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CH Precision L1 preamplifier
($34,500; optional X1 supply costs $21,500; reviewed by Jim Austin in Vol.47 No.11, November 2024 review)

FINALISTS (in alphabetical order)

Air Tight ATM-1 2024 Edition power amplifier
($14,975; reviewed by Ken Micallef in Vol.47 No.12, December 2024 review)

Boulder 1151 monoblock power amplifier
($47,000/pair; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus in Vol.48 No.6, June 2025 review)

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

dCS Varèse D/A processor
($267,500; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus in Vol.48 No.5, May 2025 review)

Magico S5 2024 loudspeaker
($74,500/pair–$83,000/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson in Vol.48 No.8, August 2025 review)

FINALISTS (in alphabetical order)

Ampsandsound Red October & Red October XL headphone amplifiers
($14,000 & $18,000; reviewed by Alex Halberstadt in Vol.47 No.11, November 2024 review)

Boulder 1151 monoblock power amplifier
($47,000/pair; reviewed by Jason Victor…

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)

…

Ampsandsound Red October & Red October XL headphone amplifiers
($14,000 & $18,000; reviewed by Alex Halberstadt in Vol.47 No.11, November 2024 review)

FINALISTS (in alphabetical order)

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII headphones
($599; reviewed by Herb Reichert in Vol.48 No.3, March 2025 review)

T+A Solitaire T Bluetooth/wired headphones
($1700–$1849; reviewed by Rogier van Bakel in Vol.48 No.5, May 2025 review)

Woo Audio 20th Anniversary WA24 headphone amplifier
($12,999; reviewed by Herb Reichert…

In a second room, an ATC CDA2 Mk2 Preamp/DAC/CD ($5499) teamed up with an Innuos Stream3 ($8000) drove a pair of ATC SCM40A active loudspeakers ($13,999/pair).

In the main room, on Gregory Porter's moving "Take Me to the Alley…

Magico S5 2024 loudspeaker
Introduced in 2024 to celebrate the California company's 20th anniversary, Magico's S5 2024 may be large and heavy (and expensive), but this three-way, sealed-box floorstanding loudspeaker stepped out of the way of the music with every recording I played. I was particularly impressed by the Magico's uncolored midrange, the control and evenness of its low frequencies, and how the two loudspeakers presented an appropriately large but well-defined soundstage with orchestral recordings. I concluded my review by writing that the S5…

In room 759, Afton Mountain Audio, an interesting dealership from beautiful Afton, Virginia, presented a Pure Fidelity Harmony Mk2 Hawaiian Koa turntable ($8995) with an Audio Origami PU8 tonearm ($6675) and an EBI Khumar MC phono cartridge ($2599). The cartridge fed an Aurorasound VIDA MkII phono stage ($5290).

The digital front-end was an LTA Aero DAC ($3950) supplied by an Innuos Stream1 music streamer/server ($3100). An LTA MicroZOTL Preamplifier ($5950) provided…

At the core of System One was a pair of Trilogy amplification…

The cheapest analog front-end on display was the Hathor turntable with the Horus tonearm, offered as a package for $8400. Further up the line were the Maestro ($9900) and Anubis ($18,000) 'tables, the former bearing a Horus 12" tonearm ($4400), the latter with the Osiris Diamond Mk2 12" tonearm ($9000). All three 'tables bore Zeus MC cartridges ($4800 each…

I was unprepared for the easy, peaceful opening of the Park Avenue's Ninth, with its blended, coolly lyrical violins and focused lead horn. Within clear textures, Bernard shapes and tapers the short motifs to fine effect, and the clarinet makes a point of phrasing its countertheme "across the bars." The brief transitional passage unexpectedly injects an off-kilter dance lilt.

In the…