$12,000

The 681 is a Roon-ready, MQA-compatible network streamer/DAC/preamplifier that’s a visual twin of Moon’s 641 integrated amplifier. It is feature-rich with six digital inputs including HDMI (with ARC), a front-panel graphic color display, and a sophisticated hybrid volume control for driving a power amplifier directly from digital sources (there are no analog inputs). It is a perfect companion for the 641 integrated amplifier; the two look smashing side-by-side or stacked and make a terrific combination. When auditioned together, the 681 serves up an open airy sound, with plenty of dynamic cues to carry the music’s emotions straight to your heart. A great sense of pace delivers the rhythms directly to your toes. The 681 provides a wealth of transient definition, deep and solid bass, heaps of dynamic contrast, and plenty of timbral information. In addition, dynamics are absolutely stellar. Given all that, its sound is nearly miraculous. There’s a fluidity and ease, combined with a surfeit of musical and sonic detail, that draw you willingly into the music’s embrace. The 681 sounded its best when used with Roon rather than with Moon’s own MiND app. Our reviewer Alan Taffel called the 681 a “complete success.” We call it The Absolute Sound’s 2025 DAC/Preamplifier of the Year Award winner. (352)

The post 2025 DAC/Preamplifier of the Year: Moon North Collection 681 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$4995

PrimaLuna’s most powerful Evolution series amplifier delivers 70Wpc in ultralinear mode with the stock EL34 pentode, and almost 90Wpc with the optional KT150 beam tetrode. If more power is needed, a pair of amps can easily be configured in monoblock operation. The design is quite flexible; at the flick of a bias switch, all the popular beam power tubes can readily be used. A neat and useful convenience is the remote switching capability between ultralinear and triode modes. Generally, triode mode offers a mellower presentation and occasionally better bass-line definition. And there is no need for tedious manual power-tube bias adjustments. PrimaLuna’s Adaptive AutoBias circuit monitors and continuously adjusts bias current under dynamic operating conditions. Its inherent tonal character is rather neutral and tends to be shaped by that of the associated preamp. It is capable of excellent imaging and resolution, coupled with exceptional soundstage transparency. In stock form, it delivers the tonal gravitas that the EL34 pentode is famous for, achieving a satisfying big tone presentation. Relative to most vintage tube amps, its superior detail resolution, enhanced dynamic nuances, and ability to peer deeper within the soundstage make for a much more compelling sonic impression. Sonically, the EVO 400 signifies nothing less than a joyous celebration of tube virtues without the genre’s traditional limitations at the frequency extremes. At its asking price, the EVO 400 represents supreme value. (353)

The post 2025 Tube Power Amplifier of the Year: PrimaLuna EVO 400 Power Amplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$75,000/pair

Since JV has liked the sound of several select Class AB solid-state amplifiers enough to make them long-time references—the Soulution 711, the JMF HQS 7001, and the MBL 9008/9011—and since Class AB amplifiers are subject to “crossover distortion” (wherein the imprecise timing of the turn-on and turn-off of the pair of transistors handling the positive and negative phases of the signal causes a small delay, a zero-voltage “flat spot” ) and Class A amplifiers (in which the power transistors handle both phases of the signal and are always biased “on”) are not, the issue with Vitus’ superb SM-103 Mk.II Class A monoblock amplifier becomes: “Is the absence of crossover distortion in a Class A amplifier audible?” In the case of the SM-103 Mk.II, JV found that he could best answer this question by reporting on what it offers that these Class AB amps do not, at least to the same extent. And that is a grainless fluidity that make the Class AB competition (or the competition he has heard) sound just the slightest bit more mechanical, less top-to-bottom dense and continuous in tone, texture, and dynamic, less solid and dimensional in imaging, less sonically of a piece. The difference was rather like the sound of a great full-range planar or electrostat compared with the slightly enclosed, faintly divided-into-pieces sound of multiple cones in a box. Like its companion linestage preamplifier, the SL-103, this is an amplifier that bridges the gaps between absolute-sound, musicality-first, and fidelity-to-source presentations—and does so with a minim of the usual Class A drawbacks (heat, power delivery, etc.). The most lifelike, beautiful, and three-dimensional amplifiers JV has yet heard in his system (and more than capable of driving the tough-load MBL 101 X-Treme MKIIs), the SM-103s were an easy pick for this year’s Solid-State Amplifier of the Year Award. (353)

The post 2025 Solid-State Amplifier of the Year: Vitus SM-103 Mk.II appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$16,500

The new Inspiration 2 Stereo power amplifier may be the “entry level” in Constellation’s line, but there’s nothing entry level about this amplifier, from sound quality to feature set to build-quality. The Inspiration 2 Stereo has preserved the outstanding transparency, resolution, and dimensionality that made the original so compelling, while greatly improving bottom-end performance and dynamic impact. This new model has also increased the power output of the original by 20%, now delivering 240Wpc into 8 ohms. Thanks to a new switch-mode power supply, the Inspiration 2 Stereo’s bass has been transformed. This amplifier has a muscular authority in the low end along with tremendous dynamic impact. But the most significant improvement is how it conveys music’s rhythmic flow in a way that is competitive with cost-no-object electronics. Along with the improvement in the bass, Constellation has managed to keep all those qualities that made the originals so special (and the company’s Reference Series RH’s electronics of choice for nearly 10 years)—resolution, transparency, speed without etch, and a wonderfully open, expansive, and deep soundstage that makes the speakers disappear. Bulletproof build-quality and lavish casework round out this superb amplifier (353)

The post 2025 Solid-State Amplifier of the Year: Constellation Inspiration 2 Stereo appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$40,000

Like its fabulous partners, the Class A SM-103 monoblock amplifiers, this (also Class A) solid-state preamplifier from Denmark’s Vitus Audio is a wonder—a superb piece of electronics, capable of making instruments and vocalists sound more beautiful and realistic and expressive, more fully present and nearly visible, more “there” on live recordings and “in-the-studio” on concocted ones than anything else JV has yet had in his system. Here is a preamp that bridges the gaps between absolute-sound, musicality-first, and fidelity-to-source presentations in ways that only preamps from Soulution, JMF, and MBL have done in the past—and slightly exceeds that distinguished trio in the more complete and continuous way it reproduces the harmonic/dynamic envelope, making something like Duke Ellington’s colorful use of the sustain pedal on This Oneís For Blanton as audible as his spare, bright, transient-like keyboard jabs and bassist Ray Brown’s ineffable touch, swinging style, and famously accurate intonation produce tear-drop-shaped quarter notes in the bottom octaves so dark, rich, and three-dimensionally rounded you could pluck them from the air like plums. (353)

The post 2025 Preamplifier of the Year: Vitus SL-103 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$15,000

Constellation Audio has revamped its entire four-series line, including the entry-level Inspiration Series. It has wisely kept the audio circuitry from the originals while substituting a new switch-mode power supply for the linear supply in its first-generation products. That audio circuitry, incidentally, is identical to that of the company’s reference products, but implemented with excellent, rather than cost-no-object, parts. The result is a preamp that retains all the Constellation hallmarks—tremendous transparency, resolution, and an expansive soundstage—while considerably improving bass performance. This new Inspiration series also bests its predecessor in speed and the ability to convey music’s rhythmic flow. One thing that Constellation has always excelled at is the feeling of transparent air in the top octave, as though a lid were taken off the soundstage. That quality has been preserved in these new electronics, which contributed to RH’s impression that the Inspiration 2 kept all the best aspects of the originals while improving the bass and dynamics. The casework, build-quality, and machined-aluminum remote control are exemplary, exuding a refined elegance, particularly in the new champagne finish. When mated with Constellation’s newly redesigned Inspiration 2 Stereo power amplifier (also greatly improved, and a Product of the Year Award winner), the new Inspiration pair makes a compelling package—and is the worthy recipient of our Product of the Year Award. (353)

The post 2025 Preamplifier of the Year: Constellation Inspiration 2 Preamplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$24,900 (Optional DAC card, $7600; optional phono card, $6000)

The Gryphon Diablo 333 is an evolution of one of the best-selling high-end integrated amplifiers of all time. It can deliver a whopping 333Wpc into 8 ohms, doubling to 666Wpc into 4 ohms, and a stunning 1100Wpc into 2 ohms. Yet, it brandishes that awesome power to present acoustic tapestries of subtlety, delicacy, spatiality, and emotion, as if painted with a single bristle brush on a 3-dimensional canvas of air. Engineered with techno-stylistic principles and Gryphon’s famous design cues, this 112-pound behemoth reads heirloom build-quality. The Gryphon 333 is sonically accurate and wonderfully resolving, while completely avoiding any sense of sterility. It does this while maintaining a silent noise floor, controlling low-end dynamics, and generating grandiose scale and gravitas—not with brute force, but with a conductor’s delicacy. With all that power, the Diablo excelled at the subtlety and micro-resolution that exists between the nooks and crannies of the music. The 333 created space and presented it in a complex and structural way, and can portray texture, authentically convey timbre, handle massive dynamic swings, and make six hours disappear in a listening session. The Diablo 333 could be your very first high-end component or your very last. It is a dignified monster, a devil in a tuxedo, a beast that can drive the Nürburgring without ever spilling your martini. (354)

The post 2025 Solid State Integrated Amplifier of the Year: Gryphon Diablo 333 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$13,500

The Hegel H600 integrated amplifier is a virtual Swiss Army knife of features with incredible digital flexibility, including integral network streaming. Its aluminum enclosure is elegant, simple, rigid, and well designed. Inside is a dual-mono Class AB MOSFET amplifier producing 300Wpc into 8 ohms with a damping factor of 4000, doubling to 600Wpc into 4 ohms, and stable into a 2-ohm load. The preamp section utilizes several technologies from Hegel’s reference P30A preamplifier, and the amp section is based on principles implemented in Hegel’s well-regarded H30A reference amplifier. The built-in ESS 9038Q2M D/A converter is a bit-perfect design fed by an internal server with built-in Spotify, Tidal Connect, UPnP, Qobuz Connect, Chromecast, and Apple AirPlay. It is also Roon Ready. The H600 is clean, pleasant, and engaging in a way that most other equipment in this price range simply isn’t. The Hegel sound is neutral, airy, and refined without being overly dense or viscous. Staging and imaging are wide, deep, high, and well-focused. The H600 is a superstar at keeping you engaged in listening and delivering a performance that keeps you invested and intrigued. Never overbearing or overexuberant, the H600 delivers a sense of power under control, like drinking from a water fountain fed directly by the Hoover Dam. The Hegel H600 represents a terrific value, making it an easy choice for our Integrated Amplifier of the Year Award. (349)

The post 2025 Solid State Integrated Amplifier of the Year: Hegel H600 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$79,000 

The Kalista DreamPlay XC from France is by design impossible to reduce to a single component category. The DreamPlay isn’t just a DAC or a streamer; it is both, as well as a CD/SACD player and a preamp with Leedh Processing volume control. In Kalista’s words, it is a “universal digital source.” Sitting on its optional, floating, anti-vibration Silent Base, it is also an object of considerable beauty. On physical discs, the DreamPlay’s presentation is so sumptuously rich, full, continuous, and complete that, on first listen, I was momentarily astonished—it sounded that much more like an LP or RTR tape. And it was near-equally analog-like on really good streams. With sonics that are like (and in some respects even a bit better than) those of my reference Soulution 760, it would be hard not to recommend the DreamPlay XC, especially since it also includes state-of-the-art disc playback. If you’ve got the dough for this gorgeous French number, you really should give it a long listen. You may find, as I did, that with CDs or SACDs very little else digital (in a single box) favorably competes or compares. (344)

The post 2024 Golden Ear: Kalista DreamPlay XC Streamer/Disc Player/DAC/Digital Preamp appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$79,000

The 757 preamp, Cyril Hammer’s Series 7 replacement for his superb 750 phonostage, is truly unique. Yes, it will handle mc or mm cartridges with Soulution’s customary aplomb, but it will also eq and amplify optical cartridges from DS Audio, and eq and amplify IEC or NAB tapes from any deck that allows outboard preamplification of the signal at the tape heads. In addition, it will also function as a linestage with these analog sources, using the same output circuits as the fabulous727 and eliminating the need for a separate unit. This is a game-changer, folks, that is already influencing other electronic manufacturers. With user-selectable deemphasis curves for vinyl and tape, adjustable gain, an ultra-broadband (20MHz) Class A output stage, a common-mode rejection ratio greater than 125dB, and deviation from deemphasis curves reduced to ±0.1dB, it is a stunning achievement—and my new reference. Here, for what I believe is the first time, is a preamplifier that can not only handle any current low-level analog source but do so with the best sonics I’ve heard from a “phonostage.” It will certainly be my nominee for Phonostage of the Year; indeed, it could and perhaps should be named Overall Product of the Year. (Forthcoming) 

The post 2024 Golden Ear: Soulution 757 Deemphasis Preamplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$74,975 (optional mm/mc phono card $11,975)

With 20MHz bandwidth and immeasurably low distortion, this completely new, greatly advanced Swiss linestage preamplifier (it can also be had with a superb built-in phono section, making it a full-function unit) is the most “complete,” the most lifelike preamp I’ve heard, fully living up to the sonic claims of its designer Cyril Hammer. The 727’s ability to unearth musical and performance detail, correct “parallax”-like blur, smoothly though not aggressively extend bandwidth, and better delineate sonic images without upsetting the timbral applecart or sacrificing a jot of the three-dimensional body that Soulution has always been so good at preserving is quite an engineering feat. In fact, adding this much lifelike musical detail without steering, even slightly, toward the shoals of the analytical is a unique accomplishment in my experience. Naturally, the 727 got my highest recommendation in TAS and was named Solid-State Preamplifier of the Year in 2024. It is a landmark design. (345)

The post 2024 Golden Ear: Soulution 727 Linestage/Full-Function Preamplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

$77,000/pr. and $36,000

Like the UHA Ultima Apollo, this pair of monoblocks and preamp from French manufacturer JMF, a company with deep roots in pro audio, took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting sound that rivaled that of my reference Soulution and MBL electronics, but then, prior to these JMFs, my experience with French ultra-high-end amplification and preamplification was limited to various Jadis tube units (and no solid-state ones). However, hearing is believing. Turns out this Gallic duo had the same rich dark timbre and texture, lifelike imaging, and soundstage continuousness that made the Swiss and German amps and preamps my references. Indeed, and rather ironically given that JMF pointedly limits the use of negative feedback and the Swiss company Soulution embraces it (in a highly ingenious and sophisticated form), upon listening to the HQS 7001 and PRS 1.5, my first thought was that they sounded uncannily like my reference Soulution 711 amplifier and 725 pre in tonal balance, transient response, harmonic/dynamic duration, and sheer density of musical information. Bottom line? The HQS 7001s and PRS 1.5 are world-class offerings that do just about everything musical as well as such things can be done by solid-state audio components, even in comparison with some of the world’s finest competition. (349)

The post 2024 Golden Ear: JMF Audio HQS 7001 Monoblock Amplifier and PRS 1.5 Linestage Preamplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.