Renown sub manufacturer REL is being bought up by their US distribution company Sumiko. No details yet as far asI'm aware, but I would imagine the REL name and current raanges would remain unchanged.

Class D amplification is on the rise.
The main advantages seem to be smaller and more powerful amps that run at cooler temperatures, although I'll leave the technical data to Dev....
At the Hifi News show last September I heard the Class D Rotel RMB-1077 Class D 7 channel AV amp (£1600). It was hooked up to 7 meaty B&W speakers (the recent '8 series'(?)) in a large room. I'm not into surround sound AV setups myself, but the Rotel sounded impressive, driving that particular setup with surprising ease given the Rotel's small physical size.

3 recent stereo releases in the Class D arena are:
Rotel RB-1092 stereo power amp, £1600. Rated at 2x635W (yes that's six-hundred and thirty five Watts per channel).
Onkyo A9755 integrated stereo amp £699.95 for 150Wpc and the A9555 at £449.95 for less power.

The BFA (British Federation of Audio) is having a tantrum about MP3, expressing 'official concerns' about the poor quality of low res' music formats (e.g. the iPod). BFA states that the musical performance of iPods 128kb/s rate is inferior to "CD quality".

Ken Ishitawa at Marantz is wielding his soldeing iron again, this time over the new SA7001 SACD player. The basic model is £430, Ken's KI signature version is £600.

A couple of the Brit manufacturers are pusuring the growing, if slightly dubious from an audiophile point of view (? see recent hififorum threads on the subject), DAB market:
Musical Fidelity's A5 FM/DAB is added to their A5 range for £1499.
NAD's C445 joims the DAB posse for £350.

B&W have released their new CMI mini speakers at £499, while at a more aspirational end of the market Spendor add to their range with the floorstanding S9e (8ohms 90dB sensitivity), priced taggeed at £2895.

Beyond the aspirational, at the ludicrous end of the market is Zanden's 2000 Premium CD transport and 5000 signature DAC. Total cost £32450. Someone's having a laugh aren't they...?

DF

The Audiolab brand, which was bought by TAG-McLaren some years back and re-branded as "TAG-McLaren", is now back in business.

The Asian-based multi-national, IAG, has acquired the facilities from TAG-McLaren - plus some of the key players - and re-launched the Audiolab brand.

Audiolab Website

Their two-channel audio line-up includes:

1) 8000CD Integrated Compact Disk Player
2) 8000S Integrated Amplifier (60wpc)
3) 8000Q Pre-amplifier
4) 8000P Stereo Power Amplifier (100wpc)
5) 8000M Monoblock Power Amplifier (125wpc)

The AV range consists, currently, of two items:

a) 8000AV AV Processor/Pre-amplifier
b) 8000X7 AV Power Amplifier (7x100watts)

In addition to these two ranges of audio electronics, it would appear that Audiolab will also begin dabbling in loudspeakers soon.

The Audiolab 8000A was THE integrated ampliflier in its price-range back in the mid-1990's - and deservedly so. A very well-engineered amplifier, it also had a neutral character that neither added nor subtracted from the signal fed to it.

All in all, a very welcome return after a fairly lengthy absence.

Well Plans for the 2005 Bristol Show have started again, and it's set to be even better than last year!

http://www.bristolshow.co.uk

Sharp seems to be the big name this year, with their new addition to the projector range - the £1247 XR-1S! A small, light 'pico-portable' with a contrast ratio of 1500:1, Carl Zeiss Optics, and a range of preset modes for games, movies or presentations.

Sony has also announced the launch of it's new digital jukebox to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sony's first walkman. The new NW-HD1 will be smaller than the iPod and has a battery life three times longer!

Other exhibitors this year include Acoustic Energy, Apollo, Apple, Arcam, Atacama Audio, Beyerdynamic, Bose, Cambridge Audio, Case Logic, Chord Company, Creative, Cyrus, Denon, Epson, Fujitsu General, Hewlett Packard, Jamo, John Lewis, Marantz, Mission, Naim Audio, Nokia, Omnimount, Optoma Europe, Ortofon, Path, Philips, Pioneer, Pro-Ject, Pure Digital, QED, Quad, Rel Acoustics, Roksan, Siemens, Sony, Soundstyle, Storex, TEAC, Toshiba, Van Den Hul, Veda, Vibe, Vienna Acoustics, Wharfedale, Wilson Benesch and Yamaha.

Here's the details of this year's show:

Date: Friday 25 - Sunday 27 February 2005

Times: 10am - 5pm every day.

Where: Marriott City Center Hotel, Lower Castle Street, Bristol, UK

Prices: Adults: £7, Students/OAP's: £3.50, accompanied children under 16 free.

Enjoy the Show!!

The Bristol Show is almost upon us again this year - Sound & Vision!

http://www.bristolshow.co.uk/

This is the place to see and hear all the latest products from hi-fi to home cinema and beyond, and direct from The Bristol Show's web site, here are a few good reasons why you should attend:

- See and hear hundreds of hi-fi and home cinema products...

- Talk directly to the manufacturers and designers...

- See new products before they hit our stores...

- Special show deals and discounts - everything on Show is for sale!

- Win superb prizes in our show competition...

- What Hi-Fi? Sound & Vision there in person to answer your questions...

- Easy to get to - right in the heart of Bristol...

I (fishsponge) am definitely gonna be there (although not on a stand, i'll just be wandering around), so hopefully the members of this site will be able to make it too! :D