Amplification Component of the Year
NAD M33 integrated amplifier ($4999; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, October 2020, Vol.43 No.10 Review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Audio Research Reference 160S power amplifier ($20,000; reviewed by Jim Austin, February 2020, Vol.43 No.2 Review)
Benchmark LA4 preamplifier ($2599; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, January 2020, Vol.43 No.1 Review)
Classé Delta Mono monoblock power amplifier ($21,998/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, July 2020, Vol.43 No.7 Review)
Krell K-300i integrated amplifier ($7000, plus $1000 for DAC Board; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, December 2019, Vol.42 No.12 Review)
Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblock power amplifier ($16,990; reviewed by John Atkinson, June 2020, Vol.43 No.6 Review) The times they are a-changin'. Last year's winner in this category was a minimalist preamplifier: The Pass Laboratories XP-22. This year's winner is a component so multifunctional that we weren't even sure how to classify it: Is it an amplifier or a streaming DAC? It's both and much more. For $4999, NAD includes a streaming DAC, Dirac Live room correction, Bluetooth aptX HD (which, in my view, makes Bluetooth good enough for audiophiles, at least for casual use), MM and MC phono preamplification, and BluOS, which allows you to manage your music from an iPad and supports all the major streaming services (and some of the minor ones). This one component replaces everything but a pair of speakers (and physical disc players if you use them) and speaker wire. It does all those things well. Somehow, the NAD M33 makes it all simple.
Make no mistake, the M33 is an amplifier. Its 200Wpc output stage is based on Purifi's Eigentakt technology, which may prove to be the technology that establishes class-D unambiguously as a true high-end amplification technology, even among skeptical audiophiles. (Some of us have long been convinced.) In his review, Kal Rubinson concluded that the M33's Purifi technology "is fully competitive with more expensive, separate power amps." At a hair less than $5000, the M33 is also well-priced.
About the Vote
The NAD was the clear-cut winner in this category, listed on four-fifths of the final ballots, split almost equally between first and second place. (There was one third-place vote.) Only one component came within spitting distance: the Audio Research Reference 160S tubed stereo power amplifier ($20,000), which I reviewed in the February 2020 issue, and which was mentioned on two-thirds of the ballots. The other finalists split the remaining vote almost evenly.
Finalists (in alphabetical order)Audio Research Reference 160S power amplifier ($20,000; reviewed by Jim Austin, February 2020, Vol.43 No.2 Review)
Benchmark LA4 preamplifier ($2599; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, January 2020, Vol.43 No.1 Review)
Classé Delta Mono monoblock power amplifier ($21,998/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, July 2020, Vol.43 No.7 Review)
Krell K-300i integrated amplifier ($7000, plus $1000 for DAC Board; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, December 2019, Vol.42 No.12 Review)
Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblock power amplifier ($16,990; reviewed by John Atkinson, June 2020, Vol.43 No.6 Review) The times they are a-changin'. Last year's winner in this category was a minimalist preamplifier: The Pass Laboratories XP-22. This year's winner is a component so multifunctional that we weren't even sure how to classify it: Is it an amplifier or a streaming DAC? It's both and much more. For $4999, NAD includes a streaming DAC, Dirac Live room correction, Bluetooth aptX HD (which, in my view, makes Bluetooth good enough for audiophiles, at least for casual use), MM and MC phono preamplification, and BluOS, which allows you to manage your music from an iPad and supports all the major streaming services (and some of the minor ones). This one component replaces everything but a pair of speakers (and physical disc players if you use them) and speaker wire. It does all those things well. Somehow, the NAD M33 makes it all simple.
The NAD was the clear-cut winner in this category, listed on four-fifths of the final ballots, split almost equally between first and second place. (There was one third-place vote.) Only one component came within spitting distance: the Audio Research Reference 160S tubed stereo power amplifier ($20,000), which I reviewed in the February 2020 issue, and which was mentioned on two-thirds of the ballots. The other finalists split the remaining vote almost evenly.
