THE BEST OF THE YEAR 2024
BEST PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR FOR 2024
Welcome to our 5th Annual Best of the Year Awards issue. There have been some truly wonderful discoveries and some incredible music made. Suffice to say, that there are some impressive products in this issue both reviewed and the award winners, of course
There are several categories of Best of the Year Awards—Breakthrough Products, Editor’s Choice, The Best Product of the Year, Best Budget Products of the Year, and Best Products of the Year.
BREAKTHROUGH productS of 2024
The Breakthrough Award was created to recognize those products that have ‘broken through’ the musical and technological barriers of high-fidelity, audio reproduction. To go a bit further, this award symbolizes a profound leap in unparalleled performance, for a product in a given category or sub category that places it without peers, seemingly, at any price point. It should be firmly stated ‘for the time being’ as technology continues its march forward. And lastly, the award knows no September boundary and, to the degree that it exist and has not been recognized among our prior awards, it will be brought forward.
EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS fOR 2024
BEST PRODUCT OF THE YEAR fOR 2024
BUDGET PRODUCT OF THE YEAR fOR 2024
SILVERSMITH AUDIO Fidelium
Andre Marc, Editor
Cambridge Audio MXN10 Compact Network Player
Oliver Masciarotte, Editor
The best products of 2024
THE BEST TO $2.5k
Yes, the Grimm Audio SQM cables are mind-boggling, as they compete, no scratch that, out-compete Top-of-the-Line (TOTL) cables at many multiples of their cost in a way that defies any semblance of, well, “logic.” One would not think this possible, given the vast disparity of cost between them and the TOTL competitors, but on every metric of music reproduction—technical/spatial, natural musicality, immersiveness—the SQMs were consistently on top. Incredible! $615+
The oBravo Venus Signature are simply superb personal audio transducers—exceptional, actually. At close to the $1,000 price point, they are very much front runners in that market. No audio product is perfect, but the Venus Signature made it difficult to find any significant flaws in its build, appearance or sound. If we had to live with just one IEM model, the Venus Signature would likely be it. The fit and feel of the Venus Signature was, for us, just perfect. And this is how a product at this price point should be. $950
Cambridge Audio MXN10: If you are considering a lower-cost DAC/streamer from a mass market manufacturer, I’d recommend either a LinkPlay WiiM Pro to save money without sacrificing versatility, or investing in Cambridge Audio’s longer-lasting and better built, better supported 200M and MXN10. Given the price, the only serious downside I could find to this wonderful combo was the StreamMagic iOS app for remote operation of the MXN10. It gets the job done but doesn’t conform to my ideal of modern UX norms, making for too much clicking and tapping around. Also, the DacMagic’s volume control has a relatively large step size, but it’s not coarse enough to be an issue. $499
SilverSmith Audio Fidelium Cables: Silversmith has had an excellent reputation since Jeff Smith launched the company 24 years ago, and after hearing the Fidelium speaker cables, it was easy to see and hear why. The cables are musically rich, transparent, balanced tonally, and offer a coherence that is rather uncanny. At $995, the cables are a real bargain when the technology, sonics, and overall performance are taken into account. The Silversmith Fidelium cable really has only one consideration for prospective buyers, and that is whether the cable will fit ergonomically into a system. $995
THE BEST TO $2.5K
The Hidden Treasure cable is a two-metre run of cable—it seems impossible that it would affect the sound of your system, but it does, and demonstrably so. The Audience Hidden Treasure CAT7 ethernet cable is a must. If you’re using another high-end ethernet cable, you will want to try Audience’s Top-of-the-Line ethernet cable to see how much you’ve been missing. And God forbid if you’ve been using standard black or white cable for your high-end headphone or two-channel system, as what you’re hearing is, well, off and not anything close to what it should be. $1,150 (2m)
THE BEST TO $5K
Dan Clark EXPANSE: The EXPANSE differentiates itself across the midrange versus the STEALTH with a more open, airy, and ambient staging, with better decay of notes, that the STEALTH could not replicate. And treble reach, transparency, resolution, were quite similar for both headphones, though the EXPANSE’s open-back design again allowed notes to unfold more noticeably and naturally within an ambient space, especially in large cathedrals, big open spaces, arenas that were better defined as a result. $3,999
Pass Labs HPA-1: I did not expect to be as impressed as I am with the PASS LABS HPA-1, given its 2016-17 introduction and the various technical improvements that have come to other headphone amplifiers made in the interim, but time has not touched the viability, technical prowess, or wonderful musicality of the PASS LABS HPA-1. In truth, it has few rivals among those I’ve reviewed in recent years, regardless of price. $3,675
The Ideon 3R Master Time Black Star paired with our Bryston BDA-3 DAC,, improved the sound of our digital system in clear and undeniable ways with no negatives. We experienced greater resolution, a more believable sound stage, and far more realistic texture. Of course, this comes at a price. The price tag of the Black Star might raise some eyebrows but it will also open ears with its amazing performance. We would be skeptical if not for hearing it in our own system, with an already very capable DAC. $3,900
The HeadAmp CFA3 is a truly exceptional headphone amplifier and, dare I say, there are no other such headphone amplifiers that can compete at easily twice its price, if not far more. Its impressive 15-watts of power into 50-ohms allow it to easily drive even the most inefficient headphone on the planet, with headroom to spare. In terms of its technical abilities, which are vast, it provides the depth of stage, the meticulous separation and layering of performers, across any given stage, the daunting… $3,999+
The Atma-Sphere GEM provides outstanding transparency and resolution, and a resultant crystal clarity that places it on a peak where it has no current peers, regardless of price. Yes, this little five-watt, fit-on-the-palm-of-your-hand integrated brought light and detail, insight, and clarity to where there had been none, as witnessed with all manner of integrateds or preamplifier/amplifier combos that I have reviewed these past several years. Stunning! $4,700
Atma–Sphere Class D: From old favourites Wolf Alice and Waxahatchee to new crushes Ludwig Göransson and Duo Deloro, the Atma–Sphere Class D is a class act. When I was away cooking in the kitchen, they would draw me in and invite me to sit a spell and listen. They made for a difficult review because all I wanted to do was let go of my analytical side and enjoy my catalogue of best–loved tracks and albums. We audiophiles come to the table for music, not audio. Atma–Sphere’s hand-built Class D amps represent over five years’ worth of work. Karsten is focused on how the human ear/brain system perceives distortion, having tuned his products to be fast and transparent without being bleached or analytical. $6,200
THE BEST TO $5K
Audio Art Cable Loom: None of the individual cable pairs made an OMG difference, but taken as a whole, the AAC Statement team definitely brought their A game to bear. In a mid–priced rig, these premium wire sets, at a direct–to–consumer price, would significantly boost the overall performance a good bit. However, in a more esoteric system, the Statement cables would come into their own, elevating an already highly resolving system to a new level of solidity, transparency, and definition. You could spend much more on your wires, but you owe it to yourself to give these a try. Two thumbs up! $1,430+
Haydn SE Signature: Though loudspeakers come and go aroun here, some are fondly remembered though most are quickly out of mind. The glossy black Haydn SE Signature is a remarkably capable little package that won’t soon be forgotten. These plucky standmounters do most everything right for me, delivering rich musical magic at a price most every hi–fier can afford. A fine finish and understated good looks don’t detract from the experience either. Appreciatively, Vienna Acoustics have delivered a winning combination of audio performance, visual æsthetics, and value pricing that impressed me greatly. I’m beating the drum on this one…it’s a real goodie!
THE BEST TO $10K
HifiMan Susvara: The Susvara is truly a phenomenal planar headphone with, perhaps, its main differentiators being its rather sublime naturalness and its exacting way with tone and timbre, which lift the playback of one’s music to new levels of performance and enjoyment and technical prowess. And one must certainly mention its electrostatic-like speed which, well, brings live performances and choral music to life, as only electrostatics have been able to do. $6,000
Fern & Roby Raven IIIs: What Christopher has accomplished with the Fern & Roby Raven IIIs is exceptional, both technically and musically, hidden in a beautifully constructed though petite container, and its eight-inch single driver completely belies its rather daunting talents. In this respect, it is the classic “you can’t tell a book by its cover.” $8,000
Hifiman Susvara Unveiled: The absence of the window-shade grill in the Susvara Unveiled has led to decreased levels of distortion—reflection/refraction—that are easily heard and heartily enjoyed. It offers up music of pristine relative quality and in turn frees greater detail, ambient cues, micro-dynamics, transparency, and resolution not previously imagined. The result is more intimacy and immersiveness and naturalness to a far greater degree than even the Susvara. I had reckoned on improvement, but I did not imagine that making the original Susvara seem noisy in comparison was a possibility. It is. The Susvara Unveiled is a towering improvement over the Susvara. $8,000
THE BEST TO $20K
Grimm Audio MU2: This one-box epiphany called the Grimm Audio MU2, in this reviewer’s opinion will move all systems, into which it is configured to the front of the streaming/rendering/playback class. It is as simple as that, and it’s a family trait, as the MU1 had easily dismissed streamers at more than twice its price. What Eelco Grimm and company have managed to do with the Grimm Audio MU2 is profound in the extreme, and I believe it will win many a convert, as the truth of what I’ve written above will be easily discerned in the listening. And it won’t take long to make that determination. $17,500
The ALLNIC AUDIO OTL/OCL HPA 10000 compels one to listen and to be rewarded by one of the most transparent, beautifully resolved, natural, and musically engaging headphone amplifiers that this reviewer has listened to, owned, or reviewed to date. And the surprising thing is that this also takes into account electrostatic HPAs, which had served as a revered “third rail” untouchable given their rather potent bona fides. $17,500
The Orangutan O/96s had me planted on the sofa listening to tunes for many hours at a time and as happy as an officially protected turkey on Thanksgiving Eve. It was wonderful. Impeccable transparency, resolution detail? Check. Wide top-to-bottom frequency extension? Check. Beguiling tonal/timbral accuracy? Check. A staging envelope—front to back, right to left, deep, high—to die for? Check. $15,900
The Boenicke W11SE speakers are very special products. Sven Boenicke is clearly an accomplished and thoughtful man in the way he conducts his business and in the way his philosophies inform his designs. The W11SE was one of the most accurate, distortion-free speakers we have had in our systems to date. This is not a plug and play transducer. It does require some patience and experimentation to get it to play nice with the listening room, but it is worth the effort. They do like plenty of space around them, and are designed to be situated further apart than most speakers. $15,240
THE BEST TO $40K
AIR-TIGHT ATC 5s & ATM 1E: The Air Tight ATC-5s preamplifier and the ATM-1s amplifier provide an “old school meets new school” approach to rendering one’s music, which, as earlier mentioned, results in lush and beautifully textured music that is spatially astute, with superb transparency, resolution, detail, and brilliant musicality. The Air Tight combo handles the entirety of the frequency range exceedingly well, though in my opinion, the combo represents midrange royalty, a music lover’s dream and an audiophile’s guilty pleasure. There will be no threadbare recreations, no soulless renderings of one’s music… Preamplifier ATC-5: $13,975 Amplifier ATM 1E: $14,975
Franco Serblin Accordo Essence: Well, this contrarian review has uncovered an important truth with regard to the Franco Serblin Accordo Essence speakers. You don’t need a lot of power to drive them, especially if you listen at low to medium volume (like most audiophiles, music lovers) have a small- to medium-sized listening room (like most audiophiles, music lovers), and don’t listen to large orchestral pieces, ponderous rap/hip-hop, acid rock, or the like (like most audiophiles, music lovers). That said, the Franco Serblin Accordo Essence speakers easily go with the flow of the accompanying amplification. $18,975
We have had one other 300B based linestage in our system and it sounded lovely, but leaned too heavily on the velvety, rich side. We have also had numerous superb flagship preamplifiers in-house from excellent brands like Lamm, Rogue, Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, and more. None approached the sheer perfection of the Allnic L-10,000 Signature Edition. The Allnic M-3000 Mk 3 KT170-based mono amps are simply everything an audiophile could hope for from tube-based power amplifiers The sonic palette is complete in every way and checks every conceivable box. L-10000: $30,000; M-3000: $30,000.
