$9,999

Luxman’s newest universal-disc player derives from the company’s flagship D-10X, which we favorably reviewed in Issue 317. The D-07X series bridges the gap between the D-03X at $4195 and the D-10X at $16,995. Priced closer to the 03X at $9995 but in features, performance, and overall design and engineering much closer to the 10X, think of 07X as a scaled-down 10X instead of a hot-rodded 03X. First, the onboard DAC is the BD34301EKV from ROHM Semiconductor, premiered in the 10X and retained here, still in dual-mono configuration with full soup-to-nuts MQA rendering and decoding. Second, the 07X’s transport is the same proprietary Lx DTM-I, with its superior disc-reading mechanism. And third, connectivity and useable formats remain unchanged. Excepting Blu-ray audio, the 07X will play virtually any audio-only two-channel or hybrid disc on the planet, including MQA CDs. The stated goal of Luxman’s engineers is to create products that are “musical and natural, never strident or aggressive. They want you to be able to hear all sorts of detail, even at the micro level, yet without fatigue, for a rich, musical experience.” Luxman has achieved this, but without sacrificing detail, resolution, or transient speed. Its presentation remains within the overall boundaries of neutrality, just that degree more inviting and easeful, a hint of warmth and smoothness, but applied with a commendably light and fastidious hand. Exceptional build-quality and Luxman’s elegant casework round out this superb player. (352)

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$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)

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$11,100

A technological marvel at a ridiculously low price, the Cadenza C41 network player incorporates unique advancements that perfect digital volume control, improve the handling of jitter, eliminate pre-ringing, and eradicate clipping due to intersample peaks. Given this focus on removing distortions and preserving information that is lost or obscured on other network players, you have to think that chief engineer Jürgen Reis’ brilliant technical innovations are, indeed, the reasons for the C41’s lifelike color and solidity and its rare ability to conjure up near-visible presences rather than insistently drawing your ear to isolate transient details. In JV’s experience, only three other DACs can work this magic consistently—and, of course, they cost a lot more dough. If you’re an analog guy looking for a network player that will give you the sound you love (or a close semblance of same), this is the player for you. And if you’re a digital guy who wants the very best but can’t afford it, the C41 would be JV’s first (and only) recommendation. A shoo-in for 2025’s DAC of the Year Award. (355)

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$55,000

Though it looks the same and operates via the same controls as its 2023 POY Award-winning predecessor, the Ultima5, Greg Beron’s new Ultima Apollo deck doesn’t sound the same. In fact, it doesn’t sound like any previous Ultima that JV has auditioned. With an entirely new EQ circuit and a beefed-up gain stage, it is “darker” in overall tonal balance (more “bottom-up”) than any previous UHA offering, save for the SuperDeck. Instruments in the bass range not only sound better resolved, more present, denser in color, more three-dimensional, and more powerful, they also sound deeper going, as if the deck had added another half-octave on the very bottom and some extra energy in the midbass. The midband shows this same increase in presence, color, solidity, and impact, while the top treble is still soft, smooth, and slightly rolled. It’s as if the frequency-response curve that the AES currently recommends for loudspeakers (a boost in the bass with extension down to 20Hz and a gradual roll-off in the treble above 1.5kHz) has somehow been incorporated in the Apollo’s new equalization stage. The result is a marked increase in bass-range extension, definition, and density of tone color, in overall listenability, in three-dimensional solidity top to bottom, and in the lifelike continuousness that makes an ensemble of instruments sound as if they are playing together in the same space, without any loss of their individual contributions.

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$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)

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$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)

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$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)

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$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)

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$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)

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$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)

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$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)

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$34,000/6-foot length

Almost all of us have heard the sonic differences that elite power cords can make. The rub, of course, is that differences are not necessarily improvements; instead, they can amount to distinctive sonic flavors. That is not the case with Edwin and Gabi Rynveld’s newest offering. Their Crystal Cable Infinity power cords markedly lower background noise; increase resolution, density of tone color, and dynamic contrast; and add a more substantial third dimension to images. In a word, they are better. There is no “magic” involved in Crystal’s products, Edwin is, far and away, the most scientifically grounded engineer working in the cable market. The Infinities, for example, emply coaxial conductors with a central core of pure, solid, single-crystal silver. With shields of braided silver and strands of silver-gold alloy, such a construction is said to “resist induced RF distortion and keep magnetic interference out of your system” And so it does, to an extent that has to be heard to be credited. Yes, Infinity costs a lot, and yes, it is worth every penny asked. The best power cord JV has auditioned and this year’s TAS AC Power Cord of the Year. (Forthcoming)

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