T+A is launching three new products within its Caruso family. Closely resembling the Caruso all-in-one audio system, the Caruso R mirrors the functionality of its sibling but, for the first time in the Caruso range, does not include internal speakers. The loudspeaker duties will be taken care of by two new speaker packages – the floorstanding S 10 and standmount R 10. As of March 29th 2021, the new Caruso R will be available from specialist dealers at an €2,700 / $3,800 / £3,000, while the S 10 and R 10 are priced at €2,250 / $3,300 / £2,500 and €1,150 € / $1,600 / £1,300 respectively.
During the development stage of the Caruso R, the challenge lay in transforming an all-in-one system into a receiver and adapting the Navigator OS operating system to suit this change. “Although the Caruso’s Navigator OS represented a strong starting point, we had to rethink many aspects of the user interface, and adjust them to suit the altered facilities”, says Project Manager Jörg Küpper. “In the final analysis, the product we developed is a blood-brother to the Caruso, but still a truly independent unit which will be received with just as much enthusiasm by new customer groups”, Küpper continues.
The centre of the Caruso is dominated by a high-resolution 7” screen, which is the key element in the intuitive operation of the whole system. The Caruso R can also be controlled using the Caruso Navigator App for Android and iOS, as well as by the remote control handset which is supplied as standard. The designers were faced with a difficult balancing act: on the one hand the Caruso R was required to be a compact device; on the other it had to exude an impressive presence in the room. To achieve this, the distinctive loudspeaker grilles were replaced by black-lacquered aluminium cheek panels, while the Caruso R’s landscape touchscreen makes the unit appear wider to the eye. The contrasting silver cover subtly accentuates this effect, with the result that the Caruso R has an elegantly compact, extended silhouette.
In technical terms the new Caruso satisfies virtually every requirement in terms of music. Analogue and digital inputs are present, as are FM and DAB tuners as well as Bluetooth and Airplay 2 receivers. Like its predecessors, the Caruso R can deliver all current sources in a single unit. Music from the home network, or via Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz, is reproduced as is CD. Inside the Caruso R, there is the new Streaming Client which was first introduced with the new Caruso and provides access to the Amazon Music HD and Spotify Connect music streaming services. If desired, users can set up the Caruso as the control centre of their home life by means of Amazon Alexa.