Joint Loudspeakers of the Year
Sonus Faber Aida ($130,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, October 2018, Vol.41 No.10 review)
Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia Series 2 ($57,900/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson & Jason Victor Serinus, July & August 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 7 & 8 review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 ($8400/pair; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Herb Reichert & Art Dudley, January 2014 & December 2015 & May 2018, Vol.37 No.1 & Vol.38 No.12 & Vol.41 No.5 review)
Dynaudio Special 40 ($2999/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, September 2018, Vol.41 No.9 review)
GoldenEar Technology Triton Reference ($8498/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, January 2018, Vol.41 No.1 review)
Harbeth Monitor 30.2 40th Anniversary Edition ($6495/pair; reviewed by Herb Reichert, April 2018, Vol.41 No.4 review)
Joseph Audio Pulsar ($7700/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer & Herb Reichert, June 2012 & July 2018, Vol.35 No.6 & Vol.41 No.7 review)
KEF Q350 ($649.99/pair; reviewed by Herb Reichert, March 2018, Vol.41 No.3 review)
Monitor Audio Silver 300 ($2000/pair; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, March 2018, Vol.41 No.3 review)
Paradigm Persona 5F ($17,000/pair; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, October 2018, Vol.41 No.10 review)
TAD Micro Evolution One ($12,495/pair; reviewed by Thomas J. Norton & John Atkinson, February & March 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 2 & 3 review)
Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit ($93,000/pair; Reviewed by Jon Iverson, January 2018, Vol.41 No.1 review) I wasn't surprised to see Sonus Faber's redesigned Aida share the top loudspeaker honors. While JA and I were editing the contents of our October issue, Mikey sent me an e-mail just to say how thrilled he was with this "masterpiece" of a loudspeaker, and how much he thought I would enjoy hearing it for myself: his enthusiasm was as genuine as it was boundless. And why not? With its eight drivers and its very complex enclosure, the "dramatically styled" Aida "produced the kind of sonic thrills . . . to which $130,000 entitles you."
No less striking in appearance, Wilson Audio Specialties' three-way, four-driver Alexia Series 2 joins the Aida in first place—a bittersweet reward in the wake of company founder Dave Wilson's passing, earlier this year, at age 73. The revised Alexia 2 allowed JA to "[settle] back in my listening chair [and] take me far, far away. That is what great speakers do."
Notes on the Votes
Regarding the ballots cast for the two first-place winners, the only thing worth noting is that the Sonus Faber speaker received three first-place votes to the Wilson's two, the latter taking up the slack with a greater number of second-place votes. Arguably more significant was the approximately 33% gap between the number of votes earned by the two winners and the closest runners-up: second place was a tie between DeVore Fidelity's famously easy-to-drive Orangutan O/93—a PotY contender almost every year since its 2012 introduction, and a favorite of at least three Stereophile reviewers, me included—and the technically distinctive, musically accomplished TAD Micro Evolution One. Earning just one vote less than those two was Harbeth's Monitor 30.2 40th Anniversary Edition model, with which I'm also especially impressed.
Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia Series 2 ($57,900/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson & Jason Victor Serinus, July & August 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 7 & 8 review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 ($8400/pair; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Herb Reichert & Art Dudley, January 2014 & December 2015 & May 2018, Vol.37 No.1 & Vol.38 No.12 & Vol.41 No.5 review)Dynaudio Special 40 ($2999/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, September 2018, Vol.41 No.9 review)
GoldenEar Technology Triton Reference ($8498/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, January 2018, Vol.41 No.1 review)
Harbeth Monitor 30.2 40th Anniversary Edition ($6495/pair; reviewed by Herb Reichert, April 2018, Vol.41 No.4 review)
Joseph Audio Pulsar ($7700/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer & Herb Reichert, June 2012 & July 2018, Vol.35 No.6 & Vol.41 No.7 review)
KEF Q350 ($649.99/pair; reviewed by Herb Reichert, March 2018, Vol.41 No.3 review)
Monitor Audio Silver 300 ($2000/pair; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, March 2018, Vol.41 No.3 review)
Paradigm Persona 5F ($17,000/pair; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, October 2018, Vol.41 No.10 review)
TAD Micro Evolution One ($12,495/pair; reviewed by Thomas J. Norton & John Atkinson, February & March 2018, Vol.41 Nos. 2 & 3 review)
Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit ($93,000/pair; Reviewed by Jon Iverson, January 2018, Vol.41 No.1 review) I wasn't surprised to see Sonus Faber's redesigned Aida share the top loudspeaker honors. While JA and I were editing the contents of our October issue, Mikey sent me an e-mail just to say how thrilled he was with this "masterpiece" of a loudspeaker, and how much he thought I would enjoy hearing it for myself: his enthusiasm was as genuine as it was boundless. And why not? With its eight drivers and its very complex enclosure, the "dramatically styled" Aida "produced the kind of sonic thrills . . . to which $130,000 entitles you."
No less striking in appearance, Wilson Audio Specialties' three-way, four-driver Alexia Series 2 joins the Aida in first place—a bittersweet reward in the wake of company founder Dave Wilson's passing, earlier this year, at age 73. The revised Alexia 2 allowed JA to "[settle] back in my listening chair [and] take me far, far away. That is what great speakers do."
Notes on the VotesRegarding the ballots cast for the two first-place winners, the only thing worth noting is that the Sonus Faber speaker received three first-place votes to the Wilson's two, the latter taking up the slack with a greater number of second-place votes. Arguably more significant was the approximately 33% gap between the number of votes earned by the two winners and the closest runners-up: second place was a tie between DeVore Fidelity's famously easy-to-drive Orangutan O/93—a PotY contender almost every year since its 2012 introduction, and a favorite of at least three Stereophile reviewers, me included—and the technically distinctive, musically accomplished TAD Micro Evolution One. Earning just one vote less than those two was Harbeth's Monitor 30.2 40th Anniversary Edition model, with which I'm also especially impressed.
