Stirling LS3/5a V2 Speakers
ON DISPLAY IN OUR SHOWROOM

"…The Director is a screamingly original solid-state line-level pre-amplifier…simply hit 'play' on your CD player or lower your stylus and The Director instantly senses what you're listening to…Although Sutherland makes a point of this being a no-frills unit of sane pricing, its constituent parts give up nothing: The Director reeks of luxury…Damn, is this thing quiet. Despite it being mains-powered, it seemed to these ears to be as ghostly as its battery-driven sibling…this unit is about transferring information in the most coherent, unpolluted way possible." – Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, April 2006, www.hifinews.co.uk

"...another great bargain from the team of Ron Sutherland and Chad Kassem...The Sutherland Direct Line Stage's performance is credible at any price; for $3000, it's nothing short of incredible. Like Sutherland's PhD, the Direct Line Stage gets you into the uppermost echelon of current audio gear for a relatively sane price...if you're shopping for a line stage - any line stage at any price - the Sutherland Direct Line Stage should be on your audition list. And if you're even remotely considering upgrading from a model of lower or similar price, put down the magazine and pick up the phone. You don't want to miss this one." - Brian Damkroger, Stereophile, September 2006

"Here's why (in addition to its great sound) I love the Director: There is only a volume-control knob. There is no knob for selecting the source component - the Director does this automatically, as soon as it sees a signal at the RCA input sockets. Want to play a CD? Press Play on your machine; if the CD input isn't already selected, the Director will switch to CD...By the way, there are no annoying clicks when you change the volume settings, and the volume control's ball-bearing mount has a very silky feel...The Director did what an active preamp should do: it provided enough voltage gain, with the attendant better dynamics and superior dynamic shading, compared to most passives. If there is a better active, solid-state line stage for $3000, I haven't heard it. Specifically, I heard none of the electronic grunge, hardness, or glaze I associate with run-or-the-mill solid-state preamps. Distributor Chad Kassem claims that the Director compares with preamps selling for $5000. I believe him...I could live with the Director quite nicely, and likely will." - Sam Tellig, Stereophile, January 2006

"My first encounter with Sutherland electronics came when I reviewed their outstanding Ph.D. battery powered phono pre-amp...I mention this because the Ph.D. created definite expectations for Sutherland's Director line-stage...As things turned out, I wasn't disappointed - it proved to be very much a chip off the old Ph.D. block...The Director is one of the simplest and most 'stripped' minimalist designs ever. There's just one control - for volume level - that's it...Cleverly, The Director selects an input as soon as it senses signal voltage at a particular set of sockets. This means there's no need to select CD when you want to play a compact disc; just press Play on your CD machine and The Director will switch over without prompting...Having hugely enjoyed the results produced by Sutherland's Ph.D. phono pre-amp, I was hoping and expecting The Director to offer more of the same. I wasn't disappointed. There's a similar kind of openness, the same sort of easy natural clarity...The Director produces an increased sense of dynamic separation and tonal individuality...The Director gives a very clean musical presentation; it sounds lucid and detailed but not in a clinical antiseptic manner. It presents the music in a relaxed yet focussed fashion, with impressive clarity and crisp attack. There's convincing rhythmic drive and coherence, plus a hard-to-describe 'rightness' about its sound. It's likeable and pleasant. But more to the point, the total presentation has a truthful and utterly believable quality...Speaking personally, I found this very much the case with the Ph.D. - it was only when going back to other phono-stages that I realised (again) just how different and special it was. The Director is very similar - it does the job so easily and comfortably, you mistakenly think that what it does is easy...It's a very quiet pre-amp - electrically and mechanically. The innards are very well shielded by a heavy 12 gauge (1/8th in. thick!) steel case...If you want a line pre-amp that's superbly tactile and dynamic, yet at the same time smooth, well-balanced, and above all, neutral and truthful, Sutherland's The Director is definitely one you have to hear." - Jimmy Hughes, Hi-Fi+, Issue 40

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"I had to believe there would be merit and synergy using the Sutherland Line Stage with the Ph.D. Both fronted in 1/2" Brushed Aluminum, they would be visually stunning as well...It took me about a millisecond to hear the magic. The Director emulates the Ph.D. sonically. Aptly named, the unit switches inputs automatically to whatever source (Phono, Tuner, CD, etc.) you happen to play. Quieter than my ARC, The Director has a sweetness (from solid state no less!) and an effortless refinement in its presentation that cradles the music in supple yet powerful hands. Like the very best of any audio component, it exhibited no strain, showing dynamic scaling and micro-dynamic nuance as close to reality as I've experienced. The illusion is sensuous. Compelling. Lifelike. Convincing." - Rich Brown, a.k.a. Speaker Boy, Klipsch Audio Technologies

"In the wake of great successes with his Acoustech PH-1 and Sutherland Ph.D. phonostages, designer Ron Sutherland has released the Director, an unusually lovely-sounding solid-state linestage. Indeed, like Sutherland himself, the Director's character is easygoing, sweet, and rather romantic...The soundstage was wide open, the piano tone gorgeously rich and natural, and Fitzgerald's smoky, creamy, lilting voice about as beautiful as you'll hear it...The stage presentation was gigantic, with excellent depth, the strings silky and nicely textured, and the brass instruments full-throated. Sutherland's Director is another first-rate effort from one of our most original-thinking designers. If tubes aren't your bag, and you want an elegant-sounding and operating line preamp that doesn't cost the moon, I would be hard-pressed to name a comparably priced solid-state model with a siren song as seductively inviting as this one's." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, August/September 2005, Issue 155

"I then substituted Sutherland's new Director line stage ($3000), distributed by Acoustic Sounds, for the passive preamp. Hot Diggity, as Perry Como used to exclaim. What a difference that active line stage made! With active preamplification, the Parasound JC-1s and the Spendors were able to deliver exquisitely defined and controlled bass." - Sam Tellig, Stereophile, June 2005

"A very dynamic, tube-like, sweet presentation…on the slightly romantic side of neutral…an incredible value…outstanding…comparable to anything at twice the price, EASILY!" – Gerald Joss, Acoustic Sounds customer

Ron Sutherland is a genius at designing gear that can produce state-of-the-art sound for an affordable price. He's also become known for adding new and unique features to his products that make them simple and user-friendly. Well, he's done it again - this time with The Director, a line stage with a twist.

The Director fulfills the basic preamplifier functions of input selection, volume adjustment and gain but in an entirely unique and refined way. Take the input selection for example. There's no need to hit a switch to go from phono to CD or whatever other function. With The Director, you simply hit "play" or drop your stylus and let The Director figure out what you're listening to. It'll automatically recognize that you're playing CD, or LP etc. Pretty cool stuff.

Acoustic Sounds Owner Chad Kassem has always loved Sutherland's previous line stage - the $8,000 C-2000, which is no longer being manufactured. Following the success of Sutherland's Ph.D. phono preamp, Kassem challenged Sutherland to recreate the C-2000 but for a much more affordable price. After some consideration, Sutherland said that he thought he could do it. How? For The Director, Sutherland held off on the extravagantly-machined case that looked so nice on the C-2000 but didn't really contribute anything to the sound quality. He also used an adequate but reasonably-priced power cord. And the remote control is simple, compact, lightweight and functional rather than a machine-cased fancy remote. Like the Ph.D., The Director's magic is in it's simplicity. By focusing on sound and leaving out the unnecessary jewelry, Sutherland was able to keep the price down.

Sutherland repeatedly bench marked The Director's performance to "cost-no-object" options. The design was not complete until The Director could stand proudly among such Sutherland smash hits as the Ph.D. and AcousTech PH-1P phono preamplifiers, both Stereophile Class-A rated.


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"…the AKG K 701s are the best-sounding headphones I've heard – and not for the money, and not for picking apart a recording or playing gotcha! with the recording engineers. The K 701s just flat-out sound more like music as I hear it than any other headphones I've ever heard. I love 'em and I won't be sending 'em back. They're mine, all mine. Bwah hah haha, haaa! Go buy your own." – Wes Phillips, Stereophile, August 2006