Essential Install | Products
The enclosure has no visible screws or fixings and is enhanced by an acoustically transparent textile covering and cast aluminium heatsink
Back With A Klang !
Luxury TV maker Loewe has always had a soft spot for quality audio too and is expanding on that interest with a new series of wireless speakers designed to work in conjunction with its TVs .
The latest to join the family is the klang 5 , a floor-standing speaker which incorporates five drive units and four amps .
Created to partner products like the company ’ s flagship TV , the bild 7 OLED , the klang 5 is designed to deliver all forms of audio , from music to movies , with crisp , expressive detail and a rich , broad soundstage , says the manufacturer . The five drive units are in a ‘ D ’ Appolito ’ arrangement where a one-inch tweeter is flanked vertically by two three-inch midrange drivers and two three-inch woofers . The tweeter and midrange units are each driven by a separate amplifier , while a fourth amp module handles the two woofers , delivering a combined power output of 135W RMS ( 270W max ) per speaker . The speakers are also designed to deliver a wide sweet spot , but within a narrow vertical plane , to minimise reflections from the floor and ceiling . The klang 5 speakers connect to a Loewe TV via the specially developed ‘ klang link ’ wireless transmitter box , which delivers lossless , high-speed digital audio transmission with latency of less than 5ms . The system operates predominantly on the 5.8GHz frequency band , but can switch automatically to 2.4GHz or 5.3GHz to avoid interference . The klang link secretes away within the cable management space at the back of all current Loewe TVs .
The speakers can be used as a simple stereo pair or with the matching klang 5 subwoofer in a 3.1 or 5.1 configuration , with the soundbar incorporated into many Loewe TVs acting as the centre channel .
The speakers are automatically detected and independently logged by a Loewe TV , ensuring optimised operation whatever the system configuration . Various performance parameters are adjustable via the connected TV ’ s on-screen menu and the TV and speakers power up together when the TV is switched on . Additional controls on the speakers themselves enable their output to be tailored to suit their position in the room : freestanding , against a wall , or in a corner .
Each speaker ’ s integrated stand includes space to hide the power cable .
More information : Loewe + 44 ( 0 ) 3331 230220 , www . loewe-uk . com / uk
The rPlay is designed to deliver wireless freedom at a keen price point
Come And Play With Arcam
The rPlay is the latest addition to Arcam ’ s rSeries and can add network audio streaming services and Internet radio to any system . Using DTS PlayFi , Apple Airplay and UPnP enabled music sources , the unit is designed to pack a lot of functionality into its small form factor and for a modest price point . DTS Play-Fi supports high resolution audio ( 24bit / 192kHz ) from a wired network and enables lossless multi-room wireless audio streaming from services including Amazon Prime Music , Deezer , Napster , Qobuz , Pandora , Spotify and Tidal as well as thousands of Internet stations .
The Play-Fi functionality sends audio from mobile devices or streaming services to speakers throughout the home using proprietary streaming , synchronization and authentication technology . Multi-room , multi-zone and multi-user options are available as is advanced left / right speaker configuration , support for high-resolution audio ( 24bit / 192kHz ). The box will work over standard Wi-Fi , Ethernet and Powerline networks too .
Beginning in Q2 2017 , owners will also be able to use an Alexa-enabled device , including the Amazon Echo ,
Echo Dot , Amazon Tap and Amazon Fire TV , to play and control the music . Arcam has designed the product for low noise and minimum distortion and a four-layer PCB design is in place to maximise the quality of the ground plane in order to further reduce interference between components . Multiple low noise individually regulated power supplies are desinged to deliver the cleanest signal to the output stage . As well as a fixed line level analogue output , the rPlay also features a variable analogue output which uses the same volume control as the A49 flagship amplifier .
The built-in Wi-Fi is compatible with 802.11 b / g / n and Arcam says the wired Ethernet ( RJ45 ) connector allows the most reliable results from all networks . Control can be achieved via the DTS
Play-Fi App or the Arcam UPnP and Control MusicLife iOS Apps .
More Information : Arcam + 44 ( 0 ) 1223 203200 , www . arcam . co . uk
72 | February 2017