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Some systems are sleepers in the unassuming sense. They don't come in big parts, or take up a lot of space, or use a dozen components to pass the signal through. So you sit down to listen to them, expecting something good but forgettable, and boom! They wallop you in the face with wave after wave of dense, weighty, colorful, harmonically saturated sound that forces you to catch your breath as you try to reconcile what you're hearing with what your assumptions were.

That's what happened to me in distributor Wynn Audio's room, although I should've known…

Did I say “packed?” The real fun will take place October 25–27, when hallways feel at least as busy as at Munich High End. This is, after all, Europe’s…

"It's one of my greatest strengths. I know what music sounds like. I just go inside the music and let it tell me how it's supposed to be alive, how it's supposed to live in that space. I know that sounds simplistic and maybe somewhat esoteric, or pretentious even—but it's not…

After 30 sides

Playing my father's favorite song, Stephen Foster's haunting "Beautiful Dreamer," sung by baritone Leslie Guinn on Songs by Stephen Foster (Nonesuch stereo LP H-71268), the SL MK II delivered enough transparency to see the usually obscured walls and floor of the recital room where "Dreamer" was recorded using "historical instruments at the Smithsonian Institute, in Washington, DC." The MK II recovered more of "Dreamer"'s moodiness than the old SL did. This track, along with "Jeanie…

From an audiophile perspective, the speakers’ design leans in a lifestyle direction, but I’ve seen and heard them, and they look and sound very good. They’re also flexible placement-wise. They include DSP technology and these being designed for wide-dispersion, the sweet spot isn’t some little nook in the center of your sofa; walk around the…

The Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G has four tensioning bolts, clearly visible along the back of the cabinet. These bolts serve two main purposes: to compress the gasket between the driver and the cabinet to achieve an airtight seal, and to "detune" any resonances in the driver chassis. Designer Michael Hedges cites a third, smaller benefit: additional bracing for the cabinet's back panel—though he insists this has only minimal influence on the sound. After all, the cabinet is made from thick MDF—double-thick in critical spots—and already braced internally…

Description: Three-way bass-reflex ("HiVe II Ported") loudspeaker with two rear-facing ports. Driver complement: one MPD III tweeter, one 3" (76mm) HDT, C-CAM midrange, two 6" (152.4mm) HDT C-CAM bass drivers. Crossover frequencies: 800Hz, 2.7kHz LF. Port tuning frequency: 35Hz. Frequency response, free field: 45Hz–60kHz, –6dB; in-room: 28Hz–60kHz, –6dB. Sensitivity (free field): 87dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms with a minimum of 3.9 ohms at 165Hz. Maximum peak SPL (AES75, Z-weighted): 117dB. Continuous power handling (CTA 426-B): 250W. Recommended…

Analog sources: Linn LP12 turntable with Keel chassis, Karousel main bearing, Radikal motor control. Naim ARO tonearm and Lyra Delos cartridge.
Digital sources: Naim UnitiCore network server and S/PDIF source. Roon Nucleus+. NAIM ND555 Streamer-DAC with two 555PS(DR) power supplies.
Preamplification: Townshend Allegri Reference line control. Phono: Naim SuperLine-SuperCap DR.
Power amplifier: Naim NAP250 (2023).
Loudspeakers: FinkTeam KIM, BBC LS3/5a.
Cables: Speaker: Transparent XL MM2, Naim NAC A5. Interconnects: Naim standard and…