De mest tongivande magasinen och bloggarna sammanställer varje år vad de anser har varit årets mest betydande produkter – årsbästa 2016!

Läs först – lyssna sen. Vi har samtliga tillverkare för permanent demonstration och utlån – välkommen!

Hifi+

Ayre AX-5 Twenty

Integrerad förstärkare

Motivering:

”In making the AX-5 Twenty, Ayre Acoustics pulled together many important elements of design from existing higher-end Ayre amps into what has become the company’s only integrated ampli er, following the recent end of the brand’s entry-level 7 Series. The 125 watt per channel AX-5 Twenty uses Ayre’s VGT (variable gain transconductance) approach in its preampli er stage, a design  rst seen in the company’s top KX-R preampli er. This uses a pair of doublepole silver-contact rotary switches, connected to an array of precision, handselected resistors. This is not a stepped attenuator, however: these resistors alter the transconductance of two pairs of complementary JFETs in the power amp’s input gain stage. The all-balanced signal is then fed into a form of gateable bridge network of bipolar transistors; Richard Baker’s ‘diamond circuit’ that Charles Hansen of Ayre discovered languishing in an electronics book dating back to the birth of transistors. The ‘Twenty’ modi cations add better thermal control and AyreLock output voltage regulation. In our test, Alan Sircom suggested what the AX-5 Twenty delivers is “absolutely stunning amounts of detail retrieval, always staying the right side of ‘forward’, but with a  ne sense of musical order and a good deal of enjoyment thrown in for good measure.” However, it isn’t overly bright or detailed. “A lot of this”, says Sircom, “comes down to that  uid naturalness normally associated with valve amps, but this time without the associated softness in the bass or a laid-back treble, and with a lot of power in reserve.”

Läs testen här.

Läs mer om Ayre och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

Innuos ZENith MkII

Streamer- och mediaserver (med inbyggd CD-rippning)

Motivering:

”Innuos has made a name for itself in a surprisingly short time, with the range of ripping music servers  first appearing in 2014. Originally intended for the custom install market, the Zen range of music servers quickly found their way into the homes of people wanting high performance music servers without having to compromise and build something from off-the-shelf parts. The ZENith MkII is the top model in Innuos’ three-strong server range, and features a linear power supply (rare in computer-side products, but good for sound quality), built-in ripping capabilities, and an architecture built around the robust, much lamented, and still widely supported Squeezebox platform. In listening, Jason Kennedy was deeply impressed, stating that, “This revealed that the ZENith delivers a highly coherent, vibrant, and engaging sound that hangs together very well indeed. It delivers instrument timbre, reverb, and more importantly does so in such a fashion that it sounds like musicians playing together.”

Läs testen här.

Läs mer om Innuos och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

The Absolute Sound

Raidho D5.1

Högtalare

Raidho D5.1 vinner inte bara The Absolute Sounds ”Product of the year” utan även deras allra finaste utmärkelse ”Editors Choice”.

PS. De mindre modellerna är lika bra…

Audio Alchemy DDP-1

Försteg med DAC & hörlursförstärkare

Motivering:

”The DDP-1 combines a preamplifier, DAC, and headphone amplifier into a half-width chassis. With a wide array of digital and analog inputs and a superb user interface, the DDP-1 is a highly capable and versatile centerpiece of a system that’s a pleasure to use on a daily basis. The DAC section is particularly impressive, featuring a new version of Alchemy’s Resolution Enhancement DSP that improves the sound of digital. The DDP-1 sounds like it should cost more, with a resolution and transparency that rival more expensive products. Its presentation is remarkably transparent, clean, dynamic, and resolved by any measure, and even more so considering the component’s reasonable price. The DAC section is more upbeat and forward than the somewhat laid-back linestage. Upscale metalwork and beautiful industrial design round out this compelling package.”

Audio Alchemy DPA-1/DPA-1M

Stereo-/monoslutsteg

Motivering:

”Audio Alchemy, the small company that made a big splash in the 1990s is back, but now with much more sophisticated technology and products. This time around the alchemists have mated a Class D Hypex output module (the best there is) with a Class A input stage built from discrete FETs, with design from original Alchemy co-founder Peter Madnick. The result is the DPA-1, a stereo switching amplifier outputting 125Wpc into 8 ohms and 200Wpc into 4 ohms. The DPA-1M monoblock simply bridges two of these modules for greater output power. Sonically, both amplifiers have a lively and upbeat sound, powerful rhythmic drive, wide dynamic expression, and rock-solid visceral grip in the bottom end. Soundstaging and transparency are also excellent. Useful features include a gain switch, clipping indicators, and softstart warm-up. Great sound and terrific value make the DPA-1 TAS’ Power Amplifier of the Year.”

Läs testerna här.

Läs mer om Audio Alchemy och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

Joseph Audio Prism

Högtalare

Motivering:

”Six years ago, after our review of the Joseph Audio Pulsar, many audiophiles were very interested in owning a pair, but at $7000 the Pulsar was outside their budgets. The newer Prisms should shake a good portion of those fence-sitters off their posts. While we can’t and won’t try to give you a numerical percentage of the Pulsar’s performance that is equaled by the Prisms—as in, “They deliver 85% of the Pulsars’ performance!”—we will go down on record saying that the Prisms have similar sonic qualities with an overall performance level that ranks up with the best small monitors we’ve heard. No, the Prisms aren’t as visually prepossessing as the Pulsars. But in many domestic and professional listening environments the Prisms’ less blingy exterior may be a positive attribute. After all, once you close your eyes, it’s all about the music.”

Läs testen här.

Läs mer om Joseph Audio och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

EAR

Spec RSA-M3EX

Integrerad förstärkare

Motivering:

”Except for the most traditional amplifier designers almost all brands offer Class D amps today. They are efficient, do not need a lot of heat sinking and are not that sensitive to loudspeaker loads. The hardest part of designing a decent Class D amp is to make sure the sound is fluid and easy on the ear. Most sound too technical for my ears, with overwhelming detail and clarity, even tight bass, but they lack emotion. Not the SPEC RSA-M3Ex amp I had the at home for some time, playing through my big PMC fact.12 loudspeakers, it sung as well as my trusty Pass Labs Class A amplifiers. The stereo image was among the best I have heard in my room, spread out from wall to wall, deep and high. The amplifier combines speed with loud explosions of sound when asked for, but stays delicate as well on small jazz combos or female vocals. It is hard to believe this is a true Class D amplifier since so much emotion reaches the listener. This might be because the design goal of the SPEC brand is to create an amp that matches the performance of a 300B triode amplifier, but without the restrictions of the tube power capabilities, the high cost and limited lifetime. This Japanese product has a soul, a musical soul, making it the one and only Class D amp I had at home thus far that I would really like to own myself.”

Läs testen här.

Läs mer om Spec och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

Enjoy the music

Audience Au24SX

Kabelserie

Motivering:

”The SX series of cables from Audience represent a new pinnacle of achievement in a distinguished, established product line, and by no small degree” says Greg Weaver. ”While not the ”sexiest” looking cable you may see, their execution and finish is exemplary. These are not cheap cables, by any stretch of the imagination. But at their price, they have to be seen as more than merely the genuine bargain that they represent. Make no mistake about it, these delightfully thin and otherwise unassuming looking cables are world-class.”

Läs hela testen här.

Läs mer om Audience och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

Soundstage

PS Audio DS Jr

DAC + streamer

Motivering:

“What makes the DSJ special isn’t merely technological, but that that technology is used in the service of outstanding sound quality to make it among the best-sounding DACs I’ve heard.”

Läs hela testen här.

Läs mer om PS Audio och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

Mola Mola Kaluga

Slutsteg

Motivering:

“They’re sonic heavyweights, and one of the best-measuring, best-sounding amplifiers available at any price.”

Läs hela testen här.

Kommer under tidiga 2017!

Positive Feedback

Aurender W20

Streamer/Mediaserver

Motivering:

“It’s certainly the largest-capacity and most technically sophisticated music server that I’ve heard to date. An amazing accomplishment, and clearly worthy of one of my Brutus Award this year.”

Läs hela omdömet här.

Läs mer om Aurender och lyssna eller låna hem den hos oss.

PS Audio DS DAC + BHK Signature preamplifier + BHK Signature 250 Amplifier

DAC + Försteg + Slutsteg

Motivering:

”We bough the review samples…”

Läs hela omdömet här.

Läs mer om PS Audio och lyssna eller låna hem enheterna i den nya serien hos oss.

Playback Designs Sonoma

Streamer + DAC + A/D-omvandlare

Motivering:

”There is simply no question that Andreas Koch’s Sonoma system provides world-class performance and very intelligent modularity, allowing audiophiles to pick-and-choose the specific configuration that they prefer.”

Läs hela omdömet här.

Läs mer om Playback Designs och lyssna eller låna hem enheterna i den nya serien hos oss.

Balanced Audio Technology VK-53 SE + VK-255 SE + VK-P12 SE

Försteg + Slutsteg + RIAA-steg

Läs hela omdömet här. En fullständig recension kommer under tidiga 2017.

Läs mer om BAT och lyssna eller låna hem enheterna i den nya serien hos oss.

Audionet VIP G3

CD/SACD/DAC

Motivering:

”The VIP G3 provided flawless and very high quality playback of a broad array of genres and labels…”

Läs hela omdömet här.

Läs mer om Audionet.

High Fidelity

Polska High Fidelity gör utförliga och ingående recensioner med imponerande bredd, och har under året tilldelat flera av våra produkter deras utmärkelse ”best product 2016”:

• Audionet PLANCK | CD/DAC | Läs hela recensionen här
• Exogal Comet+ | DAC m.m. | Läs hela recensionen här.
• PS Audio NuWave DSD | DAC | Läs hela recensionen här.
• Ubiq Model ONE | Högtalare | Läs hela recensionen här.
• Metronome Kalista | CD/DAC | Läs hela recensionen här.

AV Showrooms

Läs mer om Nola och lyssna eller låna hem dem hos oss.

Läs mer om Raidho och lyssna eller låna hem dem hos oss.

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