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Updated Mytek Brooklyn Plus DAC and new Mytek Liberty DAC are here!

We have the brand new update to the well regarded Mytek Brooklyn DAC. The “Plus” is here now and it’s ready to demo, along with their brand new compact and affordable Mytek Liberty DAC. The new Liberty packs a lot into it’s tiny package, we’re looking forward to putting this DAC through it’s paces! The new Brooklyn Plus DAC does DSD256 and 32/384k, as well as MQA streaming. And… has a phono stage and headphone amp. The Liberty is a DAC/Headphone amp combo, with a lot packed into it’s compact package. We look forward to giving you an audition of these great new products!


Stereotypes Audio, your source for great headphones and accessories

If you’re looking for one of the best places to shop for headphones, earbuds, and headphone accessories in Portland, Oregon, look no further than Stereotypes Audio. We carry a huge selection of headphones, and now carry B&O headphones, as well as the new Focal Clear headphones, and the brand new PSB M4U 8 Headphones. We carry Beyerdynamic, Focal, PSB, Oppo, B&O, Grado, and Radius.  We also carry several portable DAC/headphone amplifiers like the Chord Mojo, Oppo HA-2, Cambridge Dac Magic XS, as well as home headphone amplifiers from Oppo, Simaudio, Marantz, etc.

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Stereotypes Audio now carries Hana Phono Cartridges

We now carry the highly regarded line of Hana Phono Cartridges (Excel Sound Corporation of Japan). We currently have several in stock and ready to purchase. Come in to check out our selection. You can read reviews of their cartridges here, here and here.


Naim Audio Mu-so Qb Wireless Music System Review in Sound & Vision

Sound & Vision magazine has a great review of the Naim Audio Mu-so Qb wireless music system. A truly gorgeous looking and sounding cube speaker that has a built-in DAC, music streamer, and integrated amplifier. Naim has packed a lot of amazing technology into this compact and beautiful package. It’s also a S&V Top Pick of the Year. Sound & Vision’s verdict:  “The Mu-so Qb is pricey, but it’s impeccably built, offers a number of wired and wireless playback options, and is one of the best-sounding compact wireless speaker systems I’ve heard.” You can also change the color of the speaker grills to fit your tastes. And that wonderful volume knob…. read the full review here.


Stereophile Magazine reviews the Naim Uniti Nova

Stereophile Magazine has done a review in the latest issue of the Naim Uniti Nova, calling it “The Everything an Audiophile Needs In One Box.” Here’s one of the quotes: “The Uniti Nova is basically an amplifier plus a turbocharged computer that offers, in a single oblong metal box, almost everything audio that one could desire. And oh, what a beautiful box it is. The Uniti Nova’s case of brushed and CNC-machined aluminum… …a sleek-to-the-touch, illuminated volume dial on top panel that practically spins off rays of light; …”   Read more of the review here or pick up the latest copy of Stereophile at a retailer near you. Then come visit us at our Portland, Oregon store for an audition.


Focal Scala Utopia EVO speakers are now in… simply AMAZING

Can we some up the new Focal Scala Utopia EVO speakers with just one word? Yes. AMAZING. We were so smitten with the last Scala Utopia’s that it would seem a daunting task to top them, but they have. They sound truly amazing right out of the box, and the new finish we have for our demos is stunning. You truly have to see them to appreciate the work that Focal has put into these. There are also a lot of simple details that are different from the previous generation that enhance the overall look and feel. New features include: cables made in France, denser acoustic materials inside the subwoofer, double terminal boards and separate crossovers. Be sure to stop in some time soon and check out these beauties from Focal, leave enough time to give them a real listen!


Chord Hugo 2 in now. Ready for a listen.

Hey, we have the brand new Chord Hugo 2 in and ready to demo in our bamboo room. The first Hugo was a HUGE hit… we can’t wait to put the Hugo 2 through some long listening sessions. Use it on the road, use it in your main system. This is destined to be another great portable DAC/headphone amplifier that can do more than just travel. It retains the colorful globe indicator lights, but adds playback for up to 768kHz, DSD512, extended range Bluetooth, and so much more. Get in for a demo soon!


TAS 50 Greatest Bargains In High End Audio, many here at Stereotypes Audio

The latest edition of The Absolute Sound (Nov 2017) features the “50 Greatest Bargains in High End Audio” for which we have many of the featured products on hand and ready to demo. In the “Entry Level” section, it covers the Rega Planar 1 turntable, and the NAD D3020 Integrated Amplifier. The NAD Integrated Amplifiers have a long history of providing great value. No other Portland, Oregon store carries these great values. We currently have this system set up with a Rega Fono Mini phono stage. If you’re ready to get started in great high end sound without breaking the bank, start here at Stereotypes Audio, where we have components and systems at EVERY price point.


The new Focal Kanta No.2 Speakers are in!

The new Focal Kanta No. 2 speakers arrived on Friday last week, and we’ve been marveling in them ever since! Wow, right out of the box they were producing magic… and by Monday they we’re sounding absolutely sublime. The mating of their latest generation beryllium tweeter and Flax drivers is absolutely seamless. Detailed, musical, airy, and magical… it’s hard to completely describe the wonder that are these new Focal speakers. Combine that with their unimposing compact size and beautiful finish work, and you have a winner. You have to hear and see these to fully appreciate what Focal has pulled off with the Kanta No. 2. Our floor model has the taupe matte finish with the walnut case work. Be the first to hear the Focal Kanta No. 2 speakers in the Portland Oregon area! You can find out more information here, here and here. (and the full Tone review here as well.)


Rega Planar 6 Turntable (archived featured product)

For nearly 45 years, UK based Rega has been producing some of the top turntables in the business. While you can always spend more or could even spend less, it’s hard to find fault with the high level of performance you get at each price point that Rega is entrenched at. Whether it’s the Planar 1 or all the way up to the current RP10, you get ‘best in class’ performance per dollar at each price point. Our current featured product, the Rega Planar 6 (PL6)makes the strongest case for ‘value’ yet.

Topping the previous RP6 was no easy feet, but they went back to the drawing board and have borrowed heavily from the plinth technology found in the Rega RP8, as well as borrowing the technology from the RP10’s external power supply, providing an all new power supply, the Neo PSU. It uses a crystal controlled oscillator to create a perfectly stepped sine wave to deliver a perfect vibration free power supply to the motor, as well as perfect timing. While the plinth uses a Tancast 8 polyurethane foam – a material developed for the aerospace industry, it does not use the same ‘skeletal’ design in the RP8 and RP10. This all new process based on their trickle down technology provides the perfect balance between lightness and sturdiness, that allows it’s low mass to provide the hallmark Rega sound. All Rega Planar 6 turntables come in a gorgeous matte powder gray finish, with a smoke gray tinted dust cover. (Sorry, no wild colors for the Planar 6, but with it’s classic good looks, you won’t miss it).

Adding to this mix is the new RB330 tonearm found in the new Planar 3, but with an upgraded stainless-steel balance weight. Other updates include a custom-machined drive pulley, a single-piece aluminium sub-platter, and the new NEO PSU.

Three Ways to Have it.
The P6 is available in three different versions. You get the table itself without a cartridge. There two versions above that where Rega bundles the Planar 6 with two of their cartridges, offering significant package savings. (you will save $ by purchasing the package versus buying the cartridge and the turntable separately.) You can get the Rega Planar 6 paired with the Rega Exact moving magnet cartridge. But… Rega has added a new option that is putting a great big smile on everyone’s face, Rega’s brand new Ania moving coil cartridge. This MC cartridge is based on their more expensive Alpheta 2 MC, and when partnered to the Planar 6… it’s a match made in heaven.

While we are all drawn to gear that immediately grabs you, the Rega Planar 6 just ‘sounds right’, with an astonishingly refined and mature sound rarely heard at this price point. It balances resolution, timing, subtlety, and a musicality that is effortlessly precise and quiet… really quiet. The Rega Planar 6 truly raises the bar on what we have come to expect from a turntable at this price point, and will provide the vinyl fan with many years of music enjoyment. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

What to read more? Read the reviews here, here, and here.


New ProAc DT8 Speakers in Stock. Ready to Demo.

We just got the new ProAc DT8 speakers in stock, and are the floor ready to demo. These are another great compact floor stander from British monitor maker ProAc. Similar in size to the discontinued Studio 140 MK II, it’s an entirely new speaker, using a driver arrangement similar to the Response D48s. More information to come, but for now… you can go here and here for details.


Update: Moon by Simaudio ACE. Bluesound Mini Flex Battery packs in.

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest product information)

A quick update: Moon by Simaudio well regarded Neo ACE all-in-one Music Player is here. This is a great value with their best in class 10 year warranty. The all-in-one market has gotten very competitive and this unit is a great value. Check out the specs on the ACE here. Reviews here (a perfect 5 stars from What HiFi?), here and here. We also just got in the battery pack add ons for the BlueSound Mini Flex speaker, making them truly wireless/portable with this add on battery. Come and get them!


Brand new Rega Planar 6 turntables are here!

The brand new and hotly anticipated Rega Planar 6 have arrived! Rega has slowly been working on revising their turntable lineup, first with the Planar 3 last year, then the Planar 2 and 1. The new Planar 6 is truly an all new product, not sharing any original components from the outgoing RP6 (except the hinges. why mess with what works?). There is so much that has gone into this new table, that we can’t fit all of the new information into a blog post. You can read more about it here. We’re in the process of putting this new table through the paces. A glowing 5 star review from What HiFi? here.


The heavily anticipated Naim Audio Uniti Nova is here!

The heavily anticipated Naim Audio Uniti Nova is here!!! And it is GORGEOUS! And it sounds AMAZING!!! This is a welcome edition in to our Naim Audio Unit Atom that is already garnering oohs and aaahhhhs from everyone that sees it and hears it in our bamboo room. This flagship Naim Audio Uniti is truly a remarkable all-in-one product. You have to see it and hear it to believe it!


New Shunyata Research Products in. Venom, Delta, Alpha, and Sigma.

We have a full line up of all new Shunyata Research products in stock! Venom, Delta, Alpha and Sigma product lines are on the floor and breaking in. We even have the new Alpha and Sigma speaker cable in our main upstairs room, along with the Delta speaker cable in our bamboo room. Be sure to come in to find out all about this exciting new line up of products from Shunyata Research! These are products so new, that they aren’t even listed on Shunyata’s own website yet! There is a new pdf guide that lists all of the new cables here. Get in now to audition these truly ground breaking products.

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