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George Michael's music wasn't in the room, but it was in my head. Despite my telling him to please shut up, he belted "I want your SX" as soon as I'd entered the Schaumburg F ballroom at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel during AXPONA 2026. Apparently, the invisible English singer was serenading Stenheim's Reference Ultime Two SX speakers ($200,000/pair and up, depending on finish). Each three-way Stenheim tower sports five drivers: two 12" woofers, dual 6.5" midranges, and a single 1" soft-dome tweeter in a ported D'Appolito array.

The Swiss-built product is unusually efficient…

At AXPONA 2026, T+A elektroakustik demoed two new top-level components: the A 3100 HV amplifier ($29,900) and the SDX 3100 HV streaming DAC/preamp ($44,900).

The A 3100 HV, outfitted with a beefy screen, succeeds the German company's A 3000 HV. Its #1 new party trick is a dual-winding transformer that gives the amplifier two operating modes. High power mode delivers the same performance of its predecessor: 380W into 8 ohms, 700W into 4 ohms, stable into 2-ohm loads. The fun happens in high current mode, when the amp runs in pure class-A up to 60W per channel, trading roughly half…

A vanishing noise floor made this Well Pleased AV setup one of my favorite rooms at AXPONA 2026.

The system dropped profoundly low, taut bass that raised the hairs on my arms as miles of silence opened between notes. While playing music by Belgian jazz vocalist Melanie De Biasio, the Well Pleased AV system bathed each phrase in endless sustain, rich decay, and exacting…

Description: Solid state streaming integrated amplifier. Analog inputs: two line (XLR, RCA), one phono (on RCA). MM: 47k ohms/100pF, MC: 1k ohms, 0pF, Digital inputs: HDMI-ARC, S/PDIF on RCA, TosLink, two Ethernet on RJ45, USB "Host." Analog outputs: RCA variable (preamp-out) L, R speaker outputs, ¼" headphone. Rated output power: 100Wpc into 8 ohms, 200Wpc into 4 ohms (both 20dBW). Input sensitivity: 0.3–4V for maximum rated output. Input impedance: 9.5k ohms. Gain: 40dB (line). Frequency response: 5Hz–100kHz (+0/– 3dB). Crosstalk: –108dB. THD: 0.009% at 1W, 0.…

Analog sources: VPI HMW-40 turntable, VPI 12" Fatboy tonearm, Lyra Etna λ Lambda cartridge, Ortofon Bronze Cadenza cartridge. Pro-Ject Classic EVO turntable, w/Sumiko Olympia cartridge.
Digital sources: MacBook Air running Tidal, Roon, Qobuz. Bricasti M21 DAC, Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport, Pro-Ject CD Box RS 2 T.
Preamplifier: McIntosh C12000.
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced Stereo Amplifier.
Integrated amplifiers: AVM Inspiration CS 2.3, McIntosh MA252.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties WATT/Puppy, Harbeth P3ESR…

I recently spent a week traveling—it was good to get out of the basement! First up, toward the end of May, was an event at the Audio Alternative, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Owner Rick Duplisea is a vinyl fanatic and Linnie whose store—actually, his sprawling home—is packed with gear and LPs. His record collection beats mine. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to look at every album—it would have taken days—but even a quick peek turned up lots of vinyl I wish I owned or even just had a chance to hear. Next…

Analogplanet.com covered new products exhibited at the 2012 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver last October (Stereophile's full coverage can be found here); in this month's column I'll comment on the show generally, and specifically on two seminars.

RMAF's growth over the past few years has been phenomenal. This year's attendance appeared to be…

Gabrielle Cavassa put out an eponymous self-released album in 2020. But it wasn't until 2023, when she appeared on Joshua Redman's Blue Note debut where are we, that word hit the street: There was a hot new singer in town. Now Cavassa has a Blue Note debut of her…

Joseph Joachim suggested that 20-year-old Johannes Brahms introduce himself to his instant champion, the influential composer/critic Robert Schumann, and his wife Clara. Though Joachim's Hebrew Melodies for viola and piano are the weak part of the album—…

There's something very special about a debut album. Even if the musician's or band's vision isn't fully realized, it promises the excitement of something new and fresh. Hearing those first steps can be revelatory. Of course it can equally be the opposite: a huge letdown in money and time spent.

Thankfully Birding, from the London-based trio Deary, is of the former category. Theirs is a sound of shoegaze, of dreamy…