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Refined and Ready: Audio Mirror, Cube Audio, and Taiko Add Shine

Refined Audio’s room 688 featured an almost entirely new system, with the exception of Dave Slagle’s familiar EM/IA gear. (Slagle, co-founder of EM/IA and a specialist in transformer-based designs, is known for his minimalist, high-purity audio components.)

At AXPONA 2025, Refined Audio’s Jon Ver Halen and Steve Dear, together with Vladimir Bazelkov of Audio Mirror, assembled a system that blended high-end analog and digital components.

Starting with the vinyl playback system: a Jan Allaerts MC1 Boron cartridge (approximately $4000) was mounted on the US premiere…

Fidelity Imports’ Power Trio: AVM, Wilson Benesch, and Perlisten

Steve Jain of Fidelity Imports seeks out high-quality audio brands poised for greater recognition. While some, such as Wilson Benesch—now distributed in the US by Fidelity—are already well-established in the industry, Jain’s commitment is evident in his support of respected manufacturers like Perlisten, Knosti, QED, Unison Research, and Audia Flight.

Fidelity Imports brought so many rooms to Chicago that Stereophile’s show reporters had to draw straws to divide them up. I landed in Fidelity Imports’ Room 1210, which held an AVM Rotation R 5.3 MK2 turntable ($8999) and three off-camera…

Top Shelf Shows Its Hand: Klipsch Power, Perlisten Punch, TEAC Precision

Pushing through the AXPONA crowd, fueled by caffeine and the ambient buzz of the show floor, I made my way toward the Klipsch room, where the newly revised Klipsch La Scala AL6 was making its debut. Also featured was the Unison Research S6 integrated amplifier, which I lauded in a recent Stereophile review.

System One employed a Roon Nucleus One streamer ($499) and a TEAC UD-701N USB DAC/network player preamplifier ($4299) feeding a TEAC AP-701 stereo power amplifier ($3999). The amp drove Klipsch La Scala AL6 three-way, fully horn-loaded loudspeakers ($14,998/pair) via the Klipsch La…

Reel Resurrection: Revox and Alice Cooper Spin Up Some Shock

At the same time that Ryan O’Connor, president of Revox North America, was pitching the reel-to-reel revival to dealers, Revox Deutschland—the brand’s German distributor—unveiled a slate of new products, including two that are Alice Cooper–branded. No, seriously. Swear on my eyeliner budget.

The all-premiere system included the new Revox B77 MK III Stereo Tape Recorder ($19,950); a Revox B77 MK III Alice Cooper Limited Edition Tape Recorder ($9950); a limited-run Revox T77 Turntable Alice Cooper Edition ($5550); a Revox Studiomaster T700 Turntable Black Edition ($2364); a 180Wpc…

Better Sound Through Buttons: Vandersteen Launches the L5-ACC Control Center

Once again, my time in the Vandersteen room provided copious pleasure. Plus, it came in two installments: listening time in the inner sanctum, and chat time with Richard Vandersteen and Brad O’Toole in the entrance chamber. If that sounds rather exotic for a two-room hotel suite, you needed to be there.

We began with “Louis Collins” from the formidable duo of Jerry Garcia and Dave Grisman. Colors were superb—a bit more vivid than in the Pass Labs room—with a most gorgeous midrange and a very fine top. The sound of Grisman’s mandolin was worth queuing up for. I thought the Lyrita recording…

A Royal Showing: Monarch Distribution Impresses with B.audio, SME, and Chario

Jon Baker, co-founder of Monarch Systems Distribution in Englewood, Colorado, assembled a striking system built around B.audio electronics from France, a British-made SME turntable, and Italian Chario loudspeakers.

The Diamond Series Synergy turntable—with an SME Series IV tonearm, Ortofon MC Windfeld Ti cartridge, built-in Nagra phono stage, and Crystal Cable wiring—is priced at $51,999. Its signal flowed into a B.audio B.dpr EX preamplifier ($24,400) and then to a pair of B.audio B.amp power amplifiers ($34,400/each), driving the Chario Academy Serendipity loudspeakers ($57,000/pair…

Unison Research S6 Black Edition integrated amplifier

Celebrated for its contributions to cuisine, music, and art, Italy boasts a rich cultural heritage and a history of profound significance to the world.

From the 1088 establishment of the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the Western world, to the invention of the radio by Guglielmo Marconi in the mid-1890s, Italy has been at the forefront of innovation and artistic pursuit. Modern Italy stands as a testament to its vibrant past.

"The Italian Renaissance, which began in Florence in the 1380s, marks the first moment when Europeans stepped away from the traditional and…

Unison Research S6 Black Edition integrated amplifier Page 2

Setup
To isolate the amp from resonance nasties and rowdy FedEx trucks rumbling down my well-worn Greenwich Village block, I placed an Aptitlig bamboo cutting board underneath the S6 Black Edition. This, along with Norman Varney's EVPs (the best isolation pucks I've found for resonance control and noise reduction) placed under the Aptitlig, provided vibration isolation. To evaluate the S6 Black's internal DAC, I connected my Tascam CD 200iL CD player via a single Triode Wire Labs Spirit RCA cable running from the CD player's coax output to the S6's S/PDIF input.

Biasing the KT77 tubes…

Unison Research S6 Black Edition integrated amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-channel, tubed class-A, Ultralinear integrated amplifier. Tube complement: six KT77 Gold Lion; two 12AX7/ECC83 Gold Lion. Inputs: four single-ended (RCA), USB, S/PDIF, TosLink. Outputs: Two pairs loudspeaker output terminals, subwoofer (RCA). Power output: 40Wpc into 6 ohms (14.75dBW) specified at 5% THD. Frequency range: 15Hz–30kHz. THD+N: 0.5% at 1W. Total gain (from line inputs): 35dB. Input impedance: 50k ohms. Max. power consumption: 265VA.
Dimensions: 13.75" (349mm) wide × 17" (4312mm) deep × 8" (203mm) high. Weight: 55lb (25kg).
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Unison Research S6 Black Edition integrated amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 with Korf TA-SF9R tonearm/HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell. Ortofon 2M LVB 50, Kuzma CAR-30 phono cartridges.
Digital source: Tascam CD-200 iL CD player.
Preamplifiers: Tavish Audio Design Adagio (phono).
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Super Nine, Volti Audio Lucera, Voxativ Ampeggio 2024.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Pegasus and Firebird, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA). Speaker: AudioQuest William Tell Zero (10'). AC: AudioQuest NRG Z.
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU, HumminGuru record cleaning machines;…