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Four Recent Follow-Up Reviews
Four products were subjected to second opinions in recent issues: Herb Reichert reviewed the Mk.II version of Klipsch's Reference Premiere RP-600M loudspeaker (above left); Ken Micallef wrote about his...
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Audio Research I/50 integrated amplifier
The first true high-end component I owned was an Audio Research SP-10. I reviewed this two-box, tubed preamplifier in the May 1984 issue of the English magazine Hi-Fi News & Record Review. "The...
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Gramophone Dreams #77: Laissez-faire Listening & the Thöress EHT MKII...
With a system like this, Thoreau would never have gone into the woods to begin with. Last weekend, I visited an old friend who lives near Walden Pond of Henry Thoreau fame. I hadn't visited him since...
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Luxman L-509Z integrated amplifier
When I reviewed Luxman's L-509X flagship integrated amplifier, in May 2018, that sleek machine shook me to my vitals. I wrote, "Record after record, the L-509X illuminated every important aspect and...
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Brilliant Corners #12: Balanced Audio Technology VK-80i integrated amplifier,...
In 1976, a Soviet fighter pilot named Viktor Belenko made an emergency landing in Hokkaido, Japan. He was flying a MiG-25 supersonic interceptor jet and, upon touching down, requested political asylum....
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ARCAM Radia A25 integrated amplifier
I've been to a few bowling parties and passed a bottle around a few fire pits, but I've never watched an audiophile unboxing video. Lately though, I have been paying closer attention to my first...
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Octave Audio V70 Class A integrated amplifier
It may be strange to read what I'm about to say in the pages of Stereophile, but it's the cold hard truth so here goes: Audio reviews are inadequate. They don't tell the whole story. They come up short...
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Vitus RI-101 Mk.II streaming integrated amplifier
Six years after Hans-Ole Vitus, the founder of Danish company Vitus Audio, visited the United States to premier his first three products at CES 2004, Michael Fremer went gaga over the company's...
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Fern & Roby Amp No. 2 integrated amplifier
I stalk a few audio forums because the chatter shows me what different varieties of audiophiles are thinking about, what's pleasing them, what's making them angry, andpotentiallywhat issues reviewers...
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WiiM Amp streaming D/A integrated amplifier
Life is not for Goldilocks. "Just right" is elusive. Every day, we face countless situations where our choices are either too many to navigate or too few to find satisfaction. Behavioral scientists...
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Triode Lab 2A3 EVO integrated amplifier
For 16 years, I bled jazz. Countless hours alone in my practice shed, honing technique, recording myself for brutal self-analysis, dissecting and transcribing master drummers' solos note for note. My...
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T+A R 2500 R multisource receiver
The hi-fi receiver has been many different things. Early examples, like the Harman Kardon "Stereo Festival" TA-230 from 1958 (said by modern-day Harman/Samsung to be the first stereo receiver; footnote...
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PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid integrated amplifier
"Hybrid" technologyspecifically, mixing tubed and solid state in the same amplification devicestirs a deep desire for many enthusiasts. It has the potential to embody a perfect blend: the tonal...
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Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amplifier
In 1989, I bought my second pair of Rogers LS3/5a's from a guy on Staten Island who had them hooked up to a Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amplifier. After playing the speakers for me, he began...
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Hegel H400 streaming integrated amplifier
The Internet of Things has arrived at the stereo rack (footnote 1). Many hi-fi systems are now connected to the wider world, controlled by phones and tablets. Complex front panels with many switches...
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Brilliant Corners #21: German kitchens, Japanese amps, and Afropop gems
I have a day job at a museum. One of my favorite things about working there is taking the elevator from my office down to one of the floors open to the public; I walk into the galleries through a...
View ArticleThe January 2025 FollowUp Roundup
While there haven't been any follow-up reviews in recent issues of Stereophile, the January 2025 issue features further coverage of two one-box solutions that were reviewed in 2024the Hegel 400...
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Gryphon Audio Designs Diablo 333 integrated amplifier
What's in a name? Denmark-based Gryphon Audio Designs laid down a marker when company founder Flemming Rasmussen chose that name in 1985. Browsing through the current StereophileRecommended Components...
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Audia Flight FLS10 integrated amplifier
The dogma of separates has long reigned supreme among audiophiles: If you're serious about sound quality, you're supposed to need a dedicated preamp and power amp. The logic goes that separates reduce...
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Aurorasound HFSA-01 integrated amplifier
Audiophiles are often misunderstood as mere hobbyists; in fact they hold a profound reverence for sound. Japanese jazz kissas, where vintage vinyl, turntables, tube amplifiers, and horn speakers have...
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