Products of the Year

Holoaudio May (Level 3) D/A processor
Back in the digital Dark Ages of the 1980s, R-2R "ladder" DACs acquired a bad reputation due to their poor linearity at low recorded levels. The advent of sigma-delta DAC chips in the early 1990s, which didn't suffer from this problem, seemed a godsend, though ladder-DAC lovers continued their advocacy on sound-quality grounds. I was a sigma-delta guy until I heard the ladder-DAC HoloAudio May (Level 3), which, with its combination of superb measured performance and sound quality that, as Herb Reichert wrote, "makes every recording sound non-digital," made a believer out of me. —John Atkinson

Magico M2 loudspeaker
In for a follow-up review, the M2s have been my regular listening companion for months. (I've been in no hurry to get rid of them.) I think they're the first pair of loudspeakers I've had here with no identifiable defect. They do that special trick of reproducing all the highs, fully, but never in a way that draws attention—all the air with none of the fatigue.—Jim Austin

Wilson Audio Sasha DAW loudspeaker
I'll take the Sasha DAWs. Yes, they're expensive, and yes, they require careful setup to sound their best. But yes, they're worth it. Listening to music is a magical experience for me, and more so with the Sasha DAWs. Throw in a six-month-and-counting lockdown and, well, there you have it.—Brian Damkroger

PS Audio Stellar Phono phono preamplifier
Put up against two "stellar," $50,000-plus phono preamps—the current-based CH Precision P1/X1 and the vacuum-tube LCR-based Ypsilon VPS100 with a step-up–transformer input—PS Audio's versatile $2495 Stellar remained in my system for months, well satisfying my phono-preamp needs. Best of all, readers who bought one because of the review emailed me to say they were thrilled.—Michael Fremer

Bel Canto E1x stereo power amplifier
The Bel Canto e1X offers everything necessary to make your loudspeakers sing: power, authority, dynamics, and impressive midrange clarity. The NCore class-D design borrows heavily from the nearly-double-the-price Black Series. The near-Technicolor musicality of the e1X showed that the apple didn't fall very far from a very good tree.—Tom Gibbs

Sonus Faber Olympica Nova 1 loudspeaker
The Olympica Nova 1 standmounts played cleanly down to just 40Hz, but their imaging, midrange richness, and lack of listening fatigue revealed new orchestral resonances and enhanced my recordings of music by Edward Elgar, Suzanne Vega, and James Hetfield of Metallica.—Larry Greenhill

NAD M33 integrated amplifier
NAD's extraordinary development effort has yielded an abundance of audiophile awesomeness: no-holds-barred performance, next-generation technology, smartly kitted for the modern streaming lifestyle at a real-world price. No wonder it's being touted in both the audiophile and popular press. Just add speakers. Big speakers. And maybe a subwoofer or two.—Jon Iverson

Wilson Audio Sasha DAW loudspeaker
The Wilson Audio Sasha DAW loudspeaker, from the pioneers of no-compromise, cost-no-object speaker designs, falls squarely in the middle of Wilson's current product lineup. Designer Daryl Wilson and his team have nailed the magical-mystery sonic sweet spot, creating a fitting tribute to company founder David A. Wilson (DAW).—Sasha Matson

ProAc D2R loudspeaker
As noted in my review, the "ProAc D2R demonstrated excellent transparency" and "delivered rich, characterful midrange sounds and deep, well-defined bass notes." The D2R energized my room no matter the musical style or playback format and produced a very large soundstage. The D2R "let me ... fall deeply into the music."—Ken Micallef

Naim Mu-So 2nd Gen
This all-in-one network player might not be a strictly "audiophile" product, but it deserves recognition for both sonics and functionality within its category and price. It makes clearer, bigger sound (and bass) than it has any right to. Its streaming platform comes from Naim's flagship ND 555; it has hi-rez services built in and a well-designed app.—Julie Mullins

NAD M33 integrated amplifier
In a world of ever-increasing audio prices, we need more integrated amps that the typical audiophile can seriously consider. The NAD M33's Eigentakt amplifier circuitry, Dirac Live 3 room compensation, and full audio streaming capability combine to create a state-of-the-art solution no audiophile can ignore.—Tom Norton

Holoaudio May (Level) 3 D/A processor
In this, the year of the plague, the Denafrips Ares II DAC and the GoldenEar BRX loudspeaker are outstanding, super–high-value products that I spent time with and recommend without reservation. But neither changed the quality of my life or my reviewing practice. The HoloAudio May Level 3 DAC did. It disappears completely and makes digital seem not-digital.—Herb Reichert

NAD M33 integrated amplifier
How do you assemble a superb system of audio electronics for $4999? It must support streaming, file playback, disc players, and turntables and include bass management and Dirac Live EQ. It must drive virtually any high-end loudspeaker system to satisfying SPLs. The easy answer comes in one integrated, classy enclosure: the NAD M33.—Kalman Rubinson

Krell K-300i integrated amplifier
A standout at last year's Toronto Audiofest, Krell's K-300i solid-state integrated amplifier might as well have had tubes in it, such was its beguiling sense of flow, midband warmth, and captivating musicality. It comes with proprietary technology, is rated Class A in Stereophile's Recommended Components, looks built to last, and, for a grand more, you can get it with a highly capable DAC.—Rob Schryer

Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum HD line preamplifier
This two-piece, 98lb, stacked preamplifier consistently delivers what I did not expect from a preamp. By transmitting bigger, weightier, and more naturally color-saturated images—it's fabulous on bass—it moves music reproduction closer to the actual live or engineer-intentioned experience. The D'Agostino Momentum HD line preamplifier is a transformative product that continually blows me away.—Jason Victor Serinus