Subwoofers help. Sometimes they help a lot. They can also be a royal pain to set up, especially if one's musical tastes, like mine, range from quiet-…
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Those of us who like to listen to music at room-filling scale may worry when we sit between a pair of standmount speakers. Sure, many of us have heard remarkably large and expansive sound from relatively smallish boxes (though I've never heard full-range, full-scale sound from tiny boxes with woofers smaller than 5"). But it's always a crapshoot. Will that little two-way speaker excite my blood to musical ecstasy or boil it in frustration?
The experience
The DSAS is an audio streaming appliance that's easy to configure and brings the full power of Audirvāna to your audio system. It works as advertised.
As mentioned previously, of all the computer-based streamer-server software out there, Audirvāna is widely thought to have the best sound quality. That is Audirvāna's pitch, and it's the reason Métronome decided to embrace it. Much like several brand-specific systems, it is architected to do all the digital-end things that are thought to improve sonic quality. In particular, Audirvāna operates connected DACs in…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf loudspeaker and SB-3000 R|Evolution subwoofer were measured in a large conference room 11'11" H × 25'3" L × 15'8" W. The bookshelf speaker was measured on top of a PT&D MDT turntable, on a loudspeaker stand and with an accelerometer attached; the first reflection was off the floor at about 5ms, which limits the farfield response to 200Hz and above. The subwoofer was measured on the floor, in the nearfield of its woofer. The…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Ultra Evolution Bookshelf Loudspeaker:
Description: Two-way, rear-ported, standmount loudspeaker. Drive units: One 6.5" composite glass-fiber cone woofer; one 1" diamond-coated aluminum-dome tweeter. Crossover frequency: 1.8kHz. Frequency response: 40Hz–40kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/1m, 300Hz–3kHz. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Max. power handling: 150Wpc.
Dimensions: 14.88" (378mm) H × 8.66" (220mm) W × 11.25" (285.7mm) D. Weight: 18.8lb (8.6kg).
Finishes: Piano Gloss White, Piano Gloss Black, and Black Oak Wood Veneer.
Serial numbers of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Streamer-server running Audirvāna Studio software (3-year software license included). Physical inputs: Network—Ethernet (10/100/1000Mbps) and Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5GHz bands). Audio outputs: USB DAC output (galvanically isolated and reclocked) supports rates up to PCM 32/384 and DSD up to DSD128 (DoP) and DSD512 (native); UPnP (network) supports rates up to PCM 32/384 and DSD up to DSD128 (DoP) and DSD512 (native); Chromecast (rates not specified). Internal storage: 2TB NVMe SSD included (stores Audirvāna database and user preferences); additional NVMe…
At Audio Advice Live 2026, Paradigm's Blake Alty talks about the company's new Premier series gear in this room at the show, including the 820F v2 floorstanding loudspeakers and 220B v2 standmounts, in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel.
This Paradigm system at Audio Advice Live 2026 was geared toward home theater use with movie soundtracks in mind, so I couldn't get a true handle on its music performance, per se.
Still, music sounded largely neutral, and the Paradigm system avoided the exaggerated, "whiz-bang"…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Rossini APEX DAC with dCS Rossini Master Clock; Roon (running on NUC); Audirvāna; Cambridge CXC CD transport; Aurender N50 streamer-server; Aurender NH10 network switch.
Analog sources: SME 20/3 turntable with SME V arm and Tedeska Tielke cartridge; Dynavector XV-1s cartridge; Audio Note UK IO Gold cartridge; Kondo KSL-SFz step-up transformer; van den Hul "The Grail" MC phono stage.
Integrated amplifier: Audio Note Kondo Ongaku.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Acoustic Duo Mezzo G2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest WEL Signature (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Streaming integrated amplifier: Onkyo Icon Series A-50.
Video: Samsung 40" plasma TV, Roku Wi-Fi to HDMI streaming device.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50 Meta.—Tom Fine
EISA, or the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, is an organization representing over 50 of the most respected special interest publications and websites from 27 countries that cover Hi-Fi, Home Theater, Photography, Mobile Devices, and In-Car Electronics. Every year EISA's Expert Group members, including editors from this publication, test a very wide range of new products from their field of expertise before comparing results and voting to decide on the cream of every product category.
To win an EISA award all products undergo a comprehensive multi-step judging process, and many still…
AnalogPlanet.com has gone live. Allan Toussaint should title an album. Elvis Costello should write a song. I'm running the website, and will continue to write this monthly column for Stereophile, as well as equipment reviews (though fewer of the latter) (footnote 1).
The new site also includes reviews of analog components originally published in Stereophile, and currently features the first 124 installments of "Analog Corner," almost none of which has ever been available online. (Installments 205–325 of Analog Corner can be found here.) Let the hunt for contradictions begin! I've gotten…