LATEST ADDITIONS

With the launch of the £1300 Model 60n, Marantz finally has an entry-level alternative to the £2200 Model 40n [HFN Apr ’22]. This is par for the course, as Marantz has similar ‘good’ and ‘better’ offerings in the shape of the Model 30 [HFN Jan ’21] and Model 50 amplifiers. But where those two are ‘old-school’ analogue-only separates requiring external sources, this new Marantz amplifier is an all-in-one with DAC and streaming capabilities – all of which explains the ‘n’ for ‘network’ at the end of the name.

Were it not for the enclosure design, it might be tempting to think of the Kaya S12, the smallest speaker from South Africa’s Vivid Audio, as just another standmount. But as those eye-catching looks suggest, there’s something special going on here, and the price – £6000 a pair in a choice of striking finishes, with more available to order – certainly sets expectations high.

Although it’s relatively easy to build a large ‘cost no object’ loudspeaker worthy of a brand’s flagship, things get a little trickier when the requirement is for a compact model. Quite apart from the budget constraints – customers believe there should be a direct relationship between size and price – there’s the small matter of ‘you can’t argue with physics’ when it comes to delivering a big, room-filling sound from a smallscale enclosure.

It has been suggested that bands are a dying breed in the modern age. As technology enables individuals to create fuller tapestries of music than ever before without the need to recruit a drummer on the basis of whether or not they own a van, or stick with an annoying keyboard player because his dad lets you use his warehouse for rehearsals, the incentive to go it alone is strong. The costs of touring with five or six people in tow is also pretty prohibitive, and it's a more complicated proposition in the studio. Meanwhile, the relative marginalisation of hard rock and indie pop - genres that traditionally rely on the guitar-bass-drums-vocals formula - hasn't helped.