Products of the Year

Gryphon Apex Stereo power amplifier ($99,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer in August 2022, Vol.45 No.8 Review)

Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Ayre Acoustics Ex-8 2.0 Integrated Hub ($6750–$8850; reviewed by Ken Micallef and John Atkinson in November & December 2021, Vol.44 Nos.11 & 12 review)
Gryphon Commander preamplifier ($63,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer in July 2022, Vol.45 No.7 review)
Luxman M-10x power amplifier ($19,995; reviewed by John Atkinson in May 2022, Vol.45 No.5 review)
Rotel Michi S5 power amplifier ($7499.99; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus in July 2022, Vol.45 No.7 review)
Technics SU-R1000 integrated amplifier ($9499; reviewed by Ken Micallef and John Atkinson in December 2021 & January 2022, Vol.44 No.12 & Vol.45 No.1 review)

In reviewing the Apex Stereo, Michael Fremer wasn't stingy with praise. The Apex Stereo had, he wrote, a special ease—an "almost offhand casualness"; at the same time, he found himself drawn deeper into the music by "a newfound intimacy" in Nat King Cole's voice. In Mikey's review system, the amplifier was just as successful with Ravel: "Fast, precise attack; generous, lingering sustain; clean, smooth decay—these, for me, are the hallmarks of a great amplifier, and the Gryphon excelled at all three." In other music Neil Young's "voice and guitar hovered palpably between the speakers, the hall acoustic trailing subtly behind, adding warmth and a strong sense of dimensionality." Daft Punk? No problem: "Cranking it way up on 'Beyond' bathed the room in Daft Punk 3D luxury. You can crank up this amp, and it won't let you down—not timbrally, rhythmically, nor spatially. It just gets bigger and louder and never becomes hard or loses hold of the speakers."

Things got even better when Mikey introduced the companion Gryphon preamplifier—another category finalist—into the system. "The Apex Stereo amp, alone and combined with the Commander preamp, seems to up the pace of everything, as if your turntable is running fast, while simultaneously digging further down into each musical instant, making each gesture live longer, with precise attack, generous sustain, and long decay."

About the Vote
Remarkably—I didn't realize this until I checked last year's Product of the Year section for formatting guidance—this is the second straight year that Gryphon has won our top amplification award. Has that ever happened before? (I don't think so—but check out this year's Analog Component of the Year on the following page.) What's more, the company had two finalist products in the category, the winning amplifier and the Commander preamplifier mentioned above. (The preamp was evaluated separately.) That's quite a showing.

What other products did well? The Luxman M-10X and Rotel Michi S5 tied for second, just two votes behind the Apex. The Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0 Integrated Hub followed those two, one vote further back.