Naim Audio
Naim Audio
Bluesound
Lumin
Lumin

Reviewers' ChoiceIn audio, as in other pursuits, looks are often deceiving. A case in point is PSB’s new Alpha iQ active loudspeaker system. Priced at $1499 (all prices in USD except where noted), the Alpha iQ looks a lot like PSB’s Alpha AM3 powered speaker system, which costs only $549. The Alpha iQ and Alpha AM3 even have the same driver complement for each speaker: a 4″ polypropylene midrange-woofer with a rubber surround and steel basket, mounted above a 0.75″ ferrofluid-damped, aluminum-dome tweeter with neodymium magnet.

Since COVID-19 arrived in North America three years ago, I’ve been to exactly two audio shows, both in my home city: the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Toronto Audiofest. Fellow SoundStagers Doug Schneider and Jason Thorpe also attended TAF 2022, and as Doug outlined in his show report on SoundStage!Global, they came upon some pretty exotic gear at the show.

Typically, articles predicting developments for the coming year come out in early January, or even late December. But here we are, two weeks into February, and Simplifi finally has a feature outlining what we can expect from music streaming in 2023. Do I feel badly about this delay? Not in the least. Because when it comes to lateness, I have nothing on Spotify and Apple Music. Those streaming giants have both missed self-imposed deadlines by well over a year. With that excuse out of the way, here are three streaming stories I’ll be watching in 2023.

To purists and zealots, compromise is a dirty word; but for most of us, compromising is how we get along in life. This is as true of audio as any other pursuit. We can daydream about our ultimate systems, but we have to reconcile those dreams with reality—with our budgets, our living spaces, and the people who share those spaces.

Sometime last spring, it became clear to me that I’d be upgrading my hi-fi setup before the year was out. Not that I was dissatisfied with the gear I already owned—quite the contrary. I loved listening to that system, which comprised an NAD C 658 streaming DAC-preamp ($1999, all prices in USD), a pair of Elac Navis ARF-51 active floorstanding speakers ($3999.96/pair), and an SVS Micro 3000 subwoofer ($899.99). That system has provided countless hours of listening pleasure for me, my music-loving missus, and visitors to our home.

Inspired by a SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast episode, I posed a rhetorical question in a Simplifi feature published a few months ago: “Is Component Hi-Fi Dead?” During that podcast episode, Brent Butterworth, senior editor of SoundStage! Solo, had asked if we really need amplifiers anymore, given the growing acceptance of powered and active speakers with built-in amplification. “Amps are never going to die,” Brent opined, “but are amps kind of dead?” Dennis Burger, senior editor of SoundStage! Access, replied: “I don’t know if they’re dead. I just think they are unnecessary.”

Since the 1970s, record labels and audio manufacturers have been trying to convince music lovers to move beyond two-channel stereo. Music doesn’t just happen in front of us, argue proponents of surround music; it happens all around us. We could get a better experience if we added speakers beside and/or behind the listening position.

Reviewers' ChoiceI’ve had a soft spot for Dynaudio for many years. For one thing, the Danish brand practically invented high-performance Simplifi’d hi-fi. When Dynaudio launched its Xeo range of active speakers in 2012, there were many excellent tabletop music systems on the market. But Dynaudio’s Xeo 3 standmount and Xeo 5 floorstanding speaker systems were different: they delivered real stereo from two discrete enclosures. Other than two-prong power inlets, the enclosures had no connectors of any kind. Instead, they received 16-bit/48kHz PCM audio from a companion wireless transmitter, which had mini-USB, optical (TosLink) S/PDIF, and line-level analog inputs (RCA and 3.5mm). The Xeo speaker systems made it possible to get serious stereo sound in multipurpose living spaces without cluttering them up with gear and cables.

How would you rather spend a glorious Canadian autumn weekend? Walking in the park? Taking a drive in the country? Raking the leaves? Or roaming the halls of a generic suburban hotel?

Reviewers' ChoiceQuite often, when a manufacturer updates a popular product, the new model offers only incremental improvements over the one it replaces. But sometimes, the new product represents a major upgrade over the original; and that is the case with SVS’s Prime Wireless Pro active loudspeaker system ($899.99, all prices in USD). The Prime Wireless Pro costs 50% more than the company’s Prime Wireless active speaker system (discontinued, $599.99 when available), but it contains a host of improvements.

This year, Canada’s Totem Acoustic celebrates its 35th anniversary. Since its founding in 1987, Totem has released an impressive range of passive loudspeakers, including standmount and floorstanding models, soundbars, on-wall speakers, and in-wall and in-ceiling speakers aimed at the custom integration channel.

Life gets in the way of a lot of things, and sometimes it gets in the way of hi-fi. Audiophiles who have dedicated listening rooms are lucky in this respect; audiophiles who must set up their sound systems in multipurpose spaces can find their hobby conflicts with other activities that go on in those rooms. The speaker locations that might deliver the best tonal balance and soundstaging might be occupied by an armchair or end table. Freestanding speakers might present a tipping hazard for households with rambunctious toddlers or pets.

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

It’s almost ten years since Lenbrook Industries launched its Bluesound range of multiroom audio components. At the heart of those products is the BluOS software platform, developed in-house by the Canadian company. Lenbrook, which also owns the NAD and PSB brands, later added BluOS streaming capability to several NAD components. More recently, Lenbrook has licensed BluOS technology to several third-party brands, including Cyrus Audio, DALI, Peachtree Audio, Monitor Audio, and Roksan.

Reviewers' ChoiceNostalgia is huge in hi-fi right now. Just look at all those retro-styled speakers from brands like JBL, KLH, Klipsch, Mission, PSB, and Wharfedale. JBL, for instance, offers standmount speakers that evoke the legendary L100, which made its debut in 1970. Like the original L100, the L52 Classic ($1000/pair, all prices in USD unless noted otherwise), L82 Classic ($2750/pair), and L100 Classic ($4400/pair) all feature walnut veneer enclosures and JBL’s iconic Quadrex foam grilles.

Lately, I’ve been enjoying the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, which is hosted by Brent Butterworth, senior editor of SoundStage! Solo, and Dennis Burger, senior editor of SoundStage! Access. Brent and Dennis tackle a wide range of topics and do a ton of preparation for each episode. The production is polished, the discussions are well-informed and thought-provoking, and the presentation is casual and inviting.

Reviewers' ChoiceIn 2012, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, KEF introduced the LS50 two-way minimonitor ($1499.99/pair at launch, all prices in USD), which went on to become one of the landmark audio products of the 2010s. When he reviewed the LS50 on SoundStage! Hi-Fi in 2013, Doug Schneider concluded: “The LS50 is nothing short of a masterpiece of a minimonitor, priced so that anyone serious about audio can buy a pair.” The LS50 later won a 2013 SoundStage! Network Product of the Year award. Four years later, KEF launched an active speaker employing the same Uni-Q driver array as its passive cousin. The LS50 Wireless ($2499.99/system at launch) was named a SoundStage! Network Product of the Year for 2017.

I never wanted to purchase new speakers. I never wanted to go digital. It all happened by accident.

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

With network entertainment now solidly in the mainstream, we’re seeing more and more products that depart from the traditional source-amp-speaker paradigm. We’ve reviewed scores of such products on Simplifi: active speaker systems with built-in network streamers such as KEF’s LS50 Wireless II and Bang & Olufsen’s Beolab 28, streaming DAC-preamps such as NAD’s C 658 and Bryston’s BR-20, and streaming integrated amplifiers such as Bluesound’s Powernode and Naim Audio’s Uniti Atom.

The greatest audio show on earth is back. After a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, the 2022 Munich High End show took place from May 19 to 22. The SoundStage! Network sent a four-person editorial team to Bavaria: founder and publisher Doug Schneider; editor-in-chief Jeff Fritz; Edward Kramer, editor of SoundStage! Australia; and Jonathan Gorse, a UK-based contributor to SoundStage! Ultra. Together, they filed 18 dispatches from Munich, which you can find on SoundStage! Global.

Q Acoustics, founded in the UK in 2006, produces loudspeakers that range from the inexpensive 3010i compact bookshelf model ($299 per pair, all prices in USD) to the Concept 500 floorstander ($6499/pair), with a plethora of choices in between. These include a myriad of home-theater options, including several subwoofers and an active soundbar.

When it comes to consuming music, you can split the SoundStage! team into a few broad categories: those who are big into physical media, those who have fully embraced streaming, those who rely on downloaded and ripped music, and those with feet in all these camps.

The Italian brand Sonus Faber is known for beautifully crafted passive loudspeakers that use luxurious materials, including exotic wood finishes and front baffles with leather inserts. Earlier this year, Sonus Faber announced its Omnia Wireless Music System ($1999, all prices in USD unless noted otherwise). With flowing lines, five-layer veneered walnut top panel, sculpted base, and textured fabric grilles, the Omnia shares the design aesthetic of Sonus Faber’s passive speakers.

Across the SoundStage! Network, you’ll find coverage of all kinds of audio products: high-end gear on SoundStage! Ultra, affordable components on SoundStage! Access, headphones and accessories on SoundStage! Solo, lifestyle audio here on SoundStage! Simplifi, portable Bluetooth speakers on SoundStage! Xperience, news and events on SoundStage! Global, and all manner of gear on the mothership—SoundStage! Hi-Fi.

If I had to name two products that laid the groundwork for Simplifi’d hi-fi, they’d be Apple’s iPod and Bowers & Wilkins’s Zeppelin iPod speaker. Before Apple launched the iPod in 2001, most people listened to their own music on physical media, one disc or tape at a time. The iPod let them store an entire music library on one pocketable device and play tracks at random.

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

The original NAD Masters M10 streaming amplifier, introduced in January 2019, is a compact, versatile unit that can form the heart of a modern high-fidelity system. It has everything you can imagine you’d want in an integrated amplifier: NAD’s BluOS streaming function, a two-channel amplifier, Dirac Live room correction, a DAC, digital and analog inputs, and more. The M10 fits NAD’s “just add speakers” philosophy perfectly. Gordon Brockhouse reviewed the M10 on this site in May 2019—it received a Reviewers’ Choice award and was subsequently named a SoundStage! Network Product of the Year.

One of the occupational hazards of writing for an audiophile website is a condition photography enthusiasts call GAS—Gear Acquisition Syndrome. After hearing about a new lens (or amplifier), you decide you really, really need this new toy, even though the gear you already own is more than adequate for your needs. During my adult life, I’ve experienced GAS hundreds—maybe thousands—of times, and succumbed to it more often than I care to admit.

The British hi-fi brand Mission is best known for its passive loudspeakers; but, late last year, the company introduced a lifestyle music system that combines a wireless hub with a pair of active bookshelf loudspeakers. Priced at $1699.99 (all prices in USD), the LX Connect was designed and engineered in the UK, with acoustic engineering by Mission and electronic design by its sister company Audiolab. Both brands are part of the International Audio Group (IAG), a Chinese company that also owns Castle Acoustics, Leak, Luxman, Quad, and Wharfedale.

Was 2021 the year that lossless and hi-rez music streaming became mainstream? Last year, Spotify promised it would start delivering lossless music, but failed to deliver. Three months later, Apple announced plans to offer lossless and hi-rez content, and started delivering shortly thereafter. Amazon Music HD had been offering lossless and hi-rez music since 2019; but following Apple’s move, Amazon reduced its price for the service. These aggressive moves by major providers like Apple and Amazon led several smaller streaming services to revamp their own pricing plans in 2021.

When Linn Products announced its Series 3 active loudspeaker in October 2019, the Scottish company called it “the world’s best-sounding wireless speaker.” Given that bold claim, Linn chose an appropriate launch venue for the speaker. For several months, the Series 3 was available exclusively at Linn’s flagship showroom in Harrods department store in London, England. In 2020, Linn rolled out the Series 3 to its worldwide dealer network.

Reviewers' ChoiceIs there an audio manufacturer whose products exemplify Simplifi’d hi-fi more than Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen? I doubt it. Formed in 1925, B&O started offering “convenient, lifestyle-oriented hi-fi” components not long after the word “lifestyle” had been coined.

  1. Why "Simplifi"—Five Years Later
  2. KEF KC62 Powered Subwoofer
  3. The Evolution of BluOS: An Interview with Lenbrook's Andrew Haines
  4. NAD C 700 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  5. iFi Audio Zen Stream Wi-Fi Streamer
  6. Dolby Atmos Music in Your Home
  7. System Audio Legend 40.2 Silverback Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter
  8. The Big Switch
  9. Bluesound Node Streaming DAC-Preamplifier
  10. I'm Only in It for the Money
  11. Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Loudspeakers
  12. Q Acoustics Q Active 200 Active Loudspeakers
  13. Encore! Encore! An Interview with Patricia Barber, Jim Anderson, and Ulrike Schwarz
  14. Bluesound Powernode Multiroom Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  15. Edifier Airpulse A300Pro Active Loudspeakers
  16. KEF LS50 Wireless II Active Loudspeakers
  17. The New Apple Music
  18. Bryston BR-20 Streaming Preamplifier-DAC
  19. HEDD Type 05 MK2 Active Speakers and Bass 08 Subwoofer
  20. Moving Forward with Formation: An Interview with Andy Kerr of Bowers & Wilkins
  21. Glory Days
  22. SVS 3000 Micro Subwoofer
  23. Sony SA-Z1 Active Nearfield Loudspeakers
  24. Heavenly Soundworks FIVE17 Active Loudspeakers
  25. Spotify Goes Lossless
  26. In Defense of Streaming
  27. Marantz SACD 30n SACD/CD Player and Streaming DAC-Preamp
  28. DALI Oberon 1 C Active Loudspeakers and Sound Hub Wireless Transmitter
  29. PSB Alpha AM3 Powered Loudspeakers
  30. Tinkering Simplifi'd
  31. iFi Audio Neo iDSD DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amplifier
  32. Bluesound Pulse Sub+ Wireless Subwoofer
  33. Simplifi Defined
  34. Going Deep with Artison
  35. PSB Alpha AM5 Powered Loudspeakers
  36. A Simplifi Yearbook
  37. SVS Prime Wireless SoundBase Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  38. Focal Solo6 Be Active Loudspeakers
  39. A Perfect Pair
  40. Buchardt Audio A500 Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter
  41. Klipsch The Fives Active Loudspeakers
  42. The Critical Component
  43. Has the Time Come for Surround Music?
  44. Triangle Elara LN01A Powered Loudspeakers
  45. Volumio Primo Community Edition and Hi-Fi Edition Streaming DACs
  46. System Audio Legend 5 Silverback Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter
  47. My Top Ten Products of the Last Two Years
  48. Andover Audio Model-One Turntable Music System
  49. Elac Alchemy DDP-2 Streaming DAC-Preamp
  50. Turning Pro
  51. Focal Shape 65 Analog Active Loudspeakers
  52. All About That Bass
  53. HEDD Type 07 Analog Active Loudspeakers
  54. exaSound Audio Design Delta Music Server M100
  55. Bryston BDA-3.14 Streaming DAC-Preamplifier
  56. Gently Down the Stream
  57. Big Events
  58. iFi Audio Pro iDSD Streaming DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amplifier
  59. Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar
  60. DALI Rubicon 6 C Hybrid Active Loudspeakers
  61. Rules of the Game
  62. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Pre Box RS2 Digital DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amp
  63. Klipsch RW-51M Wireless Powered Loudspeakers
  64. The Name Game
  65. iFi Audio Aurora Wireless Music System
  66. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  67. January 1, 2020: The State of Streaming
  68. Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  69. Warsaw’s Audio Video Show 2019, Simplifi’d
  70. Hegel Music Systems H120 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  71. DALI Katch One Soundbar
  72. NAD Classic C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC
  73. Toronto Audiofest 2019, Simplifi'd
  74. Kanto Audio Tuk Powered Loudspeakers
  75. Hi-Rez à-Go-Go
  76. Lumin T2 Network Music Player
  77. Naim Audio ND5 XS 2 Network Music Player
  78. Elac Navis ARF-51 Active Loudspeakers
  79. Streaming the Classics
  80. Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 Active Loudspeakers
  81. Play Nice Together -- An Interview with Rob Darling of Roon Labs
  82. PMC result6 Active Loudspeakers
  83. Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Active Loudspeakers
  84. Active Voices, Part Three: KEF's Jack Oclee-Brown
  85. Naim Audio Mu-so 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  86. McIntosh Laboratory MTI100 Integrated Turntable
  87. High End 2019, Simplifi'd
  88. Yamaha WXA-50 MusicCast Streaming Amplifier
  89. NAD Masters M10 BluOS Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  90. Active Voices, Part Two: Axiom Audio's Andrew Welker
  91. Primare SC15 Prisma Streaming DAC-Preamp
  92. Montréal Audio Fest Simplifi'd
  93. Naim Uniti Core CD Ripper/Music Server
  94. Elac Navis ARB-51 Active Loudspeakers
  95. Active Voices, Part One: Elac's Andrew Jones
  96. Bluesound Pulse 2i Wireless Speaker
  97. SVS Prime Wireless Active Speakers
  98. Let's Keep it Simple
  99. Totem Acoustic Kin Play Powered Speakers
  100. A Roon of One's Own
  101. KEF LSX Active Loudspeakers
  102. Bluesound Vault 2i CD Ripper-Server-Streamer
  103. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Stream Box S2 Ultra Music Streamer
  104. How I Simplifi'd My Wi-Fi
  105. Kii Audio Three DSP-Controlled Active Loudspeakers
  106. Aurender S5W Battery-Powered Wireless Active Loudspeakers
  107. Are Downloads Dead?
  108. Cambridge Audio Yoyo (L) Wireless Speaker
  109. Hi-Rez Streaming: Tidal vs. Qobuz
  110. DALI Callisto 2 C Active Speaker System
  111. Toronto Audiofest 2018 Simplifi'd
  112. Kanto SYD Bluetooth Speaker
  113. LG G7 ThinQ Smartphone
  114. How I Simplifi'd My Hi-Fi
  115. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Juke Box E Turntable-Integrated Amplifier
  116. Time to Celebrate: Five Years of Google Chromecast
  117. NAD D 3020 V2 Bluetooth Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  118. How Good Can Voice Recognition Get?
  119. Polk Assist Wi-Fi Smart Speaker
  120. Are Smart Speakers Any Good for Audiophiles?
  121. MartinLogan Unison Wireless Preamplifier
  122. High End 2018, Simplifi'd
  123. Dynaudio Music 7 Wi-Fi Speaker
  124. Musical Fidelity M6 Encore 225 Music System
  125. Cocktail Audio X35 Music System
  126. Is the Smart Speaker a Dumb Idea?
  127. Peachtree Audio decco125 Sky Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  128. Technics Ottava f SC-C70 Music System
  129. What's Up with Apple AirPlay 2?
  130. JBL Link 500 Wi-Fi Speaker
  131. The Spotify Dilemma
  132. Trinnov Amethyst DAC-Preamplifier-Processor
  133. Control4 Triad One Streaming Amplifier
  134. Elac Discovery Z3 Wi-Fi Speaker
  135. CES 2018, Simplifi’d
  136. Klipsch Heritage Wireless Three Wi-Fi Speaker
  137. Farewell, CES
  138. Paradigm PW 300 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  139. Thiel Audio Aurora Home Wi-Fi Speaker
  140. Room Tunes
  141. Hegel Music Systems H190 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  142. Social Streaming
  143. Yamaha R-N803 Network Stereo Receiver
  144. Onkyo TX-8270 Network Stereo Receiver
  145. CEDIA 2017, Simplifi’d
  146. Dynaudio Focus 20 XD Active Loudspeakers
  147. Riva Audio Festival Wi-Fi Speaker
  148. Naim Audio Uniti Atom Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  149. Classical Prime Time
  150. NAD Masters Series M50.2 Digital Music Player
  151. Bryston BryFi BW-1 Wi-Fi Speaker
  152. The Röst Reconsidered
  153. Arcam rPlay Music Streamer
  154. Auralic Polaris Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  155. High End 2017, Simplifi'd
  156. Simaudio Moon Neo ACE DAC-Streamer-Integrated Amplifier
  157. Vinyl: There's an App for That
  158. Metadata: Life with Roon
  159. NAD C 368 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  160. The Internet and Audio: The Good, the Bad, and the Impossible
  161. Lumin M1 Integrated Amplifier-Network Music Player
  162. Arcam Solo Music DAC-Integrated Amplifier-Universal Player
  163. McIntosh Laboratory RS100 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  164. The State of Streaming
  165. Hegel Music Systems Röst Integrated Amplifier
  166. CES 2017, Simplifi'd
  167. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb Wi-Fi Speaker
  168. Why "Simplifi"
  169. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2 Wi-Fi Speaker