In Barn for Review

When I hear GoldenEar, I think value.

A Bel Canto stack!

Some of you may be thinking, “It’s about time!” I agree!

I’ve long admired the speakers from Sweden’s Marten at HiFi shows over the years but I’ve never had the pleasure of living with a pair. Until now.

When I first heard the company name for the A-2 Integrated Amp, I thought of the Italian jazz record label that released over 350 records from the likes of Bill Dixon, Mal Waldron, and Cecil Taylor.

And now for something completely different.

Happiness is a quiet cabinet, or so says the UK’s Q Acoustics.

The brand spankin’ new Bel Canto e.One Stream2 has arrived in Barn, fresh off the production line.

I’ve long admired the products from Lumin for their aesthetic appeal that speaks to my eyes and ears.

With the Z40+ Integrated Amplifier, Linear Tube Audio (LTA) promises—”beautiful tube tone with the clarity of solid state”—from 51 Watts (into 4 Ohms) of push-pull, class A/B output transformer-less ZOTL power per channel.

You put your Ethernet in / You put your speaker cables out / You plug it in / That’s what it’s all about!

I’ve long admired the work of Dan Wright, President of ModWright Industries, but always from afar away from the Barn at hifi shows, most recently at Capital Audiofest 2021. The time was long overdue to get up close and personal with some ModWright.

Woof!

300Bs, baby.

The German-made AVM OVATION A 8.3 Integrated Amplifier marries a tube preamplifer stage with Class A/AB high current MOS-FET output for a blended mix of old and new while adding a DAC and headphone amp for full featured functionality.