All in Star Component Award

Audioengine HDP6 Passive Speakers

A good solid read of my detailed review of the powered version of this speaker may well be instructive. 

The new passive version from Audioengine maintains many of the qualities from that fabulous little gem of a speaker, with the new one allowing for your own favourite type of amplification.

The HDP6 is a retro version, stripped of all the powered guts and gizmos. 

Rega RP10 Turntable

Much of the technology incorporated in Rega's recent RP8 turntable transitoned up to the new flagship RP10. As such, a read of our RP8 review would be a good idea before reading the RP10 review. In addition to the new technology added to the RP8, the RP10 was designed with those and some truly new extraordinary design cues that set a new bar for Rega. 

ELAC Debut B5 Loudspeaker

It feels invigorating to get your long held audiophile pre conceived notions smashed to smithereens on occasion. This was such an occasion. Three weeks earlier, it felt as though I was knocking on the door of a very cool house party location. The host answered and looked at me with surprise. 'Actually, the party's just winding down'.

Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 Integrated Amplifier

I've been a big fan Jeff Rowland's audio gear for many years. Rowland's solid state amplification has always been a segment leader featuring smooth, detailed and powerful sounding products highlighting the best that solid state design can bring to the high end. If you have researched a solid state product to purchase over the past few years, I'm sure a Rowland audition was scheduled.

Alta Audio Rhea Loudspeakers

At the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) 2015 I had the pleasure of listening to the newest Alta Audio loudspeaker, the Rhea. It greatly impressed me and many other attendees. Although only the second lowest in price in their line of five models which range from the Solo at $1,500 per pair weighing in at only 15 lbs each (a single driver model) to the Statement Towers at $250,000 per pair that weigh 485 lbs each and contain 11 drivers, the Rhea were clearly something very special at only $4,500 per pair.

Totem Acoustic Element Fire Loudspeaker

Totem Acoustic loudspeakers debuted on the high audio scene in 1987 and first gained notoriety with the wonderful and diminutive Model 1 Loudspeaker. I was very taken with its detailed and very dynamic sound, and was one of the main reasons I began to write about high end audio. It's been a pleasure to observe Totem's growth over the years into one of the few long-term success stories of our industry. 

The Rega RP8 Turntable

This review has been some time coming. I’ve always been a fan of Rega products — we’ve been reviewing and listening to Roy Gandy’s kit for many years but getting a review sample has been like capturing a golden unicorn. Our Canadian distributor was out of stock. Always out. ‘I’ll get back to you’. We were not getting the run around — the distributor is a wonderful guy and always accommodating. Simply, a very popular item.

Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 USB 2.0 Cable

Wireworld Cable Technology is a Florida, USA company that makes audio cables (digital, analog, power, speaker, headphone) and at various levels and prices. President David Salz has been passionately designing cables for decades. For about three years now, I have been using their original Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB (A/B) cable as my reference for connecting my music server to my DAC. 

Mojo Audio Mystique DAC v2.0

I usually bump into Mojo Audio’s Ben Zwickel at the industry party the night before the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver. It’s becoming a tradition. Zwickel gets us as many drink tickets as allowed then the rest of the evening is wine, more wine, dinner, and then even more wine, interspersed with stories of the year’s audio adventures. Let’s just say he’s ‘energized’.

The SONOS Wireless Music System

A few things have revolutionized the music business in the past decade — Apple's iTunes, mobile audio on smart phones with the headphone boom, followed this year by streaming audio. What was missing in the lifestyle mix was a quality delivery system for the home. One that worked easily, sounded great and was reasonably priced. Sure, Bose had a big lead. ‘Good’ sound for the masses but at a high price. The high price paid for the marketing, which was quite effective.

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Turntable

I felt compelled to write a brief addition to this mini review that we posted in 2013. My 23 year old nephew has been bitten hard by the audiophile bug. His budget was set and Christmas money was saved, and he asked for a suggestion to jump into the high end. He loves vinyl. It was an easy choice. With his budget, the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Turntable immediately came to mind.