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We’re just past the halfway point of 2021, but I think I’ve already heard my favorite album of the year. On August 6, Impex Records will release Clique, an album of jazz standards by Patricia Barber, on MQA CD, SACD, and hi-rez download. Stereo and 5.1 surround-sound mixes will be included on the SACD, and available as hi-rez downloads. Clique will also be streamed by Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Qobuz. Coming later this year is a 33rpm LP; a 45rpm LP and a reel-to-reel tape release will follow in 2022.

One of the hottest product categories in hi-fi right now is the streaming integrated amplifier—an amp with a built-in network streamer and Wi-Fi connectivity. Just add a pair of loudspeakers, connect the amp to your home network, log on to your favorite streaming service, and you have everything you need to play just about all the music in the world. Of course, these products also have digital and analog inputs to accommodate components like disc players, game consoles, and TVs.

During my three years on Simplifi, I’ve reviewed 27 different powered and active loudspeakers—more than any other product category. There’s a reason for this. Because of their all-in-one designs, speakers with built-in amplifiers work wonderfully for Simplifi’d hi-fi.

Reviewers' ChoiceIn the 21st century, has there been a more successful, more important bookshelf loudspeaker than KEF’s LS50? I doubt it. Just look at how the LS50 and its progeny have fared on the SoundStage! Network.

First Amazon, then Spotify, and now Apple. With the company’s May 17 announcement that it was planning to make the 75 million songs in its Apple Music catalog available in lossless format, and that a substantial number of tracks would be available in high resolution (up to 24-bit/192kHz ALAC), all the major streaming services have now joined the lossless party.

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

Reviewers' ChoiceIf there was ever an occasion for an audio manufacturer to release a statement product, this was it. On September 28, 2020, Brian Russell, Bryston Ltd.’s tremendously capable, tremendously affable president, passed away in his sleep from an apparent heart attack. He was 69.

In the past two years I’ve reviewed active studio monitors from Heinz Electrodynamic Designs (HEDD), Focal, and PMC. As you’d expect, all of these speakers work wonderfully for desktop audio. But what about listening Simplifi’d style: sitting on a sofa or comfy chair, cueing up music with a tablet or smartphone, and playing it from a streaming DAC connected to the speakers?

The past five years have been mighty tumultuous for Bowers & Wilkins. In May 2016, the venerable British loudspeaker brand was acquired by EVA Automation Inc., a Silicon Valley startup. The two companies joined forces to develop a series of wireless audio products, which they unveiled in April 2019.

I’m old enough to remember a time, in the 1970s and ’80s, when component hi-fi was a mainstream thing. It seemed everyone either owned or planned to soon buy a stereo system.

Reviewers' ChoiceSince mid-2019, I’ve been looking for ways to get better bass from the music system in the living room of the 1920s Toronto rowhouse I share with my infinitely better half. My quest began when I reviewed Elac’s Navis ARF-51 speakers ($4599.96/pair; all prices USD). Those active floorstanders delivered deeper bass and more slam than the active stand-mounted speakers I was using at the time, and I enjoyed them so much I bought the review samples.

In mid-February, SoundStage! editor-in-chief Jeff Fritz e-mailed to ask if I’d be willing to put together a “virtual system” as part of a series he was writing for SoundStage! Ultra: “If you had an unlimited budget and wanted the best performance money could buy on the desktop, what would you pick?”

Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.

Three years ago, when Kevin and Jonathan Couch formed Heavenly Soundworks, the father-and-son team planned to make only conventional passive loudspeakers—active speakers weren’t on the agenda. “My dad has been into audio as long as I can remember—since before I was born,” Jonathan told me in a phone interview, “which is why I’m into it too.”

It’s hard for people who are passionate about something to imagine others not sharing their enthusiasm. How could anyone not appreciate small-batch bourbons? Or 35mm rangefinder cameras? Or vintage wristwatches?

For his February 1 “SoundStage! UK” column on SoundStage! Hi-Fi, Ken Kessler wrote an entertaining (but slightly unhinged) rant, “I Hate Streaming.” Characteristically, Ken spiced up his piece with colorful prose. “As for streaming, I can’t even be bothered to dignify it by hating it,” he proclaimed. “Rather, I prefer to disrespect it with the ultimate insult: I couldn’t care less about it. . . . Indeed, when suffering insomnia, I think of streaming. Then, when I invariably wake up at 3 a.m., being of pensioner age, streaming is exactly what I do. In the loo.”

Is the Compact Disc on its last legs? It sure looks that way. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), US sales of CDs fell 45.2% (units) and 47.6% (dollars) in the first half of 2020, compared to the same period a year earlier. In that same period, revenues from streaming grew 12%, to $4.8 billion—85% of recording-industry revenues in the US.

In the last three years, Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries (DALI) has introduced active versions of models from three of its speaker series:

Reviewers' ChoiceIntroduced in 1991, PSB’s affordable Alpha series of loudspeakers have since earned a reputation for performance and value, and received many awards. PSB’s Alpha P5 two-way minimonitor ($399/pair, all prices USD except as noted) received a Reviewers’ Choice Award when it was reviewed on SoundStage! Access by Hans Wetzel in March 2019, and was subsequently named a SoundStage! Network Product of the Year for Exceptional Value.

During the 2018 Toronto Audiofest, I had an interesting conversation with an industry colleague about active speakers and streaming music. As previously observed on Simplifi, my living room can’t accommodate a conventional component system comprising amps and passive loudspeakers. Nor can it accommodate physical media such as CDs and LPs. For that reason, I’ve built my main hi-fi system around a pair of Elac Navis ARF-51 active speakers ($4599.96/pair, all prices USD), which have 300Wpc of built-in amplification. I stream all my music to the living room over our home network.

When he visited my home last summer, SoundStage! founder and publisher Doug Schneider asked what I thought was a strange question. Which am I into more, music or sound? Am I first and foremost an audiophile or a music lover?

In no other area do audiophile aspirations collide more forcefully with the laws of physics than in the reproduction of deep bass. That’s especially true with audio systems installed in multipurpose living areas, as opposed to dedicated media rooms. There are two main reasons for this, one quantitative, the other qualitative.

A trick question: What are the most valuable components of your music system? I don’t know about yours, but the most valuable parts of mine are space and time. If that sounds like new-age hokum, stay with me—that insight has a lot to do with how I’ve configured my hi-fi system, how I use it, and the writing I do in this corner of the SoundStage! Network.

Last spring, I added a new component to my audio wish list: a subwoofer. It happened after I’d conducted an experiment in which I compared my Elac Navis ARF-51 active floorstanding speakers ($4599.98/pair, all prices USD) with a pair of Elac Navis ARB-51 active stand-mounted speakers ($2299.98/pair), the latter augmented by an SVS PB-2000 Pro subwoofer ($899.99). I wanted to find out which would give me better sound: a pair of full-range floorstanders, or a pair of minimonitors plus a sub. The Navises employ the same drivers, crossovers, and amplifiers—in short, that minimum of variables made these two models an ideal test bed for my experiment.

Reviewers' ChoiceI didn’t expect to be writing this review -- at least, not now. As I mentioned a month ago, in my feature article “A Perfect Pair,” when I read PSB’s announcement of their new Alpha AM3 and Alpha AM5 powered speakers, I immediately requested for review a pair of AM5s. I was told that samples would be shipped to me that very week -- only to hear, a few days later, that review samples weren’t available, due to robust initial orders and pandemic-related product shortages. When PSB offered to supply the smaller AM3s, I gladly accepted.

At the start of 2020 — it seems an age ago — I’d made some ambitious travel plans for the year: In March, I’d take the train to Montreal for the Audiofest; in April, I’d fly to Chicago for AXPONA. In May, I’d jet off to Munich for the High End show. In October I’d stay in my home city to attend the Toronto Audiofest, and in November it would be off to Warsaw for the Audio Video Show.

Most audiophiles know SV Sound (SVS) as a manufacturer of high-performance, high-value speakers and subwoofers. The Ohio-based company’s catalog also includes one electronic component: the Prime Wireless SoundBase ($499.99, all prices USD), which combines a powerful integrated amplifier and network streamer in one compact case.

One of the best-kept secrets of home audio is the possibility of building a hi-fi system around a pair of professional studio monitors. As I discussed in my July 1 feature, “Turning Pro,” studio monitors offer more bang for the buck than most conventional systems comprising separate electronics and passive speakers.

It sounds like a nice problem for a speaker maker to have: Some hot new models are launched, and the first batch immediately sells out. That’s what happened when PSB announced powered versions of its acclaimed Alpha P3 and Alpha P5 minimonitors.

Reviewers' ChoiceWith apologies to William Shakespeare, there’s something rockin’ in the state of Denmark, audiowise. When it comes to active speakers that include digital signal processing (DSP) -- in my opinion, now the most exciting segment of audio -- the Danes are on the leading edge. During my two-years-plus at SoundStage! Simplifi, I’ve written about active speakers from several Danish brands, including DALI, Dynaudio, and System Audio, and I’ve loved them all.

Is there a speaker brand that does retro as well as Klipsch? I doubt it. Klipsch’s big horn speakers hark back to the middle of the 20th century, and so do their lifestyle products.

In the last decade, recorded music has undergone a sea change -- it has become disembodied. From the late 19th to the early 21st century, music was distributed on physical media. In the early 21st century, digital downloads held sway, then quickly gave way to on-demand streaming.

  1. Has the Time Come for Surround Music?
  2. Triangle Elara LN01A Powered Loudspeakers
  3. Volumio Primo Community Edition and Hi-Fi Edition Streaming DACs
  4. System Audio Legend 5 Silverback Active Loudspeakers and Stereo Hub WiSA Transmitter
  5. My Top Ten Products of the Last Two Years
  6. Andover Audio Model-One Turntable Music System
  7. Elac Alchemy DDP-2 Streaming DAC-Preamp
  8. Turning Pro
  9. Focal Shape 65 Analog Active Loudspeakers
  10. All About That Bass
  11. HEDD Type 07 Analog Active Loudspeakers
  12. exaSound Audio Design Delta Music Server M100
  13. Bryston BDA-3.14 Streaming DAC-Preamplifier
  14. Gently Down the Stream
  15. Big Events
  16. iFi Audio Pro iDSD Streaming DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amplifier
  17. Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar
  18. DALI Rubicon 6 C Hybrid Active Loudspeakers
  19. Rules of the Game
  20. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Pre Box RS2 Digital DAC-Preamp-Headphone Amp
  21. Klipsch RW-51M Wireless Powered Loudspeakers
  22. The Name Game
  23. iFi Audio Aurora Wireless Music System
  24. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  25. January 1, 2020: The State of Streaming
  26. Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  27. Warsaw’s Audio Video Show 2019, Simplifi’d
  28. Hegel Music Systems H120 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  29. DALI Katch One Soundbar
  30. NAD Classic C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC
  31. Toronto Audiofest 2019, Simplifi'd
  32. Kanto Audio Tuk Powered Loudspeakers
  33. Hi-Rez à-Go-Go
  34. Lumin T2 Network Music Player
  35. Naim Audio ND5 XS 2 Network Music Player
  36. Elac Navis ARF-51 Active Loudspeakers
  37. Streaming the Classics
  38. Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 Active Loudspeakers
  39. Play Nice Together -- An Interview with Rob Darling of Roon Labs
  40. PMC result6 Active Loudspeakers
  41. Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Active Loudspeakers
  42. Active Voices, Part Three: KEF's Jack Oclee-Brown
  43. Naim Audio Mu-so 2nd Generation Wireless Music System
  44. McIntosh Laboratory MTI100 Integrated Turntable
  45. High End 2019, Simplifi'd
  46. Yamaha WXA-50 MusicCast Streaming Amplifier
  47. NAD Masters M10 BluOS Streaming Integrated Amplifier
  48. Active Voices, Part Two: Axiom Audio's Andrew Welker
  49. Primare SC15 Prisma Streaming DAC-Preamp
  50. Montréal Audio Fest Simplifi'd
  51. Naim Uniti Core CD Ripper/Music Server
  52. Elac Navis ARB-51 Active Loudspeakers
  53. Active Voices, Part One: Elac's Andrew Jones
  54. Bluesound Pulse 2i Wireless Speaker
  55. SVS Prime Wireless Active Speakers
  56. Let's Keep it Simple
  57. Totem Acoustic Kin Play Powered Speakers
  58. A Roon of One's Own
  59. KEF LSX Active Loudspeakers
  60. Bluesound Vault 2i CD Ripper-Server-Streamer
  61. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Stream Box S2 Ultra Music Streamer
  62. How I Simplifi'd My Wi-Fi
  63. Kii Audio Three DSP-Controlled Active Loudspeakers
  64. Aurender S5W Battery-Powered Wireless Active Loudspeakers
  65. Are Downloads Dead?
  66. Cambridge Audio Yoyo (L) Wireless Speaker
  67. Hi-Rez Streaming: Tidal vs. Qobuz
  68. DALI Callisto 2 C Active Speaker System
  69. Toronto Audiofest 2018 Simplifi'd
  70. Kanto SYD Bluetooth Speaker
  71. LG G7 ThinQ Smartphone
  72. How I Simplifi'd My Hi-Fi
  73. Pro-Ject Audio Systems Juke Box E Turntable-Integrated Amplifier
  74. Time to Celebrate: Five Years of Google Chromecast
  75. NAD D 3020 V2 Bluetooth Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  76. How Good Can Voice Recognition Get?
  77. Polk Assist Wi-Fi Smart Speaker
  78. Are Smart Speakers Any Good for Audiophiles?
  79. MartinLogan Unison Wireless Preamplifier
  80. High End 2018, Simplifi'd
  81. Dynaudio Music 7 Wi-Fi Speaker
  82. Musical Fidelity M6 Encore 225 Music System
  83. Cocktail Audio X35 Music System
  84. Is the Smart Speaker a Dumb Idea?
  85. Peachtree Audio decco125 Sky Integrated Amplifier-DAC
  86. Technics Ottava f SC-C70 Music System
  87. What's Up with Apple AirPlay 2?
  88. JBL Link 500 Wi-Fi Speaker
  89. The Spotify Dilemma
  90. Trinnov Amethyst DAC-Preamplifier-Processor
  91. Control4 Triad One Streaming Amplifier
  92. Elac Discovery Z3 Wi-Fi Speaker
  93. CES 2018, Simplifi’d
  94. Klipsch Heritage Wireless Three Wi-Fi Speaker
  95. Farewell, CES
  96. Paradigm PW 300 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  97. Thiel Audio Aurora Home Wi-Fi Speaker
  98. Room Tunes
  99. Hegel Music Systems H190 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  100. Social Streaming
  101. Yamaha R-N803 Network Stereo Receiver
  102. Onkyo TX-8270 Network Stereo Receiver
  103. CEDIA 2017, Simplifi’d
  104. Dynaudio Focus 20 XD Active Loudspeakers
  105. Riva Audio Festival Wi-Fi Speaker
  106. Naim Audio Uniti Atom Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  107. Classical Prime Time
  108. NAD Masters Series M50.2 Digital Music Player
  109. Bryston BryFi BW-1 Wi-Fi Speaker
  110. The Röst Reconsidered
  111. Arcam rPlay Music Streamer
  112. Auralic Polaris Wireless Streaming DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  113. High End 2017, Simplifi'd
  114. Simaudio Moon Neo ACE DAC-Streamer-Integrated Amplifier
  115. Vinyl: There's an App for That
  116. Metadata: Life with Roon
  117. NAD C 368 DAC-Integrated Amplifier
  118. The Internet and Audio: The Good, the Bad, and the Impossible
  119. Lumin M1 Integrated Amplifier-Network Music Player
  120. Arcam Solo Music DAC-Integrated Amplifier-Universal Player
  121. McIntosh Laboratory RS100 Wi-Fi Loudspeakers
  122. The State of Streaming
  123. Hegel Music Systems Röst Integrated Amplifier
  124. CES 2017, Simplifi'd
  125. Naim Audio Mu-so Qb Wi-Fi Speaker
  126. Why "Simplifi"
  127. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 2 Wi-Fi Speaker