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AudioQuest DragonFly Red & Black D/A headphone amplifiers
Elac Debut B6 loudspeaker
Perhaps the nicest thing about this tie for 2016 Budget Product of the Year is that one can easily imagine the Elac Debut B6 speakers and either of AudioQuest's new DragonFly DACs in the same system. No less nice is the fact that you could buy both—assuming even the costlier DragonFly Red—and still get change from a $500 bill, if such things still existed.

While we're handing out laurel wreaths, let's not forget that AudioQuest has, in the…

Wilson Audio Specialties Sabrina loudspeaker
The Wilson Audio Sabrina impressed RD with its seriously good bass, its ability to create a soundstage that's "wide and deep, with images on it precisely defined," and its ability to sound far larger than it is—and impressed the rest of us for offering Wilsonian levels of quality at a price that, while not exactly cheap, is a lot more affordable than we might have expected. That the entry-level Sabrina can travel via UPS instead of freight truck is icing on an already very nice cake.

Notes on the…

Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance Black Path Edition preamplifier ($9990; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, December 2015, Vol.38 No.12 Review)
The Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Signature preamp was Stereophile's Product of the Year in 1993. Now, 23 years later, when I consider possible candidates for this honor, I can't think of a better choice than the latest version of the SL-1. How's that for longevity?—Robert Deutsch

DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 loudspeaker ($8400/pair)
For every piece of gear I review, the final proving…

Although I've never tried one, I think "lifestyle" audio systems are a bit of a joke. My in-laws' decade-old Bose Wave Radio sounds good for what it is, although its obvious flaws—boomy, undefined lower mids masquerading as bass, a frustrating lack of sonic and musical resolution, etc. —become grating fairly quickly. These days, there are far more accomplished and expensive lifestyle systems out there, but because I haven't tried them I won't comment on them, except to say that I'm not really…

Six years. Has it really been that long? Yes, I was there at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2011, making the rounds to collect material for my show report. That's when I first heard the Triton Two loudspeaker from GoldenEar Technology. If the word gobsmacked were part of my normal vocabulary, I would have been tempted to use it. With sound quality way out of proportion to its price ($2499.98/pair at launch, later increased to a still-very-reasonable $2999.98/pair), the Triton Two went immediately to the top…

As such, my subject for this piece ("industry profile numero dos…

With headphones, I'm pretty much forced to listen—and that's a powerful thing. I never paid attention to lyrics: I thought lyrics were for girls. Now…

Audeze LLC, 1559 Sunland Lane, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: (714) 581-8010. Web: www.audeze.com.

Focal North America, 9641-82 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6C 0Z9, Canada. Tel: (844) 362-2562. Web: www.focal.com.