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14 New(ish) Albums the Kids in My Life Want You to Hear

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 May 2026

A few months back, some of us SoundStage! old-timers published lists of our favorite albums, as well as essentials for any music collection. As I polished off my final list, I was so proud of myself for having included an album released in the past decade—even if just barely. That pride was soon diminished when managing editor Gordon Brockhouse kindly pointed out that although we’d all assembled some darned-fine lists, weren’t we “showing our age a little? Not that there’s anything wrong with that. [But] how about asking our teenage, 20-something, and 30-something children for their recommendations—albums that they think their elders should be aware of?”

NAD C 3030 Integrated Amplifier

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 May 2026

Y’all know how I’m always running my mouth about the fact that no writer is unbiased—that the way to deal with bias is to air it out and admit it, not to pretend to be neutral? The NAD C 3030 is a perfect example of why I trumpet this message at every opportunity. I’m an unrepentant NAD fanboy. I also adore my reference C 3050 BluOS‑D integrated amp, and my biggest source of frustration with the company in recent years (other than the silly attempt to Weekend at Bernie’s MQA and all its related technologies) has been the fact that the C 3050 sat alone in NAD’s lineup. A weird quirk. Seemingly just an homage to the past instead of a guidepost for the future. What the new NAD C 3030 (US$1199, CA$1299, £899, €999) illustrates is that, while I was sitting here comfortably pontificating from behind my keyboard, NAD has been building toward a hi‑fi future with the C 3050 as its north star.

Technics SL-50C Turntable and Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge

Details: Written by: Thom Moon; Created: 15 April 2026

Reviewers' Choice Audio enthusiasts received some great news in 2014 when Panasonic revived its Technics brand and unveiled several new Technics components—particularly turntables, for which the brand is famous. The first Technics ’tables released after the brand’s revival were rather expensive, but as time passed, more-affordable models appeared. Recently, Technics introduced the lowest-priced models of the new era, the SL‑40CBT and SL‑50C, both of which have a built-in phono preamp and come with a pre-installed cartridge. The SL‑40CBT comes with an Audio‑Technica AT‑VM95C cartridge and has a Bluetooth transmitter. The SL‑50C foregoes the Bluetooth output in favor of a better cartridge, the Ortofon 2M Red. Otherwise the two models are identical. The price is the same for both: US$899.99 or CA$999. As of late March, the SL‑50C is not available in the UK or EU. The SL‑40CBT is available in the UK for £749.

First Look: NAD C 3030 Integrated Amplifier

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 15 April 2026

I’ve had people write me and ask why I’m always going on about size and scale in my unboxing blog posts and reviews. After all, the argument goes, people generally understand how big a disc player is, or a two-way bookshelf speaker, or an integrated amplifier.

Goodbye Mike; Hello Randy: The Emotional Resonance of Inherited Vinyl

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 April 2026

It’s February 23, 2026, as I write this, a fact that I mention not necessarily because of the temporal delays inherent to publishing, but more because anniversaries resonate with me a lot these days. In May of last year, I lost my dear friend Michael Gaughn, formerly of The Absolute Sound, The Perfect Vision, Wideband, Stereo Review, Sound & Vision, Rayva Roundtable (where we started working together), and finally Cineluxe (which was our baby until its unceremonious end, although he never gave up hope of reviving it).

Starke Sound Beta5 Loudspeaker

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 April 2026

Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada’s National Research Council can be found through this link.

Reviewers' Choice As I said in my unboxing blog post for Starke Sound’s Beta5 bookshelf speaker (US$499, CA$750/pair), the pitch from the company representative that hit my inbox contained quite a boast: “Beta5 is probably one of the best bookshelf speakers under $500.”

First Look: Starke Sound Beta5 Loudspeakers

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 15 March 2026

These days, most of the review pitches I receive aren’t accompanied by much in the way of editorializing. “Here’s a thing. Here’s how much it costs. Here’s when we can get it to you. Interested?” I’m paraphrasing, of course, but that’s the way it goes for the most part. The industry just assumes that a new product is worth reviewing because it’s a new product.

Snyderman’s Choice: Are You an Audiophile or a Music-Lover?

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 March 2026

As I hinted at in a recent editorial about the stranglehold boomers have on the audiophile hobby, “what even is an audiophile?” is a peculiarly fascinating question. As my podcast cohost Brent Butterworth is fond of saying, biking magazines aren’t filled with editorials about what it means to be a cyclist, nor were knitting magazines (when those still existed as more than an expensive but gorgeous curiosity) clogged up with navel-gazing pieces about the identitarian components of being a knitter.

KEF Q Concerto Meta Loudspeaker

Details: Written by: Dennis Burger; Created: 01 March 2026

Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada’s National Research Council can be found through this link.

Reviewers' Choice I’ve made no secret of the fact that I get frustrated with subjectivist hardliners—especially those who insist that there’s nothing to be gleaned from the specifications and objective measurements of speakers like KEF’s Q Concerto Meta (US$1399.99, CA$1799.99, £1099, €1198 per pair). And yet . . .

Dayton Audio Classic T65 Loudspeaker

Details: Written by: Thom Moon; Created: 15 February 2026

I feel fortunate to live right up the road from Parts Express, as it’s my source for parts, tools, and some audio gear. Headquartered in Springboro, Ohio, Parts Express is also the parent company of Dayton Audio. I’ve reviewed many of Dayton Audio’s products here on SoundStage! Access, including the Classic B65 standmount loudspeaker, the little brother of the subject of this review, the Classic T65 floorstander. The B65 was available for US$69.98 per pair at the time of my review, which I considered a steal. It now costs US$79.98 per pair—still a steal. SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider had the B65 measured at Canada’s National Research Council in Ottawa, and he gave it a qualified “OK.” (His primary complaint was that it went into fairly high distortion at 85dB, but I rarely if ever listen that loud.) So when Shawn Behmer, social media manager at Parts Express, offered me a pair of Classic T65 floorstanders for review, I accepted with pleasure.

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