Recommended Reference Component: Hegel Music Systems H600 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 September 2023 15 September 2023
Norway’s Hegel Music Systems has produced separate preamplifiers and power amplifiers since the early 1990s, but in recent years it has become best known for its DAC-equipped integrated amplifiers. In August 2023, Hegel introduced the H600, priced at $12,500 (in USD), which replaced the H590 as the company’s flagship integrated amp.
Recommended Reference Component: Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 August 2023 15 August 2023
In his July 2023 review of Yamaha’s YH-5000SE headphones, SoundStage! Solo senior editor Geoffrey Morrison noted that Yamaha’s flagship headphones “come with a flagship price: $4999.95 (all prices in USD).” Unlike some competitors, these headphones have “no wood veneers, no fancy colors, just structural metal work, grilles, and a hint of yellow where the cables connect to the earcups”—a design that “shows purpose, and if you know what you’re looking for, they telegraph their price in perhaps an even more impressive way than some other, more visually bombastic headphones.”
Recommended Reference Component: Meitner Audio DS-EQ2 Optical Phono Preamplifier
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 July 2023 15 July 2023
In Jason Thorpe’s July 1 review of the Meitner Audio DS-EQ2 optical phono preamplifier, he recalled that his “analog life was turned around in a way [he] did not expect” about a year ago. That turnaround happened in July 2022 when he reviewed the DS Audio DS 003 optical phono cartridge and its companion preamplifier. Jason was wowed by the superiority of the sound of that combination over any other phono cartridge and preamp he had ever heard before. So much so that he purchased a DS 003 cartridge to use as a reference, and then reviewed two more optical phono preamplifiers—firstly, the EMM Labs DS-EQ1, and now, the Meitner Audio DS-EQ2.
Recommended Reference Component: Pro-Ject Audio Systems Phono Box S3 B Phono Preamplifier
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 June 2023 15 June 2023
In his June 1 review of the Pro-Ject Audio Systems Phono Box S3 B phono preamplifier, Philip Beaudette explained that when he reviewed Pro-Ject’s X2 B turntable last December, he “liked” the turntable, but it was the S3 B that “surprised” him because of “its combination of great sound and remarkable feature set.” As a result, after both the X2 B and S3 B had been returned to the distributor, he asked for the S3 B to be sent back so he could review it independently.
Recommended Reference Component: Bryston BR-20 Preamplifier-Streaming DAC
- Details
- 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.
Recommended Reference Component: Focal Utopia 2022 Headphones
- Details
- 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.
Recommended Reference Component: NAD Masters M23 Stereo/Mono Amplifier
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 March 2023 15 March 2023
In his March 1 review of the NAD Masters M23 power amplifier, Roger Kanno wrote: “Purifi’s Eigentakt class-D amplification technology first came to our attention when SoundStage! Network founder and publisher Doug Schneider raved about the performance of an engineering evaluation sample utilizing the company’s OEM modules. We subsequently reviewed several Eigentakt-based products from NAD, including the C 298 stereo amplifier, the M28 multichannel amplifier, and the M33 integrated amplifier-DAC.” The M23, which is priced at $3749 (in USD), is NAD’s latest amplifier to use the Eigentakt tech.
Recommended Reference Component: RME ADI-2 DAC FS Digital-to-Analog Converter
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 February 2023 15 February 2023
Matt Bonaccio’s review of the RME ADI-2 DAC FS digital-to-analog converter appeared on this site on January 15. Near the beginning of that review, Matt wrote: “Affordable, feature-laden DACs that measure well aren’t hard to come by these days, though the ADI-2 DAC FS manages to push the everyman’s standalone DAC paradigm to the extreme.” The word extreme applies both to its feature set and the way it performs objectively (i.e., on the test bench) and subjectively (i.e., listening), which might be a little surprising to some given that the ADI-2 measures only 8.5″W × 2.05″H × 5.9″D (without feet), weighs just 2.2 pounds, and is priced at a reasonable $1299 (in USD).
Recommended Reference Component: SME Model 60 Turntable and Series VA Tonearm
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 January 2023 15 January 2023
In his December 2022 review of the SME Model 60 turntable and Series VA tonearm on SoundStage! Ultra, Jonathan Gorse declared that SME is “one of the crown jewels of the British audio industry, and is as quintessentially English as the BBC, Windsor Castle, or strawberries and cream at Wimbledon.” In his review, Jonathan described the firm’s new Model 60 turntable as “the culmination of over 60 years of audio development.” Jonathan commented: “SME released its last flagship turntable, the Model 30, in 1990—over 30 years ago—so it’s not a company that releases new products just to appease the whims of the marketing dept.”
Recommended Reference Component: Dynaudio Focus 30 Active Loudspeaker System
- Details
- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 December 2022 15 December 2022
Active speakers using digital signal processing (DSP) aren’t new—they’ve been part of the audiophile landscape for more than 30 years, although they were prohibitively expensive back when and have been getting far more affordable in the last decade or so. But what can be considered new are some of the features now being implemented on active speakers, such as wireless connectivity and music streaming. And in the case of Dynaudio’s Focus 30 loudspeaker system, which Gordon Brockhouse reviewed on SoundStage! Simplifi on December 1, room correction. For the Focus 30 system, room correction is provided via Dirac Live, and we believe this is the first time that Dirac Research’s software has been implemented directly on a speaker system.
