Products of the Year

Joint Budget Products of the Year

Buckeye Eigentakt 1ET9040BA monoblock amplifier
($2390/pair; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson in Vol.48 Nos.1 & 6, January & June 2025 review)

Hana SL MkII phono cartridge
($850; reviewed by Herb Reichert in Vol.47 No.11, November 2024 review)

Schiit Audio Stjarna phono preamplifier
($1699; reviewed by Herb Reichert in Vol.48 Nos.8 & 9, August & September 2025 review)

FINALISTS (in alphabetical order)

Cambridge Audio EXN-100 D/A processor
($1799; reviewed by Tom Fine in Vol.48 No.4, April 2025 review)

Philharmonic Audio BMR Monitor loudspeaker
($2200/pair; reviewed by Rob Schryer in Vol.48 No.4, April 2025 review)

Quad 303 power amplifier
($1599; reviewed by Martin Colloms in Vol.48 No.7, July 2025 review)

Technics SC-CX700 active loudspeaker
($3699.99/pair; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson & Tom Fine in Vol.48 Nos.4 & 6, April & June 2025 review)

The Buckeye amplifier uses an Eigentakt 1ET9040BA output stage, the most powerful of Purifi's class-D modules, and a Hypex SMPS1200A180 high-efficiency switch-mode power supply. Despite weighing just 7lb, the Buckeye is specified as being able to deliver 375W into 8 ohms, 750W into 4 ohms, and 1200W into 2 ohms. However, the first amplifier I measured went into protection at lower powers on my test bench, and while distortion was extremely low at moderate powers, it rose precipitously in the top audio octaves. After the review had been published, we learned that there was a problem with the early-production Purifi modules used in the review samples. Buckeye supplied new amplifiers, which I found met their specified powers into all three loads without turning off and had extremely low harmonic and intermodulation distortion at all audio frequencies.

I wrote of the original samples that the Buckeye's reduced linearity at high frequencies would probably not have audible consequences, and Kalman Rubinson did find that these samples sounded superb. "To their credit, they are transparent, open and balanced, and with the right program material, thrilling. On the other hand, they will not 'improve' source material, nor will they 'warm' or 'smooth' your system or room acoustics." When he auditioned the new samples, KR found himself nodding in agreement with his earlier comments about the transparency, balance, and power. None of his highly positive opinions of the Buckeye's sound quality were changed.

The Hana SL MK II features a nude Shibata stylus, a new tapered-aluminum cantilever, a Permalloy armature/coil former, a low-impedance 8 ohm coil, and an alnico magnet. Herb Reichert's experience with 80% nickel transformers suggests that adding nickel to iron intensifies its response to magnetic fields, thereby increasing its responsiveness to small-signal stimulations. In audio systems, "alnico makes tones appear denser and more saturated tone-color–wise. More noticeably, it adds vitality and polish," he wrote. He felt that a 100 ohm loading gave the best performance, the sound becoming quieter, wetter, and more seductive than it had been with higher loadings. HR decided that the Hana MK II sounded noticeably speedier, clearer, harder hitting, and more alpha than the original SL.

Schiit Audio's dual-mono Stjarna phono preamplifier uses four Russian-made 6N1P tubes, which are famously quiet, high in transconductance, and low in microphonics. The Stjarna offers a choice of nine resistive loads—10, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 47k ohms—eight steps between 50pF and 400pF for the capacitive load, and four wisely chosen gain levels: 40dB, 47dB, 55dB, and 60dB. As well as the front-panel buttons, the Stjarna can be controlled with Schiit's Forkbeard iOS app.

Herb Reichert found that the Schiit's noisefloor was a little too high with low-output moving coil cartridges and the highest gain setting. "Driving a tube grid with a ~0.3mV signal and seeking 20dB of quiet gain is a Sisyphean enterprise that requires engineers to choose operating points that give low noise with maximum excitement and reasonable tube life—at a reasonable price," he wrote. However, the noise was lower with the higher output Hana SL MK II. "Tonewise, the Schiit Stjarna is reference-level neutral, so I never think about that. What I notice most about the Stjarna's sound is its fresh, vibey clarity. With every MM or MC cartridge I tried, I viewed through the Stjarna's transparency solidly cast dimensional forms in well-described, energy-charged spaces with just the right blush of tube allure. Schiit has spawned another proletarian wonder."

Notes on the vote
The votes for the three winners were tied pretty much from the arrival of the first ballot in my inbox to the last one.