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Audio

Spotify Hi-Fi – An Oxymoron? Spotify has officially announced its lossless Hi-Fi streaming tier as a Premium add-on to its compressed Ogg Vorbis service. Considering the competition for HQ audio services I was a little surprised when they announced that this new premium service is to only provide “lossless CD-quality […]

Spotify Hi-Fi – An Oxymoron?

February 25, 2021 in Audio / News tagged Hi-Fi / Spotify / Streaming by fromvinyltoplastic

Acoustic Sounds Series – Audiophile Jazz Reissues This is just a quick reminder to all you audiophile jazz fans, in fact any jazz fans, that you can still buy many of the vinyl Acoustic Sounds Series released in 2020 with more to follow in 2021. Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade […]

Acoustic Sounds Series – Audiophile Jazz Reissues

February 20, 2021 in Audio / News / Vinyl tagged 180gram / AAA / Acoustic Sounds / Master Tape / QRP / Quality Record Pressings / Reissues / Ryan K. Smith / Sterling Audio / Vinyl by fromvinyltoplastic

Pro-Ject – Phono Box RS2 – First Look I am always on the prowl looking for new phono amplifiers that are within my budget and provide an array of features and a technical performance that meets my needs. Here is yet another that is on my list. Pro-Ject has recently […]

Pro-Ject – Phono Box RS2 – First Look

December 23, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged MC / MM / Phono / Phono Box RS2 / Phono Pre-Amplifier / Pro-Ject by fromvinyltoplastic

HDMI 2.1 4K/120Hz Bug Fix? At the beginning of November, From Vinyl To Plastic reported the discovery of a potential chipset bug in the latest HDMI 2.1 chipsets sourced by Panasonic and used in the new Denon, Marantz, and Yamaha HDMI 2.1 8K AV Receivers. As reported on the German web site […]

HDMI 2.1 4K/120Hz Bug Fix?

December 10, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged 4K/120Hz / Bug / Denon / Fix / HDMI 2.1 / Marantz / Sound United by fromvinyltoplastic

Trumpet MC – Vacuum Tube Phonostage – First look All Images Credit Hagerman Audio Labs Many audiophiles, and that includes me, swear by the sound of valves, and I still do. My original stereo system used Leak TL50 plus power amps to handle everything from 2.5KHz and up. Why? They […]

Trumpet MC – Vacuum Tube Phonostage – First look

December 8, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged Hagerman / Trumpet MC / Valve Phono Amp by fromvinyltoplastic

Anthem AVM70/90 & MRX540/740/1140 Processors & Receivers Image Credit: Anthem Introduction Known by audiophiles for their excellent technical standards and first rate quality built Canadian audio products, Anthem have released the specifications for a new range of receivers and processors. The MRX 540, 740 and 1140 A/V Receivers; and AVM […]

Anthem AVM70/90 & MRX540/740/1140 Processors & Receivers

November 15, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged Anthem / AVM 70 / AVM 90 / MRX 1140 / MRX 540 / MRX 740 / Processors / Receivers by fromvinyltoplastic

Denon/Marantz 2020 Firmware Update Sound United has announced their latest firmware update to their high-end Denon and Marantz receivers. It is due out on November 11th 2020. This firmware will provide some significant new features and restore some that were removed over a year ago due to changes to Dolby […]

Denon/Marantz 2020 Firmware Update

November 10, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / Firmware Updates / News tagged Denon / Firmware Update / Marantz by fromvinyltoplastic

HDMI 2.1 Bug – 4K/120Hz Failure As the video industry continues to strive for ever higher resolutions and faster frame rates an obstacle has hit several AV receiver models. Driven primarily by the gaming world, the new HDMI 2.1 standard supports features to include; 4K resolution at frame rates of […]

HDMI 2.1 Bug – 4K/120Hz Failure

November 3, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged 4KP120 / 8KP60 / Denon / Fixed Rate Link / FRL / HDMI 2.1 / Marantz / Panasonic Solutions / Sound United / Yamaha by fromvinyltoplastic

Marantz AV7706 AV Pre-Amplifier- First Look (Image Credit: Marantz) On the heels of the release of both the Denon and earlier Marantz 8K AV receivers, Marantz has announced the release of this 8K surround AV pre-amplifier, the AV7706. This AV pre-amplifier features 11.2 channels of XLR and RCA pre-outs and […]

Marantz AV7706 AV Pre-Amplifier- First Look

October 25, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged 8K / AV Preamplifier / AV7706 / First Look / Marantz by fromvinyltoplastic

Sound United Closes Deal On Acquisition Of Bowers & Wilkins — Sound United Closes Deal On Acquisition Of Bowers & Wilkins Sound United LLC, the parent company to Boston Acoustics, Classé, Denon/HEOS, Definitive Technology, Polk Audio and Marantz has just announced that it has finalized the acquisition of Bowers & Wilkins, a leading British-based designer and manufacturer of premium home speakers, […]

Sound United Closes Deal On Acquisition Of Bowers & Wilkins

October 11, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged Acquisition / Bowers & Wilkins / Sound United by fromvinyltoplastic

Denons 110th Anniversary Range — Denons 110th Anniversary Range Images Credit: Denon Denon is marking its 110th birthday with a quartet of special edition products that combined make up a complete audiophile home component system. Each of these new products are manufactured at the Denon factory in Shirakawa, Japan and undergo an extended quality assurance […]

Denons 110th Anniversary Range

September 24, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged 110th Anniversary / AVR-A110 / DCD-A110 / Denon / DL-A110 / PMA-A110 by fromvinyltoplastic

iFi iPhono 3 – First Look After your turntable system you need to focus on the cartridges phono amplifier. Why? It’s the front end to the information amplification system. If the arm, cartridge and phono amplifier don’t provide a pristine electronic replica of what was on that vinyl then nothing […]

iFi iPhono 3 – First Look

September 16, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged Black Label / iFi / iPhono 3 / iPower X / Phono Pre-Amplifier by fromvinyltoplastic

EMM Labs DS-EQ1 Phono Pre-amp — EMM Labs DS-EQ1 Phono Pre-amp EMM Labs of Canada has released their new optical cartridge equalizer, the DS-EQ1 which is fully compatible with DS Audio optical cartridge range. Having auditioned the DS ES-1 optical cartridge, I am definitely an admirer of this cartridge technology. So it was with great interest […]

EMM Labs DS-EQ1 Phono Pre-amp

September 8, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged DS Audio / DS-EQ1 / Ed Meitner / EMM Labs by fromvinyltoplastic

Monoprice Tube Amplifiers - First Look — Monoprice Tube Amplifiers – First Look Introduction The tube amplifier has seen a resurgence in recent years due to the warm, pleasing sound that only a tube amplifier can offer. The Monoprice Pure Tube Amplifier, shown above, utilizes four EL84 tubes for the power output stage and three 6N3 tubes […]

Monoprice Tube Amplifiers – First Look

August 29, 2020 in Audio / Equipment / News tagged Class AB / Hybrid Tube Amplifier / Low Cost / Monoprice / Pure Tube Stereo Amplifier / Tube power Amplifier / Valve by fromvinyltoplastic

HANA Umami Red - MC Phono Cartridge — HANA Umami Red – MC Phono Cartridge All images credit: Excel Sound Corporation. HANA phono cartridges are manufactured by Japan’s Excel Sound Corporation. Since their introduction they have continued to attract a growing customer base, and deservedly so. (華) Hana, in Japanese means “Brilliant and Gorgeous”, a cartridge born from superb […]

HANA Umami Red – MC Phono Cartridge

August 4, 2020 in Audio / News tagged Hana / MC / Moving Coil Cartridge / Umami Red by fromvinyltoplastic