Amplification Component of the Year
Gryphon Essence monoblock power amplifier ($45,980/pair; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, December 2020, Vol.43 No.12 Review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Audio Research Reference 6SE preamplifier ($17,000; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus and John Atkinson, November 2020, Vol.43 No.11 & August 2021. Vol.44 No.8 review)
Doshi Audio Evo Monoblock amplifier ($41,995/pair; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, May 2021, Vol.44 No.5 Review)
Line Magnetic LM-845ia integrated amplifier ($4950; Reviewed by Alex Halberstadt, July 2021, Vol.44 No.7 Review)
NAD C 298 stereo power amplifier ($1999; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, June 2021, Vol.44 No.6 Review)
VAC Sigma 170i IQ integrated amplifier ($10,000; Reviewed by Julie Mullins, Vol.44 No.4 Review) Last year's winner in this category was a high-value class-D everything-but-the-kitchen-sink workhorse, the NAD M33 integrated amplifier. This year's winner is a purist low-ish power, class-A monoblock. (Yes, there's a class-AB setting, but they could remove it and almost no one would care. "If you love music, you'll want to hear these amps in class-A," Jason wrote in his review.) No, the Gryphon Essence Mono doesn't do streaming or anything else except add current to whatever music you send it, current that's pure as driven snow. The Monos cast a spell, due partly to their "almost mystical 3D depiction of air and space around voice and piano." "Words cannot describe the alchemical transformation wrought by the Gryphon Essences on this remarkably air-filled recording," wrote JVS about a track by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. "All sense of time fell away as the most intimate feelings of an artist who sang from the depths of her being filled my heart. As two souls became one, basking in the sorrowful stillness that can come with solitude and acceptance, I was transported.
"[O]n music that touches the heart, they can transport to a realm where few components know to go. Magic awaits those with the means to audition them at home, especially with their modest BlackSpike upgrade."
About the Vote
The Gryphon Essence Mono outpaced the second-place Audio Research Reference 6SE preamplifier by a solid three points—the second straight year that an Audio Research component has placed second in this category. The REF 6SE, in turn, finished three points ahead of this year's great amplification bargain, the NAD C 298.
Finalists (in alphabetical order)Audio Research Reference 6SE preamplifier ($17,000; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus and John Atkinson, November 2020, Vol.43 No.11 & August 2021. Vol.44 No.8 review)
Doshi Audio Evo Monoblock amplifier ($41,995/pair; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, May 2021, Vol.44 No.5 Review)
Line Magnetic LM-845ia integrated amplifier ($4950; Reviewed by Alex Halberstadt, July 2021, Vol.44 No.7 Review)
NAD C 298 stereo power amplifier ($1999; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, June 2021, Vol.44 No.6 Review)
VAC Sigma 170i IQ integrated amplifier ($10,000; Reviewed by Julie Mullins, Vol.44 No.4 Review) Last year's winner in this category was a high-value class-D everything-but-the-kitchen-sink workhorse, the NAD M33 integrated amplifier. This year's winner is a purist low-ish power, class-A monoblock. (Yes, there's a class-AB setting, but they could remove it and almost no one would care. "If you love music, you'll want to hear these amps in class-A," Jason wrote in his review.) No, the Gryphon Essence Mono doesn't do streaming or anything else except add current to whatever music you send it, current that's pure as driven snow. The Monos cast a spell, due partly to their "almost mystical 3D depiction of air and space around voice and piano." "Words cannot describe the alchemical transformation wrought by the Gryphon Essences on this remarkably air-filled recording," wrote JVS about a track by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. "All sense of time fell away as the most intimate feelings of an artist who sang from the depths of her being filled my heart. As two souls became one, basking in the sorrowful stillness that can come with solitude and acceptance, I was transported.
The Gryphon Essence Mono outpaced the second-place Audio Research Reference 6SE preamplifier by a solid three points—the second straight year that an Audio Research component has placed second in this category. The REF 6SE, in turn, finished three points ahead of this year's great amplification bargain, the NAD C 298.
