K400 – It's Kerr Acoustic's "pro-level performance for small spaces". It packages a 45mm true-ribbon tweeter and 15cm ScanSpeak mid/woofer in an 18mm cab with 24mm Baltic birch-ply baffle, 12mm internal bracing and transmission-line loading. Claimed bandwidth is 39Hz-45kHz, sensitivity 88dB, nominal impedance 6Ω, weight per side 7.5kg, with dimensions of 341 x 164 x 310mm HxWxD. Finish options are Oak and Walnut real veneers or satin or gloss lacquers in any RAL colour. Pricing starts at £4'695/pr whilst the stands add £595/pr.

Ø's Ymir – It's the 4th model in the Norwegian portfolio, a 12" two-way floorstander with triple sidefiring ports, 76mm compression tweeter/mid in a custom waveguide, aluminium baffle, stainless steel outriggers and 1st-order crossover with Zobel network and notch filters. At 120kg each and 26Hz-22kHz response, this is a serious affair. Dimensions are 114.5 x 38.2 x 52.9cm HxWxD, sensitivity is a nicely high 93.5dB. As shown, two wood finishes in blond and dark apply.

Laiv's Crescendo is getting louder – Welcome their Crescendo Beat and Chorus, a linear power supply for the 3-in-1 Verse; and a high-speed switching power amp respectively. The Beat is a dual-stage 5V+15V supply with just 50µV of max ripple. Chorus is a GaNFet amp of 50/120w into 8Ω stereo/mono claimed to trickle down tech from their bigger dedicated class D Harmony monos. Axpona has the world premiere of both new Crescendo components.

Clarity on route 66 – It's Radiant Acoustics's new 3-driver 2-way floorstander called Clarity 66 [€7'998/pr delivered]. It combines a waveguided AMT with dual Purifi Ushindi 6½" aluminium mid/woofers reflex-loaded out the rear via a massive Superflare port. A 15mm aluminium front baffle bonds to a 21mm MDF carcass with extensive bracing plus steel rods terminating in the woofer magnets. 86dB/4Ω and 24Hz-20kHz, 2'400Hz filter hinge, 22.2 x 102.5 x 35.5cm WxHxD and 40kg/ea. are the basic specs.  And, there are three different finish options.

Noise buster – Hello Clarus Concerto Mk2 [$12K], an 8-outlet AC conditioner with application-specific filtering. "Sensitive analogue components benefit from high-permeability common-mode nanocrystalline inductive filtering which virtually eliminates ground-referenced noise without current limiting current or dynamic compression. The four outlets labelled 'Digital' receive power from a combination of differential-mode and common-mode filter circuits designed to suppress HF noise generated by digital circuitry. The two outlets labelled 'High Current' receive power from a common-mode filter engineered to suppress noise as well as deliver large transient currents while reducing conducted interference and mitigating the effects of radiated noise. These filter networks provide effective noise suppression without introducing series resistance or nonlinear behaviour under dynamic load conditions. Newly added oil-filled capacitors improve thermal stability and the long-term reliability of the analogue and high-current circuits."

Nordic preamplitude – It's Electrocompaniet's new EC5 preamp [€22K], a fully balanced dual-mono class A proposition with 0.1dB x 1'000 steps for the electronically switched resistor-network attenuator. Relays or mechanical switches are eschewed elsewhere too, again in favour of electronic switching. Bandwidth is 0.5Hz-450kHz, THD+N 0.0002%. i/o execute on 4:2 XLR:RCA inputs, XLR/RCA outputs, a tape loop and trigger ports. The Ethernet jack is for app control and firmware updates. As a purist linestage, there is no phono, streaming or D/A conversion.

Power ambitions gone rogue – It's Rogue Audio's new M-250 Ultra monos which generate namesake 8Ω power from a six-pack of KT-88 run in ultralinear, about half that in triode. There are rear-switchable RCA/XLR inputs and 8/4Ω speaker tabs. In keeping with the output glass of choice, each mono weighs 88lbs.

Mobile users alert – We recently did a comprehensive recoding of how this site presents for smartphone users. Nothing at all has changed for the tablet, laptop or PC views but the site now renders far better and quicker on a narrow small display. If you still spot errors whilst browsing 6moons on a cell phone, please notify me at srajan-at-6moons.com and share what smartphone model and browser you're using; and which page or function doesn't render or behave correctly so we can fix it. Any major recode job typically entails small bugs and with the broad variety of devices, OS and browsers in use, we may not have caught all of them yet so your help is appreciated to exorcise them all. Thank you very much. Srajan

Reiki X – It's not an energy massage with a happy ending. It's a new range of LAN devices, the SuperSwitch X and Pro X PSU [€5'110 for the combo]. "Since its 2023 launch, the SuperSwitch and its Pro PSU benefited incrementally from improvements like a grounding post, increase in chassis thickness from 3mm to 5mm and respaced rear ports to better accommodate larger Ethernet cables on the input side. The SuperSwitch X and its accompanying power supply represent more than incremental changes. The chassis have doubled to 10mm thickness for even better RFI shielding. The switch circuitry now encases in non-conductive resin for further suppression of micro vibrations. The fully linear supply received a 25% larger transformer. As the result of a partnership with fellow British innovators Stack Audio, we even offer an upgrade to a specially commissioned threaded version of their excellent Auva EQ isolators."

Don't call it a soundbar – The Livebox is what happens when Weiss Engineering digital, PSI Audio speaker and Illusonic algorithmic tech hook up. There are AES/EBU, coax and Toslink inputs, USB-B, UPnP/RJ45 and analog RCA/XLR. DSP includes tone shaping, de-esser, vinyl emulation, loudness equalization and dynamic playlist adjustments, room equalizer and crosstalk cancellation. Control is via IR remote or web browser. Streaming integration includes Roon Ready, Qobuz Connect and UPNP (Jplay, Mconnect, Audirvana). The global power supply auto-detects our mains voltage.

WA12 Zircon – It's Woo Audio's new solid-state amplifier "reimagined to deliver our 'house sound' of vacuum tubes". This class A design operates on a power supply switchable between Lithium-Ion battery and AC mode. Outputs are XLR4, 4.4mm, 6.3mm and one ribbon-direct inverted XLR4. Each port is fronted by its own push button so four headphones can remain connected at any one time then select by switch. Power output is 7.5wpc into 8Ω, 6.5wpc into 30Ω. Full-power output hits 90kHz bandwidth. Output impedance is 1Ω. Inputs are dual XLR and single RCA. Dimensions are 11.5×8.3×5.75"SxWxH, weight is 11kg, price €8K.

P2 – It's Lumin's new PCM384/DSD512 network player and digital preamp with RCA/XLR analog inputs, twin ES9038Pro converters, dual-toroid linear power supply, Lumin's latest processor engine, fibre-optic networking and lossless Leedh volume control. Digital socketry includes AES/EBU, coax, BNC, USB, 3 x HDMI plus HDMI/ARC out, USB host, RJ45 and SFP. Analog outs are on RCA and XLR. Finish options are black or silver.

Herr Buchardt the Third – It's their S400 in its 3rd incarnation. "First shown as a prototype in 2016, the S400 quickly became a cornerstone of our line and has since built a reputation as one of the most widely recommended stand-mount speakers in its category. The new model introduces a larger cab along with all-new tweeter and woofer, aimed at improving dynamics and headroom while preserving the balanced and natural presentation of the original. Only a single part i.e. the binding posts carry over from the previous generation. One of the most notable changes is the 7½-inch SB Acoustics Satori papyrus mid/woofer offering 65.5% greater displacement for increased dynamic capability, stronger bass authority and greater physical impact while the cabinet size itself only grew by 18%. The new tweeter uses a custom 26mm aluminium dome paired with a newly developed waveguide to improve refinement with higher perceived clarity and resolution. Buchardt continue to collaborate with Jantzen Audio on the new 1st-order crossover. The rear-ported S400 Mk3 will initially be available through a limited pre-order campaign of 75 pairs per finish at the introductory price. Estimated delivery is late summer 2026." Prices in black are €2.3K/pr incl. VAT/shipping, pre-order €2'100/pr; €2'450/€2'250/pr in real wood veneer.

X1 – It's Korean Hifistay's half-priced new rack [€2'500/tier] which embeds roller-ball isolation in the floor interfaces, column-to-column couplers and beneath each individual shelf. Different lengths of the damped uprights afford customization, tiers are easily added or removed and a conversion kit accommodates double-wide setups.

Meze Astru – It's a new titanium-built IEM [€899] with single 10mm dynamic driver, "premium balanced cable and full accessory kit for high-end portable listening". The dome driver "features over 80 ultra-thin gold layers applied during a 48-hour magnetron sputtering process in a physical vacuum which then bond to a titanium layer atop a Peek base." Specs are 5Hz-35kHz, 32Ω, 111dB/mW, 2-pin input connectors and weight of 13.4g.

Uniquely Unico – It's a new Unison Research range of hybrid class A-A/B electronics with valve inputs and transistor outputs. The first two models are the Unico Pre V2 [$7.5K] with ES9018MkII DAC and MC/MM; and Unico DM V2 [$11K]. The fully balanced class A preamp with no negative feedback runs a pair of 12AX7 Gold Lion bottles and 15/20dB of voltage gain on XLR/RCA. The class AB stereo amp offers 220wpc/8Ω or a whopping 650W in bridged mono. It has a dual 12AU7 front end with a triple-pair Mosfet current buffer. Multiple finish options apply.

Compact Player – At €6'500 and PCM 384 and DSD256 compliant, it's Nagra's new entry-level headless streamer with built-in DAC outputting on RCA exclusively whilst power comes from an external 12V supply. A-weighted noise floor of -140dB and 14Ω output impedance are the basic specs.

Balloon speakers – These cyclops eyes are from TotalDAC's Vincent Brient and coaxial 2-ways with downfire port combining a 10" woofer with a throat-loaded 1" compression driver. Claimed in-room response is 40Hz-20kHz. Filter parts are Mundorf coils and Claritycap capacitors. Efficiency is 95dB/1m. The enclosure colour is solid not painted on. These spheres have a 50cm diameter and weigh 13kg.

CD-5.2 – It's Gold Note's new half-width CD player with Stream Unlimited drawer mechanism, RCA/XLR analog outputs, coax and Toslink digital outputs, AKM AK4493 conversion and with it, volume control most likely digital but not specified. Remote control is included and like all other 5.2 Series models, the only finish option is black. Once again a Gold Note press release lacked pricing information because, clearly, none of us need or want to know.

Going for gold – It's Børresen new M8 Gold flagship speaker, a triple-segmented tower with d'Appolito style 5" two-way centre around the brand's 94dB efficient planarmagnetic thin-foil tweeter whilst six packs of 8" woofers in passive RiPol configuration bracket that centre section above and below. 12 x 8-inch woofers per channel sum to more than 3 x 15" woofers yet exhibit far higher motor-to-cone force and 'super'-dipole dispersion for much reduced room interaction. The neodymium-powered drivers combine carbon skins around an aramid core surface-treated with zirconium, titanium, hafnium and their nitrides. The baskets are milled from solid blocks of austenitic stainless steel coated with the same surface treatment then cryogenically treated. The crossover operates in the current not voltage domain. Bi-amping is strongly encouraged. So are strong floors when these weigh 325kg. Follow the embedded link for all the tech details. Tailor-made companions to drive the M8 Gold are the new Aavik M-880 class A mono amplifiers delivering 400W/8Ω, 1.3kW into 2Ω and a damping factor of 1'000. With the M6 model listed at a cool half a million the pair, does the M8 being 'two more' double to €1'000'000/pr? The press release didn't say but given the exuberance of woofers the M8 installs, shouldn't we expect a downscaled model with 8 woofers per side and then another one with 4 as time goes on and this speaker concept presses downward?

Put yer coil in the field – Miss Elektra sez so. It's Voxativ's latest based on their AC-X2 field-coil widebander covering 60Hz-20kHz with a single rear-horn-loaded driver. Docked below its cab works a RiPol 2×12" active bass system in MkII guise, packing 500W of in-house developed class D power to continue seamlessly for full 20-20 bandwidth. Efficiency is a hair-raising 110dB/1W/1m. Start your flea-power engines and bring down the house. On your way to the track, stop by the bank and take out €65'000.

Foundry not foundation. In F12 guise, it's PS Audio's first active Foundry subwoofer. As the name suggests, it uses a 12" woofer backed by 1kW of power and "advanced room correction". The cellulose driver with carbon dust cap is a monster-stroke type of claimed throw past 2½ inches not centimetres pulled back by a 10" Nomex spider. The amplifier's power supply is rated for 1'800 watts. The associated Foundry control app for iOS and Android "compensates for a listening room's peaks and dips with an auto EQ based on a smartphone's mic; or via a manual function". Adjustments include delay and PEQ, connectivity high-and low-level inputs. A Wisa 24/96 wireless module is optional. Finish options are satin black or white and the retail price is $2'749. Dimensions are 14.75 x 16.75 x 17.5" WxHxD, weight is 77lbs.

HP-5.2 – Gold Note's next-gen headphone amplifier is a dual-mono class A affair with a plethora of analogue adjustments including crossfeed, Harman curve, variable gain, damping factor, stereo/mono and balance control. For digital there's an ES9023 DAC and Bluetooth 5.2 HD aptX. Access is by remote or touchscreen display. There's even an upgrade path to an external power supply. Headphone power is 5wpc max into an unspecified impedance. The press release contained no pricing info.

Titanic drops anchor – From Belfast's Titanic Audio comes the tri-axis isolation platform Anchor [£500] which "separates vibration management into three stages each optimised for a specific frequency range. The top surface incorporates hexagonal traces to manage fast low-amplitude vibration generated by transformers, motors and power supplies. This geometry also embeds within the upper layer of the internal core. Low-frequency vibration carries the greatest energy and is the most difficult to control. Anchor addresses this with a system of spring-loaded hexagonal suspension pins supporting the isolation core. Each pin allows controlled vertical movement while expanding laterally under load, converting vertical energy into distributed lateral motion within the surrounding core where it is dissipated efficiently. This shared mechanical load prevents over-compression and ensures consistent performance across a wide range of component weights without bottoming out or becoming overly compliant. Between the HEX-DNA surface and suspension system sits a layered composite isolation core tuned to absorb and disperse vibration across the midband and lower frequencies. Carefully selected soft and dense materials allow energy to be absorbed without becoming trapped."

Jaywalking with JPlay – How many ways are there to cross the hi-res street? The Polish JPlay app just added HighResAudio to Tidal and Qobuz whereby we can access these subscription services plus local content inside their "audiophile interface" as they call it. From Audirvana to HQPlayer, Lumin and Roon, software with embedded sound-optimizing features behind a graphic user interface to navigate big music libraries abounds; and JPlay is one of them vying for your attention now with a new embedded client.