It's not all high-end craziness at High End Munich, there is some room for things a little more real world, and the iFi Aurora just about fits into that category. It's a complete one-box wireless system with a thorough spec sheet, a unique design and at £1299/€1499/$1299, a price tag that doesn't knock you clean off your chair.
The iFi Aurora is made from bamboo and aluminium, and sits on an angled stand that gives you a bird's eye view of the valve preamplifier inside. The amplifier that powers the eight drivers is a hybrid design blending a valve preamp solid-state power amp. Four 13cm main drivers are joined by two 28mm silk dome tweeters and two passive bass drivers.
When it comes to getting those drivers pumping, you're not short of options. There's wi-fi, ethernet, DLNA and aptX Bluetooth streaming, plus the option to connect via USB, digital optical, coaxial, analogue stereo or a 3.5mm jack.
The Aurora support high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/192kHz, and if you want to create a whole-home audio system, you can link several Auroras together on your network.
Not just a pretty face, bamboo is said to have been chose for its sustainability as well as its sonic suitability, giving a stiff, well-braced cabinet. And it shouldn't matter where you put it in your room, thanks to iFi's ART (Automatic Room Tailoring). Six microphones claim to measure the distance to surrounding walls using ultrasonic sound. Then, a 32-bit ARM Cortex microprocessor adjusts the output to tailor the audio.
If you like the sound of that, the iFi Aurora is due on sale in July.
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