Displaying items by tag: streaming - StereoLife Magazine

Digital audio has come a long way in recent years. There was a time when all you needed was a computer, a modest collection of files on a hard drive and a DAC connected over USB. Today, we have music servers, network transports, dedicated operating systems, control apps, streaming services and an entire infrastructure that some audiophiles take just as seriously as their amplifiers or speakers. For a long time, I found myself somewhere between those two worlds. I was eager to try anything that promised a better way to listen to files, seeing it not just as a matter of convenience but as a chance to get around some of the limitations of CD. I extensively modified my PC to make it quiet and efficient, and just about every DAC from a familiar hi-fi brand found its way onto my desk: the Meridian Explorer, Primare DAC30, Hegel HD25, Atoll HD100, iFi Audio iDSD Micro and Marantz HD-DAC1. Back then, this was seen as a harmless eccentricity. For most audiophiles, the only serious source of music was a CD player, but that began to change quickly. Today, streaming is a galaxy of its own, with streamers, servers, dedicated operating systems, control apps, streaming services, specialist power supplies and even LAN cables with prices that can make your head spin. For some people, streaming is simply a more convenient way to listen to music. For others, it is another area where they can spend hours searching for small improvements. But even the most ambitious system needs one more key component: software for playing music. You can use one of the free apps, download the one supplied by your streamer’s manufacturer or switch between them depending on where you want to access your music. Or you can bring all of that together with a specialist app such as JPLAY.

For years, KEF has been steadily developing the concept of a complete stereo system contained within a pair of active speakers. The history of this part of the company's lineup goes back much further than the rise of music streaming. Its symbolic starting point is the LS3/5a monitor, developed by the BBC in the 1970s using KEF drivers. The company returned to that tradition for its 50th anniversary with the passive LS50, followed several years later by the active LS50 Wireless. Subsequent generations of the LS50 Wireless, the smaller LSX systems and the slim LS60 Wireless floorstanders established an entire family of products in which the amplification, digital-to-analog conversion, streamer and digital crossover are designed from the outset as a single system. The latest and most luxurious expression of this idea is the LS Luxe, an active stand-mounted system positioned above the LS50 Wireless II while remaining considerably more compact than the floorstanding LS60 Wireless.

Hegel is introducing two new integrated amplifiers built around the same core platform but aimed at different types of system. The H200, described by the manufacturer as "The Connected", combines a 2 x 150 W amplifier with a digital-to-analogue converter, network player, MM phono stage and headphone output. The A200, or "The Classic", retains the same power output and key circuit solutions, but is an entirely analogue design intended for use with external sources such as streamers and DACs. Both amplifiers employ a Class AB output stage delivering 150 W per channel into 8 ohms. The H200 and A200 are designed to remain stable into loads as low as 2 ohms, while the damping factor of their output stages exceeds 4000. Both models also feature Hegel's SoundEngine2 technology, which is designed to detect and reduce distortion at the point where it occurs, before it travels further through the signal path. The basic amplifier architecture is therefore shared, with the main differences concerning connectivity, features and the role each model is intended to play within a system. Rather than creating one heavily equipped amplifier for everyone, Hegel has developed two versions - a complete network-enabled model and a more traditional integrated amplifier without a digital section.

One of the traditional arguments against active loudspeakers is that their electronics age faster than their cabinets and drivers. An amplifier module can become outdated, streaming standards change and DSP platforms improve, while the acoustic part of a well-designed speaker may remain perfectly capable for decades. Buchardt Audio has been thinking about this problem since developing its first active models, and its latest product tackles it unusually directly. Rather than asking owners of A500, A500SE, A700, A700 Limited Edition or Anniversary 10 speakers to replace them with an entirely new generation, the Danish manufacturer has created the Mk2 Upgrade Kit - a user-installable package that replaces the complete amplifier, DSP and power-supply platform inside the existing cabinets. Selected models receive a new tweeter as well.

Fyne Audio has spent almost a decade building its reputation around conventional passive loudspeakers, from relatively affordable bookshelf models to imposing high-end designs made in Scotland. Cubitt 5 marks a rather important change of direction. It is the company's first fully active loudspeaker system, combining amplification, digital processing, wireless connectivity and a phono stage with one of Fyne's most recognizable technologies - the IsoFlare point-source driver. First shown publicly at the Shanghai AV Show in May and subsequently presented in Europe at High End Vienna, Cubitt 5 has now made its North American debut.

Marantz has introduced the second generation of its Cinema Series AV receivers. The new family consists of the Cinema 50 Series 2, Cinema 60 DAB Series 2 and slimline Cinema 70s Series 2. The company has not opted for a major visual overhaul, as the distinctive styling of the current range has proved to be one of its strongest features. Instead, the most important changes have been made inside the receivers and within their software. Marantz promises improved sound quality, wider access to Dirac Live room correction, new installation tools, expanded streaming capabilities and additional features designed for modern gaming PCs and consoles.

Klipsch is celebrating its 80th anniversary with a major overhaul of one of the most recognizable parts of its powered-speaker lineup. The Fives II, The Sevens II and The Nines II retain the familiar three-step hierarchy of the previous generation, but little else has simply been carried over. All three models combine Klipsch's horn-loaded acoustic design with a completely new electronics platform developed by Onkyo engineers in Osaka, while adding built-in network streaming, HDMI 2.1, Dolby Atmos and a much broader range of system functions. The new generation was first shown at CES 2026 and has since reached stores in the US, UK and Europe.

The Wireless Box E is one of those small Pro-Ject components whose purpose becomes clear the moment you see where it is meant to sit - not on a hi-fi rack, but directly on the back of a loudspeaker. Instead of adding streaming to an existing amplifier, as the Stream Box E does, the Wireless Box E takes the idea further by turning a passive speaker into a wireless active audio system. It is a compact mono streaming amplifier that connects directly to speaker terminals, removing the need for a separate amplifier and allowing users to build a flexible, app-controlled stereo or multi-room setup with traditional passive loudspeakers.

Jamo has unveiled Hyg, a new series of wireless speakers inspired by the Scandinavian idea of "hygge" - warmth, comfort, ease and a sense of connection. After announcing its new Concert Legacy and Concert Element loudspeakers, the brand is also entering a more lifestyle-oriented part of the market, but without abandoning the design values that have long been associated with Scandinavian audio. The Hyg series launches with three models - Hyg Flex, Hyg Flow and Hyg Reflect - each built around a different listening situation, from room-filling sound at home to portable outdoor use and quieter bedside listening.

Harman Kardon has refreshed one of the most recognizable products in its catalog. The SoundSticks 5 Wi-Fi is a new version of the transparent speaker system that, for many years, was associated mainly with computers, desktops and its distinctive, almost sculptural form. This time, however, the emphasis shifts clearly toward a modern wireless system for everyday music listening. The transparent subwoofer and slim satellite speakers remain, but they are now joined by Wi-Fi connectivity, support for popular streaming platforms, Bluetooth 6.0, app-based control and lighting effects that react to the music. The SoundSticks 5 Wi-Fi is therefore not just another variation of a familiar design. It is an attempt to adapt this idea to the way music is used at home today - without signal cables, without a traditional source and, in most cases, without the need to connect anything apart from power.