NUARL, completely wireless with bi-amplifier drive and MEMS.The god of fire “Loki” descends

On the 9th, e☆Earphone opened the portable audio exhibition and listening event “Potafes 2023 Winter Akihabara” in Akihabara. The period is 2 days until the 10th. Admission is free (free entry and exit without pre-registration). The venue is Bellesalle Akihabara. Here, we will report on booths such as NUARL, AVIOT, and Sound Earth.

NUARL

Completely wireless earphones “X878” equipped with MEMS drivers.The appearance and size are expected to change in the product version.

At the EMIRAI booth, Noble Audio’s fully wireless earphones “FALCON MAX” equipped with a MEMS driver are on display, and at the NUARL booth, a complete wireless earphone equipped with a MEMS driver is also on display for reference. The topic of this year’s Potafest is likely to be “MEMS drivers.”

The model is called “X878” and has a hybrid configuration equipped with a MEMS driver for high frequencies and a 10mm diameter dynamic driver for low frequencies. The fact that it is equipped with a MEMS driver is a hot topic, but what makes it even more unique is that it is equipped with dual DACs, and each unit is bi-amplified.

Specifically, it is equipped with an SoC equipped with dual DAC. Normal 2-way earphones require a crossover network to separate low and high frequencies, but depending on the quality of the elements used in the network, noise may increase or it may be necessary to smooth the connection between low and high frequencies. There are some drawbacks, such as difficulty in adjusting the sound quality and sound pressure balance.

Therefore, by controlling the SoC equipped with dual DACs with software, each DAC is assigned to a low-frequency dynamic driver and a high-frequency MEMS driver for bi-amplification. This allows for fine tuning, which is advantageous for sound quality. Also, since an external DAC is not added to a regular SoC, there are no disadvantages such as increased power consumption or larger housing.

Color variation image of “X878”

Also on display at the booth was the prototype titanium-cased version of the wired earphone “Overture”, the “X347 (Overture Limied Edition Titanium)”. The company is considering commercializing the product while watching the reaction from attendees.

Titanium housing version of “Overture”

AVIOT “Opening up new territory” completely wireless “TE-ZX1”

「TE-ZX1」

At the AVIOT booth, the new flagship completely wireless earphones “TE-ZX1” will be on display for reference. Development is progressing with the goal of release in January 2024, and in addition to the regular model, the collaboration model “TE-ZX1-PNK” with Pierre Nakano of Rin Toshigure will also be released at the same time.

Collaboration model with Pierre Nakano “TE-ZX1-PNK”

The TE-ZX1 uses the newly developed “Tribrid Five Driver” driver system, which consists of five drivers in three types: one planar magnetic drive driver, three balanced armature drivers, and one dynamic driver.

By fully introducing the numerous technologies that the brand has cultivated to date, including the hybrid noise canceling, additive manufacturing technology, and metal nozzles of the past “Z series,” It is said that it will become a model for “opening up new opportunities.” Compatible with Bluetooth Version 5.2. Profiles are A2DP, HFP, and AVRCP, and codecs support LDAC, AAC, and SBC.

TE-ZX1

sound earth

Kinera Imperial Loki

At the Sound Earth booth, Kinera’s high-end line, Kinera Imperial’s highest-end flagship earphones, “Loki”, are attracting attention. It was just released on the 9th, and the price is 468,000 yen.

The design and sound are inspired by Loki in Norse mythology, and the faceplate depicts lava in fiery red, symbolizing Loki’s power of fire. Blue represents the surface of the earth.

Unit: 6mm diameter dynamic type for low range x 1, balanced armature (BA) x 4 for midrange, BA x 2 for treble, EST x 4 for ultra-high range, and bone conduction driver x 1 It will also be equipped with

At the same booth, DUNU’s new earphones “Kawa GLACIER” will also be introduced. The exterior is inspired by a glacier, and the unit configuration is 1 dynamic, 4 BA, 4 EST, 9 drivers on each side. The price has not yet been determined, but it is expected to be around 200,000 yen.

DUNU’s new earphones “Kawa GLACIER”

STAX

On the left is the conventional model SRM-D10, on the right is the new model SRM-D10 II

At the STAX booth, a model called “SRM-D10 II” is on display as a reference, a new product of the company’s portable driver unit with a built-in USB DAC that can drive ear speakers outdoors.

As you can see from the model name, it is the successor to the SRM-D10, and the DAC chip has been changed from “ESS9018” to “AKM4493”. Supports PCM 382KHz/32bit, DSD up to 11.2MHz.

In terms of details, the connection terminal on the back has been changed from USB Micro to USB-C, and the power supply terminal has also been changed from an AC adapter to USB-C charging. The price has not yet been determined, but it is expected to be slightly more expensive than the previous model.

The conventional model SRM-D10 is on the left, and the new model SRM-D10 II is on the right.Equipped with two USB-C ports, one for connecting to devices and one for powering.

top wing cyber sound group

At the Top Wing Cyber ​​Sound Group booth, new products were on display all at once.

In the center is “NEO iDSD2”

From iFi audio, the just-released “NEO iDSD2” is attracting attention. Headphone amplifier with built-in DAC with various upgrades such as lossless Bluetooth.

“Broadway” and “BroadwayS”

Eleven Audio has released the fully balanced discrete class A headphone amplifier “Broadway”, which is not yet released in Japan, and the single-ended A class headphone amplifier “BroadwayS” for low impedance headphones and high sensitivity IEMs. You can listen to it in combination with “K-DAC”.

Lotoo「Mjolnir」

Lotoo’s “Mjölnir”, which has been exhibited as a reference at events in the past, is a stationary stand-alone digital audio player.

The release date is scheduled for January 15, 2024, and the estimated price is 1,485,000 yen. The DAC chip uses “AK4499EQ”. It has built-in Lotoo OS and has 3.5mm, 6.35mm, 4.4mm, and 4-pin XLR headphone outputs, as well as XLR and RCA line outs. Also equipped with AES/EBU XLR digital output, coaxial digital, and optical digital output. It also has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi functions. It operates with a built-in battery and has external dimensions of 18 x 18 x 6.3 cm. Weight is approximately 2,700g.