Products of the Year

Editors' Choices of 2018

Anthem STR integrated amplifier ($4499, reviewed by Thomas J. Norton, July 2018, Vol.41 No.7 review)
The Anthem STR offers superb basic performance. Its Anthem Room Correction can help clear up the room/speaker interactions that can compromise the bass performance of even the best loudspeakers, and do so without compromising the midrange and high-frequency balance that drew you to those speakers in the first place.—Thomas J. Norton

Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier ($2995; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson & Jim Austin, November 2015 & October 2018, Vol.38 No.11 & Vol.41 No.10 review)
I was impressed by this revolutionary stereo amplifier but it became an obsession when I mated three as monoblocks to a trio of Benchmark's DAC3s. The AHB2 is deadly silent, musically revealing, surprisingly compact, and quite powerful. Its critical clarity brings out the best (and worst) in every speaker I have used with it.—Kalman Rubinson

Benchmark DAC3 HGC D/A headphone amplifier ($2195 reviewed by Jim Austin & Herb Reichert, November 2017, September & October 2018, Vol.40 No.11, Vol.41 Nos. 9 & 10 review)
Benchmark has created a long line of DACs (several of which I've purchased) that present recordings with as little embellishment as is possible at their price points. The latest incarnation, the DAC3, is no exception, and excels at presenting the unvarnished truth, as the artist intended.—Jon Iverson

Grado Labs Lineage Epoch phono cartridge ($12,000, reviewed by Michael Fremer, December 2017, Vol.40 No.12)
Why the Grado? Let me tell you a story. I was road-racing motorcycles and had hit my limit. There was just no more speed . . . until Dunlop gave me a set of super-sticky race tires. Holy shit! I was flying, with no limit in sight. Now think about listening to music, and replace those tires with the Grado. That's why.—Brian Damkroger

IsoAcoustics GAIA loudspeaker isolation feet ($400–$1120/set of eight, depending on size, reviewed by Robert Deutsch, February 2018 review)
Do you own floorstanding loudspeakers whose sound you'd like to improve? If so, I have a recommendation: Install IsoAcoustics GAIAs, replacing whatever footers your speakers came with. In every instance I'm familiar with, the GAIAs produced a marked improvement in overall clarity. But to be on the safe side, buy them from a dealer with a good return policy.—Robert Deutsch

Luxman MQ-88uSE power amplifier ($5995; reviewed by Art Dudley, August 2018, Vol.41 No.8 review)
Next to DeVore Fidelity's Orangutan O/93 loudspeaker, and Rega Research's Apollo and Métronome's Kalista DreamPlay One CD players—respectively, the least expensive and most expensive CD players I've fallen in love with—the product that most impressed me between November 2017 and October 2018 was the trim and tidy Luxman MQ-88uSE power amplifier, which uses two KT88 pentode tubes per channel to deliver a satisfactory 25Wpc. Its sound is beautiful, its build quality superb, its Japanese-perfectionist pedigree beyond reproach.—Art Dudley

Mark Levinson No.534 stereo amplifier ($20,000, reviewed by Larry Greenhill, May 2018, Vol.41 No.5 review)
My favorite 2018 product is the Mark Levinson No.534 stereo amplifier, for its fast, taut, neutral sound, wide dynamic range, transparency, and bass speed and extension, which don't change with different loudspeakers and/or preamplifiers. It delivers the sound and superb build quality of Mark Levinson's No.536 monoblocks ($30,000/pair) for two-thirds the price.—Larry Greenhill

Naim Uniti Nova integrated amplifier ($6995; reviewed by Ken Micallef, March 2018, Vol.41 No.3 review)
The Uniti Nova combines the ultimate in usability and a ton of contemporary features with excellent sound and a solid remote control. Beautifully designed and beautiful to look at, the Nova sets the pace as the greatest all-in-one integrated amplifier–streamer–media player I've ever heard. Its excellent overall sound was equaled by its ear-friendly way with Internet radio.—Ken Micallef

Sonus Faber Aida loudspeaker ($130,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, October 2018, Vol.41 No.10 review)
The Aida won because, though big and complex, with a floor-firing sub and rear-firing "minimonitor" plus the usual front-baffle driver array, in a room seemingly way too small it held together and "disappeared," leaving a musically satisfying and viscerally exciting sound that validated SF's longstanding sonic traditions while successfully moving the brand forward into the next century.—Michael Fremer

I second Michael Fremer's nomination of the Aida. Listening through the Aidas in Michael's room to Simon Rattle conducting Beethoven's Symphony 9 was the most involving musical experience I have had in recent months—and that includes live concerts!—John Atkinson

TAD Micro Evolution One loudspeaker ($12,495/pair; reviewed by Thomas J. Norton & John Atkinson, February & March 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 2 & 3 review)
Until I discovered the Micro Evolution One, I had believed that TAD's more expensive CR1 was the finest, most precise-sounding stand-mounted loudspeaker on earth. Now, it seems, the breathy, superdynamic ME1 can outdance, outsing, and perhaps even outresolve its heavyweight brother. Think lightning fast and brimming with lush harmonics.—Herb Reichert

Wilson Audio Alexia Series 2 loudspeaker ($57,900/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson & Jason Victor Serinus, July & August 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 7 & 8 review)
Almost a year after the Alexia 2 entered my system, I still shake my head in amazement at how naturally balanced and organic its sound is. As accurate and musical as the dCS Vivaldi D/A processor, the Wilson's ability to transmit the sounds of voices, instruments, and halls without added commentary has few rivals.—Jason Victor Serinus