Amplification Component of 1996
Krell Audio Standard monoblock power amplifier ($35,000/pair; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.19 No.10, October 1996 Review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order):
Audible Illusions Modulus 3A preamplifier ($1995; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.19 Nos.2 & 9, February & September 1996 Review)
Audio Research PH-3 phono preamplifier ($1495; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.19 No.9, September 1996)
Ayre V-3 power amplifier ($3450; reviewed by Sam Tellig & Wes Phillips, Vol.19 No.3, August 1996 Review)
Balanced Audio Technology VK-60 power amplifier ($9900/pair; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, Vol.18 No.12, December 1995 Review)
Conrad-Johnson Premier Eleven A power amplifier ($3495; reviewed by Wes Phillips & John Atkinson, Vol.18 Nos.8 & 9, August & September 1995; Vol.19 Nos.3 & 8, March & August 1996 Review)
HeadRoom Supreme headphone amplifier ($399; reviewed by John Atkinson, Thomas J. Norton, & Wes Phillips, Vol.17 Nos.1, 2, 7, & 9, January, February, July, and September 1994; Vol.19 No.7, July 1996 Review)
Mark Levinson No.331 power amplifier ($4550; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Vol.19 No.1, January 1996 Review)
McCormack Power Drive DNA-0.5 Special Edition amplifier ($1565; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.18 No.12, December 1995)
Spectral DMA-180 power amplifier ($7495; reviewed by Robert Harley, Vol.19 No.1, January 1996)
Amplifier Of The Year was another category that boasted an incredibly strong and varied field. The McCormack Power Drive DNA-0.5 Special Edition, at $1565, ran a competitive second place to the $35,000/pair Krell Audio Standard—a clear indication of the competitive quality of affordable high-end. There were so many first-rate contenders for this category that several writers lobbied for an additional vote, yet the Krell Audio Standards garnered a commanding majority. JA put it best when, upon first hearing them in WP's system, he exclaimed, "They make other amplifiers sound broken!" In keeping with our Loudspeakers Of The Year, the Krell is a big'un that responds like a small'un—that is, until you need that kick in the pants that only heavy iron will give you. This is because the KAS's Anticipator circuit allows the amp to function as a series of five amplifiers of proportionately increasing power—it only uses what's needed to get the job done.
And does it ever get the job done! Yet for all of the power and majesty of the Audio Standard, what impressed most of the voters was how it handled music's little details: ambient information, dynamic shading, and gossamer overtones. It's said that God is in the details—and, Stereophile's writers add, so is the measure of a great amp.
Audible Illusions Modulus 3A preamplifier ($1995; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.19 Nos.2 & 9, February & September 1996 Review)
Audio Research PH-3 phono preamplifier ($1495; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.19 No.9, September 1996)
Ayre V-3 power amplifier ($3450; reviewed by Sam Tellig & Wes Phillips, Vol.19 No.3, August 1996 Review)
Balanced Audio Technology VK-60 power amplifier ($9900/pair; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, Vol.18 No.12, December 1995 Review)
Conrad-Johnson Premier Eleven A power amplifier ($3495; reviewed by Wes Phillips & John Atkinson, Vol.18 Nos.8 & 9, August & September 1995; Vol.19 Nos.3 & 8, March & August 1996 Review)
HeadRoom Supreme headphone amplifier ($399; reviewed by John Atkinson, Thomas J. Norton, & Wes Phillips, Vol.17 Nos.1, 2, 7, & 9, January, February, July, and September 1994; Vol.19 No.7, July 1996 Review)
Mark Levinson No.331 power amplifier ($4550; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Vol.19 No.1, January 1996 Review)
McCormack Power Drive DNA-0.5 Special Edition amplifier ($1565; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.18 No.12, December 1995)
Spectral DMA-180 power amplifier ($7495; reviewed by Robert Harley, Vol.19 No.1, January 1996)
Amplifier Of The Year was another category that boasted an incredibly strong and varied field. The McCormack Power Drive DNA-0.5 Special Edition, at $1565, ran a competitive second place to the $35,000/pair Krell Audio Standard—a clear indication of the competitive quality of affordable high-end. There were so many first-rate contenders for this category that several writers lobbied for an additional vote, yet the Krell Audio Standards garnered a commanding majority. JA put it best when, upon first hearing them in WP's system, he exclaimed, "They make other amplifiers sound broken!" In keeping with our Loudspeakers Of The Year, the Krell is a big'un that responds like a small'un—that is, until you need that kick in the pants that only heavy iron will give you. This is because the KAS's Anticipator circuit allows the amp to function as a series of five amplifiers of proportionately increasing power—it only uses what's needed to get the job done.
