The WS161 is something I've been scouring spec sheets for since the Obama administration. A complete, high-end Skytune internet radio tuner with a built-in hi-fi amplifier. That description sounds deceptively plain, but anyone who's waded through the current streaming landscape will understand why it's rare.

I was done with Bluetooth dongles that squashed Nina Simone's upper register into fizzy digital confetti. Done with a Sonos Connect that decided to drop off the network every time the microwave fired up. Done with multi-room apps that need more updates than my tax software. The WS161 is the antidote to all of that.

Yes, the amp is Class D. A Texas Instruments TPA3611. I know some of the old bones still frown at the letters 'Class D.' I did too, initially. But the way this TPA3611 conducts itself inside the WS161 has made my prejudices look silly. This isn't one of those cheap, efficiency-at-all-costs implementations that sacrifices musicality.

There are plenty of bare Skytune streamer boards, and there are countless little Class-D chip-amps dressed up as lifestyle products. But nobody, until now, had the good sense to mate an honest amplifier stage to a fully fleshed-out Skytune front end inside one well-damped chassis, and then give you a clean set of speaker terminals that mean business.

I wanted my Marantz 2270 back, but for the age of internet radio. I just never expected anyone to actually build it. Three weeks ago, a carton arrived from TUNERSYS. I unboxed it, wired it up, and powered it on. It now sits on my equipment rack where the 2270 used to live. This is the modern tuner I have been waiting for.

One thing that stands out about the WS161 is the power supply filtering. TUNERSYS chose this amplifier for a very straightforward reason: one box, no fuss. And they clearly did the engineering work on the power side. Even when pushed to uncomfortably loud levels with my Yamaha NS-10M Studios, the amp never sounded strained.

I didn't want a smart home ecosystem. I wanted a modern tuner I could reach out and touch — something that would feed a clean, no-nonsense Wi-Fi stream straight into a pair of vintage passive monitors without a rat's nest of outboard gear in between. The WS161 is exactly that.

The TPA3611 amplifier stage inside the WS161 is genuinely impressive. Driving my 15-ohm Rogers LS3/5a — a notoriously difficult load — the amp never sounds like it's running out of breath. Piano decay hangs in the air. Stand-up bass has real wooden body, not just thump. I did not expect a Class D chip to sound this good.

Running a small living space art project here in Brooklyn, I'm always an absolute crank about how gear looks on a shelf — it has to look like fine furniture and sound like heaven. The WS161 delivers on both counts. It sits on my equipment rack, right where the 2270 used to live, glowing a soft amber.

Switching over to my equally ancient Yamaha NS-10M Studios, the midrange was as ruthlessly honest as ever. Even pushed to uncomfortably loud levels, the amp never sounded like it was running out of breath. The power supply filtering inside clearly does its job well.

I was done with Bluetooth dongles that squashed Nina Simone's upper register into fizzy digital confetti. Done with a Sonos Connect that decided to drop off the network every time the microwave fired up. Done with multi-room apps that need more updates than my tax software. The WS161 is the antidote to all of that.

The WS161 is something I've been scouring spec sheets for since the Obama administration. A complete, high-end Skytune internet radio tuner with a built-in hi-fi amplifier. That description sounds deceptively plain, but anyone who's waded through the current streaming landscape will understand why it's rare.

There are plenty of bare Skytune streamer boards, and there are countless little Class-D chip-amps dressed up as lifestyle products. But nobody, until now, had the good sense to mate an honest amplifier stage to a fully fleshed-out Skytune front end inside one well-damped chassis, and then give you a clean set of speaker terminals that mean business.

One thing that stands out about the WS161 is the power supply filtering. TUNERSYS chose this amplifier for a very straightforward reason: one box, no fuss. And they clearly did the engineering work on the power side. Even when pushed to uncomfortably loud levels with my Yamaha NS-10M Studios, the amp never sounded strained.

I wanted my Marantz 2270 back, but for the age of internet radio. I just never expected anyone to actually build it. Three weeks ago, a carton arrived from TUNERSYS. I unboxed it, wired it up, and powered it on. It now sits on my equipment rack where the 2270 used to live. This is the modern tuner I have been waiting for.

Yes, the amp is Class D. A Texas Instruments TPA3611. I know some of the old bones still frown at the letters 'Class D.' I did too, initially. But the way this TPA3611 conducts itself inside the WS161 has made my prejudices look silly. This isn't one of those cheap, efficiency-at-all-costs implementations that sacrifices musicality.

Switching over to my equally ancient Yamaha NS-10M Studios, the midrange was as ruthlessly honest as ever. Even pushed to uncomfortably loud levels, the amp never sounded like it was running out of breath. The power supply filtering inside clearly does its job well.

The TPA3611 amplifier stage inside the WS161 is genuinely impressive. Driving my 15-ohm Rogers LS3/5a �� a notoriously difficult load �� the amp never sounds like it's running out of breath. Piano decay hangs in the air. Stand-up bass has real wooden body, not just thump. I did not expect a Class D chip to sound this good.

I didn't want a smart home ecosystem. I wanted a modern tuner I could reach out and touch �� something that would feed a clean, no-nonsense Wi-Fi stream straight into a pair of vintage passive monitors without a rat's nest of outboard gear in between. The WS161 is exactly that.

Running a small living space art project here in Brooklyn, I'm always an absolute crank about how gear looks on a shelf �� it has to look like fine furniture and sound like heaven. The WS161 delivers on both counts. It sits on my equipment rack, right where the 2270 used to live, glowing a soft amber.

The WS161 is something I've been scouring spec sheets for since the Obama administration. A complete, high-end Skytune internet radio tuner with a built-in hi-fi amplifier. That description sounds deceptively plain, but anyone who's waded through the current streaming landscape will understand why it's rare.

I was done with Bluetooth dongles that squashed Nina Simone's upper register into fizzy digital confetti. Done with a Sonos Connect that decided to drop off the network every time the microwave fired up. Done with multi-room apps that need more updates than my tax software. The WS161 is the antidote to all of that.

There are plenty of bare Skytune streamer boards, and there are countless little Class-D chip-amps dressed up as lifestyle products. But nobody, until now, had the good sense to mate an honest amplifier stage to a fully fleshed-out Skytune front end inside one well-damped chassis, and then give you a clean set of speaker terminals that mean business.

Yes, the amp is Class D. A Texas Instruments TPA3611. I know some of the old bones still frown at the letters 'Class D.' I did too, initially. But the way this TPA3611 conducts itself inside the WS161 has made my prejudices look silly. This isn't one of those cheap, efficiency-at-all-costs implementations that sacrifices musicality.

One thing that stands out about the WS161 is the power supply filtering. TUNERSYS chose this amplifier for a very straightforward reason: one box, no fuss. And they clearly did the engineering work on the power side. Even when pushed to uncomfortably loud levels with my Yamaha NS-10M Studios, the amp never sounded strained.

I wanted my Marantz 2270 back, but for the age of internet radio. I just never expected anyone to actually build it. Three weeks ago, a carton arrived from TUNERSYS. I unboxed it, wired it up, and powered it on. It now sits on my equipment rack where the 2270 used to live. This is the modern tuner I have been waiting for.

I used to think all power supplies were the same. Then I plugged this into my WS161. The difference was audible within seconds — a cleaner, more three-dimensional presentation. The background noise floor dropped to inaudible levels. The aviation-grade connectors inspire confidence. Factory direct pricing makes this an easy upgrade decision.

I used to think all power supplies were the same. Then I plugged this into my WS161. The difference was audible within seconds �� a cleaner, more three-dimensional presentation. The background noise floor dropped to inaudible levels. The aviation-grade connectors inspire confidence. Factory direct pricing makes this an easy upgrade decision.

I used to think all power supplies were the same. Then I plugged the 120W linear PSU into my WS161. The difference was audible within seconds — a cleaner, more three-dimensional presentation. The background noise floor dropped to inaudible levels. The aviation-grade connectors inspire confidence.