Accessory of the Year
JRiver Media Center, 64-bit version ($49.98, single platform; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, January 2018, Vol.41 No.1 review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Acoustical Systems Arché headshell ($695; reviewed by Art Dudley, May 2018, Vol.41 No.5 review)
AudioQuest Dragon AC cord ($4200/1m Source and $5200/1m High-Current; reviewed by Michael Fremer, May 2018, Vol.41 No.5)
AudioQuest Tornado AC cord ($949.95/1m; reviewed by Herb Reichert, August 2018, Vol.41 No.8 review)
Shindo Laboratory Mr. T isolation transformer ($2200; reviewed by Art Dudley, July 2018, Vol.41 No.7 review) It's déjà vu all over again: In the spirit of Roon's 2017 top-place victory in this category, this year's Accessory of the Year is software—specifically, the new 64-bit version of JRiver's enduringly popular Media Center music player, available for both Windows and MacOS platforms. It offers faster processing than 32-bit versions of Media Center—indeed, Kal Rubinson noted "a healthy 20%" performance improvement—and plays even the largest files without interruptions for rebuffering. Notes on the Votes
The tubed preamps and power amps that are Shindo Laboratory's spécialité du chez, though far from the most expensive such things in perfectionist audio, are somewhat removed from the mainstream, and the brand avoids audio shows. (Their electronics are owned by only two Stereophile contributors: Ken Micallef and me.) So I was surprised to see Shindo's AC-conditioning isolation transformer, the Mr. T, receive twice as many second-place votes as any other contender in this category, propelling it to second place, where it was tied by the new Dragon AC cords from AudioQuest—whose less expensive Tornado AC cord received just one point less, winding up in third place.
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Acoustical Systems Arché headshell ($695; reviewed by Art Dudley, May 2018, Vol.41 No.5 review)AudioQuest Dragon AC cord ($4200/1m Source and $5200/1m High-Current; reviewed by Michael Fremer, May 2018, Vol.41 No.5)
AudioQuest Tornado AC cord ($949.95/1m; reviewed by Herb Reichert, August 2018, Vol.41 No.8 review)
Shindo Laboratory Mr. T isolation transformer ($2200; reviewed by Art Dudley, July 2018, Vol.41 No.7 review) It's déjà vu all over again: In the spirit of Roon's 2017 top-place victory in this category, this year's Accessory of the Year is software—specifically, the new 64-bit version of JRiver's enduringly popular Media Center music player, available for both Windows and MacOS platforms. It offers faster processing than 32-bit versions of Media Center—indeed, Kal Rubinson noted "a healthy 20%" performance improvement—and plays even the largest files without interruptions for rebuffering. Notes on the Votes
The tubed preamps and power amps that are Shindo Laboratory's spécialité du chez, though far from the most expensive such things in perfectionist audio, are somewhat removed from the mainstream, and the brand avoids audio shows. (Their electronics are owned by only two Stereophile contributors: Ken Micallef and me.) So I was surprised to see Shindo's AC-conditioning isolation transformer, the Mr. T, receive twice as many second-place votes as any other contender in this category, propelling it to second place, where it was tied by the new Dragon AC cords from AudioQuest—whose less expensive Tornado AC cord received just one point less, winding up in third place.
