Blog

Hello friends, today we review some of the new and interesting products that are either recent offerings from our vendors, or products/brands that are new to us.  

First up is a new, high-fidelity music streamer, the Eversolo DMP A6 Master Edition. Starting at $1,199, it offers things that no other product at this price we know of does. This is a DAC, streamer, and preamp, with an interactive front panel color touchscreen, all in one unit. You can use all the functions, or whichever ones best fit your situation.

For example, with the DMP A6 Master Edition and a power amp such as the McIntosh MC 152 or the NAD C 268, you’re good to go - connect speakers and enjoy. If you already own an integrated amp like the Marantz Model 30, use this as your streamer and DAC. If you have a high-end DAC, you can easily bypass the DAC in the EverSolo and use it as a streamer only. 

What makes this so unique is that first, the combined quality of the DAC, preamp, and streaming circuits competes sonically with many higher-end products. Second, the software that makes this product so easy to use is really solid. Whether you use your Android or iOS phone, or the front panel color touchscreen, you’ll find the controls to be intuitive and easy to learn. 

Second, we’ve recently partnered with SVS Sound, one of our industry’s fastest-growing speaker and subwoofer brands. We’re impressed both with the quality of SVS products, and their passion for customer service. Today we highlight their flagship sealed subwoofer, the SVS SB-16 Ultra.  Watch our YouTube video with Gary Yacoubian, SVS President. 

The SVS SB-16 Ultra was named a Stereophile Class A Recommended Component, with good reason! First, it produces bass notes that are clean, tight, and detailed, with none of the bloated boomy sound often associated with sizable subwoofers. Second, it can play clean, deep notes really loudly when needed - notes that even higher-end speakers often struggle with.  

The topper is that SVS has developed a subwoofer smartphone app that enables you to blend your SB-16 Ultra, or their other models, with your main speakers so that the sound is seamless. This is the ultimate bugaboo with subs! If you can hear the sub distinctly separate from your speakers, it always sounds unnatural.  The SVS app lets you dial in the sub or subs from where it matters, your seated listening position - bravo, SVS!

Third: if you want great sound, great looks, and ease of use, but you don’t have much space, you want to demo Sonus faber’s Duetto system.  Sonus faber brings 40 years of state-of-the-art audio engineering and sophisticated design to these active wireless streaming speakers. 

They are absolutely beautiful, finished in either walnut, or a cool graphite over walnut, and are a complete system. Just add your smartphone and favorite streaming services, and you’re on your way. This is a bi-amped system, with woofers powered by a 250-watt Class D amp, and tweeters by a separate 100-watt Class A/B amp, for really clean, clear sound.

Regarding streaming options, they are Wi-Fi certified, so Bluetooth sounds great, and they have Apple Airplay for iPhone users, plus Chromecast for Android users. Streaming services include Tidal Connect and Spotify and these are Roon Ready too.  

You can easily connect your TV with HDMI and optical inputs. Duetto is also turntable-ready with a phono preamp built-in. For a larger room, you can connect a subwoofer that is automatically recognized in the Duetto setup. Duetto starts at $3,999 and is already popular for us. Watch our YouTube video review!

Fourth: madVR is a relatively new company that can take your projector or large-screen TV to an ultimate picture quality level. MadVR’s Envy MK 2 can transform your video content - movies, TV shows, and sports events - into a movie theater picture-level visual experience. This is a patent-pending video processor that installs easily in your home theater system. Envy MK 2 is placed in between your video display - usually a projector, but it works great with almost any good quality flat-panel display, too - and your A/V receiver or processor.  Connect your AVR’s HDMI output to the Envy MK 2’s input. The Envy MK 2 HDMI output then goes to your video display’s HDMI input. Watch our YouTube video review with madVR's founder Richard Litofsky. 

So - what does it look like?  Viewers are always impressed by the upscaling, as the Envy Mk 2 takes existing DVD or BluRay content, and sports and movie content that was not filmed in today’s high-res 4k or 8k formats, and makes it look spectacular.  

Another big bonus: Envy MK 2 gets rid of those darn black bars at the sides and the top of your screen, using what they call incredible non-linear stretch. The picture looks realistic and natural, and it’s great to be free of the black bars distracting you from the movie content. We have madVR’s Envy MK 2 on display at our Timonium and Columbia locations - come visit us and see!