hi-fi retail shops splashed out on one of these for his home system. Now, this guy has the run of a store crammed full of the best audio equipment known to mankind, and he goes and spends a small fortune on a CD player? What kind of madness is this?
Well, there’s still something indelible about physical media, and while the quality of streaming is improving in leaps and bounds with services such as Qobuz, hearing a high-res SACD disc (or even a standard CD) through a player built to the standard that Japanese company Luxman demands… it’s something else again.
The D-10X is a beast at 22.4kg and, as you’d expect for the price, includes an in-house disc drive with its own name, the LxDTM-i, which is enclosed by a 5mm-thick steel top plate and 8mm-thick aluminium sides. Even the CD draw is unique, with a super-smooth action and a special flap that prevents dust gathering on the playing mechanism.
But the crowning glory is a cutting-edge digital-to-analogue chip, resulting in a sound that some might find overly analytical. Others, however, will bask contentedly in its sonic glory.
Abyss Diana Phi Headphone
$6950
Here’s one for those who just can’t do without a proper high-fi experience wherever they go and want to do it in style. Designed, machined, finished, and "carefully hand-assembled in New York", the cheerfully named Diana Phi Headphone from Abyss claims to be the thinnest, lightest piece of high-res audiophile goodness available.
While many are opting for the portable convenience of in-ear ’phones, some sensitive types don’t like the feeling of wee plugs sitting in the ear canal and prefer on-ear headphones for comfort.
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Diana Phi headphones—lightweight audiophile treasures
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Traditionally, headphones offer a markedly different sonic experience from listening to a pair of speakers in a room, but with their patented planar drivers, the Diana Phi headphone offers a surprisingly speaker-like experience.
While they obviously sound incredible, it’s the design that will seal the deal. Available in ‘dark bronze’ and ‘titanium grey’, the finishing touch is made with soft lambskin leather. Baa-aaa!
Onono—Onono
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Onono brings the euphoria of dance club to your lounge
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Who needs MDMA when its musical equivalent is at your fingertips, legal and safe? Onono’s debut longplayer uses super-slick, wide-screen production and clever dance music tropes to capture the euphoria of a night out clubbing. But if that’s not quite your thing, don’t let it put you off.
While the album is a marvel of audio engineering with its beautiful stereo imagery, there’s much more to it than that. Onono is the project of drummer/producer Jonathan Nott who hails from Wellington but whose inspiration is a fabulous mix of modern soul, groovy and sometimes unexpected rhythmic invention, and hi-tech glossy soundscapes. There are brooding ballads in the mix but overwhelmingly, this is an album that wants to get your ass gyrating.
Faye Webster—I Know I’m Funny Ha Ha
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Faye Webster—a honeyed voice to get lost in
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Former US president Barack Obama chose ‘Better Distractions’—the opening track on Faye Webster’s fourth album—as his favourite song of the moment. The man’s got good taste. The first thing that hits you is her delightfully honeyed vocals, which draw you into these intimate songs and keep you in her thrall.
After that, it’s the winningly relaxed and free-flowing mix of folk, country, jazz, and pop threads that make you want to keep swimming in its sounds. Webster brings the swoon back to music. Lovely lazy afternoon or after-party music sounds.
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