Accessory of the Year
AudioQuest Niagara 3000 AC line conditioner
($4500; reviewed by Alex Halberstadt in Vol.48 No.5, May 2025 review) FINALISTS (in alphabetical order) AudioQuest Blizzard AC cable
($895/2m; reviewed by Martin Colloms in Vol.48 No.6, June 2025 review) AudioQuest Thunderbird ZERO BASS loudspeaker cable
($7950/8' biwire pair; reviewed by Alex Halberstadt in Vol.48 No.5, May 2025 review) HumminGuru NOVA HG05 Ultrasonic Record Cleaner
($799.99; reviewed by Michael Trei in Vol.48 No.3, March 2025 review) Loricraft Audio PRC6i record cleaning machine
($5995; reviewed by Michael Trei in Vol.48 No.4, April 2025 review) PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass trap
($3950; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson in Vol.48 No.8, August 2025 review)
Stromtank S-4000 ProPower MK-II XT battery power source
($56,100; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus in Vol.48 No.3, March 2025 review) WAM WallySkater v2.1 Pro Antiskating Gauge
($310; reviewed by Michael Trei in Vol.48 No.4, April 2025 review) The AudioQuest Niagara 3000 is the first power conditioner that Alex Halberstadt hasn't hated. He'd never gotten on with these devices—in exchange for more silent silences, he'd found that they tend to compress an amplifier's dynamics—so he'd always plugged amplifiers into the wall. "The Niagara is the first conditioner I've heard that doesn't rob the music of excitement," AH wrote, adding that this was likely thanks to a feature AudioQuest calls Transient Power Correction: In brief bursts, the two high-current outlets can provide 55A of current to the amplifier, so the voltage does not sag during dynamic peaks. "Regardless of the reason," he concluded, amplifiers plugged into the Niagara 3000 "never sound compressed, rubbery, or otherwise compromised, but they do play considerably quieter." Notes on the vote
The AudioQuest Niagara 3000 garnered five of the maximum votes available compared with its closest rival, the HumminGuru NOVA HG05, which got four. The closest contest in this year's Awards!
AudioQuest Niagara 3000 AC line conditioner($4500; reviewed by Alex Halberstadt in Vol.48 No.5, May 2025 review) FINALISTS (in alphabetical order) AudioQuest Blizzard AC cable
($895/2m; reviewed by Martin Colloms in Vol.48 No.6, June 2025 review) AudioQuest Thunderbird ZERO BASS loudspeaker cable
($7950/8' biwire pair; reviewed by Alex Halberstadt in Vol.48 No.5, May 2025 review) HumminGuru NOVA HG05 Ultrasonic Record Cleaner
($799.99; reviewed by Michael Trei in Vol.48 No.3, March 2025 review) Loricraft Audio PRC6i record cleaning machine
($5995; reviewed by Michael Trei in Vol.48 No.4, April 2025 review) PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass trap
($3950; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson in Vol.48 No.8, August 2025 review)
($56,100; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus in Vol.48 No.3, March 2025 review) WAM WallySkater v2.1 Pro Antiskating Gauge
($310; reviewed by Michael Trei in Vol.48 No.4, April 2025 review) The AudioQuest Niagara 3000 is the first power conditioner that Alex Halberstadt hasn't hated. He'd never gotten on with these devices—in exchange for more silent silences, he'd found that they tend to compress an amplifier's dynamics—so he'd always plugged amplifiers into the wall. "The Niagara is the first conditioner I've heard that doesn't rob the music of excitement," AH wrote, adding that this was likely thanks to a feature AudioQuest calls Transient Power Correction: In brief bursts, the two high-current outlets can provide 55A of current to the amplifier, so the voltage does not sag during dynamic peaks. "Regardless of the reason," he concluded, amplifiers plugged into the Niagara 3000 "never sound compressed, rubbery, or otherwise compromised, but they do play considerably quieter." Notes on the vote
The AudioQuest Niagara 3000 garnered five of the maximum votes available compared with its closest rival, the HumminGuru NOVA HG05, which got four. The closest contest in this year's Awards!
