IFA 2016 is well under way; we've already seen Lightning-port headphones, a gold-plated Walkman and some expensive Yamaha speakers. Now, Pioneer has joined the fray in the form of a new streamer called the N-30AE, and a couple of CD players, the PD-10AE and the PD-30AE.
The N-30AE is the first network player from the company to have dual-band wi-fi (5GHz and 2.4GHz) and Bluetooth support, as well as compatability with streaming services including Google Cast, Spotify, TIDAL and Deezer.
It can also play all hi-res audio file formats such as FLAC, WAV, and AIFF up to 24-bit/192kHz, controlled by computer, tablet or smartphone via the Pioneer app. Front and rear USB-A inputs allow for the connection of an external hard drive.
A future firmware update will allow any connected USB hard drive to be made available as a NAS drive on your home network, turning the player into a music server.
MORE: Pioneer A-50DA review
As for the CD players, both the PD-10AE and PD-30AE feature a 'silent' CD mechanism and a 24-bit/192kHz DAC (digital-to-analogue converter). However, the PD-30AE comes with a few extra tricks up its sleeve.
For £100 more than its sibling, the Pioneer PD-30AE gets optical and coaxial digital outputs, so it can be used as a CD transport with an external DAC, and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the front.
The Pioneer N-30AE (£450), PD-10AE (£200) and PD-30AE (£280) will all be available from October 2016.
