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Kanto Audio ORA Reference Active Speaker System

Written by: Todd Whitesel
Created: 01 January 2024

Kanto Audio is a Canadian-based consumer electronics company, with headquarters near Vancouver, British Columbia. Its offerings include powered and passive desktop and bookshelf speakers, a powered subwoofer, and three types of speaker stands. For this review, Kanto sent me its latest offering, the ORA Reference desktop speaker system ($349.99, all prices in USD), along with its SUB8 powered subwoofer ($269.99) and two pairs of desktop speaker stands, the S2 and SE2 ($29.99 and $39.99).

Read more: Kanto Audio ORA Reference Active Speaker System

Elipson Prestige Facet 6B BT Powered Loudspeaker System

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 15 November 2023

When I first got into this hobby, a half-century ago, a common entry point was a starter system comprising a base-model stereo receiver, a basic turntable, and a pair of bookshelf speakers. For a system with junky house-brand speakers, you’d pay $250 to $300 (all prices in USD except where noted), or $400-plus for a system with name-brand speakers—say, a pair of Dynaco A25s or EPI 100s.

Read more: Elipson Prestige Facet 6B BT Powered Loudspeaker System

Bluesound Node X Streaming DAC-preamplifier

Written by: Roger Kanno
Created: 15 October 2023

Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.

Reviewers' ChoiceIt’s been a couple of years since Bluesound introduced the latest iteration of the company’s award-winning Node streaming device. After being favorably reviewed by Gordon Brockhouse in 2021, it received a SoundStage! Network Product of the Year award in the Exceptional Value category. The Node ($599, all prices USD) is widely considered one of the most fully featured music streamers available at anywhere near its price point. For the brand’s 10th anniversary, Bluesound decided to release a special edition of the Node. Priced at $749, the Node X isn’t meant to replace the current generation of the Node. It will be available for a limited but unspecified period.

Read more: Bluesound Node X Streaming DAC-preamplifier

System Audio Silverback 1 Active On-Wall Speaker System and Stereo Hub

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 October 2023

I bet there are loads of people who would love to have a good audio system in a room where it’s impractical to deploy a pair of freestanding loudspeakers. I also bet there are many others whose living space can accommodate freestanding speakers but whose significant other won’t.

Read more: System Audio Silverback 1 Active On-Wall Speaker System and Stereo Hub

Volumio Integro Streaming Integrated Amplifier

Written by: Todd Whitesel
Created: 15 September 2023

Based in Florence, Italy, Volumio is best known for its open-source music-management software, which has become very popular with DIYers looking to build a headless music streamer on the cheap. But Volumio also offers three domestically manufactured streaming products: the Rivo streamer, Primo streaming DAC, and Integro streaming integrated amplifier, the subject of this review. With a streamer, a DAC, and an amplifier combined in a single elegant chassis, the Integro needs just a pair of speakers, and it’s ready to play.

Read more: Volumio Integro Streaming Integrated Amplifier

Pro-Ject Audio Systems T2 W Wi-Fi Turntable with Sumiko Rainier Cartridge

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 September 2023

Did this heading just make you do a double take? I wouldn’t be surprised if it did because Wi-Fi and turntable are two words you don’t expect to see back-to-back. Indeed, Pro-Ject Audio Systems’ T2 W ($1199; all prices in USD unless noted otherwise) is the first product of its kind: a turntable that can stream audio over a home network to multiple devices.

Read more: Pro-Ject Audio Systems T2 W Wi-Fi Turntable with Sumiko Rainier Cartridge

Klipsch The Nines Active Loudspeaker System

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 August 2023

I think marketing geniuses can sometimes be too smart for the good of the companies they’re trying to promote. Consider the slogan that Klipsch Audio Technologies came up with in 2021 to celebrate the brand’s 75th anniversary: “Pissing off the neighbors since 1946.” The company even created a “Pissing Off the Neighbors” edition of its RB-81 MkII bookshelf loudspeaker (now discontinued).

Read more: Klipsch The Nines Active Loudspeaker System

Bluesound Powernode Edge Streaming Integrated Amplifier

Written by: Todd Whitesel
Created: 01 July 2023

Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.

From the perspective of a pre-teen in the late 1970s, it seemed as if hi-fi was everywhere, and separate components ruled. In our living room, we had shag-white carpet, a Dual turntable, and a Marantz cassette deck and receiver. I remember the receiver’s gorgeous blue front lighting and joy-to-use Gyro Wheel tuner. A pair of Pioneer speakers with lustrous woodgrain cabinets rounded out the system. But I envied neighbors who had flashier systems from JVC, Sansui, and Technics. One friend had a complete silver Pioneer system at home, including the stunning CT-F1000 cassette deck, which I lusted after but couldn’t possibly afford. So, I compromised. I saved $200 from my allowance and summer jobs and bought a Panasonic all-in-one, which included a turntable, receiver, cassette deck, and matching speakers—my first stereo system.

Read more: Bluesound Powernode Edge Streaming Integrated Amplifier

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 Turntable

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 15 June 2023

In early May, a curious factoid popped up in my news feed. According to a 2023 study by Los Angeles–based Luminate, a sales analysis company that specializes in entertainment and media, only half of those who bought vinyl records during the previous year actually owned a turntable. Weird!

Read more: Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 Turntable

NAD CS1 Network Music Player

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 June 2023

When I told SoundStage! Network founder Doug Schneider about the NAD CS1, he asked a simple question: “Who’s this product for?” Lots of people, I responded. My brother, Ian, and his wife, Roberta. My sister-in-law, Petrea, and her husband, Paul. And a whole bunch of other folks. Priced at $349 (all prices in USD), the CS1 is aimed at listeners who want to stream music from their smart devices to a sound system that lacks network connectivity—without having to install special apps.

Read more: NAD CS1 Network Music Player

Rotel S14 Streaming Integrated Amplifier

Written by: Dennis Burger
Created: 15 May 2023

As I was taking a second pass through my rough draft of the intro for this review, it occurred to me that I was effectively aping the theme song for Cheers. It seems to me that the hardest part of making your way in today’s world of connected, streaming, networked, Bluetoothed, AirPlayed, Chromecasted audio—especially for a traditional hi-fi company—is figuring out how to spin what makes your thing different from any number of other things that do the same thing, not to mention how to compete with the Sonoses, BluOSes, and HEOSes of the world.

Read more: Rotel S14 Streaming Integrated Amplifier

  1. Triangle Borea BR03 BT Powered Loudspeaker System
  2. iFi Audio Neo Stream Streaming DAC-Preamplifier
  3. PSB Alpha iQ Streaming Active Loudspeaker System
  4. Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 Powered Loudspeaker System
  5. Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar
  6. JBL 4305P Active Loudspeaker System
  7. Dynaudio Focus 30 Active Loudspeaker System
  8. SVS Prime Wireless Pro Active Loudspeaker System
  9. Totem Acoustic Kin Play Tower Powered Loudspeaker System
  10. System Audio Legend 7.2 Silverback Active On-Wall Speaker and Stereo Hub
  11. Roksan Attessa Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  12. JBL L75ms Integrated Music System
  13. KEF LS60 Wireless Active Speaker System
  14. Zidoo Neo S 4K UHD Media Player
  15. Q Acoustics M20 HD Powered Wireless Music System
  16. Sonus Faber Omnia Wireless Music System
  17. Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Speaker
  18. NAD Masters M10 V2 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  19. Mission LX Connect Wireless Active Speakers and Hub
  20. Linn Series 3 Active Loudspeakers
  21. Bang & Olufsen Beolab 28 Active Loudspeakers
  22. KEF KC62 Powered Subwoofer
  23. NAD C 700 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  24. iFi Audio Zen Stream Wi-Fi Streamer
  25. System Audio Legend 40.2 Silverback Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter
  26. Bluesound Node Streaming DAC-Preamplifier
  27. Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Loudspeakers
  28. Q Acoustics Q Active 200 Active Loudspeakers
  29. Bluesound Powernode Multiroom Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  30. Edifier Airpulse A300Pro Active Loudspeakers
  31. KEF LS50 Wireless II Active Loudspeakers
  32. Bryston BR-20 Streaming Preamplifier-DAC
  33. HEDD Type 05 MK2 Active Speakers and Bass 08 Subwoofer
  34. SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer
  35. Sony SA-Z1 Active Nearfield Loudspeakers
  36. Heavenly Soundworks FIVE17 Active Loudspeakers
  37. Marantz SACD 30n SACD/CD Player and Streaming DAC-Preamp
  38. DALI Oberon 1 C Active Loudspeakers and Sound Hub Wireless Transmitter
  39. PSB Alpha AM3 Powered Loudspeakers
  40. iFi Audio Neo iDSD DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amplifier
  41. Bluesound Pulse Sub+ Wireless Subwoofer
  42. PSB Alpha AM5 Powered Loudspeakers
  43. SVS Prime Wireless SoundBase Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  44. Focal Solo6 Be Active Loudspeakers
  45. Buchardt Audio A500 Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter
  46. Klipsch The Fives Active Loudspeakers
  47. Triangle Elara LN01A Powered Loudspeakers
  48. Volumio Primo Community Edition and Hi-Fi Edition Streaming DACs
  49. System Audio Legend 5 Silverback Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter
  50. Andover Audio Model-One Turntable Music System
  51. Elac Alchemy DDP-2 Streaming DAC-Preamp
  52. Focal Shape 65 Analog Active Loudspeakers
  53. HEDD Type 07 Analog Active Loudspeakers
  54. exaSound Audio Design Delta Music Server M100
  55. Bryston BDA-3.14 Streaming DAC-Preamplifier
  56. iFi Audio Pro iDSD Streaming DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amplifier
  57. Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar
  58. DALI Rubicon 6 C Hybrid Active Loudspeakers
  59. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Pre Box RS2 Digital DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amp
  60. Klipsch RW-51M Wireless Powered Loudspeakers
  61. iFi Audio Aurora Wireless Music System
  62. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  63. Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  64. Hegel Music Systems H120 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  65. DALI Katch One Soundbar
  66. NAD Classic C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC
  67. Kanto Audio Tuk Powered Loudspeakers
  68. Lumin T2 Network Music Player
  69. Naim Audio ND5 XS 2 Network Music Player
  70. Elac Navis ARF-51 Active Loudspeakers
  71. Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 Active Loudspeakers
  72. PMC result6 Active Loudspeakers
  73. Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Active Loudspeakers
  74. Naim Audio Mu-so 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  75. McIntosh Laboratory MTI100 Integrated Turntable
  76. Yamaha WXA-50 MusicCast Streaming Amplifier
  77. NAD Masters M10 BluOS Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  78. Primare SC15 Prisma Streaming DAC-Preamp
  79. Naim Uniti Core CD Ripper/Music Server
  80. Elac Navis ARB-51 Active Loudspeakers
  81. Bluesound Pulse 2i Wireless Speaker
  82. SVS Prime Wireless Active Speakers
  83. Totem Acoustic Kin Play Powered Speakers
  84. KEF LSX Active Loudspeakers
  85. Bluesound Vault 2i CD Ripper-Server-Streamer
  86. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Stream Box S2 Ultra Music Streamer
  87. Kii Audio Three DSP-Controlled Active Loudspeakers
  88. Aurender S5W Battery-Powered Wireless Active Loudspeakers
  89. Cambridge Audio Yoyo (L) Wireless Speaker
  90. DALI Callisto 2 C Active Speaker System
  91. Kanto SYD Bluetooth Speaker
  92. LG G7 ThinQ Smartphone
  93. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Juke Box E Turntable-Integrated Amplifier
  94. NAD D 3020 V2 Bluetooth Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  95. Polk Assist Wi-Fi Smart Speaker
  96. MartinLogan Unison Wireless Preamplifier
  97. Dynaudio Music 7 Wi-Fi Speaker
  98. Musical Fidelity M6 Encore 225 Music System
  99. Cocktail Audio X35 Music System
  100. Peachtree Audio decco125 Sky Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  101. Technics Ottava f SC-C70 Music System
  102. JBL Link 500 Wi-Fi Speaker
  103. Trinnov Amethyst DAC-Preamplifier-Processor
  104. Control4 Triad One Streaming Amplifier
  105. Elac Discovery Z3 Wi-Fi Speaker
  106. Klipsch Heritage Wireless Three Wi-Fi Speaker
  107. Paradigm PW 300 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  108. Thiel Audio Aurora Home Wi-Fi Speaker
  109. Hegel Music Systems H190 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  110. Yamaha R-N803 Network Stereo Receiver
  111. Onkyo TX-8270 Network Stereo Receiver
  112. Dynaudio Focus 20 XD Active Loudspeakers
  113. Riva Audio Festival Wi-Fi Speaker
  114. Naim Audio Uniti Atom Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  115. NAD Masters Series M50.2 Digital Music Player
  116. Bryston BryFi BW-1 Wi-Fi Speaker
  117. Arcam rPlay Music Streamer
  118. Auralic Polaris Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  119. Simaudio Moon Neo ACE DAC-Streamer-Integrated Amplifier
  120. NAD C 368 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  121. Lumin M1 Integrated Amplifier-Network Music Player
  122. Arcam Solo Music DAC-Integrated Amplifier-Universal Player
  123. McIntosh Laboratory RS100 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  124. Hegel Music Systems Röst Integrated Amplifier
  125. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb Wi-Fi Speaker
  126. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2 Wi-Fi Speaker

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