Speakers or Headphones?

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 01 December 2021

Not to bore you too much with the sausage-making process, but what follows is not the article I originally intended to write this month. The goal here was to author an introductory article for budding audio enthusiasts who probably already have a lot of experience listening to headphones but perhaps don’t know what they get—and what they give up—when moving to a proper component stereo system.

Emotiva BasX TA1 Stereo Receiver

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 01 December 2021

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

I should state right up front that I have absolutely no experience in marketing or product branding, so take everything that follows in this and the next paragraph with the appropriate dosage of salt. Hear me out, though. Imagine if Apple or Amazon or Roku—or any consumer electronics company whose name rolls off the tongue of your average consumer—developed a product like Emotiva’s “BasX TA1 Stereo Preamp/DAC/Tuner with Integrated Amplifier” ($549, all prices USD).

Det Norske Jentekor/Tord Gustavsen: "Stille grender"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 01 December 2021

2L 2L-164-SABD
Format: Hybrid SACD, Pure Audio Blu-ray

Musical Performance

Sound Quality

Overall Enjoyment

It’s not exactly news that the COVID-19 pandemic threw things into confusion, and one of its impacts was on the delivery of mail. The US Postal Service’s own internal issues compounded this with further delays and backlogs. Near the end of January 2021, I received a holiday disc that had been released in November 2020 by 2L, a Norwegian audiophile label. Normally, I wouldn’t review a disc that has been available for a year, but Stille grender is a collection that is worthy of your attention at this time of year.

Unboxing Emotiva's New BasX TA1 Stereo Receiver

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 15 November 2021

In addition to spotlighting high-performance gear that won’t break the bank, one of my main goals here at SoundStage! Access is drawing attention to newbie-friendly gear. Gear that’s accessible—in terms of price, ergonomics, installation, setup, and operation—for someone who’s never owned or operated a real stereo system before. And that, ultimately, is what drew me to Emotiva’s new BasX TA1 stereo receiver. The company has a long history of making and selling super-affordable gear, so it’s no real shock to see it offering a product like this at $549 (all prices USD). What is surprising for me is just how much the TA1 attempts to accomplish within the confines of its itty-bitty chassis. Because calling it a “stereo receiver” hardly does it justice.

Papur Wal: "Amser Mynd Adra"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 15 November 2021

Libertino Records
Format: 24-bit/48kHz FLAC download

Musical Performance

Sound Quality

Overall Enjoyment

One of the ways I choose what I’ll review for the SoundStage! Network is to check the new releases listed on various music sites, including AllMusic.com. I read the summary review for a description of the band or musician, then I stream the album to see if I think it would be of interest to readers. If I do, I buy the disc.

Refined Silver: A Q&A with Monitor Audio's Michael Hedges and Charles Minett

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 01 November 2021

Tinkering with a successful formula is an incredibly risky proposition. Don’t believe me? Just ask Chevrolet’s designers about the hate mail they receive every time a new generation of Corvette is unveiled. Or maybe ask Jack Dorsey how things went after Twitter’s last big redesign. Change things too much, and you run the risk of losing the spirit of what made the product successful to begin with. Don’t tinker enough, and what’s the point?

Dual CS 518 Turntable with Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge

Details: Written by Thom Moon; Created: 01 November 2021

Between the 1960s and the CD’s short-lived conquest of recorded media, Dual turntables were a key component of many stereo systems. Duals were well constructed, sharp looking, and did a credible job of transferring sound from the record groove. For decades, Duals have been my turntable of choice, starting with the entry-level automatic 1212 in 1970 and running through to my current reference, a Dual CS5000 semi-automatic (it lifts the arm when it gets to the end of the side) that I bought used in the 1990s.

Esperanza Spalding: "Songwrights Apothecary Lab"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 01 November 2021

Concord Records CRE01816
Format: CD

Musical Performance

Sound Quality

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Earlier this year, Esperanza Spalding debuted three songs she wrote, arranged, and recorded as part of a project she calls the Songwrights Apothecary Lab. She says the lab “seeks to respectfully dip into the healing seas of music/musicianship/song, and distill a few grains of piquancy which carry the life-renewing flavor of the unfathomable ocean of human resiliency.” Spalding’s new recording is named for the project, and Songwrights Apothecary Lab includes those original three songs, along with nine more compositions.

SVS PB-1000 Pro Subwoofer

Details: Written by Dennis Burger; Created: 15 October 2021

It’s been nearly nine years since SVS introduced its beloved PB-1000 subwoofer, a beefy little overachiever that exemplified the company’s approach to bass, and in many ways served as the template for all the bigger and pricier models that followed. Loathe as I am to lean on clichés of this sort, that model’s popularity and longevity indicate that there was nothing fundamentally broken about it. Far from it. So what was fixed in the upgrade from PB-1000 to the new PB-1000 Pro?

Andrew Cyrille Quartet: "The News"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Created: 15 October 2021

ECM Records ECM 2681
Format: CD

Musical Performance

Sound Quality

Overall Enjoyment

At age 81, jazz drummer Andrew Cyrille continues to make music. He’s not just coasting, either. The News, his third release for ECM Records, is challenging and fresh. Guitarist Bill Frisell plays on the album, as he did on Cyrille’s other ECM discs, The Declaration of Musical Independence (2016) and Lebroba (2018). Bassist Ben Street and pianist David Virelles complete the quartet for this album. Street was a member of the quartet on The Declaration of Musical Independence, and Virelles co-led a session, Continuum, with Cyrille in 2010.