The Latest Features
The Best of Montreal Audiofest 2023
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 June 2023 01 June 2023
This feature has been a longer-than-normal time coming. Montreal Audiofest 2023, which Jason Thorpe and I covered for SoundStage! Global, ran from March 24 to 26. We typically run an article highlighting the show’s best products on the first day of the month following the show. But two days after Audiofest, I flew to England to visit Monitor Audio and Vivid Audio. So there wasn’t enough time for me to write a best-of-show report in time for publication on April 1. My backup plan was to write it up in time for May 1. But almost as soon as I got home from the UK, I got sicker than hell. My doctor told me that it was only a bad cold, but the damn thing lasted almost three weeks, and I didn’t want to do much but lie in bed.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems Phono Box S3 B Phono Preamplifier
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- Written by Philip Beaudette Philip Beaudette
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 01 June 2023 01 June 2023
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
Last year I reviewed Pro-Ject Audio Systems’ X2 B turntable for SoundStage! Hi-Fi. The “B” indicates that the turntable can be run in a balanced configuration, provided the tonearm is fitted with a moving-coil cartridge (MC cartridges are inherently balanced). Since it came premounted with an Ortofon Quintet Red MC, I was mostly set up, except for one thing: I don’t own a balanced phono preamplifier. To remedy that, Gentec International (Pro-Ject’s Canadian distributor) provided me with a Phono Box S3 B phono stage and Connect it S mini XLR cable so I could evaluate the X2 B and S3 B in both single-ended and balanced configurations.
Mission 770 Loudspeaker
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 May 2023 15 May 2023
Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.
A few days before I sat down to write this review, I thought about what I’d say in the opening paragraphs. Should I outline the release of the original 770 in 1978 and the motivation for this “reboot”? How about a history of the brand, from its founding by Farad Azima to its acquisition by International Audio Group (IAG), which is based in Shenzhen, China? (IAG owns five other British brands—Audiolab, Castle, Leak, Quad, and Wharfedale—as well as Luxman, which is Japanese.) Another idea was to describe designer Peter Comeau’s reliance on listening as opposed to measurements. As I outlined in a Real Hi-Fi episode published on YouTube in July 2022, the rebooted model’s crossover went through 174 revisions before the design was finalized.
Recommended Reference Component: Bryston BR-20 Preamplifier-Streaming DAC
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 May 2023 15 May 2023
We’ve reviewed the Bryston BR-20 preamplifier and streaming DAC twice on SoundStage! Network sites. Gordon Brockhouse reviewed it for SoundStage! Simplifi in June 2021. Then, earlier this month, Evan McCosham reviewed it here on SoundStage! Hi-Fi. The reason for the two reviews has to do with the Bryston’s rich feature set, which makes it right at home on Simplifi, and its high level of sonic performance—desirable of course for Simplifi readers, but mandatory for Hi-Fi readers, who typically put far more focus on sound quality than features.
For Beginners: Four Reasons Why You Should Get into Vinyl
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- Written by Matt Bonaccio Matt Bonaccio
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 May 2023 01 May 2023
I’m not sure if my story is typical of younger audiophiles, but vinyl was my introduction to this hobby. The vinyl resurgence began around 15 years ago. I have a formative memory of getting introduced to the medium as a teenager via a pitiful Crosley suitcase record player and a copy of the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975). Thankfully, I’ve since moved on to more capable equipment; but if I hadn’t been bitten by the vinyl bug, I might never have become an audiophile.
Bryston BR-20 Preamplifier–Streaming DAC
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- Written by Evan McCosham Evan McCosham
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 May 2023 01 May 2023
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
I might as well admit it at the outset: I’m a Bryston fanboy. One of Canada’s hi-fi darlings, Bryston is known for making sturdy, high-powered amplifiers that last almost forever. How long is forever? Well, all Bryston amps are covered by an industry-leading 20-year warranty. The company’s legendary 4B power amplifier has been in production in various iterations since the 1970s.
Hegel Music Systems H30A Stereo/Mono Amplifier
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- Written by Jason Thorpe Jason Thorpe
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 April 2023 15 April 2023
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
Over the last while, I’ve learned to love large, solid-state amplifiers. This love affair started with my purchase of a Bryston 4B3, which I bought when I finally gave up on my aging Audio Research VT100 MkI tube amp. At the time I was somewhat depressed about the VT100’s departure, as tubes had always been a big part of my system; perhaps, even, of my identity. I loved the idea of tubes, and their sound—and I still do.
Recommended Reference Component: Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 April 2023 15 April 2023
Brent Butterworth reviewed Focal’s updated Utopia headphones in January 2023. He began by praising the original Utopia headphones, which were released in 2016, stating that they were “probably as close as anyone’s come to perfection in headphones.” In fact, his June 2020 review earned Reviewers’ Choice and Recommended Reference Component awards for the original Utopia headphones. Since the new version ($4999, all prices in USD) has the same name, Brent explained that he would refer to the new model as the “Utopia 2022.” We have done the same here, and in the measurements report.
For Beginners: Take Ten Minutes to Read These Four Warnings before You Get into Vinyl
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 April 2023 01 April 2023
Vinyl is in fashion these days. Vinyl is what the cool kids listen to. Vinyl is what some people don’t actually listen to but do hang on their walls. Vinyl is what I used to listen to as a teenager—decades before it became fashionable, cool, or decorative. That’s because vinyl was how music was primarily distributed in those days. But when the Compact Disc came along, I happily turned to digital because of vinyl’s drawbacks, four of which I’m going to mention.
Rotel Diamond Series DT-6000 CD Player–DAC
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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 April 2023 01 April 2023
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
The recent introduction of Rotel’s brand-new Diamond Series comprises only two components: the RA-6000 integrated amplifier–DAC, which I previously reviewed, and the subject of this review, the DT-6000 CD player–DAC. And while the RA-6000 ($4499, all prices in USD) will likely garner more attention, the DT-6000, at a retail price of only $2299, has the potential to provide a lot of value for those seeking a high-performance CD player–DAC.
