Digital Vampires: What Have I Invited Into My House?
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Opinion
Some changes to my audiophile mindset have long been brewing. Since I started headlining SoundStage! Ultra, I’ve been slowly, slowly learning that (a) expensive doesn’t necessarily translate to better, and (b) much, if not most, accepted audiophile lore is categorically bullshit.
PMC MB2 SE Loudspeaker
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
It seems these days I begin my reviews with an account of how the component arrived in my living room. I won’t do that here. Instead, I’ll refer you to (a) my March 2026 editorial, where I explain why I’m sitting in my neighbor’s house listening to the PMC MB2 SE speakers, and (b) the My Audiophile Neighborhood episode detailing how we set up these monstrous, wonderful speakers, and how the review came about. Just for good measure, here’s a link to my account of my first mind-blowing exposure to PMC’s sound-reinforcement demonstration over on Soundstage! Global.
Talking Talk Talk
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: For the Record
I have an admission to make. I am useless at games like Scrabble. I like to think I have a way with words, and I have made a career out of placing them in a pleasing order. But I’m unable to take out-of-context letters and form words from them. Wordle, Boggle, Scrabble—I just can’t make my mind work that way.
Engström—Super-Sexy Tube Amps from Sweden
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Opinion
I’ve had a short but intense love affair with Engström amplifiers. I’d been unaware of this Swedish brand prior to the High End 2023 show in Munich, Germany, but my first experience in their room, featuring Marten speakers and Jorma cables, turned me right around. The same thing happened two years later, at High End 2025, where Engström teamed up with Kroma Atelier to produce the best sound I encountered at that massive event.
IsoAcoustics Gaia III Neo Loudspeaker Isolation Footer
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
I’m not often surprised at hi‑fi shows. I hear so much equipment, in so many different combinations, throughout so many different rooms that I find myself becoming jaded. It takes something truly unique to jolt me out of my comfort zone.
Sphinx Element 3 Loudspeaker
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.
Truly new concepts are extremely rare in audio. Generally, new ideas aren’t welcome, unless they manage to develop some sort of inorganic viral buzz. And wildly different topologies are looked on with active suspicion. I wish this weren’t the case, but audiophiles tend to be a stodgy lot.
Ultra Invades the Neighborhood
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: Opinion
I have a problem with dimensions, with how the actual size of an object never matches up to its image in my mind’s eye. My most recent example of this kind of failure is the safe that’s taking up far too much room in my garage.
Michell Cusis M Moving-Coil Phono Cartridge
- Written by: Jonathan Gorse
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
J.A. Michell Engineering is one of England’s most respected turntable manufacturers. Thankfully, Michell has remained a family-owned concern that doesn’t need to answer to overseas conglomerates, venture capitalists, or outside investors. The managing director, Jonathan Nye, is married to the granddaughter of founder John Michell. Recently, the company has rebranded and released a swathe of new products, including the all-new Gyro and Revolv turntables, plus the exquisite Apollo phono preamplifier I reviewed for this site in January.
Burmester 232 Integrated Amplifier
- Written by: Phil Gold
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
The German audio manufacturer Burmester Audiosysteme writes that their guiding philosophy is “perfection and perpetuity in sound and design.” That means they want to get things right, and they want to ensure their products do not wear out or become obsolete. As a result, they take their time developing new products, and then they keep them in production for a very long time.
Stepping Up to the Ortofon Cadenza Black
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: For the Record
As I stated in my recent editorial, I’ve been on a bit of a tangent toward the value side of the audio world over the past few months. It wasn’t a conscious decision on my part to start looking for more reasonably priced components. That wouldn’t be fair to the good folks over at SoundStage! Access and SoundStage! Hi‑Fi. And besides, it’s not my beat. Here at Ultra, people want to read about huge, dripping, wretched excess, right? That said, I don’t think it’s a good look to only have experience with expensive gear. It’s a requirement, in my mind, to have a grounding in what’s possible with a limited budget, so that you can recognize when you’re getting flimflammed by hucksters selling screamingly pricey gear that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
- The WiiM Amp Ultra—What’s Happened to Me?
- Townshend Audio Allegri Reference Preamplifier
- Audio Research D-80 Stereo Amplifier
- Boutique Audio Gallery and the Zellaton Statement Ultra
- Michell Apollo Phono Preamplifier and Muse Power Supply
- My Ten Best—The Wrap-Up
- Warsaw Wrap-up and the Hunt for Value
- Marantz SACD 10 SACD Player–DAC
- SME Model 35 Turntable and Series Vi Tonearm
- Aesthetics Count More Than We Care to Admit
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