Phonostage Reviews – Phono Preamps
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Manley Labs Steelhead RC Phono Preamp Review
I’ve lived with the Manley Labs Steelhead RC phonostage longer than any other component in my main system. It’s...
iPhono 3 Review
ifi iPhono3 "Black Label" Phonostage Review The iPhono3 "Black Label" is the latest phonostage from AMR owned ifi...
ifi iPhono 3 Black Label Phono Review – First Look
ifi iPhono3 Black Label Review - Unboxing / Setup / First Impressions The iPhono3 Black Label is the latest phonostage...
Allnic Audio H-1202 Phonestage Review (Page Three)
Allnic Audio H-1202 Phonostage Review (Page Three) Continued From Here... I hadn't been 100% happy in the way I'd set...
Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Preamp Review
Allnic Audio H-1202 Phonostage Review The Allnic Audio H-1202 is the successor to the popular H-1201 and is Allnic...
Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Preamp Review (page two)
Allnic Audio H-1202 Phonostage Review (Page Two) Continued From Here... Lift-off was achieved around 15 minutes from...
Manley Chinook Vs Zesto Audio Andros 1.2 – Phonostages Compared
I'm so far behind on various writing and review projects that I feel I just have to get something out there so...
Zesto Audio Andros 1.2 Phonostage V Manley Chinook – Part II
I've seen Zesto Audio gear close up, specifically at the 2019 Capital Audiofest, and I find its appearance to...
Pass Labs Aleph ONO Phonostage Phono Preamplifier
Ever since the advent of "perfect sound forever" the availability of quality analog reproduction devices has...
Recent Reviews & Posts
Lumin X1 Network Streamer Review
Over a year ago I embarked on a mission to downsize and simplify my system(s). Things had gotten out of control. Too much stuff, too many boxes, heavy components, unreliable amps with too many tubes, all the problems of space, maintenance and extracting the optimal...
A Tale of Two DACs – Lab12 DAC1 Reference Versus Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC
Well, actually, it is three if you count the internal DAC in my Marantz SACD 30n player. I’ve had this Marantz digital player for a couple of years. It retails for about $3500. I do like it quite a bit. It is rather hefty and solidly built. Plus, it does a lot of...
Orchard Audio Starkrimson 25 Mono Premium Review
First, a big thanks to Leo at Orchard Audio for the chance to spend a bit over a week with the Starkrimson 25 Mono Premium monoblocks in my own system. The amps arrived here as part of Orchard Audio’s loaner tour, where they’ve been sending the pair around to Steve...
The Eversolo DMP-A10 Pre/Streamer/DAC and System Downsizing
I spent a lot of 2025 downsizing my main rig. Not for any financial reason, but more because I became a bit disillusioned with the whole chase. Bigger, pricier, heavier boxes, endless swapping... it gets tiring after a while and I just burned out on it. So out went my...
Voxativ Zeth Loudspeaker Review
Single-Driver Purism With Real-World Caveats The Voxativ Zeth occupies an increasingly popular space in high-end audio. It is unapologetically committed to the single full-range driver, crossoverless philosophy, yet is presented in a visually modern, domestically...
Bookshelf vs Floorstanding Speakers vs the Room?
[Watch a short version of this article on YouTube above.] Audiophiles love a good debate (fight). Tubes vs solid state, digital vs vinyl, cables that “definitely” make a difference vs those that “absolutely” don’t. But perhaps one of the most enduring arguments is...
The Law of Diminishing Returns in High-end Audio
I've been downsizing both my systems lately, and it has been an interesting experience. It started about a year ago. I basically came to the realization that, for whatever reasons, I wasn't using my system(s) enough to justify the amount of cash that I had tied up in...
Manley Labs Steelhead RC Phono Preamp Review
I’ve lived with the Manley Labs Steelhead RC phonostage longer than any other component in my main system. It’s hard-working, reliable, versatile, and sounds great. Unlike many tube preamps that inject their own flavor, the Steelhead focuses on staying true to the...
SMR Cable Technologies Vanish 334 Speaker Cable Review
You know you're in for something serious when a set of speaker cables arrives with serialized documentation and a signed, certified performance report from the manufacturer. Not a vague promise of “reference sound,” not a generic factory checklist, but actual measured...
Spica TC‑50 Review: What $350 Can Still Buy You in High-End Audio
There are certain products in the audiophile world that seem to defy time, designs that, despite their original MSRP, age or modest appearance, still punch way above their weight and occasionally leave you wondering why the industry ever moved on. Or wondering, has it...
Vintage Linestages That Still Compete: Four Tube Preamps Worth Hearing in 2025
There’s great value in the vintage market. Not long ago, buying a vintage linestage meant resigning yourself to dusty old relics — gear that looked like lab equipment and often sounded like it too. You were wading through clunky circuits, high noise floors, and enough...
The Midnight Effect in High-End Audio: Myth, Magic, or Measurable?
So I was up late last night listening to the system and enjoying a few adult beverages. "The System" in this case was the dining room system, which is configured entirely for digital playback and is far more detailed and analytical than the main system, where I use...
REL Carbon Special Review: High Expectations – Poor Results.
I’ve spent 18 months with the REL Carbon Special subwoofers, and while I wanted to love them, I find myself more frustrated than impressed. For a subwoofer at this price point (MSRP: $4,499 each), there are design flaws that make setup and fine-tuning unnecessarily...
Tube vs. Solid-State Preamps: Magic, Myth, or Just Distortion?
Mick, from Downunder, just published a YouTube video on the channel - Tube Preamps Versus Solid State. It seems to be a bit controversial judging by some of the comments on YouTube. I don't know why, obviously tube preamps are better. But here it is - click the image...
Ditching Your Linestage and Going Source-Direct
Transcript: Okay, this is a topic that comes up quite a bit on audiophile forums, the subject of running a DAC directly into a power amp without using a preamp - so basically going source direct from a DAC, either standalone or built into a streamer or CD player, that...
Don Sachs D2 Linestage Review
Note: While Don Sachs has recently retired, his legacy lives on in the Don Sachs D2 Linestage. While Don isn't actively building new products, he has, to some extent, passed along the baton to the speaker builder Spatial Audio, who are producing Don Sachs' designs,...
Ayre Codex DAC / Headphone Amplifier Review
I've been spending a lot more time listening to the second system this past few weeks, rolling through some low-cost retro gear that I think really flies under the typical audiophile's radar. By 'retro', I mean it's no longer in production but still very much viable...
All New Altec Lansing Speakers and Amps Revealed at Capital Audiofest 2024
Day One CAF 2024 - Altec Lansing Iconic Series Speakers / 300b Monoblocks From AL Press Release: Iconic Series This category will combine classic methods and materials with new technology to build a bridge from the past to the future. The lineup will be built with...
The Death of the Audiophile – A Slow Slide to Oblivion.
About a week ago I was looking through the stats in my YouTube channel. I'm not a 'YouTuber', as anyone who has watched one of my videos will know! "..I love you, but sooner or later, you’re going to have to face the fact you’re a goddamn moron.” But it's fun every...
The FTC’s New Ruling on Fake Reviews and the Future of Audiophile Content
The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent ruling, aimed at banning fake reviews and deceptive testimonials, has already sparked a lot of debate within various online forums and communities. I recently started a thread on the popular audiophile forum at Audiogon on...
The Audiophile Song – Forced To Get Rid Of Everything – It’s So Unjust!
'The Audiophile Song' Here's a 3-minute song that seemed to resonate with many people across the various audiophile fora, and on YouTube where it was published. [Someone named it 'The Audiophile Song', so I changed the title to match.] Had I known it was going to be...
Origin Live Resolution Vs. Dr. Feickert Woodpecker – Video
Watch as our good friend of the channel Shelton Ward provides an overview of the differences between the Origin Live Resolution MK IV with its Illustrious 3C tonearm, and the Dr. Feickert Analogue Woodpecker, with the Kuzma Stogi S 12VTA tonearm. Video Summary:...
Part IV – Audiophile System Building Journey
Here's Part IV of my system building journey, click here for Part I, Part II, and Part III I don't know whether or not it was through frustration with the main rig, boredom, or something else, but I started to spend more time, energy, and money on system #2. Remember,...
An Audiophile’s System Evolution – Component Reviews Part III.
This is Part III of the system evolution thread, click for Part I, or Part II Klipsch Klipschorns On the previous page, we reached the moment when the Klipsch Khorns entered the picture. Before the Khorns, I had acquired a pair of Klipsch Heresy I speakers. Though...
Part II System Evolution and Component Reviews at Audio Resurgence
This is part II, for part i click here This is Part II of documenting a journey through reviewing and/or just buying and selling high-end audiophile speakers, amps, turntables, CD players, Dacs, Phonostages, and more. I've basically lost the plot here and buying audio...