LATEST ADDITIONS

When last we met in this column space, Dweezil Zappa was describing the truly immersive 24-bit/96kHz remix—key word, remix—that he did for the 50th anniversary 3CD/1LP/1BD super deluxe edition box set celebrating Deep Purple’s seminal March 1972 album Machine Head (Warner Records). Here in Part 2, music editor Mike Mettler and Zappa discussed how “Space Truckin’” really takes off in Atmos, what sold him on the Atmos format in the first place, and how he honed his mixing skills by zeroing in on how he feels drums should sound in Atmos. . .

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Honest audiophile-grade sound
Free app delivers a good selection of streaming services
Proprietary two-channel room/speaker-correction EQ works well
Above average FM tuner included
Minus
Amplifier power may not be adequate for all speakers, larger rooms
No subwoofer output; no fixed-level line input for easy multi-channel integration; no 12V trigger
Lacks the touchscreen interface found on several competitors

THE VERDICT
An all-in-one streamer/amplifier that promises and delivers genuinely high-end sound, though with relatively modest amplifier power.

The twentieth century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first’s Streaming Twenties.

Integrated amplifiers equipped with on-board streaming facilities and software, and the requisite digital-to-analog conversion hardware, have taken the place that the stereo receiver once held, back in the 1960’s, ’70’s, and ’80’s.