PSB Alpha IQ

During the first few months of 2024, I’ve seen some killer deals on the kind of hi-fi gear I most like. Seeing these deals has led me to ask some questions about the nature of Simplifi’d hi-fi, and to wonder how widely my preferences are shared.

Read more: Fire Sales

Lately, I’ve noticed that a growing number of products reviewed on Simplifi and other sites on the SoundStage! Network are only available for purchase online. Here are some examples: Denmark’s Buchardt Audio, whose Anniversary 10 active loudspeaker I reviewed on February 1, sells exclusively over the internet. So does Norway’s Arendal Sound, whose 1723 Tower S loudspeaker Philip Beaudette recently reviewed on SoundStage! Hi-Fi. Fluance and Axiom Audio, both based in Canada, sell exclusively online. Thom Moon has enthusiastically reviewed several Fluance products on SoundStage! Access, most recently the RT81+ turntable and Reference XL8F loudspeaker.

Read more: Direct versus Retail

Harman International Industries, as many readers know, owns several highly regarded home-audio brands: AKG, Arcam, Harman Kardon, JBL, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, and Revel, among others. Fewer know that Harman is also involved in pro audio and automotive electronics. On November 27, Harman announced a further expansion to its ambit with the acquisition of Roon Labs, a move that caught almost everyone in the hi-fi world by surprise, including me. Harman itself was acquired by Samsung Electronics in 2017 and operates as an autonomous subsidiary of the South Korean giant.

Read more: Harman International Has Bought Roon Labs—What Comes Next?

There’s a short answer to the question posed by the title of this article: “Of course they do.” I could leave it at that, in which case this would be the shortest article ever published on the SoundStage! Network. A slightly longer answer is that the place of physical media in Simplifi’d hi-fi is declining, just as it is in hi-fi in general. But make no mistake—vinyl and CD are still relevant.

Read more: Getting Physical—Do LPs and CDs Have a Place in Simplifi’d Hi-Fi?

Since 2018, the SoundStage! Network has been a member of the Expert Imaging and Sound Association. Each year, EISA presents awards in six categories: photography, mobile devices, in-car electronics, home-theater display, home-theater audio, and hi-fi. The SoundStage! Network is a voting member in the hi-fi category.

Read more: Active Voices: Livio Cucuzza of Sonus Faber

In mid-July, a SoundStage! reader posed this question on SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider’s LinkedIn page: “Can someone point me to an article that tells me in simple terms why I should be using Roon?”

Read more: Is Roon Worth It?

Sometimes when things don’t work out the way you’d planned, it’s all for the best. This article is a case in point. In my June 1 feature, “Lakeside Streaming,” I explained how I’ve made it simple for guests to stream video and music to the various TVs and smart speakers in our vacation home. In the conclusion of that article, I noted that I use Roon for music playback at home and explained how the Roon ARC app lets me access my Roon library when I’m away from home. “But Roon ARC is a subject all of its own,” I added, “which I’ll tackle later this summer.” That time has now come.

Read more: Out and About—Using Roon Away from Home

Among my better half’s innumerable gifts is an acute nose for real estate. I experienced this firsthand seven years ago, when we were enjoying a two-week holiday in Southampton, Ontario—a funky little Canadian beach town on Lake Huron. In addition to its lovely beaches, Southampton has some excellent restaurants, good shopping, an interesting history, and glorious sunsets.

Read more: Lakeside Streaming—Network Entertainment at a Vacation Home

Making predictions is a risky business. You can look like a genius if things work out the way you say they will, or a doofus if they don’t. In my annual “State of Streaming” feature, which was published February 15 on Simplifi, I made four predictions: Spotify would finally launch its lossless music service; Apple would release its long-awaited classical-music app; Apple might introduce an enhanced version of AirPlay that supports hi-rez audio (and possibly spatial audio as well); and Tidal might make it easier for subscribers to listen to Atmos-encoded multichannel music. I was quite confident about the first two predictions, moderately confident about the third, and only mildly so for the last one.

Read more: Streaming Update—Spring 2023

Canada’s PSB Speakers was founded in 1972 by Paul Barton. PSB celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 1 (Canada Day) last year with the release of the Passif 50 ($2499/pair, all prices in USD): a retro-inspired design that evokes PSB’s Passif I and Passif II models from the 1970s.

Read more: Active Voices: An Interview with Paul Barton and Rob Nicholls of PSB Speakers

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.

Read more: The State of Streaming—2023

  1. Gordon's System, Re-Simplifi'd
  2. Mix Master: PMC's Heff Moraes on Making Music in Atmos
  3. Toronto Audiofest 2022, Simplifi’d
  4. The Great Debate: Is Component Hi-Fi Dead?
  5. Evolving Hi-Fi: My Journey with a Fleet of Devialet Silver Phantoms
  6. Simplifi'd Hi-Fi at Munich High End–and Elsewhere
  7. How We Listen
  8. Wayback Playback
  9. Listen While You Work
  10. The State of Streaming—2022
  11. Why "Simplifi"—Five Years Later
  12. The Evolution of BluOS: An Interview with Lenbrook's Andrew Haines
  13. Dolby Atmos Music in Your Home
  14. The Big Switch
  15. I'm Only in It for the Money
  16. Encore! Encore! An Interview with Patricia Barber, Jim Anderson, and Ulrike Schwarz
  17. The New Apple Music
  18. Moving Forward with Formation: An Interview with Andy Kerr of Bowers & Wilkins
  19. Glory Days
  20. Spotify Goes Lossless
  21. In Defense of Streaming
  22. Tinkering Simplifi'd
  23. Simplifi Defined
  24. Going Deep with Artison
  25. A Simplifi Yearbook
  26. A Perfect Pair
  27. The Critical Component
  28. Has the Time Come for Surround Music?
  29. My Top Ten Products of the Last Two Years
  30. Turning Pro
  31. All About That Bass
  32. Gently Down the Stream
  33. Big Events
  34. Rules of the Game
  35. The Name Game
  36. January 1, 2020: The State of Streaming
  37. Warsaw’s Audio Video Show 2019, Simplifi’d
  38. Toronto Audiofest 2019, Simplifi'd
  39. Hi-Rez à-Go-Go
  40. Streaming the Classics
  41. Play Nice Together -- An Interview with Rob Darling of Roon Labs
  42. Active Voices, Part Three: KEF's Jack Oclee-Brown
  43. High End 2019, Simplifi'd
  44. Active Voices, Part Two: Axiom Audio's Andrew Welker
  45. Montréal Audio Fest Simplifi'd
  46. Active Voices, Part One: Elac's Andrew Jones
  47. Let's Keep it Simple
  48. A Roon of One's Own
  49. How I Simplifi'd My Wi-Fi
  50. Are Downloads Dead?
  51. Hi-Rez Streaming: Tidal vs. Qobuz
  52. Toronto Audiofest 2018 Simplifi'd
  53. How I Simplifi'd My Hi-Fi
  54. Time to Celebrate: Five Years of Google Chromecast
  55. How Good Can Voice Recognition Get?
  56. Are Smart Speakers Any Good for Audiophiles?
  57. High End 2018, Simplifi'd
  58. Is the Smart Speaker a Dumb Idea?
  59. What's Up with Apple AirPlay 2?
  60. The Spotify Dilemma
  61. CES 2018, Simplifi’d
  62. Farewell, CES
  63. Room Tunes
  64. Social Streaming
  65. CEDIA 2017, Simplifi’d
  66. Classical Prime Time
  67. The Röst Reconsidered
  68. High End 2017, Simplifi'd
  69. Vinyl: There's an App for That
  70. Metadata: Life with Roon
  71. The Internet and Audio: The Good, the Bad, and the Impossible
  72. The State of Streaming
  73. CES 2017, Simplifi'd
  74. Why "Simplifi"

Page 2 of 9