SoundStage! Simplifi | SoundStageSimplifi.com

: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 15 June 2026

In my recent review of the Onkyo Muse Y‑40 streaming integrated amp (US$999.99, CA$1499, £849, €899) for SoundStage! Access, I said that while there are meaningful technological differences between the company’s Muse and Icon Series offerings, the most significant differences between the two seem to boil down to vibes—at least as far as I could tell, without having dug too deeply into the latter series. Now that I’ve spent a little over a month with the Icon A‑50 (US$1599.99, CA$2599.99, £1199, €1299), I mostly stand by that observation, although the differences under the hood turned out to be a little more substantial than first glances might indicate.

: Written by: Al Griffin; Created: 15 May 2026

Cambridge Audio is a brand I’ve long admired for its straightforward approach to audio-equipment design. Whether it’s earbuds, amplifiers, or active speakers, Cambridge products deliver consistently good build quality and performance, and the company also manages to keep prices at a reasonable level—something many other audio manufacturers seem to have a problem doing.

: Written by: Al Griffin; Created: 01 May 2026

Reviewers' Choice Soundbars are generally thought of as a cheap, unfussy way to improve the audio part of the TV-viewing experience. The category tends to earn its “audio appliance” rep, though brands like Sonos have managed to elevate soundbars somewhat through features like built-in music streaming, room correction, and an ability to add wireless rear speakers and subwoofers to scale up to full surround sound. Klipsch’s Flexus Core soundbar family follows Sonos’s lead with a surround-sound scaling option. The company’s flagship model, the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 (US$1199.99, CA$1499, £1049, €1199), takes things even further by adding built-in streaming and Dirac Live—a sophisticated room-correction solution typically found in high-end A/V receivers and integrated amplifiers.

: Written by: AJ Wykes; Created: 15 April 2026

Klipsch’s ProMedia 2.1 desktop speaker system convinced a generation of PC owners that computer audio did not have to be an afterthought. Released in 1999, it sold well, and remained on desks and shelves for years after its competitors had been landfilled. It was not particularly subtle, but at the time it seemed revelatory compared with the weak, forgettable desktop speaker systems it replaced.

: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 15 March 2026

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

Let’s talk about wants versus needs for a minute, by way of introducing Arcam’s flagship streaming integrated amplifier, the Radia-series SA45 (US$5499.95, CA$7999, £4499, €4998). Do you need the 180Wpc of class-G amplification it delivers? I don’t know your life, but I’m pretty sure you don’t, unless your speakers are brutal loads or your room is downright palatial. Do you need the massive 8.8″ high-resolution display, which stretches to fill the space between the halo-accented volume-control and input-carousel knobs? Probably not. Do you need the sexy Radia industrial design, the hooded back panel, the balanced XLR inputs and outputs? Nope, nope, and nope.

: Written by: Al Griffin; Created: 01 March 2026

A few years ago, I made the switch from a traditional component-based home-theater audio system to a soundbar-based one for my TV viewing room. The reason? I got sick of being surrounded by so much stuff: Blu‑ray player, streamer, preamp-processor, amps, stacks of speakers—all of it connected with a tangle of cables.

: Written by: AJ Wykes; Created: 15 January 2026

Reviewers' Choice For all the attention devoted to loudspeaker design and amplifier specifications, many discussions about hi-fi overlook the elephant in the room, or rather the elephant that is the room. Our listening spaces profoundly shape what we hear, in ways that can make differences between electronic components comparatively meaningless.

: Written by: Roger Kanno; Created: 01 January 2026

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

Linn Products may be best known for its Sondek LP12 turntable, originally introduced in 1972, but the Scottish brand has been manufacturing its DS streaming components since 2007. Linn ceased production of optical disc players back in 2009. Its three Network Music Players (Linn’s terminology for streaming components) are currently the only digital source components that the company offers. The least-expensive model is the Majik DSM, the subject of this review. It includes amplification, so it can be thought of as a streaming integrated amplifier. The two other models, the Klimax DSM and Selekt DSM, require separate power amplification.

: Written by: AJ Wykes; Created: 01 December 2025

Reviewers' Choice I’ve been curious about Devialet’s Phantom line of all-in-one wireless active loudspeakers ever since they first launched in 2015. The French company made bold claims about their technology, their engineering, and their willingness to reimagine what a speaker could be. So when the opportunity arose to review the latest iteration of the Phantom, the Phantom Ultimate, I jumped at it.

: Written by: AJ Wykes; Created: 01 November 2025

FiiO has made quite a name for itself in headphone-audio circles thanks to the quality of its well-priced portable electronics, which include DACs, DAPs, headphone amplifiers, and Bluetooth transmitters and receivers. Recently, the Chinese brand has been expanding its product offerings into other areas, such as headphones, turntables, and active loudspeakers.

: Written by: AJ Wykes; Created: 01 October 2025

German loudspeaker manufacturer Elac has made a number of appearances on this site, with products like the all-analog active Navis ARB‑51 bookshelf and Navis ARF‑51 floorstanding loudspeakers having been featured in reviews here. More recently we featured the Debut ConneX DCB41, the company’s entry-level powered bookshelf speaker system (US$699), designed at Elac Research in Ontario, Canada, and reviewed by Gordon Brockhouse in March 2023.