$11,100

This moderately affordable streamer/DAC/digital preamplifier from Jürgen Reis of MBL may not have all the features of the seven-times-as-expensive Kalista DreamPlay (it has no built-in disc player, for one), but on streams it comes shockingly close to the French unit’s extraordinary sonics. Indeed, when MBL used it as its sole source-component/preamplifier at this year’s Munich High End (driving two pairs of the German company’s world-class 9011 amplifiers and its 101 X-Treme MKII loudspeakers), both Robert Harley and Alan Taffel were impressed enough to name the system Best of Show. I, too, have tried it with the X-Treme IIs and, putting aside the fact that one cannot use analog sources with the C41 (which, for me, is a big ask), I, too, was greatly impressed. Indeed, alongside the DreamPlay, the MBL C41 will be one of my nominees for this year’s Digital Product of the Year Awards. It’s that good. (Forthcoming) 

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$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)

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$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) 

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$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)

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$27,000

Here is yet another outstanding high-end component from France. Gallic engineer Christophe Martinez devoted four years of his life to designing and building this brand-new, two-track, quarter-inch, 15ips/7½ips reel-to-reel tape player, developing (entirely on his own) the deck’s physical design and layout, the eq and gain electronics, the tape playback and wind/rewind path (including the “strain-gauge” sensors that maintain tape tension at 0.5gm and read and correct errors in less than a millisecond), and the unique, built-in, multi-function touchscreen that is the brain of the unit. The result is rather incredible, especially given the price. Here is a deck with a level of utility and convenience that is unrivaled in my experience. Virtually every playback parameter can be set or adjusted via a tap on its touchscreen. Of course, none of this ergonomic excellence would matter if the TP-1000 didn’t sound great, which, I’m happy to report, it does. Although its treble is a bit less extended than that of, say, the Ultima Apollo, everything else about its sound would make it hard to choose between it and its more costly rivals. Listening to 15ips R2Rs will never be a bargain, given the ongoing cost of acquiring those tapes, but as the best new and completely refurbished tape decks go, the TP-1000 is a bit of a steal. (350)

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$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)

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$45,500

When, at AXPONA, Robert and I first auditioned the new, relatively demure, three-way, four-driver, aluminum-enclosed S3 2023—said to be the first Magico loudspeaker (the newly released M7 being the second) to use technology trickled down from the company’s flagship M9—both of us were floored by its sound. The room at the Chicago show was small, limiting soundstage width; nonetheless, the timbre and dynamics of the speakers were superb—particularly in the bass (which, as Alon Wolf showed us via in-room measurement, was going down to an astonishing 20Hz). In my own room, the sonics were even more impressive, with no soundstage limits (staging was wall-to-wall, in fact), even richer tone color, and the same rock-solid low end that wowed us in Chi-town. Indeed, I have never heard a small floorstanding cone loudspeaker that does as much as this one does for the money that Magico is asking. If that doesn’t make the S3 2023 a classic of some sort, I don’t know what will. Here is a truly great dynamic loudspeaker that competes with (and in some ways exceeds) the twice-as-expensive competition. (348)

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$55,000 (with outboard DC power supply)

This has been a very good year for reel-to-reel tape recorders. As you will see, I auditioned two decks that knocked me for a (playback) loop. The first is the latest unit from old hand Greg Beron of United Home Audio—the Ultima Apollo. Seeing that I’d given its older brother, the Ultima5 OPS-DC, a Golden Ear and a POY award in 2023, you might wonder, as I did, how much difference a year or two could make. Well, in this case, it makes a spectacularly large and impressive one. With a plethora of technical improvements and an all-new high-quality EQ system, the Apollo sounded considerably better than any Ultima deck I’ve heard, with newfound power, color, detail, density, and extension in the bottom octaves, the midbass, and the lower midrange and sweet, edgeless sparkle and air in the upper mids and treble. I listened to Greg’s statement three-piece SuperDeck for about a month, and to my ear the Apollo comes very, very close to its sonics—for about half the price. This is just an outstanding tape player from a man with long experience building superb (and superbly reliable) decks. (Forthcoming)

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$63,400

Although the Hailey 3 looks identical to its predecessor, from a philosophical, technological, and sonic perspective the new speaker is a complete break from the past. Series 1 YGs were accurate and detailed but analytical to a fault. Series 2 models were much more musical, while still giving precedence to neutrality and resolution. But with the Series 3, YG has made engagement and musicality its top priorities—and has enlisted science (particularly in the form of multi-domain computational modeling) to achieve those goals. The result is a speaker that is perfectly balanced top to bottom, is wonderfully revealing, and has banished all traces of its predecessors’ analytical nature.

A natural—not overwrought—warmth contributes to this speaker’s accessibility and likability, while its refinement at frequency extremes means there are no nasties to distract from the musical experience. For retaining the best of its past yet forging forward with new priorities—and brilliantly succeeding—the Hailey 3 is a cinch for a Golden Ear Award. (Forthcoming)

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$38,000–$54,000

The I1 is a previous Golden Ear winner, but I’ve gained new appreciation for it over the past year. First, I’ve found that its nominal 100 watts/channel of horsepower, which was previously fed a diet of mostly high-efficiency speakers, has proven up to the task of driving more challenging loads like the Wilson Sasha V. Indeed, I’ve now had the opportunity to directly compare the I1’s power amp section with the higher-output CH Precision A1.5 stereo amp. While the A1.5’s extra power does come in handy in extreme situations, most of the time I actually preferred the lighter-on-its-feet I1.

But even more impressive are the changes brought by a firmware update that completely revamped the DAC module. Instantly, and at no cost or swapout hassles, the DAC vaulted from very good to the best I’ve ever heard. Of course, the I1 retains its sonic pedigree, and its modular architecture means you buy only the functions you need—choose from DAC, streamer, analog inputs, and phonostage—with the ability to expand later. Overall, the case for the I1, in terms of sonics, versatility, and longevity, has never been stronger. (346)

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$109,000–$175,000/pair

For the better part of my 54 years as an audiophile, I have avoided horn-loaded loudspeakers owing to horn colorations. Then I had the opportunity to audition a pair of the latest version of Avantgarde’s Trios, the company’s flagship all-horn system, in a private home, set-up, adjusted, and tweaked to the nines, with four (!) of Avantgarde’s massive horn-loaded Spacehorn woofers, buttressed by the biggest REL sub-bass system. One of the principal things that separates electronically reproduced music from the real thing is that in live music, the tone, the timbre, the basic character of voices and acoustic instruments do not change with changes in level. To a degree almost unique in my experience, this is also true of the Trios. In a large but not immense room I heard without question the widest dynamic range I’ve ever personally experienced from a home-audio system, also the freest and most effortless. At the other end of the loudness scale, tonal drop-out at very low levels is absolutely nonexistent. The Trios are probably not completely free from horn colorations, but such as may exist never intruded upon my enjoyment, appreciation, or involvement, which was total. Indeed, the overall tonal balance struck me as falling within the bounds of what I call “acceptable neutrality,” yet with a degree of life, vitality, vividness, presence, and tactility all but unprecedented in my experience of home audio. When Jacob Heilbrun concluded his review by stating that Avantgarde “has set a new benchmark for performance,” he was not overstating. When I first auditioned the Trios, I was impressed—long before the end, I was blown away…and still am. (346)

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Phonomena III $1200, LPS $1000

The culmination of the several phonostages Mike Yee has been designing for Musical Surroundings since the late 90s, the Phonomena III now boasts parts, circuitry, and sonic performance superior to every previous version without deviating from the original’s two fundamental constants: one, the widest choice of loading options for moving-coil pickups and capacitance options for moving magnets, plus gain options for either; two, a sonic profile that places a high priority upon tonal neutrality. With 256 different choices for load and gain, there isn’t an mc or mm past or present that the III can’t ideally accommodate for the most neutral frequency response the pickup is capable of. Sonically, the III has a wider dynamic window, lower noise, greater headroom, gain, transparency, detail, and resolution. There’s also a new-found impression of roundedness, dimensionality, and density of tone and body. (Those critics who found previous versions insufficiently revealing of color—I’m not among them—should be happy.) Don’t let the relatively modest pricing fool you. In a market full of outboard phono preamps costing tens of thousands of dollars more, you won’t find another at any price that offers its range of flexibility to match any pickup out there with a commensurate level of technical and sonic performance. With excellent build-quality, parts, engineering, and reliability, it comes supplied with a wall wart power supply; the optional Linear Power Supply raises the performance in key areas (notably noise and dynamic range). Either way, it displaces previous versions as my current reference. (Forthcoming)

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