New music and technology: September 2022
Gary Steel is back with what's new in music and technology this month
Aries Cerat Genus 845 Integrated Amplifier
$35,000
Here’s one for valve fans and those who are prepared to pay for a no-compromise integrated tube amplifier that boasts an extremely low noise floor and no feedback while producing exceptionally high bandwidth.
The brainchild of Cyprus-based Stavros Danos, Aries Cerat started out with astonishing loudspeakers in 2010 and has subsequently come up with an exquisite series of amps, preamps, and other electronic marvels.
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The Aries Cerat Genus 845 is a superb-looking and sounding valve amplifier
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The Genus 845 is not lightweight at a backbreaking 67kg, but its form factor is relatively diminutive with a footprint of just 520mm by 530mm. It’s a remarkable-looking object but it’s the almost forensic way the tube technology has been manipulated that makes it extra special.
Managing 25 watts in Class A, the Genus features "two directly heated triode (DHT) tubes using triple passively filtered filament PSUs. All DHT tubes and especially the thoriated tungsten filament tubes are extremely sensitive to noise present in their filament circuits.
Bias of all four tubes, both the two driver and two output tubes can be adjusted on the fly using the built-in bias meter, so you can tailor the sound to your taste, but also monitor tube’s current long term." Golly.
Klipsch ProMedia Heritage 2.1 sub/sat
$799
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The Klipsch ProMedia Heritage speaker system—perfect for TV or computer
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Designed as desktop audio or TV solution with a difference, the Klipsch ProMedia Heritage 2.1 multimedia system makes for a stylish change from the generic product at this end of the audio market.
Okay, you’re not going to get audiophile-grade sound reproduction at this price point, but if you’ve been putting up with crappy generic computer speakers or a horribly sluggish and tinny soundbar on your TV, then investment in Klipsch’s latest offering might just make your day.
With its patented Tractrix horn technology, one-inch soft-dome tweeters and a three-inch long-throw woofer for dynamic mid-range, the ProMedia Heritage also features an eight-inch subwoofer that includes a 100-watt amplifier. The result is clear and immersive sound from a small speaker system that—with its pleasing woodgrain finish—is as sweet on the ears as it is on the eyes.
Rega Saturn MK3 CD-DAC Player
$4300
Rega’s historic reputation might be based around their legendary turntables, but of late, they’ve added the Saturn range of integrated amps, and this strikingly different-looking combination DAC and CD player to their stable.
The Saturn MK3 CD-DAC Player is essentially two exquisite products in one: a high-quality independent DAC circuit and a high-specification CD transport. This makes it the perfect end-point for those looking for a way to play their CD collections via a digital to analogue converter that does that very important job with style.
While the MK3 is designed to perfectly match other Saturn products, it can be seamlessly integrated into any audio system. Connectivity options are bounteous and include two optical inputs, two co-axial inputs, a fully asynchronous USB, and a direct digital output from the CD playback section.
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This combo DAC and CD player from Rega will enhance any system
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This cool-looking piece of gear is the perfect mechanism for those who (like me) find that despite the convenience of streaming, compact discs offer more than just a nostalgic connection to their favourite music.
Beyoncé—Renaissance
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Beyoncé’s Renaissance is an enjoyably banging tribute to dance culture
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I’m not a big Beyoncé fan. Call me old-fashioned but I treasure qualities such as humility while her narcissism rankles. But that’s just me. Hey, Renaissance is sitting at Number 1 in the charts as I write.
Regardless of my distaste for the characteristics described above, I try to keep an open mind and have to admit that—as one friend pointed out—the new album is "banging".
What makes it so successful is that it’s a celebration of dance music and the energy and vigour that comes with it. It’s club culture that inspires Renaissance and the way that dancing into the dead of night can shake off the day’s worries.
Marlon Williams—My Boy
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Kiwi crooner Marlon Williams is back but sounds a bit different
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On his first couple of albums, it felt like Marlon Williams was going to become one of those country-pop entertainers so beloved of the New Zealand entertainment machine: a modern iteration of John Hore/Grenell, perhaps, with a bit of Howard Morrison thrown in.
But on My Boy, there’s tectonic change. Between albums, he’s acted in major international films and TV series such as Sweet Tooth and had time to re-think his image.
We get the same effortless vocal presentation, but a much more nuanced bunch of tunes capped off with a delightful cover of ‘Promises’—a disco-era song written by The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb for none other than Barbra Streisand.
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