PSB
Focal
Powernode
iFi Audio
Lumin

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.

Today is Simplifi’s birthday. Five years ago, on New Year’s Day 2017, the SoundStage! Network launched a site dedicated to “convenient, lifestyle-oriented hi-fi” with a short feature by Al Griffin, entitled “Why Simplifi.”

Reviewers' ChoiceHere’s a bit of audio trivia for your holiday enjoyment: Who was J.A. Hofmann? If you’ve been into audio as long as I have, you’ll know him as the H in the loudspeaker brand KLH. Along with Henry Kloss and Malcolm S. Low, Hofmann was a founding partner of KLH Research and Development Corporation, which was formed in 1957, and has recently been revived as KLH Audio.

Most audiophiles know Canada’s Lenbrook Industries for its three audio brands: PSB Speakers, NAD Electronics, and Bluesound multi-room streaming products. Fewer people know Lenbrook as a software developer. But the fact is that Lenbrook’s BluOS software platform is a key component of many of its products—not just the Bluesound multi-room components for which BluOS was originally created, but also NAD integrated amplifiers, preamplifiers, AV receivers, and a multi-zone streamer targeted at the custom-integration (CI) market.

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

The fall of 2021 has been a busy time for NAD Electronics. In the past few months, the Pickering, Canada–based company has announced three new integrated amplifiers, all of them with intriguing feature sets.

In the past few years, UK-based iFi Audio has introduced an impressive series of compact, affordable components under its Zen sub-brand. These include the Zen Blue V2 Bluetooth DAC ($189, all prices in USD unless noted otherwise), Zen DAC V2 DAC-headphone amp ($189), Zen Phono MM/MC phono stage ($199), and Zen Can balanced headphone amp ($199).

On May 28, 2020, Tidal announced that it was rolling out Dolby Atmos Music for home-theater systems. Nearly a full year later, on May 17, 2021, Apple Music announced that, along with lossless audio, its catalog would support spatial audio, which also uses Dolby Atmos. For Tidal, Dolby Atmos Music is included in the higher-tier HiFi subscription at $19.99 (all prices in USD) per month for a single subscription ($29.99 for up to five additional family members). For Apple Music, spatial audio and lossless audio are included in the $9.99 plan ($14.99 per month for up to five additional family members). For most audiophiles, the biggest draw would be lossless audio—the company was joining niche providers such as Tidal and Qobuz, but Apple’s pervasive influence brings it to a much wider audience.

Sometimes, I envy reviewers on other sites of the SoundStage! Network. Most of the time, they’re reviewing single-purpose products like passive loudspeakers, amplifiers, DACs, turntables, and headphones, so they can focus mainly on how the component sounds.

You might think that a guy who earns his living by writing about technology would want to have the latest and greatest of everything. Not yours truly. When I make a purchase, I’ll spend what it takes to get a product that will meet my needs for a long time—but then I’ll make that thing last and last. I’ll replace a product only if it stops working properly and can’t be repaired economically; or if my circumstances change and the thing no longer suits my needs.

Reviewers' ChoiceI don’t know how many stereo systems are sitting unused in people’s basements and attics; but I’d guess a gazillion or so, give or take a million. That’s a pity, because it wouldn’t take much to update them. Just connect a streaming DAC like the new Bluesound Node ($549, all prices in USD), and that old system is ready to stream music from the internet, play digital music from an external drive, play soundtracks from a connected HDTV, and perform other 21st-century audio tricks.

In his July 1 editorial, “Rich Guys and Reviewers Running Amok in Hi-Fi,” SoundStage! Network founder and publisher Doug Schneider discussed the amount of exorbitantly priced hi-fi products available today, and the fact that their performance often does not justify their crazy price tags. And he cited academic studies showing that consumers often mistakenly equate price with quality.

Almost all of the products reviewed here on Simplifi, and on other corners of the SoundStage! Network, are fairly new to market—in most cases, less than one year old. And quite often, our reviews are of products that are brand new to market.

At first glance, Q Acoustics’ Q Active 200 ($1999/pair, all prices in USD except where noted) doesn’t look much like a loudspeaker. It could be an appliance of some kind, or maybe a minitower desktop PC. After setting up the speakers on the matching Q FS75 stands ($499/pair) in my living room, I sent close-up pix to a few friends and family members, and asked them what kind of product the pictures showed. Those were some of their guesses.

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