Burr-Brown
Latest
Bicom turns to Kickstarter to fund its new playGo AP1 AirPlay device
Bicom, makers of the Corian-hewn playGo USB will unveil a new AP1 AirPlay device, but only you if help fund it. After finding out that it wasn't able to produce last year's gear in enough quantity to bring the price down, the company has gone down the Kickstarter route to raise $150,000 in advanced funding. If it reaches its goal, the AP1 will connect to any stereo or pair of powered speakers, pumping out lossless audio for the audiophile in all of us. You can pre-order one right now for $200 or wait and see if the company succeeds, when it'll cost $275 off the shelf.
New Pioneer Elite G-Clef line tempts new would be crop of audiophiles
Pioneer has announced its new, suave-looking Elite G-Clef line, consisting of two integrated stereo amplifiers dubbed the SX-A6MK2 ($700) and SX-A9MK2 ($1,600), along with a pair of CD/SACD players, the PD-D9MK2-K ($1,500) and PD-D6MK2-K ($700). Despite retailing above the brand's new lower-priced receivers also bearing the Elite moniker, the inclusion 192kHz / 24-Bit Burr Brown and Wolfson D / A converters along with twin Mono Symmetrical construction in the amplifiers still positions the G-Clef components as a good value. That's intriguing considering features like SACD playback, Honeycomb Chassis design, Toroidal Transformers, and recreating digitally lost ultra-high harmonics are normally only the things notoriously picky, price-ignoring audiophiles drool over. So we can only surmise Pioneer is trying to breed an entirely new generation of future High-Fi addicts using the G-Clef line as shiny new lure, before iPods packed with 128kbps AAC files become the new sound dungeon the general population will never escape, let alone even notice.
HifiMAN HM-801 PMP promises to make audiophiles happy, wallets hurt
Audiophiles can be a particular bunch when it comes to portable media players and, at the very least, can often be found carrying a not-so-discreet portable amp around with their PMP. This new HifiMAN HM-801 device aims to make their lives a tad easier, however, with it combining a Burr-Brown PCM1704 DAC and a OPA627 op-amp in a single modular unit that'll also let folks swap in their own amp of choice if they so desire. As you might expect, however, while it doesn't cut any corners when it comes to sound quality (including full support for FLAC and lossless WMA), it's pretty no frills otherwise, with no video support or other media-related features to speak of, and no internal storage of its own (you'll have to rely on SDHC cards). At $700, it unsurprisingly also doesn't come cheap, although Head-Fi.org forum members that pre-order it in advance of the June release can at least save $100.[Via SlashGear]
NeoDigits' Helios X3000 and X5000 HD network media players
NeoDigits, who recently brought us that Helios HVD2085 upscaling DVD player, is back with another set of gear under the Helios brand also designed to help you get the most out of your HDTV. Like models we've already seen from SnaZio and Aircord, the upcoming 1080p-capable X3000 and X5000 HD network media players are able to stream a slew of formats from PC to TV, including MPEG-1/2/4, DivX and DivX HD, XviD HD, WMV 9/HD, WMA, MP3, AAC, Ogg, JPEG, PNG, and BMP -- and just in case those aren't enough to satisfy your media jones, you also get an upconverting DVD drive capable of reading both DVD+R and DVD-R discs along with MP3 CDs. Connectivity to your PC comes via the Ethernet port or built-in 802.11g, and you can hook up your home theater gear using HDMI, DVI, component, S-video, or composite video outputs along with analog, optical, or digital coax audio jacks. Available this month, the X3000 will go for $400 while the X5000 (pictured), which throws in a Burr-Brown low-noise Op Amp, 24bit Wolfson DAC, gold-plated RCA jacks, and a few other enhancements, will be priced at $600.
