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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…

In my own system, it was used with the following source components: the new Philips LHH1000 two-box CD player, its transport section also used to drive the Sony DAS-R1 D/A convertor; a 1975-vintage Revox A77 to play my own and others' 15ips master tapes; and a Linn Sondek/Ekos/Troika setup sitting on a Sound Organisation table to play LPs. Power amplification was provided by a Krell KSA-50 power amplifier, while loudspeakers were either Celestion SL700s or Vandersteen 2Cis, each pair sitting on their dedicated stands and bi-wired first with Monster M1, then with…

Analog Sources: Technics SL-1200GAE and Roksan Radius 7 turntables, Hana EL MC and Roksan Corus Silver MM cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple Mac mini computer (Intel Core i5) running OS X El Capitan; Halide DAC HD, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs; Integra DPPS-7.2 DVD-A player.
Preamplification: Lounge Audio Copla MC step-up amplifier; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III, Parasound Halo JC3+ phono preamplifiers; Rogue Audio RP1, Simaudio Moon Neo 350P preamplifiers.
Power Amplifier: First Watt J2.
Integrated Amplifiers: Line Magnetic LM-518 IA, Schiit Audio…