And what better way to serve those possible givers of audio gifts—and, at the same time, honor our hobby's most deserving designers and manufacturers—than with our annual Product of the Year awards?
When it's all said and done, some…
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The mice in the walls call summer to close while nets come down and leaves turn dead red, but by the time you see this there'll be holiday music in the air . . . and some generous soul might, just might, sneak a few looks through this issue of Stereophile to see what gifts to buy before the tree goes up and presents are opened—and all will be nice!
Joint Loudspeakers of the Year
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 ($12,000/pair; reviewed by Art Dudley & Jim Austin, December 2012, January 2013, September 2017, Vol.35 No.12, Vol.36 No.1, Vol.40 No.9 review)
Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx ($109,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, May 2017, Vol.40 No.5 review)
Looking for evidence of diversity of opinion among Stereophile's editors? I think you've found it: This year's Loudspeaker of the Year award is shared by an easy-to-drive, two-way stand-mounter and a four-way floorstander that, as JA observed in his measurements, "…
Amplification Component of the Year
Boulder Amplifiers 2150 monoblock power amplifier ($99,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, February 2017, Vol.40 No.2 review)
A quick spin through the archives at Stereophile.com will show that, for whatever reason, very-high-power solid-state amplifiers don't often take our top honors in this category: the last time that happened was in 2011, when we honored the Classé CT-M600/CA-M600 amps. Yet the Boulder 2150 monoblock isn't just any high-power amplifier: This 220-lb beast delivers 1000W into 8 ohms, and every one of those watts is…
Joint Analog Components of the Year
Sutherland Engineering Duo phono preamplifier ($4000/pair; reviewed by Brian Damkroger, September 2017, Vol.40 No.9 review)
VPI Prime Scout turntable with JMW 9 tonearm ($2199; reviewed by Art Dudley, October 2017, Vol.40 No.10 review)
First place in our Analog Component of the Year competition is a tie between two solid and solidly American audio components, one the upmarket refinement of a well-proven design, the other a product whose perfectionism is tempered with enough thrift that it also tied for second place in the category of Budget…
Joint Digital Components of the Year
Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty Digital Hub D/A processor ($8950; reviewed by John Atkinson, September 2017, Vol.40 No.9 review)
Mytek HiFi Brooklyn D/A headphone amplifier ($1995; reviewed by Jim Austin, Kalman Rubinson, Herb Reichert, November 2016 & May 2017, Vol.39 No.11 & Vol.40 No.5 review)
Our 2017 Digital Component of the Year competition was also a tie—and both winners are the sorts of products that stretch our thinking on what to expect from a digital processor.
More than just a digital source component—a…
Headphone Product of the Year
Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier ($3500; reviewed by John Atkinson & Herb Reichert, July & December 2016, Vol.39 Nos. 7 & 12 review)
In an era when planar-magnetic headphones are increasingly common, it's fitting that our first Headphone Product of the Year is an amplifier unfazed by difficult loads. Indeed, the Pass Labs HPA-1, which also functions as a two-input, line-level analog preamplifier, is comfortable with loads ranging from 15 to 600 ohms—and, as John Atkinson discovered, this MOSFET-based design plays with authority.
…
Accessory of the Year
Roon 1.3 music app ($119, one-year subscription; $499, lifetime); reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, July & September 2017, Vol.40 Nos. 7 & 9 review)
Although some of this year's wins surprised me a little, and at least one shocked me all the way into the next county, I don't mind telling you: I totally saw this coming. The cloud-based Roon music app, created by some of the folks who were behind Sooloos, has few peers when it comes to organizing the user's digital-music collection, and it enriches the listening experience by streaming metadata—liner notes…
Joint Budget Components of the Year
Roon 1.3 music app
Wharfedale Diamond 225 loudspeaker
Once again, Roon 1.3 finds itself in the winner's circle, this time sharing the honor with a distinctly overachieving stand-mounted loudspeaker: the Wharfedale Diamond 225. The diminutive Wharfedale, which combines a 1" tweeter and a 6.5" mid/woofer in a reflex-loaded cabinet made of MDF, was described by Herb Reichert as "a connoisseur-level audio component," and was similarly hailed in Follow-Up reports by Ken Micallef and me. Some day, this review pair will make its way beyond New…
Overall Component of the Year
Kii Audio Three loudspeaker
As Kal Rubinson wrote when he reviewed our 2017 Product of the Year in the September 2017 Stereophile, "almost everything about Kii Audio's Three loudspeaker is a refreshing splash of cool water." That's especially true if one defines refreshing—and splash and cool—as meaning "different." And my oh my, is this year's winner ever different. The three-way, six-driver Kii Three is distinct from most other loudspeakers—and all previous Products of the Year, as far as I know—inasmuch as it is self-amplified and -preamplified,…
Editors' Choices of 2017
Audiodesksysteme Gläss Pro Vinyl Cleaner ($4199)
Without playing a note, the Audiodesksysteme Gläss Pro Vinyl Cleaner rocked my listening world. This wonderfully designed car wash for LPs accomplishes far more than I expected: reduction in noises of all kinds, and a magical lifting of yet another veil from the music. Brilliant!—Sasha Matson
Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 90 loudspeaker & Kii Audio Three loudspeaker (Joint Award) ($84,990/pair & $13,255/pair)
These remarkable products prove that the traditional loudspeaker paradigm has…