Digital Component of the Year
HoloAudio May (Level 3) D/A processor ($4998; reviewed by Herb Reichert & John Atkinson, August & September 2020, Vol.43 Nos.8 & 9 Review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt D/A processor/headphone amplifier ($299.95; reviewed by John Atkinson, December 2019, Vol.42 No.12 Review)
Chord Hugo M Scaler Signal Processor ($4795; reviewed by John Atkinson, March 2020, Vol.43 No.3 Review)
T+A MP 3100 HD SACD player–D/A processor ($21,000; reviewed by Jim Austin, June 2020, Vol.43 No.6 Review)
Weiss DAC502 D/A processor ($9850; reviewed by John Atkinson & Jason Victor Serinus, August & October 2020, Vol.43 Nos.8 & 10 Review)
Wolf Audio Systems Alpha 3 SX server ($9250; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, May 2020, Vol.43 No.5 Review) I'll admit that I had no idea that an R-2R DAC was capable of measurements like this. I'd come to think of R-2R as a technology some people liked the sound of but that was inherently compromised in a technical sense. Not so, apparently.
"In almost every way, the HoloAudio May (Level 3) is the best-measuring D/A processor I have encountered," John Atkinson wrote, after hosting the HoloAudio at his test bench, "rivaled only by the Weiss DAC502 and MBL N31." The Weiss costs twice as much. The MBL, three times.
Not that measuring well is why the May was chosen. At Stereophile, it's all about the sound. The May, Herb wrote, exhibited "force and gravity," "natural quietness," and "a unique type of understated liveliness.""The May's true-to-life demeanor made recorded music seem infinite and beautiful."
Referring to another HoloAudio DAC, which he'd used for years, Herb said, "the May DAC takes the Spring DAC's invisibility and Mohs-scale neutrality and adds push to it. Better than any DAC I know, the May recovers the natural pressure behind musical flow."
About the Vote
Yet another lopsided win. The HoloAudio DAC scored even higher than the NAD M33 in amplification and the PS Audio Stellar in Analog Source. All but two reviewers voted for it, and almost half of those put it in first place. The AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt DAC/ headphone amp came in a solid (but not close) second.
Finalists (in alphabetical order)AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt D/A processor/headphone amplifier ($299.95; reviewed by John Atkinson, December 2019, Vol.42 No.12 Review)
Chord Hugo M Scaler Signal Processor ($4795; reviewed by John Atkinson, March 2020, Vol.43 No.3 Review)
T+A MP 3100 HD SACD player–D/A processor ($21,000; reviewed by Jim Austin, June 2020, Vol.43 No.6 Review)
Weiss DAC502 D/A processor ($9850; reviewed by John Atkinson & Jason Victor Serinus, August & October 2020, Vol.43 Nos.8 & 10 Review)
Wolf Audio Systems Alpha 3 SX server ($9250; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, May 2020, Vol.43 No.5 Review) I'll admit that I had no idea that an R-2R DAC was capable of measurements like this. I'd come to think of R-2R as a technology some people liked the sound of but that was inherently compromised in a technical sense. Not so, apparently.
Yet another lopsided win. The HoloAudio DAC scored even higher than the NAD M33 in amplification and the PS Audio Stellar in Analog Source. All but two reviewers voted for it, and almost half of those put it in first place. The AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt DAC/ headphone amp came in a solid (but not close) second.
