Editors' Choices of 2016
Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance Black Path Edition preamplifier ($9990; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, December 2015, Vol.38 No.12 Review)
The Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Signature preamp was Stereophile's Product of the Year in 1993. Now, 23 years later, when I consider possible candidates for this honor, I can't think of a better choice than the latest version of the SL-1. How's that for longevity?—Robert Deutsch
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 loudspeaker ($8400/pair)
For every piece of gear I review, the final proving ground is provided by the Orangutan O/93s. With their great transparency to the source, warmish tonal character, and superb sense of naturalness, the O/93s are top-shelf reproducers of music. From large-scale orchestral pieces to boogie-woogie, vocals, blues, jazz, and Krautrock, the O/93s remain consistently dynamic and revealing. Their transparency is obvious with every new audio component that comes their way, and they always surprise me with their unerring musicality and jump!—Ken Micallef Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker ($279.99/pair)
Superb sound for less than $300/pair. Nothing more need be said.—Thomas J. Norton
Focal Utopia Reference headphones ($3999/pair)
Rarely do I experience something that makes me think the world I live in will never be the same again. Previously, wars, love, and disasters inspired such consciousness-altering moments. This year, the world I live in changed surprisingly and pleasurably for the better when I put on Focal's new Utopia Reference headphones.—Herb Reichert Lyra Etna SL phono cartridge ($9995)
Lyra's top-of-the-line Atlas SL ($11,995) may resolve a bit more detail and express somewhat greater dynamics, but the Etna SL ($9995) does almost as well in those areas while producing a silky-smooth midrange that's positively addicting. The Etna SL and Atlas SL are destined to be classics that designer Jonathan Carr will have difficulty topping.—Michael Fremer
Mark Levinson No.585 integrated amplifier ($12,000; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, December 2015, Vol.38 No.12 Review)
The Mark Levinson No.585 integrated stereo amplifier's 200Wpc into 8 ohms—more powerful than any integrated amp other than the 300Wpc Bel Canto Black—combined with a great-sounding internal DAC capable of processing 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128, a uniquely versatile control menu, and a $12,000 price made a strong argument for combining separate high-quality components to maximize value.—Larry Greenhill
Merging Technologies NADAC Multichannel-8 D/A processor ($11,500; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, March & May 2016, Vol.39 Nos. 3 & 5 Review)
From 16/44.1 to DXD to DSD256, in mono, stereo, or multichannel, the Ethernet-connected NADAC Multichannel-8 operated flawlessly, and provided some of the best sound I have ever heard in my home.—Kalman Rubinson
Meridian Explorer USB D/A headphone amplifier ($299)
MQA for the masses.—Jim Austin
Nordost Valhalla 2 Reference cables ($7599.99/1m pair, interconnects; $14,849.99/3m pair, speaker cables)
My selection process was simple: If someone else were writing the checks, which product would be in my system today? I considered several choices, but always returned to Nordost's Valhalla 2 Reference cables. They improved every aspect of my system's performance, and, more important, strengthened my connection to the music at a level I'd not heard before.—Brian Damkroger
T+A DAC 8 DSD D/A processor ($3995)
Though I heard plenty of DACs this year, many with specific strengths, the T+A emerged as the best all-rounder. The DAC 8 DSD has a great feature set which includes selectable filters, headphone and preamp functions as well as all current digital formats. Efficient engineering keeps costs down and performance up, so this isn't a gratuitous statement piece, but instead a smart choice.—Jon Iverson
TotalDAC d1-tube-mk2 D/A processor (9100)
While I'm not so sure a purchase is the highest compliment one can pay, I ended up buying a TotalDAC d1-six DAC. Vincent Brient's creations provide a one-way ticket to any journey your music calls for or calls forth.—Michael Lavorgna Tzar DST phono cartridge ($10,000; reviewed by Art Dudley, January 2016, Vol.39 No.1 Review)
There are times when I feel like Pugsley Addams on a field trip to the Norman Rockwell Museum: While others recommend normal products—high-power amplifiers, wide-range loudspeakers—I'm besotted with things like the Tzar DST, a $10,000 Siberian remake of the Neumann DST phono cartridge of the early 1960s. The Tzar is a very-low-output design whose moving coils are fastened not to an armature at the base end of the cantilever but to the cantilever itself, just behind the stylus. (Readers who follow Michael Fremer's "Analog Corner" column will recognize this technology as also forming the basis of Audio-Technica's new AT-ART1000 cartridge.). And it sounds amazing: impactful, dramatic, nuanced, textured—but mostly impactful. The Tzar DST is, in many ways, the best phono pickup I've ever heard. Thank God it's unaffordable: otherwise, I'd feel completely out of step.—Art Dudley
Vandersteen Model Seven Mk.II loudspeakers & M7-HPA monoblock amplifier ($114,000/system)
Many loudspeakers have passed through my listening room in the past year, but the one I most missed after its return to its manufacturer was this expensive, full-range Vandersteen. Driven by its almost-as-expensive dedicated amplifiers, it produced sound that was consistently to die for.—John Atkinson
Wilson Audio Specialties Sabrina loudspeaker ($15,900/pair)
Refined, simple, essential. The Wilson Sabrina loudspeaker is the result of an experienced company and design team distilling what they do best down to its essence. In the process, Wilson has created a masterful loudspeaker that is within budget-striking distance of anyone who loves listening to music. A new classic.—Sasha Matson Wilson Audio Specialties Sabrina loudspeaker ($15,900/pair)
The coming-out baby of Dave Wilson's son and expected successor, Daryl Wilson, the Sabrina has constantly blown my mind with the strength of its bass, the solidity of its midrange, its overall tonal balance, and the convincing sizes of the aural images it produces. In my opinion, it outperforms all other contenders in its price range.—Jason Victor Serinus
The Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Signature preamp was Stereophile's Product of the Year in 1993. Now, 23 years later, when I consider possible candidates for this honor, I can't think of a better choice than the latest version of the SL-1. How's that for longevity?—Robert Deutsch
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 loudspeaker ($8400/pair)For every piece of gear I review, the final proving ground is provided by the Orangutan O/93s. With their great transparency to the source, warmish tonal character, and superb sense of naturalness, the O/93s are top-shelf reproducers of music. From large-scale orchestral pieces to boogie-woogie, vocals, blues, jazz, and Krautrock, the O/93s remain consistently dynamic and revealing. Their transparency is obvious with every new audio component that comes their way, and they always surprise me with their unerring musicality and jump!—Ken Micallef Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker ($279.99/pair)
Superb sound for less than $300/pair. Nothing more need be said.—Thomas J. Norton
Rarely do I experience something that makes me think the world I live in will never be the same again. Previously, wars, love, and disasters inspired such consciousness-altering moments. This year, the world I live in changed surprisingly and pleasurably for the better when I put on Focal's new Utopia Reference headphones.—Herb Reichert Lyra Etna SL phono cartridge ($9995)
Lyra's top-of-the-line Atlas SL ($11,995) may resolve a bit more detail and express somewhat greater dynamics, but the Etna SL ($9995) does almost as well in those areas while producing a silky-smooth midrange that's positively addicting. The Etna SL and Atlas SL are destined to be classics that designer Jonathan Carr will have difficulty topping.—Michael Fremer
Mark Levinson No.585 integrated amplifier ($12,000; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, December 2015, Vol.38 No.12 Review)The Mark Levinson No.585 integrated stereo amplifier's 200Wpc into 8 ohms—more powerful than any integrated amp other than the 300Wpc Bel Canto Black—combined with a great-sounding internal DAC capable of processing 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128, a uniquely versatile control menu, and a $12,000 price made a strong argument for combining separate high-quality components to maximize value.—Larry Greenhill
Merging Technologies NADAC Multichannel-8 D/A processor ($11,500; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, March & May 2016, Vol.39 Nos. 3 & 5 Review)From 16/44.1 to DXD to DSD256, in mono, stereo, or multichannel, the Ethernet-connected NADAC Multichannel-8 operated flawlessly, and provided some of the best sound I have ever heard in my home.—Kalman Rubinson
Meridian ExplorerMQA for the masses.—Jim Austin
Nordost Valhalla 2 Reference cables ($7599.99/1m pair, interconnects; $14,849.99/3m pair, speaker cables)My selection process was simple: If someone else were writing the checks, which product would be in my system today? I considered several choices, but always returned to Nordost's Valhalla 2 Reference cables. They improved every aspect of my system's performance, and, more important, strengthened my connection to the music at a level I'd not heard before.—Brian Damkroger
T+A DAC 8 DSD D/A processor ($3995)Though I heard plenty of DACs this year, many with specific strengths, the T+A emerged as the best all-rounder. The DAC 8 DSD has a great feature set which includes selectable filters, headphone and preamp functions as well as all current digital formats. Efficient engineering keeps costs down and performance up, so this isn't a gratuitous statement piece, but instead a smart choice.—Jon Iverson
While I'm not so sure a purchase is the highest compliment one can pay, I ended up buying a TotalDAC d1-six DAC. Vincent Brient's creations provide a one-way ticket to any journey your music calls for or calls forth.—Michael Lavorgna Tzar DST phono cartridge ($10,000; reviewed by Art Dudley, January 2016, Vol.39 No.1 Review)
There are times when I feel like Pugsley Addams on a field trip to the Norman Rockwell Museum: While others recommend normal products—high-power amplifiers, wide-range loudspeakers—I'm besotted with things like the Tzar DST, a $10,000 Siberian remake of the Neumann DST phono cartridge of the early 1960s. The Tzar is a very-low-output design whose moving coils are fastened not to an armature at the base end of the cantilever but to the cantilever itself, just behind the stylus. (Readers who follow Michael Fremer's "Analog Corner" column will recognize this technology as also forming the basis of Audio-Technica's new AT-ART1000 cartridge.). And it sounds amazing: impactful, dramatic, nuanced, textured—but mostly impactful. The Tzar DST is, in many ways, the best phono pickup I've ever heard. Thank God it's unaffordable: otherwise, I'd feel completely out of step.—Art Dudley
Vandersteen Model Seven Mk.II loudspeakers & M7-HPA monoblock amplifier ($114,000/system)Many loudspeakers have passed through my listening room in the past year, but the one I most missed after its return to its manufacturer was this expensive, full-range Vandersteen. Driven by its almost-as-expensive dedicated amplifiers, it produced sound that was consistently to die for.—John Atkinson
Refined, simple, essential. The Wilson Sabrina loudspeaker is the result of an experienced company and design team distilling what they do best down to its essence. In the process, Wilson has created a masterful loudspeaker that is within budget-striking distance of anyone who loves listening to music. A new classic.—Sasha Matson Wilson Audio Specialties Sabrina loudspeaker ($15,900/pair)
The coming-out baby of Dave Wilson's son and expected successor, Daryl Wilson, the Sabrina has constantly blown my mind with the strength of its bass, the solidity of its midrange, its overall tonal balance, and the convincing sizes of the aural images it produces. In my opinion, it outperforms all other contenders in its price range.—Jason Victor Serinus
