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Reviews of Attainable Hi-Fi & Home-Theater Equipment

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Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 September 2026

They say you can tell a lot about a person based on their favorite joke, although I hope that’s not the case, because mine goes a little something like this:

A guy dies and opens his eyes to find himself sitting in a circle of people in folding chairs, surrounded by flames. A red dude with horns and hooves steps into the circle and says, “Hi, I’m the Devil, and just to let you know, things here in Hell don’t work quite the way you might have assumed they would.”

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 September 2026

One of the phenomena that most fascinates me is the weird dissonance that results from a significant disconnect between perception and reality. For most areas of interest or influence, it’s easy enough to chalk it up to cultural hegemony, but when it happens in the domain of A/V, I’m not sure what to call it. Whatever the cause, though, there’s this perception that home theater is dead and dying harder every day—that A/V receivers like Denon’s new AVR‑X2900H (US$1349, CA$1799, £899, €1000) are a relic of the past and just barely hanging on. That pretty soon you just won’t be able to buy a mass-market one at all.

Details: Written by: Thom Moon; Created: 15 August 2026

To celebrate Record Store Day 2026, Victrola and Jack White’s Third Man Records collaborated on a limited-edition Third Man Records version of Victrola’s Wave turntable and Tempo powered speaker system. The bookshelf speaker system features Third Man’s striking yellow-and-black color scheme. The turntable is mostly black, but has the Victrola and Third Man logos emblazoned in yellow on the front of the plinth, and includes a felt mat that sports the Third Man logo. The turntable sells for US$499.99 and the Tempo speakers for US$249.99, but Victrola also sells the combination for US$649.98, a US$100 discount.

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 August 2026

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

Reviewers' Choice As Geoffrey Morrison recently pointed out in an editorial for SoundStage! Solo, everyone is biased. I’m biased. You’re biased. There’s no escaping it. So when I find myself in a position where my biases might influence my impressions, I try to spell those biases out. So let me just say this from the giddy-up: I dig Emotiva. And yeah, I’ve had issues with the HDMI boards in some of its home-theater products, just like everyone else. But for solid, affordable, no-nonsense stereo gear that’s got a bit of personality, a distinctive aesthetic, and a put-up-or-shut-up approach to performance, it’s hard to beat the Tennessee-based brand’s offerings, such as the new BasX TA2+ stereo receiver/preamp/DAC/tuner (US$1299, CA$1750, £1099, €1248).

Details: Written by: Al Griffin; Created: 15 July 2026

This is my first turntable review for the SoundStage! Network, but I’m no vinyl newbie. My collection includes the many records I bought as a kid and teen before CDs took over, and I’ve steadily added to it over the years, even after streaming became my default method for music playback.

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 July 2026

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m getting to the age where repeating myself is just a byproduct of continued existence, so bear with me. A few years ago, I put together a document for new SoundStage! Network writers titled “The Unassailable, Unimpeachable Guide to Writing the Perfect SoundStage! Review (in my opinion, man),” created with the goal of walking newbies through the inner workings of my twisted mind when I’m reviewing a piece of gear.

Details: Written by: Thom Moon; Created: 15 June 2026

The vast majority of turntables available today are operated manually—you move the tonearm to the lead-in groove to begin playing a record and lift it off at the end of the side. There are a few models that automatically stop the motor at the end of a side, fewer still that lift the tonearm off the record as well, and a very few that automatically return the tonearm to its rest position. Rarer still are fully automatic ’tables that will automatically move the arm into position and drop the needle to start playing, then retrieve it when the record finishes.

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 June 2026

I was frankly perplexed when Onkyo announced its new Muse Series integrated amplifiers earlier this year, including the Y‑40 (US$999.99, CA$1499, £849, €899). After all, the ink was barely dry on the company’s recently released Icon Series products, including the A‑50 (US$1599.99, CA$2599.99, £1199, €1299), itself a network integrated amplifier. One can’t help wondering if Onkyo is getting out over its skis a little with its big comeback in the stereo domain.

Details: Written by: Thom Moon; Created: 15 May 2026

Reviewers' Choice In September 2024, my review of the Dayton Audio Classic B65 standmount loudspeaker was published here on Access. At the time, the B65 was on sale for US$69.98 per pair from Parts Express, Dayton Audio’s parent company, as well as from Amazon. Since then, the price has risen to US$79.98, which is still a bargain. At the time of my review, it struck me that the one thing my review pair needed was a subwoofer. Although I really enjoyed the sound of them, their bass response quit around 65–70 Hz. And now, there’s a solution.

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 May 2026

Y’all know how I’m always running my mouth about the fact that no writer is unbiased—that the way to deal with bias is to air it out and admit it, not to pretend to be neutral? The NAD C 3030 is a perfect example of why I trumpet this message at every opportunity. I’m an unrepentant NAD fanboy. I also adore my reference C 3050 BluOS‑D integrated amp, and my biggest source of frustration with the company in recent years (other than the silly attempt to Weekend at Bernie’s MQA and all its related technologies) has been the fact that the C 3050 sat alone in NAD’s lineup. A weird quirk. Seemingly just an homage to the past instead of a guidepost for the future. What the new NAD C 3030 (US$1199, CA$1299, £899, €999) illustrates is that, while I was sitting here comfortably pontificating from behind my keyboard, NAD has been building toward a hi‑fi future with the C 3050 as its north star.