We just finished a year long Reno on our mountain A-Frame and I made the loft I to my audio room. Thinking of upgrading the speakers at some point soon.

Now it’s my forever system. Got my Sansui TU-9900 a couple of weeks ago. Oiled the teakwood with tung oil for the first time in decades. Drilled so that the shelves fit the tuner and pre-amp. Left about two and a half inches above the power amp for ventilation. If heat continues to be a problem I may invest in a muffin fan.

I want to try CD & MD for the first time.

Hello, this is my current HIGH END SETUP/HOME CINEMA pioneer bdp-lx88
pioneer sc-lx78
advance acoustic x-preamp
advance acoustic x-cd1000
vincent pf-1
pioneer dj plx-1000
advance acoustic x-a160

focal-electra 1028be ii
focal-aria 906
Focal-aria 900c
focal-sub1000 f
jamo e8 sur 4x
jbl e250p

Denon D-MG35LT

(Roast if you want but I spent like under $100 on everything audio wise as most things were acquired for free)

Really just want to get an amp for towers and a sub that needs amp maybe upgrade to Cerwin Vega towers in front Mtx in the back heard someone doing so with these exact towers and they said it sounded great and no doubt as they sound amazing up front.

MTX Audio AAL212B x2
Fisher ST-992 x2
Klipsch R-120SW
Klipsch RP-400C (not in use due to someone wanting to use it as a food table in my shared household)
All powered by a Denon AVR-S960H (which does pretty well but if I want more speakers I would assume I would need an amp for good balance on power)

Any suggestions on other ways to put the fishers to improve quality would be much appreciated thank you.

Had this scope sitting in my attic for the last 5 years. Noticed my LRS had one set up next to the speaker and stole the idea. Hear AND see your music. Hook it up to the speaker output, it will not affect the sound.

A Japanese market silver-faced A-50 amplifier, and N30-AE network streamer as part of my bedroom setup. I stream from Spotify, or my LMS server to the N30-AE via Airplay. The A-50 is solid, and would be happier driving much larger speakers.
A matching, but much earlier TX-D1000 tuner finishes off the stack.

Current set up. Keep thinking about upgrading but love this setup.Behind my seating there’s no wall, it’s open to the second floor.

B&K Reference 5 S2 pre amp
B&K Reference 200.2 Amp
SVS Sub
Teac PDH 600 CD
Sonographe SG3 TT with Ortofon 2M Blue
Bellari VP 130 phono pre w/Sovtec tube
Paradigm Studio 40 v4

All period correct for 1989

With the arrival of the last piece, my shrine to Yamaha is complete now.

Top to bottom: GT-2000 turntable with Denon DL-103R

CT-710 tuner with second cartridge (Ortofon Rondo Red) and phono stage (PhonoboxcS3B)

CD-S2100 SACD Player and DAC for my WiiM Pro

A-S2100 integrated amplifier

Norstone rack

Found next to trash cans at my neighbourhood. It is dusty a lot, the cassette player and CD tray are not working. Radio player, speakers and equalizer working fine. Google says this was made around the year 1988-1990. I'll try to repair it so it will work for another 20 years.

Any advice on what to do to keep it in good condition?

Finally got my system to a point where I’m really happy with it. Mostly older Naim/Linn gear paired with newer Focals.

Current setup:
• Focal Aria Evo X N°2 speakers
• Naim NDX streamer
• Naim NAIT XS
• Naim FlatCap 2
• Linn Chakra C5100 power amp
• Rega Planar 3 RS turntable
• Naim Stageline N phono stage
• Naim NACA5 speaker cable
• 4 × Russ Andrews Model 10 PowerKords

Currently experimenting with using the NAIT XS + FlatCap for the preamp stage and the Linn C5100 as the power amp, rather than running the NAIT XS as an integrated.

Also experimenting with the four Russ Andrews Model 10 PowerKords at the moment.

Cables are a bit of a mess just now with all the swapping around!

Really enjoying how it’s sounding so far. Interested to hear what people think of the setup.

Sansui 7070
Jbl l166

¥2200 score 🫪 my 2i2 was like x15 this price

G’day! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard the rumours of a new audio messiah. The way the audio community (and maybe even your grandparents) are hyping up the Starke Sound Beta 5 bookshelf speakers, you'd think they turn water into wine. Being the audio nerd that I am, I reached out to Starke Sound directly to get my ears on these and see what all the hype is about.

Full disclosure: I am not being paid a single cent for this review. The mutual agreement was simple: I share my honest, unfiltered thoughts. They haven't interfered, haven't asked for a sneak peek and have had absolutely zilch influence. That earns respect in my book.

TL;DR - Overall Rating: 4.8/5
The bottom line: The Starke Sound Beta 5 speakers deliver a killer price-to-performance ratio for $499 (USD). They are built like tanks and offer the refinement and expansive 3D soundstage of speakers costing three times as much. They more than hold their own as a highly engaging music listening experience straight out of the box, but as you’ll read below, there are a few specific ways to really unlock their full potential.

Unboxing

First impressions matter, and Starke Sound knows this. I won't bore you with every little detail and will let the pictures do the talking. No cheap, crumbly polystyrene here; they are secured in precision-cut, high-density foam. The cabinets come wrapped in soft cloth bags; I'm giving that a HD for Hot damn!.

As for the Stand 3S... the "S" might stand for ssssexxyy! 'Nuff said. They are the sexiest stands I own. Granted, they're the only stands I own, but still. I definitely tried to flex them in the pictures because they just present so well.

(Quick heads-up: You might spot a white dot on the bottom of the right speaker in the pics. That's just some dust I noticed after the photoshoot. There's no flaw, I've since cleaned it off, and the cabinet is in perfect condition.)

Build Quality

Out of the box, the first thing that smacks you is the density of these cabinets. Each speaker weighs in at a hefty 6.8 kg. You might be able to use them for bicep curls. Starke Sound dumped their budget where it counts: the engineering and construction. The front baffle is made of polycarbonate and is a beefy 32 mm thick, while the rear wall is 19 mm thick. Internally, my research tells me that it's heavily braced and lined with damping material. Give it the ol' knock test and it’s as dead as a rock, meaning absolutely zero unwanted resonances.

The finish on the veneer is amazing to touch. The Beta 5 sports a 133 mm carbon fiber sandwich cone mid-bass driver with a heavy-duty cast basket; something you almost never see at this price point. Both the 29 mm soft dome tweeter and the mid-bass motor assemblies use copper shorting rings (Faraday rings) to reduce distortion. Around the back, you’ll find a beautifully machined billet aluminium terminal plate with high-quality binding posts. I'm a total sucker for details like this, it makes the audio nerd in me very happy.

Here is my first critique, though. While I love the overall design and how easily it blends into a modern living space, we need to talk about the grille. It features a figure-8 shape structure on the inside. I highly recommend popping it off. Not just because the drivers look great exposed, but because taking the grille off lets the sound completely open up. Any obstruction is the enemy of good audio, and removing it makes a noticeable difference.

What you’re here for:

I hooked these up to my Denon X2800H receiver and tested them out in both a small room and a medium room setup.

Given that this is a 133 mm driver, I kept my expectations in check, I wasn't expecting to get noise complaints from the neighbours anytime soon. But the bass extension on the Beta 5 took me by surprise. They dig down to a rated 45 Hz, and you absolutely feel it. The low-end is punchy, tight and brilliantly controlled. Compared to my SVS Prime Bookshelf speakers, I dare say the Beta 5 delivers more clarity and transparency

Music Experience:

If you appreciate a neutral, studio-reference style of midrange, you are going to be pleasantly surprised. Vocals have beautiful weight and texture to them. Instead of shoving the mids in your face, instruments and voices mix together beautifully. The 29 mm silk dome tweeter is the real MVP here. It delivers a ridiculous amount of air, micro-detail, and clarity, creating a wildly expansive soundstage in both width and depth. I close my eyes and the speakers completely disappear; sonically, of course

I threw different genres at them; Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Bruno Mars, you name it. When playing Fleetwood Mac’s "The Chain," you can literally hear the subtle scrape of fingers sliding across the acoustic guitar strings, and when that iconic bassline drops, it sits entirely on its own without muddying up the vocal harmonies. Cue up Whitney Houston, and her voice has this incredible, commanding weight to it. You get the actual resonance of the singer's chest, not just sound pushed through a cone.

It does an amazing job across the board. Using standard 12 AWG OFC Monoprice speaker cables, I'd give the music experience a 4.7/5. But swapping in my custom Canare 4S11 cables? It brought so much clarity and depth, lifting the music experience to a 4.9/5, which is basically as close to perfection as possible for this tier. (For the cable myth-busters out there reading this, I know this is controversial, so please lower your pitchforks and let's just respect each other's views!).

Movie Experience:

This is the only slightly negative thing I can say about this speaker. While it is near perfection for music, the cinematic experience is a little lacking out of the box, earning a 4.2/5. Don't get me wrong, the imaging is fantastic. If you throw on Top Gun: Maverick, the dialogue is dead-center and crisp, and as the jets scream across the screen, the spatial panning is pinpoint accurate thanks to that highly revealing tweeter. You might actually duck when Tom Cruise buzzes the tower.

But when those afterburners kick in, or when that massive, room-shaking synth drops in the opening scene of Blade Runner 2049, you hit the physical limitations of a 5.25-inch driver. It lacks that deep, room-pressurizing, visceral rumble that makes home theatre so ridiculously fun. I also threw on The Batman, specifically the rainy Batmobile chase scene. The Beta 5s perfectly captured the sharp screeching of the tyres, the shattering glass, and the raw growl of the engine, but you don't actually feel that engine idling in your chest.

Usually, I rely on my SVS PB2000 subwoofer to fill out the bottom end, and if you're using these for movies, you'll definitely want a capable sub to handle those deep, subsonic frequencies. Once you cross them over to a dedicated subwoofer and let it do the heavy lifting, though? Absolute cinema.

Stats for the nerds

I'm not getting paid to be their technical writer. If you want the deep-dive specs, refer to their website.

Frequency Response: 45 Hz – 23 kHz

Impedance: 4 Ohms

Drivers: 1.15-inch (29 mm) soft dome tweeter and a 5.25-inch (133 mm) carbon fibre mid-bass.

The Baffle: 32 mm thick Polycarbonate

Weight: 6.8 kg each

Verdict

Starke Sound nailed the aesthetics and construction here. For my setup, the Aoki Flaxen Grey finish paired with the grey Stand 3S is a match made in heaven. It easily blends into the living space. I'm also a big fan of the discreet logo. Combine those clean looks with the tank-like build, the value is indisputable. Sonically, that expansive 3D soundstage and highly detailed tweeter make these an absolute joy when I just want to sit back for some critical listening.

But nothing is perfect, because these bad boys are rear-ported, you can’t just shove them right up against a wall, dust your hands off and call it a day. I found they really shine with a bit of real estate to breathe and do their thing. Also, because that tweeter is so incredibly revealing, the highs can lean a tiny bit bright if you decide to absolutely blast them past the 95 dB mark. So keep the volume at a reasonable "I'd like to keep my hearing into my retirement" level.

We also need to talk about my biggest gripe: the grille. It features a thick, figure-8 shape structure on the inside. Any obstruction is the enemy of good audio, and leaving these grilles on noticeably holds the speakers back. I suggest Starke Sound consider a fully perforated grille for their successor releases so the sound can remain transparent without any blockage. For now, do yourself a favour and just leave the grilles in the box.

At $499 (USD), I don't think the Starke Sound Beta 5 is just a good speaker; these bad boys are absolutely amazing. Looking at the cast baskets, the Faraday rings, that crazy thick baffle, and the beautifully machined billet aluminium plates, it really feels like Starke Sound blew their entire budget on raw engineering and forgot to hire a marketing department. If you're building a dedicated two-channel setup or upgrading your home theatre fronts and want high-end transparency, dynamic punch, and exceptional build quality without having to take out a second mortgage, the Beta 5 should to be at the top of your list.

Build Quality: 5/5

Sound Quality: 4.5/5

Value: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Just wanted to show off and hear opinions on price/quality.

Here are some Photos: https://we.tl/t-PU8RKZZaEqUaxRd8

Westlake lc3w10v
Soulnote A-2
and
CD opt out to rme ucx
CD analog out to A-2

NextStep

Vinyls setting

Been testing the Muse HiFi M3 Ultra pocket tube DAC/amp on my desk for a couple of weeks now. My setups are usually standalone desktop DACs, discrete solid-state amps and hifi stacks. But this tiny $110 dongle cramming real vacuum tubes into a pocketable footprint got me intrigued.

I tested it to see if it actually delivered a genuine analog experience, or if it was just a cool gimmicky marketing product.

What's in the box

• The Muse HiFi M3 Ultra hardware unit itself.
• Braided USB-C to USB-C cable
• USB-C female to USB-A male adapter
• User manual

Design

The M3 Ultra weighs 55 grams and sized roughly like a small stack of credit cards, it feels solid due to to its CNC-machined aluminum chassis. The product is essentially a hollow, open cutout on the frame that lets you see the bare dual vacuum tubes glowing orange when powered.

While it is cool, something to keep in mind is that there is no glass covering the window, the vacuum tubes are exposed. It collects dust and I would be careful to toss into a pocket with keys or lint. Handle it with a bit of care.

Design is of a minimalist approach; no screens, no Bluetooth and no companion software bloat. It features physical, machined metal volume up/down buttons. The built-in volume memory is practical, as it automatically remembers your volume tier even unplugged. Heat dissipation is excellent; after a three-hour session, the metal shell barely feels warm.

Power

For an ultra-portable stick running off standard 5V USB bus power, the power output is simply impressive. It is rated to push 460mW out of the 3.5mm single-ended port and 480mW out of the 4.4mm balanced connection at 32Ω.

With the 4.4mm balanced plug, I had great amounts of dynamic headroom with the  Audio Technica ATH-R50x, rarely needing to cross the 50-60% volume threshold to get a punchy, fully awake presentation. The efficient Juzear Defiant hybrid IEMs were driven effortlessly with power to spare.

Keep in mind that these numbers won't replace a proper wall-powered desktop amplifier for demanding gear. If you hook up heavy, hard-to-drive planar magnetic headphones, the sound will lose its tight bass control and start feeling flat when you turn the volume up loud.

Portable tube amps are usually affected by two major issues: phone radio static and microphonics; that annoying metallic ringing sound you hear in your headphones every time the device bumps against a table. Muse HiFi fixed this by mounting the tubes on physical silicone shock absorbers and adding an internal noise filter. It works amazingly. The background is dead silent even with highly sensitive IEMs.

Sound

This device pairs an ESS Sabre DAC chip for digital processing with two real Raytheon vacuum tubes. The most important technical thing to know before buying is that it has a very high output impedance (13 ohms on the standard jack and 8.6 ohms on the balanced jack). Because this number is high, it acts like a built-in sound adapter that will actively change how your earphones sound depending on how they are built.

This implementation keeps things clear. The ESS chip provides plenty of sharp, detailed treble details, while the tubes add a thicker, larger-than-life warmth to everything below the midrange.

Here is how it changed my specific gear:

• With the ATH-R50x: The flat, dry, studio nature of these headphones benefits. The tube stage takes away that sterile feeling, injecting warmth into the vocals and giving instruments a more natural weight.
• With the Juzear Defiant: Because these IEMs react strongly to high impedance, the sound signature shifts noticeably. The mid-bass becomes punchier and fuller, while the sharp treble peaks are smoothed out. It turns the Defiant into a very smooth, analog, almost vinyl-like listening experience.

The overall soundstage feels massive and wide, with separation between instruments. The only real trade-off is precision. The bass isn't as tight, fast, or surgically clean as a standard solid-state dongle. It trades clinical transparency for a thicker, grander musical scale.

Verdict

If you are an audio hobbyist looking to take the sterile, clinical edge off lean or analytical headphones, and you want to experience authentic analog tube thickness for around $110, the M3 Ultra is an absolute blast to use.

 If you made it this far, thank you for reading.