Latest news with #MarkLevinson
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
End of an Era? The Lexus IS 500 Ultimate Edition Hints at the Model's Farewell
The naturally-aspirated V8-powered Lexus IS 500 isn't the quickest sports sedan around, but there are few that look and sound this good. You might be sad to hear that with the introduction of the IS 500 F Sport Performance Ultimate Edition, Lexus could be signaling the end of the road for the venerable IS. The Ultimate Edition retains the IS 500's naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine, producing 472 horsepower, unchanged from stock. While Lexus hasn't officially confirmed the IS's discontinuation, the limited-run nature of this model and its debut as a 2025 model year vehicle suggest there may not be a 2026 IS. Mechanically, the Ultimate Edition is unchanged from the standard IS 500, retaining the powerful V8 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive only. The Ultimate Edition retains the handsome body and sporty interior but adds some special touches. It gets a special exterior paint color called Wind, a metallic light gray finish that's probably better looking in person than in photos, where it appears as a variation on the model's Ultra White paint. It also gets 19-inch matte-black BBS wheels, red brake calipers, and special IS 500 Ultimate Edition badging. The cabin features a two-tone red and black colorway, complemented by racy red seatbelts, a numbered 1-of-500 plaque, and unique door scuff plates that signify its special designation. The 472-horsepower V8 sports sedan will launch to 60 mph from a standstill in the mid-fours, which is properly quick, about the same as the Genesis G70 3.3T. The top trim IS 500 F Sport Performance Premium, gets a 14-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, voice command, configurable gauge cluster, a panoramic view monitor, and a 17-speaker Mark Levinson premium surround sound system with QuantumLogic surround technology. The upholstery features NuLuxe faux leather wrapped over heated and ventilated front seats (19-way power adjustable for the driver), a power moonroof, embossed door trim, and numerous physical controls for audio and climate. One vestige of the previous IS that we could do without is the wonky touchpad, which unfortunately remains in the IS 500. When it comes to safety, the IS 500 Sport Performance comes standard with Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 and includes features like pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane tracing assist, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The IS 500 also boasts a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Pricing for the 2025 IS 500 F Sport Performance Ultimate Edition has not yet been announced, but the stock IS 500 F SPORT Performance starts at $60,595, while the F SPORT Performance Premium variant begins at $65,095. The Ultimate Edition will, no doubt, exceed that price point. Too bad it won't be offered in some of our favorite colors from the IS 500's palette history, like Flare Yellow and Molten Pearl. We don't care if the IS 500 F Sport Performance Ultimate Edition isn't the quickest, most tractable sports sedan around. The IS 500's naturally aspirated V8 offers a refreshing and nostalgic driving experience, as well as an absolutely intoxicating sound, appealing to enthusiasts who love sport and luxury. The Ultimate Edition will be totally worth the extra money, especially since the V8 will likely disappear from the Lexus stable in the next few years. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
We're bringing you the latest hi-fi news and product launches from the High End Munich show 2025
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Today marks Day 2 of the High End Munich show! It's the last time Europe's biggest hi-fi trade show takes place in Munich (the show moves to Vienna next year), and it's going out with a splash. There are over 500 exhibitors and 1000 brands showcasing the latest and greatest audio products throughout the week. The show started on Thursday, 15th May and ends on Sunday 18th. The What Hi-Fi? team are on the ground at the MOC Event Center Messe München to bring you all the latest hi-fi news and launches, while raising a stein (or two!) to the venue's last hurrah. High End Munich 2025 info When: Thursday 15th & Friday 16th May (10am-6pm) – trade visitors only; Saturday 17th (10am-6pm) & Sunday 18th (10am-4pm) – open to the public Where: MOC Event Center Messe München, Lilienthalallee 40, 80939, Munich, Germany Tickets: €10 Saturday, €10 Sunday. Buy tickets here We've already seen multiple launches from some of the biggest hi-fi brands out there, including high-end amplifiers from Mark Levinson, Audiolab's new DACs, a high-end streamer from dCS, a new phono stage from Chord Electronics, and a special Charlie Brown turntable from Pro-Ject. Scroll down for all the key news and highlights. We'll be bringing you exclusive product news, hands-on images, first impressions and more insights from the event, so keep an eye on the website, our Instagram and Facebook channels for exclusive photos and videos from the show floor. AudiolabAudiolab has started things off with a bang, announcing two new standalone DACs – the D7 (£499) and pricier D9 (£1099) – that are descendants of the much-loved, well-regarded Audiolab M-DAC. The D7 (pictured above) and D9 are packed with new technologies and the full Audiolab D7 and D9 story AudiovectorThe Danish speaker company will be demoing its new flagship R10 Arreté floorstanders, which cost a cool £127,5000 / $165,000 / €147,500 per pair. We've already had a first look and listen to these new floorstanders, and you'll get a chance to hear them yourselves at the show.I listened to Audiovector's flagship floorstanders, and they're an incredibly fun way to spend a small fortune AuralicAuralic will be unveiling its new Aquila X3 streaming media processor at Munich, which promises "a cutting-edge feature set and true modular design, offering users unmatched flexibility and upgradability." The X3 will be on demo to showcase Auralic's LightningCast technology that is said to be "revolutionising high-resolution streaming". Audio-TechnicaThere's a new flagship turntable in town. Audio-Technica has launched the AT-LPA2 (pictured above), with chassis and platter made of clear acrylic to achieve that striking transparent look. It comes fitted with the AT-OC9XEN dual moving coil cartridge, has a separate power supply unit, and is yours for £1699 / €1999. Read the Audio-Technica LPA2 story Advance ParisThe French brand will be launching a number of new products at the show, details of which are under wraps for now. But if you like the look of the beefy A12 Classic integrated with VU meters, keep an eye out for its new releases. Astell & KernA&K has a brand new flagship portable music player – the A&ultima SP4000 – which is packed with more ways of playing high-resolution music than you would think was possible from a portable device. We don't have official pricing yet, but the previous five-star SP3000 flagship cost £3799 / $3699 / AU$5499, so expect a similarly lofty price. BurmesterNot content with one product launch at High End Munich, Burmester has refreshed its entire Reference line of products. This sees the arrival of the 257 turntable, 249 preamplifier and 259 stereo power amplifier, which are all brand new designs and share nothing from their the Burmester story Chord ElectronicsChord teased a new flagship product for its Ultima Reference range, and we now know it's the company's flagship Ultima Phonostage (pictured above). We don't have a price at this stage, but it was on display at Munich High End together with some initial the Chord Ultima Phonostage story Cyrus AudioCyrus has dropped some huge news at High End 2025 with the launch of its first-ever full-width products. The new 80 Series features casework which, according to Cyrus, is simply an extension of that used for its 40 Series. Besides giving its rengineers more room to work in, the new chassis also allows the company to accommodate its external power supply (the 40PSU) in 80 Series the Cyrus Audio story DaliDali has brought the bass to High End 2025 with the V-15F, its most powerful subwoofer yet. Weighing over 50kg, it's a bit of a beast with a huge 16-inch driver and no fewer than four continuous flare reflex ports. A serious speaker for stereo and AV the Dali V-15F story dCSThe new Lina DAC X music streamer launched earlier this month and we hope to have a peek of the new £13,500 / $15,500 player at the show. We were impressed with the Lina DAC (five stars), so have high hopes for this evolved step the dCS Lina DAC X story ElectrocompanietElectrocompaniet will be launching a new product called the EC 5.0, a fully analogue preamplifier, at the show on Friday 16th May. ElipsonThe French brand will be showing off three very different speakers at High End Munich. First up are the eye-catching, globular Planet L Performance speakers, which will be on demo. Also on show are a new version of the Prestige Facet II bookshelf speakers and an updated Legacy range of speakers. EversoloThe Eversolo Play streaming amplifier is a new product from the brand that we're keen to see first-hand. It combines extensive streaming features with a Class D amplifier in its compact box, yours for €699. There's also a version with a CD player built-in for €799 – that's a potent combination of talents for a modern do-it-all system!Read the full Eversolo Play story Fyne AudioA new addition to its F700SP line-up will be unveiled at Munich. The F704SP gets the 'Special Production" treatment, with IsoFlare driver technology and innovations drawn from the brand's flagship F1 Series. Price? £20,000 / $26,000 / €24,000 per the Fyne F704SP story GenelecFinnish audio brand Genelec will have its mammoth five-way 8381A speakers on demo at the show in a piano black finish. Alongside that are smaller Genelec The One three-way bookshelf speakers that come in a variety of colourful finishes. Gryphon Audio2025 marks the 30th year of Gryphon's Antileon Series power amplifier and at High End Munich 2025 the company has launched its fifth-generation version: Antileon Revelation. As with all Gryphon power amps, both stereo and mono versions are available, delivering 160 and 180 watts per channel (RMS) of Class A power, respectively. Read the Gryphon Audio story IsoAcousticsKnown for its isolation products, IsoAcoustics will be showcasing two new product ranges: the GAIA Neo and GAIA Titan Neo acoustic isolation feet. Designed to be more user-friendly and flexible than before, thanks to height adjustment and simplified installation. iFi AudioiFi has launched the UP Travel Bluetooth DAC – a compact transmitter and receiver that offers hi-res Bluetooth from in-car audio and in-flight entertainment systems to your devices, removing the need for cables and adapters. A 3.5mm connector, 10-hour battery and support for aptX Adaptive and LDAC codecs. JBL JBL's flagship, high-end Summit series of loudspeakers has gained three new models, all named after mountains. Joining the giant Everest and K2 models are the smaller-but-still-quite-large Makalu and Pumori floorstanders and Ama standmounter. They start at £14,998 / $19,995 per pair. Ambitious. Read the JBL Summit speakers story KlipschThe American speaker brand will have one of its latest flagship horn speakers – the La Scala AL6 – on demo throughout the show, alongside its Klipsch Ojas collaboration speakers. Over at the Motorworld hotel next door, Klipsch's Flexus 300 (the first ever soundbar with Dirac Live) and Reference Premiere speakers will be on the Klipschorn AK7 & La Scala AL6 story LuxmanCelebrating a monumental 100 years, high-end Japanese brand Luxman has launched the P-100 Centennial headphone amplifier and E-07 phono preamp, both of which we expect will be on the Luxman Centennial story Mark LevinsonMark Levinson has unveiled a whole new range of high-end amplifiers. Its 600 series comprises the No. 626 preamplifier, No. 632 two-channel power amplifier and No. 631 monoblock tower. With prices starting at £24,000 / €28,000 / $25,000 for the No. 626 this is a trio made for serious hi-fi the Mark Levinson 600 series story Meze AudioMeze Audio will be showcasing its open-back POET headphones at the show, which launched earlier this year at £1850 / $2000 / €2000. Also making their debut at the show are the new open-back 105 Silva – official price and launch later in the year. Read the Meze 105 Silva story Musical FidelityWe first saw Musical Fidelity's new midrange B1 series of hi-fi separates at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show earlier this year. The B1 xi integrated amplifier and B1c CD player are both on display at Munich, the Musical Fidelity B1 range story NADNAD has taken the wraps off two new amps for its Master Series range: the M33 V2 BluOS Streaming Amplifier (£4999 / $5999) and M23 V2 Stereo Power Amplifier (£3499 / $3999).Read the NAD story NagaokaThe Japanese cartridge brand is celebrating its 85th anniversary with a brand new flagship cartridge. The Nagaoka MP-700 promises "exceptional detail retrieval from vinyl grooves" and is yours for £1149 / $ the Nagaoka MP-700 story OnkyoWe're excited to see Onkyo's Icon series at the show, which marks the brand's return to hi-fi after many years of absence. The Icon includes a streaming integrated amplifier, a network preamplifier and a power amplifier, and they certainly look smart from the pictures we've seen so far. PMCPMC has confirmed that it will be demoing its new Prophecy range of speakers, which includes one pair of standmounters, three pairs of floorstanders and a centre speaker, with prices ranging from £2275 / €2775 to £8975 / €10,945. Pro-JectPro-Ject has unveiled a Peanuts-themed record player – to coincide with comic strip's 75th anniversary – and Charlie Brown's round head on the platter just looks adorable. Previous years saw the launch of the ultra-cool Metallica turntable, the beautiful Pink Floyd one, and the lovely Yellow Submarine the Pro-Ject Peanuts record player story QobuzFinally, the long-awaited Qobuz Connect feature has launched at High End 2025. In line with Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect, Qobuz's version will hopefully bring a more seamless streaming experience to your hi-fi system and a simpler way of controlling your Qobuz music library across the Qobuz Connect story SennheiserHead to the Sennheiser booth and try out its "immersive mirror box", which offers a short "multi-sensory light and sound experience, followed by visual snippets with behind-the-scenes insights." We're excited to find out what this experience entails. T+AA new streaming integrated amplifier called Symphonia will be on demo, paired with the Talis S 330 floorstanding speakers. Visitors will also get their first look at a new E Series receiver concept running the latest T+A OS user interface – both are currently in development. TADThe high-end Japanese brand will be showcasing its ultra high-end TAD-ME1TX standmount speakers, which boast "meticulous engineering and superior materials", with the price tag starting at a wallet-busting £17,500 / $18,200 / €17,300 per pair. TechnicsWhile we don't have any indication that Technics will be unveiling something brand new at the show, the legendary Japanese brand is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, so expect to see their latest launches – SL-1300G turntable and EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds (both five stars) – on display. WharfedaleWe've seen a new range of speakers from Wharfedale at High End 2025. Evo 5 replaces the well-received Evo 4 line and boasts five different models with updated cabinets, drivers and crossovers and new damping technology. Prices start at £549 / €699 / AU$ the Wharfedale Evo 5 story WiiM WiiM had a big High End Munich last year, launching the WiiM Ultra (five stars) and WiiM Amp Pro (currently being tested). Munich 2025 will be similarly significant thanks to the launch two new product types: the HomePod-looking WiiM Sound smart speaker and the WiiM Sub Pro subwoofer. We're also excited to see the new WiiM Amp Ultra streaming amplifier (pictured above), which combines the Ultra's touchscreen display unit with 100W of amplification, along with plenty of streaming features and the WiiM Sound storyRead the WiiM Amp Ultra story You can see the full list of brands exhibiting this year. MORE: Revisit the highlights from last year's High End Munich 2024 8 tracks we've been using to test in the What Hi-Fi? listening rooms this month The rise of small, complete hi-fi systems that are more accessible for newcomers is a great direction for the industry The best music streamers across all budgets
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High-end hi-fi ahoy! Mark Levinson takes the wraps off its new 600 Series amplifiers
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. You're always guaranteed to see some tasty high-end hi-fi being exhibited by Mark Levinson at the High End Munich show, and this year is no different. Say hello to the company's brand new 600 series of amplifiers. The range consists of three models: the No. 626 preamplifier, No. 632 two-channel power amplifier (both pictured above) and, for those who want power delivered to each of their speakers by a dedicated box, the No. 631 monoblock. Each amplifier is built on Mark Levinson's Pure Path circuit philosophy and showcases the brand's trademark Tectonic industrial design, which blends a machined aluminium chassis, anodised in black, with silver controls. Glass panels on each amp and signature red accents and lighting complete the striking, trademark aesthetics. The No. 626 dual-mono preamplifier is priced at £24,000 / €28,000 / $25,000 and features Mark Levinson's fully balanced Pure Path architecture for the analogue section. The digital number-crunching is powered by its Precision Link III DAC, which supports up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD through six digital inputs – AES/EBU, two coaxial digital, two optical digital, and USB-C. Analogue connectivity comes in the shape of two balanced (XLR) and three single-ended (RCA) stereo inputs, a Pure Phono MM/MC phono stage for your turntable and a Main Drive Class A headphone amplifier for connecting a premium pair of audiophile headphones. Inside, the No. 626 has been designed with modular isolation in mind and includes special shielding of the power supply circuit and digital source circuit from the analogue and phono circuitry. It also uses twin power supplies and comes fitted with vibration-damped feet to keep the amp isolated. Both the No. 632 power amplifier £30,000 / €34,000 / $30,000 and No. 631 monoblock £38,000 / €44,000 / $40,000 (pictured above) feature Class A/AB amplification, Pure Path fully balanced signal paths, and meaty toroidal power supplies. The No. 631 uses an eye-catching floorstanding chassis which stands just under 53cm (21 inches) tall. In keeping with the rest of the series, its chassis has also been machined from aluminium and is anodised in black, featuring a silver plinth as its base. You'll find a glass centre panel on the front with red lighting on either side, while the top panel of the amp has a glass Core element with red accent lighting. The Mark Levinson No. 626, No. 632 and No. 631 amplifiers will go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2025. MORE: High End Munich 2025 live: news and pictures direct from the high-end hi-fi show Wharfedale's Evo 5 speaker series promises "heavenly high-end sound at refreshingly down-to-earth prices" JBL aims high with three high-end speakers joining its flagship Summit Series
Tom's Guide
07-05-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Samsung gets serious about audio — why your next pair of Galaxy buds could sound incredible
(Image credit: Tom's Guide) I've just come off the back of testing the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, a candidate for the best wireless headphones. One of the best parts of these cans is the epic sound quality, honed over decades to conquer the competition. Now, as Samsung looks to acquire the British brand for its Harman Audio sub-brand (Via SamMobile), we might see the B&W logo and potentially even its tuning in the next pair of Galaxy Buds — or some other piece of hardware it has up its sleeves. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) In a somewhat surprising move, Samsung has actually moved to acquire a bunch of different high-end audio brands. There's the aforementioned B&W, but also Japanese classic brands Denon and Marantz, along with Polk Audio. You may like Those would go to join the other brands under the Harman umbrella, including Harman Kardon, JBL, and AKG. They wouldn't the first super-premium brands that Samsung has added to its belt either, with Mark Levinson already firmly within the group. For B&W this could mean a number of things. More budget for research and development, for one. There is the potential for more restriction in ecosystems, although we haven't yet seen that with other Harman brands as yet. One of the biggest things for Samsung and, users is that there's now another maker of fine audio gear to tune and add its name to Samsung headphones. Previously, we've seen "tuned by AKG" plastered across different Samsung audio hardware, and that could change to Bowers & Wilkins. In the long run, it won't mean much for you, if anything. It does mean that even more luxury audio brands are no longer independent though, following Bose's acquisition of super-expensive HiFi amp brand Macintosh. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. And part of me is sad about that. These are special brands with a special touch, and the great corporate machine getting its fingers into the pie isn't always good news. More from Tom's Guide
ArabGT
14-04-2025
- Automotive
- ArabGT
Official Prices for the 2025 Lexus LX in Saudi Dealerships
ArabGT Performance and DrivetrainUnder the hood of the LX 600 sits a 3.4-liter V6 twin-turbocharged engine delivering 409 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque. This power is channeled through a 10-speed automatic gearbox to a permanent all-wheel drive system. In contrast, the LX 700h Hybrid combines the same 3.4-liter V6 engine with an electric motor, generating a combined output of 457 horsepower and a massive 790 Nm of torque. Like its sibling, it also features a 10-speed automatic transmission and a full-time AWD setup. Both models benefit from Lexus's advanced Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) paired with Active Height Control (AHC). Stability is further enhanced with systems like vehicle stability control, anti-lock braking (ABS), traction control, trailer sway mitigation, hill-start assist, crawl control, and turn assist functionality. Drivers can choose from six drive modes—Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, and Custom—alongside a specialized Multi-Terrain Select system with six off-road driving modes for added capability. 2025 Lexus LX Dimensions and Footprint• Length: 5,100 mm• Width: 1,990 mm• Height: 1,865 mm • Wheelbase: 2,850 mm Curb and Gross Weight• LX 600: Curb weight ranges between 2,590 kg and 2,680 kg, with a gross weight reaching 3,280 kg. • LX 700h: Curb weight ranges between 2,710 kg and 2,840 kg, with a gross weight peaking at 3,380 kg. Wheels and Tires• The 2025 Lexus LX 600 rides on 22-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 265/22R50 tires. • The LX 700h features 20-inch wheels with 265/20R50 tires. Interior and Infotainment Inside the 2025 Lexus LX, you'll find a dual-screen center setup: a 12.3-inch main infotainment screen supporting wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, plus a secondary 7-inch control screen beneath it. The digital driver's cluster spans 12.3 inches, complemented by a 10-inch head-up display. Rear passengers enjoy two 11.6-inch entertainment screens, complete with an HDMI port and Bluetooth audio. The cabin is elevated by a premium 25-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, delivering immersive 3D audio quality. Advanced Safety Technologies• Pre-Collision System including emergency braking, brake assist, and automatic pre-collision braking.• Lane Departure Alert with both audible warning and steering vibration.• Lane Keeping Assist and Adaptive Radar Cruise Control.• Blind spot monitoring on side mirrors with integrated Safe Exit Assist.• Intelligent Parking Assist with sensors at both ends (4 front + 4 rear).• Parking Assist Braking with pedestrian and vehicle detection, supported by a rear-view camera.• 360° Panoramic View Monitoring with four off-road terrain cameras.• Ten airbags covering all essential zones: front, sides, knees, and curtain areas.• Theft deterrent system including immobilizer, intrusion sensor, and full alarm suite. • Real-time Tire Pressure Monitoring System for all five tires, including the spare. This comprehensive overview of the 2025 Lexus LX covered local dealership pricing through Abdul Latif Jameel Lexus in Saudi Arabia, along with a full breakdown of its performance, dimensions, features, and safety technologies—showcasing why it remains one of the most refined luxury SUVs on the market.
