SoundStage! Access | SoundStageAccess.com (GoodSound.com)

Is Hi-Fi a Kink or a Fetish?

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 September 2024

The original headline for this article was going to be a bit more vanilla—something along the lines of “Needs vs. Wants in Hi-Fi.” It was inspired by two conversations: one between me and SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider, another with my buddy Steven Guttenberg, the Audiophiliac, whose YouTube channel boasts an impressive 255,000 subscribers as I write this.

Record Doctor X Dual-Sided Record Cleaning Machine

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 September 2024

Of all the uncertainties that plagued this total vinyl newb when I finally got around to buying my first proper grown-up turntable, the one I struggled with most was how to deal with the onslaught of old vinyl devotees telling me that if I didn’t follow this, that, or the other rule precisely, I might as well not even bother. Getting a turntable that won’t let me set vertical tracking angle? Absolutely scandalous! And replace that felt platter mat immediately! With cork. No, wait, acrylic. No, wait, rubber. No, wait, leather. No, wait . . . kozo washi! Truth be told, I’m glad I ignored most of the mandates and explored all of these things in my own way and on my own time. But I must admit, I wish I’d listened to the people who told me that there’s simply no substitute for a good wet-cleaning system. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something like the Record Doctor X ($599.95, all prices USD). But it has to be something.

Record Doctor X Unboxing and First Impressions

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 15 August 2024

As I said in my August editorial, one of the most surprising things that I’ve discovered since adding vinyl playback to my reference system is that I really love the process of wet-cleaning LPs. Weird, I know. But it’s sort of half the fun of the hobby for me right now, whether I’m using my Big Fudge–branded Spin-Clean rip-off or the Record Doctor VI that will only really be mine once I’m finished making the $22/month loan payments to Affirm.

Confessions of a Recent Vinyl Convert

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 August 2024

Let me make this clear from the start: I have not been caught in a sex scandal, my taxes are all paid up, and I’m not embezzling money from anybody. All of which I feel compelled to lay out, because those always seem to be the precursors to any conversion story. Which is why everyone hates such stories. But in a sense, it’s a conversion story that I’m writing here, much as I hate reading them myself.

Peachtree Audio Carina 300 Integrated Amplifier

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 August 2024

Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.

My toxic trait: I hate pandering except when it’s aimed at me. So much so that I sometimes see pandering where there obviously isn’t any. Case in point: I’ve written a lot here lately about solved problems in hi-fi and how I think audio manufacturers should stop trying to reinvent the wheel when the wheel works just fine, but rather focus their R&D dollars on ergonomics, styling, and technologies that still have plenty of room for improvement. So I can’t help looking at a company like Peachtree Audio—and a product like its new Carina 300 integrated amplifier ($1999, all prices USD)—and think that somebody there is listening.

Pro-Ject Audio Systems T2 Super Phono Turntable with Sumiko Oyster Rainier cartridge

Details: Written by: Thom Moon; Created: 15 July 2024

Reviewers' Choice Pro-Ject Audio Systems claims to be the world’s largest manufacturer of audio turntables by far, and I have no reason to doubt that claim. In addition to offering a comprehensive lineup of turntables under its own brand, Pro-Ject manufactures ’tables for other brands as well. Their products receive near-unanimous praise for their engineering, materials, and sonic performance.

Peachtree Audio Carina 300 Unboxing

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 15 July 2024

Introduced back in 2022, Peachtree Audio’s Carina was a hell of an integrated amplifier that packed cutting-edge digital tech into an analog-looking wood cabinet that housed way more Hypex NCore amplification than nearly anybody needs. And it sold for a mere $1999 (all prices USD). So, in a sense, it’s somewhat surprising that the company has already introduced a successor—three of them, in fact: the $2999 Carina GaN, the $1499 Carina 150, and the bad boy we’re unboxing today, the $1999 Carina 300.

A Vinyl-Apathist’s Quest for His Perfect First Turntable

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 July 2024

What do you do when you’re shopping for a product in a category you know nearly nothing about? It’s a question I’ve spent most of my career in hi-fi journalism attempting to answer, and it’s my hope that readers perceive me not as someone who tells them what to buy, but who helps them figure out how to decide what to buy.

Arcam Radia A25 Integrated Amplifier–DAC

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 July 2024

Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.

As I’ve said any number of times, you’ll never find a completely unbiased audio reviewer. We’re human. We have our preferences. We like what we like. As such, it’s a personal policy of mine to bold, italicize, and underline any inherent bias when I sit down to write a product review. And that’s the only way I can think of to introduce a review of any piece of Arcam gear. The name “Arcam” alone gets me a bit excited, mostly because of my experiences with the company’s higher-end A/V receivers, but that excitement also spills over into two-channel products, such as the new Radia-series A25 integrated amplifier ($1499, all prices USD).

TEAC TN-4D-SE Turntable and Sumiko Oyster Cartridge

Details: Written by: Thom Moon; Created: 15 June 2024

Many of today’s best-known audio manufacturers have histories that date back to the beginnings of high-fidelity reproduction. Brands such as McIntosh (1949), Marantz (1952), and Thorens (1957 for their first turntable) have had long runs. Another company that dates back to the middle of the last century is TEAC, which was founded in 1953 in Tokyo. For the first few decades of its existence, the firm was noted for its excellent reel-to-reel tape recorders, and later, some very fine cassette decks.

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