Belkin SoundForm Connect Airplay 2 Audio Adapter

A small review for a small device: What does this small device with the large name do? It allows you to stream from Apple devices to a non-Airplay-equipped stereo. It works pretty well! I couldn't get the iPhone to read the tag automagically so I had to type the code into Home--like a caveman--to get it recognized. After that I could use the Belkin SoundForm app to update the firmware. Has an optical and 3.5mm stereo jack, so you can then plug it into pretty much anything you want to streamify. Beyond that it's pretty much a nothinburger: No configuration or settings, you just select it when you want to Airplay. 16/44.1k, so CD quality. Not "audiophile" but definitely good enough. I'm thinking that you could even use it to upgrade an Airplay device to Airplay 2, as long as it has an input (my B&W Zepplin springs to mind).

Vintage Analog Stereo

I've been toting around my albums (well 1/2 mine and 1/2 my ex-wife's) for the last 25+ years with no stereo. I kept the turntable but got rid of everything else when I did a big move. On top of that my dad gave me all his reel to reel tapes (and all his old slides) more than 10 years ago. They both passed away at the beginning of the pandemic--of other causes--which caused me to think about these things as a legacy for my sons. This meant that I would need a good stereo. I decided to take my time and put together what would have been a kickass stereo at the time that I was collecting these albums, in the 70's and 80's. 

The turntable I already had, and I got a reel to reel last summer. I picked up the amp and preamp a couple of months ago at an auction. Yesterday I came across a set of speakers that should work really well with the amp. I spent yesterday afternoon and evening transported back to the 70's and 80's. I have to say that it doesn't look like much, but this is the best sounding stereo that I've ever had--and one of the better ones that I've listened to. The components could be considered for the most part, to be at an audiophile entry level. 

What it cost to put together over time was what I would have spent on a "decent" but not great system if I bought all new. The amp, for example, was the most expensive component, at ~$650CAD. The direct descendant of this amp currently sells for ~$7,500CAD. I know that they're built for longevity, as although they were used extensively in studios and by touring musicians, they had a 20 year warranty! I picked up the speakers a couple of weeks ago for $225CAD. Equivalents now would be knocking on the door of a couple of grand. 

 All that to say, by shopping carefully over time, I put together the base of the best (and possibly last) stereo I will own (for now). Although sound is a rabbit hole that makes mechanical keyboards sound cheap. There is much optimization and tweaking that I can do over time, such as good interconnects and speaker wire--but even here I'll shop around and bide my time to get the right stuff. I've already started with some of those tweaks: I picked up a used set of Raymond custom speaker cables to replace the zip cord that came with the speakers, for $100 (awesome deal!). I also ordered some inexpensive RCA interconnects to connect the components to the preamp, along with a stylus force gauge (weight scale), replacement turntable platter mat (acrylic), and of course record cleaning "stuff". These should all make a discernable difference to the sound quality, even if my ears are not capable of making that discernment. 

 One other item that I ordered was a Belkin SoundForm Connect Airplay 2 Audio Adapter. What does this small device with the large name do? It allows you to stream from Apple devices to a non-Airplay-equipped stereo. That will allow me to do some A/B testing of the same song on an album vs. over Apple lossless streaming. Who will win? The album, with it's vaunted analog "warmth" or the purely digital lossless, with zero snaps, crackles and pops? In the next blog entries I'll go over the components that I got, with a little history and description, as well as the rationale for their selection. Stay tuned!!! Ps. Murphy! What albums should I get beyond the usual suspects (Boston, Chicago, other cities) that are all about the mixing?