The Latest Features
Sigberg Audio Saranna Active Loudspeaker
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- Written by George de Sa George de Sa
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 April 2026 15 April 2026
“I want the truth!” “You can’t handle the truth!” These lines from A Few Good Men should resonate as deeply with audiophiles as they do with fans of the 1992 film. The truth can prove highly inconvenient in today’s hyper-polarized political environment, and the same can be said for the truth’s effects on highly resolving audio systems. Some high-end systems are configured to flatter recordings, sweetening them up so that they deliver consistently pleasing sound—even if that means glossing over the details. Other systems present recordings in an unadulterated manner, resolving details and illuminating their inner workings, with results that can be musically blissful. But sometimes such truth is hard on the ears.
Recommended Reference Component: KEF Q Concerto Meta Loudspeaker
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 April 2026 15 April 2026
The Q Concerto Meta loudspeaker occupies an intriguing place in KEF’s lineup. Priced at US$1399.99, CA$1799.99, £1099, or €1198 per pair, it sits one step above the company’s Q3 Meta. On paper, at least, the Q Concerto Meta does not immediately distinguish itself as a dramatic step up from its smaller sibling. Senior editor Dennis Burger reviewed the Q Concerto Meta on March 1 and the Q3 Meta on January 1, both for SoundStage! Access.
Generations of British Hi-Fi: Monitor Audio and Node Audio
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 April 2026 01 April 2026
I am writing this editorial shortly after returning from England, where our chief videographer, Chris Chitaroni, and I visited two audio companies. One of these companies, Monitor Audio, has a long history dating back more than 50 years. The other, Node Audio, is less than ten years old. I first learned about them in 2018.
Two Rooms and Three Sets of Speakers: Simaudio’s Moon 371 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: System One System One
- Created: 01 April 2026 01 April 2026
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
Reviewing an amplifier—whether integrated or separates—using only one pair of speakers in a single room no longer strikes me as sufficient. The interaction between amplifier, loudspeakers, and listening environment fundamentally shapes what we hear. We never experience an amplifier or a pair of speakers in isolation; what reaches our ears is the combined, in‑room result of an amplifier controlling a specific loudspeaker within a specific acoustic space.
Recommended Reference Component: Stax SR-007S Headphones
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 March 2026 15 March 2026
Stax’s SR‑007S headphones occupy a crucial position in the Japanese company’s lineup. Priced at US$2390, CA$2999, £2495, or €3000, these headphones sit well below the flagship SR‑X9000 headphones (US$6200, CA$8199, £5195, €7250), yet incorporate refinements derived from that statement design. S. Andrea Sundaram reviewed the SR‑007S headphones on SoundStage! Solo earlier this month after having evaluated the SR‑X9000 headphones last year, and that perspective proved essential: the SR‑007S design is not a stripped-down flagship, but a differently balanced interpretation of Stax’s electrostatic-headphone philosophy—one that may, for many listeners, represent the sweet spot in the company’s headphone range.
Shock and Awe in California: Visiting MSB Technology
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 March 2026 01 March 2026
I’ve been running SoundStage! for more than 30 years, and I believe that I’ve visited more hi‑fi companies than any other hi‑fi writer during that time. So, not surprisingly, it’s getting harder and harder to impress me. That might sound like I’m jaded, but I’m not, or at least I don’t think I am; it’s simply a byproduct of having seen so much. Still, MSB Technology did more than impress me on my recent visit—it blew my mind in a way I never thought a boutique-type hi‑fi company could. I also learned a few new things.
Arendal Sound 1723 Tower THX Loudspeaker
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- Written by George de Sa George de Sa
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 March 2026 01 March 2026
Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada’s National Research Council can be found through this link.
With its imposing stature and clean, Nordic design, Arendal Sound’s 1723 Tower THX loudspeaker commands attention the moment you see it. Sitting before my review pair, I could visualize the hominids gazing at the monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and imagine these big floorstanders playing the opening fanfare from Richard Strauss’s Thus Spake Zarathustra. Nearly four feet tall, the 1723 Tower THX projects authority and sets the expectation of sonic mastery.
Hegel Music Systems H150 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 February 2026 15 February 2026
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
These days, the inclusion of a DAC section is almost de rigueur for manufacturers of integrated amps. But Hegel Music Systems has been including DACs in their integrated amps for well over a decade—not just as an option, or only on certain models, but in nearly all of their designs. More recently, Hegel has introduced new integrated amplifiers with streaming functionality via ethernet. And unlike some manufacturers, they have continually improved upon their existing products by evolving them, rather than making radical changes to their circuit designs or even their cosmetics. So, it should come as no surprise that their latest integrated amp, the H150, is nearly identical in specifications and appearance to the model it replaces, the H120. Informally referred to as “the Prodigy” due to its high level of performance and versatility, this new integrated is priced at US$3600, CA$3800, £2750, or €2995, and offers several notable upgrades over its predecessor.
Recommended Reference Component: Rotel Michi Q5 CD Player–DAC
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 February 2026 15 February 2026
Rotel’s Michi Q5 CD player–DAC represents the culmination of the company’s renewed push into cost‑no‑object home audio under its Michi series, which debuted in the 1990s. Positioned at the top of Rotel’s lineup and the only CD player in the Michi range, the Q5 is a heavy, immaculately finished, top‑loading CD player that also functions as a transport and standalone DAC. George de Sa reviewed the Q5 on this site in November 2025.
Rabbit Holes and the Rise of SoundStage! Recordings—A New Era for Audiophile Sound
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 February 2026 01 February 2026
Going down rabbit holes can be a colossal waste of time, particularly on the internet, where vast amounts of information are available and minutes can turn into hours. Before you know it, an entire day can disappear, with nothing to show for it. Fortunately, some rabbit holes I recently explored yielded a substantial benefit—and a new opportunity for SoundStage! and its readers.
