Products of the Year

Accessory of the Year

Fozgometer V2 ($400; reviewed by Michael Fremer in May 2022, Vol.45 No.5 review)

Finalists (in alphabetical order)
AudioPraise VanityPro HDMI audio extractor ($1595; reviewed by Kal Rubinson in May 2022, Vol.45 No.5 review)
AudioQuest Dragon interconnect (XLR $11,900/1m pair, RCA $9500/1m pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer in September 2022, Vol.45 No.9 review)
AudioQuest Dragon Zero speaker cable ($27,500/8' pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer in September 2022, Vol.45 No.9 review)
Nordost QNet network switch ($3199.99; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus in October 2022, Vol.45 No.10 review)

This outcome, to me, held a bit of a surprise: that the accessory category should be won not just by an analog accessory but by a setup tool, something that's only used for changing or adjusting cartridges. Perhaps the Fozgometer would be less popular in a vote among audiophiles in general than it was among hi-fi reviewers.

No matter. As these things go, the Fozgometer is insanely easy to use: Just plug in the cables, put on a test record, and look at the meter. By checking the amount of crosstalk and comparing L–R and R–L, you can tell if you've got your phono cartridge's azimuth adjusted right. If the reading is off, give it another tweak and try again. (The only problem: The meter doesn't indicate units. Are those dB we're reading? Are the actual numbers meaningful?)

Remember though: The Fozgometer has been around for years. What's new in V2?

For one thing, it's sensitive enough that you can take the output directly from your tonearm leads—no need to run it through a phono preamp first. It's said to be more accurate and to have higher resolution—I believe it. I'm sure the pointer bounces less on the meter, making it easier to read. I know from experience that that part is true.

The Fozgometer will be most useful for vinylphiles who change cartridges a lot or check their setup frequently. If that describes you, and you don't already have a digital oscilloscope at home and the knowledge you need to use it to set azimuth, you'll probably want to buy this $400 device.

About the Vote
This was an easy win for the Foz; the second-place AudioQuest DragonZero speaker cable was six votes back.

I don't know what was in the minds of voters (except my mind), but it's conceivable that the two AudioQuest cables that made the finals split the cable vote—or, for that matter, the AudioQuest vote. It seems to me that functionally, the Audiopraise VanityPro, which allows you to extract DSD and PCM audio content from an HDMI stream and output it via the connector of your choice—AES3; TosLink, RCA S/PDIF—makes a good case for itself. And the improvement wrought by Nordost's QNet network switch, in JVS's estimation, endows it with some serious audiophile cred.

Those other products, though, could not push this nifty cartridge setup gadget off its lofty perch. Congratulations, Foz and distributor Musical Surroundings.