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SoundStage! Simplifi
SoundStage! Simplifi
Focal
Focal
PSB Imaging T65
NAD C 379

Buchardt Audio A500 Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 15 October 2020

Reviewers' ChoiceWith apologies to William Shakespeare, there’s something rockin’ in the state of Denmark, audiowise. When it comes to active speakers that include digital signal processing (DSP) -- in my opinion, now the most exciting segment of audio -- the Danes are on the leading edge. During my two-years-plus at SoundStage! Simplifi, I’ve written about active speakers from several Danish brands, including DALI, Dynaudio, and System Audio, and I’ve loved them all.

Read more: Buchardt Audio A500 Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter

Klipsch The Fives Active Loudspeakers

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 October 2020

Is there a speaker brand that does retro as well as Klipsch? I doubt it. Klipsch’s big horn speakers hark back to the middle of the 20th century, and so do their lifestyle products.

Read more: Klipsch The Fives Active Loudspeakers

Triangle Elara LN01A Powered Loudspeakers

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 September 2020

For the past couple of decades, the audio industry has been angsting about how to get young listeners interested in hi-fi. It’s not that teens and twentysomethings don’t love music; it’s that their musical lives revolve around smartphones, headphones, maybe a Bluetooth speaker. How can they be introduced to the joys of listening to real stereo from real hi-fi speakers?

Read more: Triangle Elara LN01A Powered Loudspeakers

Volumio Primo Community Edition and Hi-Fi Edition Streaming DACs

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 15 August 2020

Volumio may not be a household name among audiophiles, but it has a huge following among DIY hobbyists. Based in Florence, Italy, Volumio is the developer of an eponymous, open-source Linux distribution designed for music playback that can run on an inexpensive single-board computer (SBC) such as the Raspberry Pi. The company claims to have over 300,000 users, mainly hobbyists who run Volumio on home-built digital music streamers and servers.

Read more: Volumio Primo Community Edition and Hi-Fi Edition Streaming DACs

System Audio Legend 5 Silverback Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 August 2020

Integrating a hi-fi system into a multipurpose living space can be complicated by all the wiring needed to connect the various components. This is particularly true of speaker cables, especially if they have to cross an open area of the room. Even if they aren’t tripping hazards, they’re unsightly.

Read more: System Audio Legend 5 Silverback Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter

Andover Audio Model-One Turntable Music System

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 15 July 2020

If you want to establish a new audio brand, where do you start? That was the question faced by Andover Audio, a Boston-area company founded in 2012 by ex-employees of Cambridge SoundWorks, when they decided to offer products under their own brand.

Read more: Andover Audio Model-One Turntable Music System

Elac Alchemy DDP-2 Streaming DAC-Preamp

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 July 2020

The American brand Audio Alchemy was founded in the 1980s and folded a decade later. It re-emerged in the early 2000s, and was purchased by Elac in 2016, where it has undergone a renaissance. Audio Alchemy founder Peter Madnick now acts as a consulting engineer for Elac, and is responsible for developing Elac’s Alchemy series of electronic components, now in their second generation.

Read more: Elac Alchemy DDP-2 Streaming DAC-Preamp

Focal Shape 65 Analog Active Loudspeakers

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 15 June 2020

Reviewers' ChoiceIn the past few years, the French speaker maker Focal has had an amazing run on SoundStage!. Reviewed by Diego Estan on SoundStage! Access, the Chora 806 ($990/pair, all prices USD) received a Reviewers’ Choice award, and was later designated a Recommended Reference Component. The same honors were bestowed on Focal’s Stellia headphones ($2990), reviewed by Brent Butterworth on SoundStage! Solo; and on the Spectral 40th floorstanding speakers ($9990/pair) and Sopra No1 minimonitors ($9990/pair), both reviewed by Diego for SoundStage! Hi-Fi. The Spectral 40th was also named a SoundStage! Network 2019 Product of the Year in the Hall of Fame category. That’s a mighty impressive record.

Read more: Focal Shape 65 Analog Active Loudspeakers

HEDD Type 07 Analog Active Loudspeakers

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 June 2020

When computer audio took off, a decade ago, many hobbyists opted to use active studio monitors, rather than the usual amplifier and passive speakers. It’s not hard to see why. Especially for desktop audio, where space is at a premium, speakers with built-in amps are convenient.

Read more: HEDD Type 07 Analog Active Loudspeakers

exaSound Audio Design Delta Music Server M100

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 15 May 2020

Do you need a powerhouse computer just to play music? Not everyone does -- I use a nine-year-old, mid-tier Apple Mac Mini, and it does just fine. I’ve modified it for music playback, swapping out its spinning hard-disk drive for a solid-state drive (SSD), and bumping up its RAM from 4 to 16GB, so that music plays from memory rather than storage.

Read more: exaSound Audio Design Delta Music Server M100

Bryston BDA-3.14 Streaming DAC-Preamplifier

Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Created: 01 May 2020

Can an audio component be more than the sum of its parts? Bryston’s new BDA-3.14 streaming DAC-preamp ($4195, all prices USD) invites that question. Essentially, it combines two products on one chassis: the acclaimed BDA-3 DAC ($3795) and a network streamer based on the BDP-Pi ($1495). The BDP-Pi derives its name from the Raspberry Pi single-board computer at its core. Hence the model number of the new integrated product -- 3.14 is an approximation of the mathematical constant pi (π), denoting the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

Read more: Bryston BDA-3.14 Streaming DAC-Preamplifier

  1. iFi Audio Pro iDSD Streaming DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amplifier
  2. Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar
  3. DALI Rubicon 6 C Hybrid Active Loudspeakers
  4. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Pre Box RS2 Digital DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amp
  5. Klipsch RW-51M Wireless Powered Loudspeakers
  6. iFi Audio Aurora Wireless Music System
  7. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  8. Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  9. Hegel Music Systems H120 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  10. DALI Katch One Soundbar
  11. NAD Classic C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC
  12. Kanto Audio Tuk Powered Loudspeakers
  13. Lumin T2 Network Music Player
  14. Naim Audio ND5 XS 2 Network Music Player
  15. Elac Navis ARF-51 Active Loudspeakers
  16. Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 Active Loudspeakers
  17. PMC result6 Active Loudspeakers
  18. Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Active Loudspeakers
  19. Naim Audio Mu-so 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  20. McIntosh Laboratory MTI100 Integrated Turntable
  21. Yamaha WXA-50 MusicCast Streaming Amplifier
  22. NAD Masters M10 BluOS Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  23. Primare SC15 Prisma Streaming DAC-Preamp
  24. Naim Uniti Core CD Ripper/Music Server
  25. Elac Navis ARB-51 Active Loudspeakers
  26. Bluesound Pulse 2i Wireless Speaker
  27. SVS Prime Wireless Active Speakers
  28. Totem Acoustic Kin Play Powered Speakers
  29. KEF LSX Active Loudspeakers
  30. Bluesound Vault 2i CD Ripper-Server-Streamer
  31. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Stream Box S2 Ultra Music Streamer
  32. Kii Audio Three DSP-Controlled Active Loudspeakers
  33. Aurender S5W Battery-Powered Wireless Active Loudspeakers
  34. Cambridge Audio Yoyo (L) Wireless Speaker
  35. DALI Callisto 2 C Active Speaker System
  36. Kanto SYD Bluetooth Speaker
  37. LG G7 ThinQ Smartphone
  38. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Juke Box E Turntable-Integrated Amplifier
  39. NAD D 3020 V2 Bluetooth Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  40. Polk Assist Wi-Fi Smart Speaker
  41. MartinLogan Unison Wireless Preamplifier
  42. Dynaudio Music 7 Wi-Fi Speaker
  43. Musical Fidelity M6 Encore 225 Music System
  44. Cocktail Audio X35 Music System
  45. Peachtree Audio decco125 Sky Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  46. Technics Ottava f SC-C70 Music System
  47. JBL Link 500 Wi-Fi Speaker
  48. Trinnov Amethyst DAC-Preamplifier-Processor
  49. Control4 Triad One Streaming Amplifier
  50. Elac Discovery Z3 Wi-Fi Speaker
  51. Klipsch Heritage Wireless Three Wi-Fi Speaker
  52. Paradigm PW 300 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  53. Thiel Audio Aurora Home Wi-Fi Speaker
  54. Hegel Music Systems H190 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  55. Yamaha R-N803 Network Stereo Receiver
  56. Onkyo TX-8270 Network Stereo Receiver
  57. Dynaudio Focus 20 XD Active Loudspeakers
  58. Riva Audio Festival Wi-Fi Speaker
  59. Naim Audio Uniti Atom Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  60. NAD Masters Series M50.2 Digital Music Player
  61. Bryston BryFi BW-1 Wi-Fi Speaker
  62. Arcam rPlay Music Streamer
  63. Auralic Polaris Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  64. Simaudio Moon Neo ACE DAC-Streamer-Integrated Amplifier
  65. NAD C 368 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  66. Lumin M1 Integrated Amplifier-Network Music Player
  67. Arcam Solo Music DAC-Integrated Amplifier-Universal Player
  68. McIntosh Laboratory RS100 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  69. Hegel Music Systems Röst Integrated Amplifier
  70. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb Wi-Fi Speaker
  71. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2 Wi-Fi Speaker

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Axiom
Axiom

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