Category: DAC

Featured Product: Moon by Simaudio Neo ACE

Technology has made an entirely ‘Brave New World’ in HiFi audio these days… and mostly for the better. But with it comes the potential for a lot of complications and learning curve… At least… that’s how many perceive this brave new world. DACs, downloads, streaming, WiFi, Bluetooth, ethernet, hard drives, etc. Not to mention AIFF, WAV, MP3, DSD, 16/44, 24/96, 24/88, 24/192, 32/384, DSD, double DSD, Quad DSD… oh my!!!!! How can you get the best sound and modern advances, but without all of the potential headache and complications? And what about price? Well… Moon by SImaudio has been thinking about you.

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We have the new Focal Elear headphones on our floor and ready to demo! (and we can order the Utopia headphones  for you as well). We also have the IsoAcoustics Gaia I speaker isolation. Their stand mount products have already done amazing things for our stand mount speakers, these will be great for floor standers!

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest Naim Audio products that we carry)

We now have Naim Audio’s best selling separates in stock and ready to demo! The new Naim Audio NAC-N 272 Preamplifier/DAC, and the Naim Audio NAP 250 DR Amplifier, combined with the Naim Audio XP5 XS Power Supply. This is quite an amazing combo! The NAC-N 272 combines a high quality Preamplifier, along with a high quality UPnP-enabled streaming DAC, allowing you to stream up to 24/192 resolution from Naim servers, a NAS, or a home computer. There is both an iOS and Android Naim Audio app to control music selection, with built in Spotify and native support for TIDAL. The NAP 250 DR amplifier, is another modern Naim classic. Conservatively rated at 80W per channel into 8 ohms. We have added the XP5 XS power supply to further the performance of this winning combo! This is Naim Audio’s best selling separates combo! Read the reviews of the NAC-N 272 here, the NAP 250 DR here, and the XP5 XS here (pdf).

Some quick news… We got the new Moon by Simaudio ACE that everyone has been waiting for in stock now, and it’s sounding great right now! We also just got a bunch of brand new Rega Planar 3 turntables in. They have returned to the original Planar moniker.

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest Naim Audio Mu-so products that we carry)

If you’ve been following the news from CES this spring, you probably saw news that Naim Audio had developed a smaller/less expensive version of it’s much lauded Mu-so speaker music player, the Naim Audio Mu-So Qb. This perfect sized cube is actually larger in person than it looks in the photos, and it produces music equally as big. It’s amazing how much tech they’ve crammed into such a small unit with this level of musical quality. The same great volume knob and functionality as it’s bigger sibling, the Qb is sure to be a great solution for filling your room with music in an easy to move package. Check it out on our showroom now, where you can audition it with the full Mu-So, as well as similar products from BlueSound, Cambridge and Sonos. You can find out all of it’s specs here. And some early reviews here and here.

CES this year brought several great announcements, but no so amazing as the new Moon by Simaudio Neo ACE! This is a true quality all-in-one product, that can do nearly anything… just add speakers and a source (could even be just a smart phone). It will come with the usual amazing Simaudio house sound and quality Neo casework, and has the following specs: 50 watts of A/B power, 2 line level inputs, 5 digital inputs (including an asyncronous USB for DSD256 and 32-bit/384 decoding by the built in DAC), WiFi and Ethernet with inbuilt network streamer driven by MiND app, aptX compatible Bluetooth input, MM phono input (bring your turntable and vinyl to the party!), front panel 1/8″ input for portable players, 1/4″ headphone output on front, OLED display, and Home Theater bypass. ACE = A Complete Experience. For a very reasonable price, you get it all! Only speaker wire needed. This unit will join our other all-in-one offerings, from our Cambridge Minx Xi to the Devialet, etc. If you want great sound in a simple package, we have one in your price range. You can read the press release info here, here, and here. Otherwise… stay tuned! We’ll be posting when we get them in!

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest products that we carry)

In the quickly changing landscape of music source delivery, there’s a growing need to store all of these music files, as well as isolate them from sources like a computer. It’s amazing how much of a difference in sound quality it can make, just by removing the computer from the equation. One such solution is the Melco High Resolution Music Library line of network music servers. We have put the Melco Audio N1A into service here at Stereotypes Audio, to serve all of our various DACs, streamers, etc. It’s made quite an amazing difference on both the sound and ease of serving music to all of our devices. Let us help create the perfect solution for your music system, starting with a Melco Audio N1A. Here is a recent review in the latest Stereophile magazine. (Text only pdf) (more…)

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest products that we carry)

Don’t forget to check us out for some of your last minute audio holiday gifts. We have the all in one Yamaha mini system in right now, and Naim has put their amazing and well reviewed all in one Naim Mu-so on sale for $ off until January 4th! If you been thinking about the Mu-so, the time is now! We also have TONS of TURNTABLES at every price range! Clear Audio, Rega, Pro-Ject, etc. and one with USB for those wanting to digitize their collection. And from Focal Loudspeakers, we have their Chorus 705, 714, and 716 all on sale!

Be sure to check out our holiday hours for open/closed times this week.

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest products that we carry)

The latest issue of The Absolute Sound showing casing the Product of the Year 2015, has products carried by Portland’s Stereotypes Audio well represented. For AC Power Cord of the Year, our Shunyata Sigma power cord (in analog or digital, HC) got top nods. The Kimber Select cable line received top “Interconnects & Cables of the year” with the KS 6068 speaker wire, KS 1036 RCA interconnects and KS 1136 balanced interconnects. In the Portable DAC of the year, the Chord Hugo takes top nods. This is a great battery powered DAC for on the road, or even at home with DSD 128 and up to 384kHz PCM. And for those that want ‘more bass’, the JL Audio Gotham and CR-1 Crossover take “Cost No Object” sub of the year. While were not currently running the Gotham with the CR-1, we have tried it with our new JL Audio Fathom v2 and it sounds fantastic! And our new Harbeth SuperHL5plus Loudspeaker took “Upper-End Stand-Mount Loudspeaker” of the year. Thinking of going vinyl? Our Rega RP-10 took their top honors for “Mid-Priced Turntable of the Year”, but we have turntables at nearly every price point… especially at the entry level range. And always in the ‘overachiever’ category is the Rogue line up of products, our Rogue Audio RP-5 took “Affordable Preamplifier of the Year” award for best tubed line stage. As always, there were several top products that we carry feeling ‘robbed’ for not garnering their own top honors, but we couldn’t be greedy and take all of the awards home. Come check out these top products and take home a great present to put under your favorite music fans tree this year! (more…)

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest products that we carry)

We have the new JL Audio Fathom 112 v2 in and ready to demo. We also have the limited edition “Queen” Rega turntable, as well as the brand new Bluesound Node 2 and the Bluesound Vault 2 (the other “2” Bluesound gear is coming soon). This also means we have great deals on the first gen Bluesound products. Get them while we still have them! And in the vintage camp, we have some well cared for used vintage Audio Research gear in silver. (ARC SP-10/SP-10PS combo with D-90 Amplifier). And we also just received another new pair of Dali Rubicon 6 floor standing speakers ready to demo. And for those interested in IsoTek, we have a couple products from Isotek, and can order any Isotek product.

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest products that we carry)

Have you heard, seen, or experienced the Devialet’s amazing Integrated Amp/Wireless DAC? It’s more like a near complete audio system, in one of the most gorgeous and compact casings you will ever see. The remote is beautiful and feels like you’re controlling the Universe with your hand. We’ve been smitten with this great product ever since we brought them in, and we think it’s time you gave it an audition. And to add further incentive to get in here, we even have a little deal on them right now. But you’ll have to come in to find out about the details.

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**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest Cambridge Audio, Parasound, JL Audio, Simaudio, and Focal products that we carry)

To say that ‘we’ve got a lot of new products in’ would be an understatement. Here’s a short list of some of what we’ve unboxed recently. We’ve got the new Parasound Halo Integrated amplifier. This one will be sure to please not only the reviewers, but the listeners. We also have the new Cambridge CX line of Integrated Amplifiers. Both the CX A60 and CX A80 Integrated Amplifiers. (btw, Cambridge dropped the ‘Audio’ part of their name). Update: We just got in the Cambridge CXN Network Music Player, and it’s sounding quite wonderful! We also have in the MyGroov phono stage from Micromega, to join our MyAmp and MyDAC. We’ve already mentioned this before, but we also have the wonderful new affordable JL Audio Dominion subwoofers in the 8″ and 10″. Our Home Theater/Multi-channel room is sporting the Marantz Preamplifier AV7702. (in addition to the Focal Aria center channel CC900). And in case you missed this before, we have the truly amazing and well reviewed Moon 430HA by Simaudio headphone amplifier with optional built-in DAC. Wow. This is as good as it gets for headphone amplifiers. We have it in place with our line of headphones, so that you can hear every ‘can at their absolute best. It’s so good, you could even use it as your system DAC.

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest Moon by Simaudio and JL Audio products that we carry)

We’ve got some new products in for you this week at Stereotypes Audio of Portland! We’ve been breaking in the all new Moon Neo 280D DAC this week, and it’s sounding great! DSD256, 32/384, Neo case, bluetooth, full asynchronous USB, and optional MiND. It’s price/performance breakthrough for amazing sound. You’ve got to hear it to truly appreciate what they’ve done with this. In the same vein, JL Audio has created the new Dominion line of value home subwoofers in the 8″ and 10″ flavors in a more simple cabinet, but with still amazing sound. If you’ve been pining after a more affordable JL Audio sub, this one is it! (this is so new, they don’t even have it at their site yet!) And it’s great paired with smaller bookshelf speakers. We also have the Dali Menuet bookshelf speakers in, and they sound wonderful, all in a very compact size. If you check our Facebook page, you can see some additional images here, here and here.

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest Bluesound products that we carry)

Whole house audio and wireless music has become a hot category these days, with lots of players emerging everyday. But one newer player has a well established pedigree to back it up: BlueSound. They are made up of designers, engineers and individuals from the music industry, hailing from such great audio companies as NAD and PSB, with their focus solely on audio quality, they’ve unleashed a full onslaught of high end wireless audio products to give you a complete solution. While other whole house systems do a great job of streaming music easily throughout the home, BlueSound adds better than CD quality, with resolutions up to 24/192! (the other players can’t do that. And BlueSound now does Tidal!). (more…)

**(This is an outdated/archived post. Be sure to contact us for the latest products that we carry)

We’ve got a ton of quick news to tell you about (and we hope to fill in more later). One of the big announcements at CES 2015, was the new Moon by Simaudio Neo 280D DAC. We have several on order, and they should be here sometime in early March. It’s a full Neo case with 24/97, 24/192, 32/384, DSD up to 256, DXD, and even Bluetooth. We’re looking forward to hearing that one. We also have the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) turntables, in both standard and Esprit SB options. Shunyata Research is once again blowing us away with their amazing power cables, with the introduction of the new Shunyata ZTron SIGMA series of power cords. You gotta here these and the impact they will make on your music! If you’re looking to bring high resolution music to your whole house in an easy to use system, we’ve got you covered with Bluesound, with amazing sound with up to 24/192 in a full host of file options, and it now is streaming Tidal! The high resolution music streaming service that’s set to change the streaming landscape. We also carry the line up of Devialet music systems, which both sound AND look amazing! (Featuring their SAM technology customized for your speakers). Everyone has been singing Devialet’s praises in the press, including the cover feature in the latest Absolute Sound for February, as well as even many of the other online publications, like this. We also still have a few more PSB headphones to be had on sale. And don’t forget our new line up of Rogue Audio gear!