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

In an interview on Musical Fidelity’s website, company founder Antony Michaelson recalls, “When I started the company [in 1982], I was told by a lot of people that there was no room in the market for another amplifier brand. I did not listen to them and would tell my younger self, received wisdom is often wrong.” His tenacity paid off. Musical Fidelity grew and prospered for three decades.

Read more …

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

Last year my analog life was turned around in a way I did not expect. I’ve always loved turntables and records, but for the most part, I’ve viewed the phono cartridge with equal parts of fascination, apprehension, and disgust.

Read more …

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

I enjoy integrated amplifiers and I love reviewing them. Something excites me about a product that combines almost everything an audio system requires, save speakers, into one cost-effective unit. Over the years, before making the jump to separates, I owned several high-quality integrateds. I still have a special place in my heart for integrated amps, like the Hegel H120 integrated amplifier-DAC I have in my second audio system, the one I use in my family room when I’m watching television or listening to music while I work or do things around the house.

Read more …

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.

Read more …

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.

Read more …

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.

Read more …

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.

Read more …

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.

Read more …

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

It was very late on a cold, rainy January night in 1975 when The Köln Concert was recorded. Everything went wrong. Instead of the Bösendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand piano ordered by the show’s promoters, a mix-up led to the concert hall’s poorly maintained baby grand being brought out on the stage. Technicians slaved for hours tuning the instrument to get it into a playable condition; the sustain pedals were beyond repair and thus would be useless. The performer, Keith Jarrett, had spent five hours riding in a small, rickety French economy car from his previous concert in Switzerland. Dinner was served late, too late for a full meal before showtime. And Jarrett had been battling severe back pain and sleep deprivation for days leading up to the concert.

Read more …