Unboxing the SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 15 November 2022

There have been times in my career when I was certain someone oopsed and shipped me an empty box. Granted, almost all of those times were when I was covering gaming headsets or lightweight gaming mice or custom IEMs or things of the like—never an honest-to-gosh hi-fi stereo amp. Until, that is, the new SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase arrived at my door.

Pro-Ject Audio Systems E1 Phono Turntable with Ortofon OM 5E Cartridge

Details: Written by Thom Moon; Created: 15 November 2022

In 1991, at a time when most people thought vinyl was dead, Heinz Lichtenegger introduced the first Pro-Ject Audio Systems turntable. He knew there were probably millions of people who still owned billions of records and that many of them would want to hold on to their collections. So he set out to build a turntable that offered great sound at a budget price. That turntable was the Pro-Ject 1.

What Makes a Good Reference Recording?

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 01 November 2022

If you’re shopping for new gear—especially as a relatively new audio enthusiast—one of the most important decisions you can make is which songs to use as test material when auditioning an amp or preamp or—most importantly—a pair of speakers. And the choice of which material is most illustrative isn’t always super intuitive.

Denon PMA-1700NE Integrated Amplifier-DAC

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 01 November 2022

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

As I’ve said more than once here lately: with well-established brands, once you get to a certain level of product you can very nearly take performance for granted these days. At least in the two-channel domain. It really just comes down to whether or not the product in question fits your specific needs.

Daniel Lanois: "Player, Piano"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 01 November 2022

Modern Recordings
Format: 24-bit/48kHz FLAC download

Musical Performance

Sound Quality

Overall Enjoyment

Daniel Lanois lets inspiration take him wherever it leads. Last year he released Heavy Sun, an album of soul and gospel music that Lanois presented in his own sonically adventurous production style. In 2018, he collaborated with Aaron Funk (aka Venetian Snares) on Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois, a provocative and bracing collection of keyboard- and effects-based instrumentals. Goodbye to Language (2016) paired Lanois and Rocco DeLuca on steel guitars for a series of ambient songs that yielded great rewards, with each play revealing tremendous emotional and musical complexity.

Unboxing the Technics SU-G700M2 Integrated Amp

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 15 October 2022

Normally, the Noachian weather we’re having here in central Alabama at the moment wouldn’t be a matter of concern for SoundStage! Access readers. It seems relevant, though, given that our recent flooding threatened to derail my upcoming review of the Technics SU-G700M2 integrated amp ($2699, all prices USD). Or so I thought.

A Baloney Detection Toolkit for Hi-Fi?

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 01 October 2022

On a recent episode of the SoundStage! Audiophile Podcast, I mentioned to Brent Butterworth that we need an Audiophile Baloney Detection Toolkit. If you’re not familiar with the reference, it comes from “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection,” an essay by Carl Sagan from his final book, The Demon-Haunted World.

Dual CS 429 Turntable with Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge

Details: Written by Thom Moon; Created: 01 October 2022

Reviewers' Choice At one time—in the 1970s and into the 1980s—Dual automatic turntables were in probably half the entry-level stereo systems in the US. But when the CD came along, and turntables became yesterday’s story, Dual went through some very rough times.

The Who: "The Who Sell Out"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 01 October 2022

Polydor / Track Record / UMC ARHSLP014
Format: LP

Musical Performance

Sound Quality

Overall Enjoyment

Released in December 1967, The Who Sell Out fulfilled the promise of the band’s first two albums, moving it into the front ranks of the great British Invasion bands. When MCA reissued the album on CD in 1995, Who biographer Dave Marsh penned the liner notes. “For me,” he wrote, “The Who Sell Out is the greatest rock and roll album of its era and, as the years go by, seems more and more to me The Who’s consummate masterpiece.”

Thorens TD 102 A Turntable with Audio-Technica AT-VM95E Cartridge

Details: Written by Thom Moon; Created: 15 September 2022

The automatic turntable, absent from audio dealers’ offerings for years, is definitely making a comeback. The first unit I reviewed was the Andover Audio SpinDeck Max ($599, all prices USD). There are at least three more automatic turntables coming to me for review, and many more I haven’t reviewed or arranged to review. In this article, I’m looking at the Thorens TD 102 A ($1099), a fully automatic unit from the renowned Swiss/German company.

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