Joint Digital Components of the Year
Benchmark DAC3 HGC D/A processor/headphone amplifier ($2195; reviewed by Jim Austin & Herb Reichert, November 2017, September & October 2018, Vol.40 No.11, Vol.41 Nos. 9 & 10 review)
dCS Vivaldi D/A processor ($35,999; reviewed by Michael Fremer, John Atkinson & Jason Victor Serinus, January 2014 & December 2017, Vol.37 No.1 & Vol.40 No.12 review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Aqua Acoustic Quality Formula xHD D/A processor ($17,000; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, June 2018, Vol.41 No.6 review)
Astell&Kern A&Ultimate SP1000 digital audio player ($3499; reviewed by Michael Fremer, November 2017, Vol.40 No.11 review)
Baetis Prodigy X music server ($4995 without options; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, November 2017, Vol.40 No.11 review)
Bryston BDP-3 music player ($3495; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, January 2018, Vol.41 No.1 review)
dCS Network Bridge ($4250; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, December 2017, Vol.40 No.12 review)
dCS Rossini D/A processor ($23,999; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, January 2017 & May 2018, Vol.40 No.1 & Vol.41 No.5 review)
LG V30 MQA-compatible smartphone ($799; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, May & July 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 5 & 7 review)
MBL Noble Line N31 CD player–DAC ($15,400; reviewed by John Atkinson, February 2018, Vol.41 No.2 review)
Merging Technologies Merging+Player Multichannel-8 ($13,500; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, March 2018, Vol.41 No.3 review)
Oppo UDP-205 Blu-ray player ($1299; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, November 2017, Vol.40 No.11 review)
Rega Research Apollo CD player ($1095; reviewed by Art Dudley, June 2018, Vol.41 No.6 review)
Roon Labs Nucleus+ music server ($2498; reviewed by John Atkinson, August 2018, Vol.41 No.8 review)
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil D/A processor ($2299; reviewed by Herb Reichert, February 2017 & September 2018, Vol.40 No.2 & Vol.41 No.9 review) This contest produced another tie, and yet another contrast between two wildly different philosophies—economical, if not technical. As Jim Austin pointed out in his initial review, the DAC3 HGC D/A processor from Benchmark Media Systems—a company known for making pro-audio as well as domestic-audio gear—sells for less than the price of certain high-end interconnects. The dCS Vivaldi D/A processor sells for 16 times the Benchmark's price, and in our pages was first reviewed, by Michael Fremer, as part of a $114,996 dCS digital front end.
Both DACs impressed their respective reviewers with magnificent sound—and in his measurements for both, John Atkinson offered the same one-word conclusion: "Wow!"
Notes on the Votes
Different though our Joint Digital Products of the Year may be from one another, the vote breakdown was consistent: Each got the same number of first-place votes as the other, and the same number of second-place votes, as well. Interestingly, no other finalists in this category came even close to the Joint winners. Despite winning two first-place votes, the product that took second place—Schiit Audio's Yggdrasil D/A processor—received fewer than half as many votes as the winners, and even fewer votes were garnered by Roon Labs' Nucleus+ music server, which came in third. For whatever it's worth, last place was a six-way tie.
dCS Vivaldi D/A processor ($35,999; reviewed by Michael Fremer, John Atkinson & Jason Victor Serinus, January 2014 & December 2017, Vol.37 No.1 & Vol.40 No.12 review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Aqua Acoustic Quality Formula xHD D/A processor ($17,000; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, June 2018, Vol.41 No.6 review)Astell&Kern A&Ultimate SP1000 digital audio player ($3499; reviewed by Michael Fremer, November 2017, Vol.40 No.11 review)
Baetis Prodigy X music server ($4995 without options; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, November 2017, Vol.40 No.11 review)
Bryston BDP-3 music player ($3495; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, January 2018, Vol.41 No.1 review)
dCS Network Bridge ($4250; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, December 2017, Vol.40 No.12 review)
dCS Rossini D/A processor ($23,999; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, January 2017 & May 2018, Vol.40 No.1 & Vol.41 No.5 review)
LG V30 MQA-compatible smartphone ($799; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, May & July 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 5 & 7 review)
MBL Noble Line N31 CD player–DAC ($15,400; reviewed by John Atkinson, February 2018, Vol.41 No.2 review)
Merging Technologies Merging+Player Multichannel-8 ($13,500; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, March 2018, Vol.41 No.3 review)
Oppo UDP-205 Blu-ray player ($1299; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, November 2017, Vol.40 No.11 review)
Rega Research Apollo CD player ($1095; reviewed by Art Dudley, June 2018, Vol.41 No.6 review)
Roon Labs Nucleus+ music server ($2498; reviewed by John Atkinson, August 2018, Vol.41 No.8 review)
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil D/A processor ($2299; reviewed by Herb Reichert, February 2017 & September 2018, Vol.40 No.2 & Vol.41 No.9 review) This contest produced another tie, and yet another contrast between two wildly different philosophies—economical, if not technical. As Jim Austin pointed out in his initial review, the DAC3 HGC D/A processor from Benchmark Media Systems—a company known for making pro-audio as well as domestic-audio gear—sells for less than the price of certain high-end interconnects. The dCS Vivaldi D/A processor sells for 16 times the Benchmark's price, and in our pages was first reviewed, by Michael Fremer, as part of a $114,996 dCS digital front end.
Both DACs impressed their respective reviewers with magnificent sound—and in his measurements for both, John Atkinson offered the same one-word conclusion: "Wow!"
Notes on the VotesDifferent though our Joint Digital Products of the Year may be from one another, the vote breakdown was consistent: Each got the same number of first-place votes as the other, and the same number of second-place votes, as well. Interestingly, no other finalists in this category came even close to the Joint winners. Despite winning two first-place votes, the product that took second place—Schiit Audio's Yggdrasil D/A processor—received fewer than half as many votes as the winners, and even fewer votes were garnered by Roon Labs' Nucleus+ music server, which came in third. For whatever it's worth, last place was a six-way tie.
