- Written by: Brent Butterworth
Pro-Ject Audio Systems’ Juke Box E shows how stereo systems ain’t what they used to be. That statement is not a lament for an imagined better past, but an observation of what kinds of systems today’s listeners want and need. The Juke Box E ($499 USD) caters not to the traditional audiophile, but to a new generation with different listening habits. It combines a turntable, phono stage, integrated amplifier, and Bluetooth receiver, all in a package no larger than a typical budget turntable. All you add is speakers.
Read more: Pro-Ject Audio Systems Juke Box E Turntable-Integrated Amplifier
- Written by: Sathyan Sundaram
The Canadian electronics manufacturer New Acoustic Dimension, since renamed NAD Electronics, was founded in 1972, and released its famous 3020 integrated amplifier in 1978. For many in the late 1970s and 1980s, the 3020 was their first serious audio purchase. Five years ago, to mark its 40th anniversary, NAD released the first version of the D 3020 integrated amplifier ($499 USD), to positive reviews. Last January, at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, they announced the launch of the D 3020 V2 ($399). Along with a $100 reduction in price from the original D 3020, NAD has added a full-range preamp-only output and an RIAA-equalized moving-magnet phono stage, while dropping one of the optical inputs and the USB input. The V2 shares the original D 3020’s compact case -- they’re identically sized -- and is energy efficient. While both versions produce 30Wpc, the V2 offers slight improvements in its specified signal/noise ratio and channel separation.
- Written by: Brent Butterworth
While many audio writers have questioned the desirability of smart speakers, the general public seems to have no such reservations. Estimates project that more than 80 million of these voice-controlled products will have been sold worldwide by the end of 2018. The market’s been dominated by Amazon and Google, but neither of those brands is synonymous with good sound. Fortunately, mainstream audio companies are now incorporating voice-command technology from Amazon or Google into their speakers. The Polk Assist ($199.95 USD), which includes Google Assistant, is one of the first of this wave.
- Written by: Wes Marshall
Apparently, MartinLogan’s Unison wireless preamplifier was designed with Simplifi readers in mind -- it offers Wi-Fi, TosLink digital, and analog inputs and outputs, a 12V trigger, and an Ethernet connection. You can use the Unison with DTS Play-Fi or Apple AirPlay to set up a whole-house streaming system. And the Unison includes Anthem Room Correction (ARC) -- essentially the same version of ARC used in Anthem’s own flagship products. Add it all up and combine it with MartinLogan’s stellar reputation, and you have a product that probably goes for several thousand bucks, right? Nope. The Unison costs $399.95.
- Written by: Al Griffin
It’s been a boom time for Wi-Fi loudspeakers -- most major speaker makers have introduced wireless models that stream music via AirPlay, DTS Play-Fi, or Chromecast Built-in. Nor is Denmark’s venerable Dynaudio A/S a stranger to the wireless world -- their Xeo and Focus XD models have set a standard for high-performance, high-resolution-capable wireless speakers, though in both cases that performance comes at a relatively high price. Dynaudio’s newest wireless offerings comprise their Music models -- a range of compact, all-in-one speakers designed to deliver, via WiFi, the company’s proven sound-quality benefits in affordable, lifestyle-friendly packages. I wondered how well the Music models would stand up to their mass-market competition.
- Written by: Al Griffin
One problem with buying an all-in-one music system is the possibility of getting locked in -- since everything is provided, you’re stuck with the system’s hardware configuration going forward. That possibility becomes even more of a concern with higher-end, higher-priced gear such as Musical Fidelity’s M6 Encore 225. At $5999 USD, the M6 Encore 225 represents a significant investment. Does it have what it takes to stand the test of time?
- Written by: Al Griffin
In reviewing audio gear -- or anything else, for that matter -- it’s a cliché to describe something with lots of features as a “Swiss Army knife.” But that was the image that sprang to mind as I reviewed Cocktail Audio’s X35, a “high-res-all-in-one music system” from Novatron, a Korean audio manufacturer with roots in IT. If there ever was an audio component that merited comparison to a compact, inexpensive device comprising many different tools for many different uses, the X35 is it.
- Written by: Al Griffin
Peachtree Audio is a company I usually think of as being “new.” But as I began work on a review of Peachtree’s most recent integrated amplifier, the decco125 Sky, I was reminded that they’ve been around for more than ten years. That made my head spin. Has it really been almost a decade since I reviewed the company’s iDecco, an integrated amplifier that embraced new ways people accessed music by incorporating a digital dock input for an iPhone/iPod and a USB port for a computer? This inclusiveness was reinforced by the iDecco’s low price: $999 USD.
Read more: Peachtree Audio decco125 Sky Integrated Amplifier-DAC
- Written by: Al Griffin
Panasonic’s Technics brand may be best known for the SL-1200, a direct-drive turntable that has long been a favorite of the DJ set. But even before the SL-1200 became the tool of choice for creating rap and dance music, Technics had made its mark on hi-fi with power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, and loudspeakers.
- Written by: Al Griffin
According to Amazon, the e-commerce site’s hottest product category during the 2017 holiday season was audio. This is not to say that most Amazon shoppers were spending money on amplifiers, bookshelf speakers, or even headphones. The audio product that everyone wanted to find under their tree was the Echo Dot, a voice-activated Wi-Fi speaker that sells for $50 USD.
- Written by: Al Griffin
In an editorial posted late last year, I surveyed the limited field of hi-fi components that include room-correction processing. One product I mentioned was Trinnov Audio’s Amethyst ($10,000 USD), a stereo DAC-preamplifier featuring Trinnov’s proprietary Optimizer. Interviewing a Trinnov rep about the company’s innovative approach to dealing with the interactions of loudspeakers with domestic rooms, recording studios, and movie theaters made it clear that the Amethyst was something I wanted to check out in my own system.
- Control4 Triad One Streaming Amplifier
- Elac Discovery Z3 Wi-Fi Speaker
- Klipsch Heritage Wireless Three Wi-Fi Speaker
- Paradigm PW 300 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
- Thiel Audio Aurora Home Wi-Fi Speaker
- Hegel Music Systems H190 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
- Yamaha R-N803 Network Stereo Receiver
- Onkyo TX-8270 Network Stereo Receiver
- Dynaudio Focus 20 XD Active Loudspeakers
- Riva Audio Festival Wi-Fi Speaker
- Naim Audio Uniti Atom Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
- NAD Masters Series M50.2 Digital Music Player
- Bryston BryFi BW-1 Wi-Fi Speaker
- Arcam rPlay Music Streamer
- Auralic Polaris Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
- Simaudio Moon Neo ACE DAC-Streamer-Integrated Amplifier
- NAD C 368 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
- Lumin M1 Integrated Amplifier-Network Music Player
- Arcam Solo Music DAC-Integrated Amplifier-Universal Player
- McIntosh Laboratory RS100 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
- Hegel Music Systems Röst Integrated Amplifier
- Naim Audio Mu-so Qb Wi-Fi Speaker
- Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2 Wi-Fi Speaker
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