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Recommended Reference Component: Marantz Model 10 Integrated Amplifier
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 October 2025 15 October 2025
The Marantz Model 10 integrated amplifier (US $15,000/CA$20,000/£11,999/€14,499) is a reference-level component that combines opulent aesthetics with exceptional performance. It demonstrates what a great engineering team can achieve when not hindered by cost constraints. In his September 2025 review of the Model 10 on SoundStage! Ultra, Jason Thorpe characterizes the look of the Model 10 as “stunning in a manner that manages to be understated and totally over the top at the same time.” He writes that its sound is “commensurate with its price: fantastic bass, wonderful retrieval of detail, and a clear, grain-free top end.”
Simaudio Takes On the World with the New Moon 371 Streaming Integrated Amplifier
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 October 2025 01 October 2025
Yesterday, Simaudio released the Moon 371, the first product in its new Compass Collection. I had advance knowledge of the Moon 371 and the Compass Collection, having attended a briefing session at Simaudio’s headquarters in mid-September. Although no other Compass Collection products were released, or even mentioned, we were given a hint of what’s to come. Simaudio told the group that this new series takes both technology and inspiration from the more-expensive North Collection line, which was launched in 2023 and comprises six models: the 641 integrated amplifier, 681 streaming digital-to-analog converter (DAC), 761 and 861 power amplifiers, and 791 and 891 streaming preamplifiers. Where North is the pinnacle, Compass has been designed as its natural companion, one intended to point you northward—a series that remains proudly high-end, but one that also opens the door for a wider audience to experience Moon products at their best.
Anthem MCA 225 Gen 2 Stereo Power Amplifier
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- Written by Philip Beaudette Philip Beaudette
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 October 2025 01 October 2025
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
The recent heavy tariffs imposed on Canada by its neighbor to the south and the provocative rhetoric (annexation? seriously?) have sparked a surge of patriotic fervor among Canadians, many of whom now feel duty-bound to buy Canadian when possible. For those in the market for a power amplifier, Anthem’s MCA 225 Gen 2 (US$2299.99, CA$2699.99, £2295, €2550), which is designed and manufactured entirely in Canada, is an appealing choice.
QED Signature Supremus Zr Loudspeaker Cable
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- Written by George de Sa George de Sa
- Category: Uncategorised Uncategorised
- Created: 15 September 2025 15 September 2025
One question always seems to arise when audio enthusiasts get together: “Do cables matter?” This topic tends to elicit polarized responses; you, too, probably have a strong opinion on the matter. Nearly everyone agrees that for safety reasons, cables must, at a minimum, meet the criteria set by component manufacturers. However, when it comes to the sonic performance of aftermarket cables, the conversation can become heated. From firsthand experience I know that’s what you need—experience—to form an informed opinion. Some aftermarket cables I’ve tried had little impact, while others made a significant difference—often for the better, sometimes for the worse.
Recommended Reference Component: Meze Audio Poet Headphones
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 September 2025 15 September 2025
When we published AJ Wykes’s review of the Meze Audio Poet headphones on SoundStage! Solo on September 1, we presented readers with a product that’s as striking visually as it is sonically. Meze Audio, a Romanian company known for blending artful design with high-end audio engineering, had already established itself as a producer of headphones that feel luxurious and sound accomplished. With the Poet headphones—an open-back design selling for US$2000, CA$2799, £1899, or €2000—the company solidifies that reputation further.
How a Trip to Montreal Made Me Hate the Compact Disc a Little Less
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column
- Created: 01 September 2025 01 September 2025
For nearly 20 years, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the Compact Disc (CD). I admire it for outlasting every prediction about its demise—but that stubborn endurance also frustrates me. In a world where technology races ahead, the CD has somehow refused to be left behind, a theme I explored in a Real Hi-Fi video just over two years ago.
The Original Treble Clef Audio TCA-M Loudspeaker—Over $100,000 for Visually Polarizing Precision
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: System One System One
- Created: 01 September 2025 01 September 2025
Let me get something out of the way: this is not a review for everyone. The Treble Clef Audio TCA‑M loudspeaker will have many readers shaking their heads in disbelief the minute they learn the price: from $103,900/pair in the United States and €93,000/pair in Europe. Nor is this review for those fixated on traditional passive loudspeakers or those who might shudder at the TCA‑M’s unconventional appearance. The TCA‑M isn’t just expensive; it’s an active design that’s audaciously sculptural in appearance and, therefore, divisive in more than one way.
Cambridge Audio EXA100 Integrated Amplifier–DAC
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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 September 2025 01 September 2025
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
Cambridge Audio’s product offerings are diverse and extensive, encompassing nearly every type of audio product, including home-theater components, speakers (from in-ceiling speakers and subwoofers to an all-in-one, wireless streaming speaker), turntables, phono preamps, and headphones. When looking at the company’s integrated amplifiers, one finds a surprising disparity in both price and specified performance between the Edge- and CX-series amps. With the recent release of the EXA100 integrated amplifier, Cambridge Audio has bridged this gap, providing a high-quality, high-power integrated amplifier at a moderate price.
EISA’s Best Products of 2025–2026
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: 2025–2026 2025–2026
- Created: 14 August 2025 14 August 2025
The Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) traces its roots to 1982, when editors from five European photography magazines joined forces to select the year’s standout camera. Since those early days, EISA has steadily broadened its scope to include a wide spectrum of consumer electronics—specifically hi-fi, home theater, in-car electronics, and mobile devices—which it categorizes as “Expert Groups.” Over time, the association has also expanded its reach well beyond Europe, growing into a global network of around 50 member publications spanning nearly 30 countries.
Recommended Reference Component: Anthem P2 Stereo Amplifier
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- Written by SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors SoundStage! Hi-Fi Editors
- Category: Components Components
- Created: 15 August 2025 15 August 2025
The hi‑fi market tends to be obsessed with newness, which makes Anthem’s P2 stereo power amplifier a rare outlier. As Doug Schneider explains in a review published on this site on August 1, the P2 was originally launched in 2005 as the Statement P2—words still stamped on the front and back panels of today’s units. Jason Thorpe reviewed the Statement P2 the year it was introduced.
