SP products of the year

Stereo Passion Products of the year

 We skipped last year as we were up to our eye balls in preparing our move to our present location. What I noticed is that there are some new comers that have arrived as late as November of 2011. I realize in world where all considerations aside, its easy come, easy go , I write this for our clients and fan base.

These have special merits musically and, ironic as it seems , the recommendations may not even related with volumes of components sold. These are simply highly musical components that make listening easy and fun. Further, this list is limited to what we do here at Stereo Passion and not Lounge 376 ( see analogue and speakers).

Enjoy the read, and Merry Holidays to all.

Affordable Product : Q Acoustics 2020/2050, Rega Brio R amplifier ( 900.00)

One of the most highly musical and affordable products that I have layed my ears on. Reviews are stellar, build quality is not to be expected at this price but its there, technologically very well designed, awards are bountiful, and yes this product that is made to order in China for Q Acoustics actually sounds a lot like a British speaker. The 2020 (450.00) just won affordable speaker of the year award yet again . My fave here is the 2050 selling at between 1,000 to 1,200.00 depending on finish. An honest product that gives an awful lot for the money.

For less than 1,000.00, one gets a slice of high end audio like you could not believe. Its design execution is flawless and so is its musical message. Mark my words, this Rega Brio R is leagues above prior Rega projects as well as other products that are above its price class, and in my books, it will become 2 things: It will become the benchmark against all below 1K will be measured from now on, and secondly, it will become a classic in the making for years to come. Hats off to Roy for making this product.

Intermediary Products : Usher 6311 speakers ( 2,550.00 )

I took about 1 week to think about this one. Its was a toss between the Usher 6311 speakers , the Prima Luna PL-2  ( now discontinued ) and actually the list went on. I always came back to one products. The Usher 6311 speaker. The Usher has the right amount of pedigree between build quality, looks, parts quality and yes musical ability. This is simply an overkill product if there was one. Some would expect a product costing a lot more than 2,550.00 .After burn in which is sensible in time, ( a few hundred hours ), these give finesse and transparency a good name. An excellent product from a company that has been doing great gear for over 40 years.

Cable Product of the year: Neotech Formosa ( 1,200.00 )

I never really cared for the value of big names in audio ( Jatons’ Operetta amplifiers, Vincent when no one knew them, MSB when unknown, Kr triodes etc ), sometimes I simply like to work something few know about. Sometimes (mostly always) we even hit jackpot. This is where this cable walks in. Several ground breaking technologies that are better explained elsewhere, the Formosa really does walk amongst giants, even amongst well established cable companies, and yes this Formosa cable mates well even with ultra high end systems. Its sound is a unique blend of transparency and utter smoothness and its has what might be better described as the best midrange clarity that I have heard from a cable. Its breathy and expansive quality is , yes , addictive and its sounds good right out of the box, speaking of which, wait till you see it. The Neotech Formosa cable came in second place after the Mystere 11a for product of the year.

High end Product of the year: Volent VL-2  Paragon ( 5,750.00 )

Surprising to many of our clients. No surprise really, its still product of the year in many's eyes. This is the product that has brought so many of you to dream about looking up at this line, and buy , you fine folks did. In many ways , the VL-2 does not know its' place, its sound rather like a panel speaker , or a full range speaker, its dyanmic, does not mind power  takes kindly to triodes and refuses to back down in front of any musical program,  and yes its looks is exotic and rich looking.

Yet again , one will be better served at reading the many reviews elsewhere, but, company foundations are built on such ground breaking product ( the Italian built Epos 11 before Mike Creek bought the company or the Pro Ac tablettes, 1s or 2s springs to mind, Harbeth 3’s ,Merlin VSM’s,  the list continues ), and we have witnessed a products that makes people want to commit "to this thing of our". The VL-2  took the honors' away from the Volents 3.5's ( 20,000.00 ), because had it not been for the  VL-2's, perhaps the rest of the line up would still remain unknown.

The VL-2's are that good.

My product of the year, a real fave of mine. Prima Luna Mystere i11a amplifier ( approx 2,500.00 )

I have a lot of folks confused now, no Audio Note! No this one is easily recommendable because most can easily make it theirs. Its sonic signature is sublime. Its also difficult to ignore, in looks and in performance. Journalist are looking always at the 21 series, and yet I still await someone who will say, "wait a minute , technically speaking the 11 series should sound better..."

In the short blurbs that I have limiting myself at here, when I listen to this Mystere i11a component, I never miss listening to whatever else I own at home. I never sense that I am working at doing something other than just enjoying music. And yes, whenever I listen to this unit, I can easily compare it a gear costing many times more.But having just stated the last sentence, I may have misled you all, its simply a beauty , a work of art and yes a musical instrument if there was one.

Product or the year for digital: Naim ND 5 XS digital streaming device ( 3,495.00/ or 3895.00 with FM module )/ Audio Note 3.1X II CD player ( approx 7,000.00 )

One may have thought here about Naim's own Unicute all in one DS player. But this very late comer in our playing field may make the company revamps digital filters on their older digital products or at least will maybe push the older products for a revision on the test bench.

At less than 4,000.00 for a unit with an  FM module and a DAC ,as well as other optional ports, this ND 5XS sports several features that make this in fact the player of the future. Its music making abilities make me think always of higher ups in the food chain, its indeed a player that does walk between respectable world of high end and reach for the moon achievements that this Naim tries to reach for, always. For those that still love analogue FM, the FM is more than just an after thought.

This unit, when I listen to it, always makes me shake my head that indeed, that famous quote from a Canadian journalist once wrote, "Analogue has found its first ennemy". This quote, I thought, was the domain of the ultra expensive or at least real high end DS, but now, the fence may have been breached by a player most in this hobby can afford. When I listen to this, I understand why its been placed as digital product of the year elsewhere. A product of the future indeed.

The AN 3.1xII is by far not the biggest player around , nor is it the heaviest, but someone should tell it this , because as an integrated CD player it sure does throw it weight around, it does something close to immaculate. Its little brother, the 2.1 x II is something of a show off, I called it perhaps the best I had heard under 5K. The 4.1 X II is a beast, from from small , and it plays big, authority, purity and absolute musicality. What the 3.1 x II does , is do both what the 2.1 X and 4.1 X do, and then the 3.1 manages to dance with the notes. One listen to Mozarts’ magic Flute, well, needless to say, its in one word breathless. It dives into the music, tames it, churns it out into a  sublime rendition. Its forte is sheer and beautiful sense of transparency and a sense a dramatic scale that can be deliciously evocative and violent at the same time. For those that are unwilling to make much compromise and still be able to stay financially grounded in the real world

Analogue Player of the year : Linn Majik Lp-12 ( starting at 4,500.00 and up ) and Benz Lucacheck MC phonostage ( approx 2,100.00 )

Let me explain, The Linn Majik Lp -12 is a great compromise. I would have placed a new Linn Sondek Lp-12, but since we only have one in our Lounge 376, we would have recommended this true Sondek instead. The Majik Lp-12, is , I have said , a superb compromise by default. Its also upgradeable to Sondek status. When one listen to a properly tuned Lp-12, there is something still magical about it. What some think may be yesterdays news, is quickly forgotten when I play my rig.

The Linn Majik Lp-12 is by default because its gets awfully close to that Linn Sondek LP-12 "musical majic thing", and yes also, because its also fuly upgradeable when you decide to move up the food chain wth your deck.

The Benz Lucacheck has been a stalwarth of mine here throuhout in many varaitions, which I have followed. Its indeed only made for low output moving coils, its 62 db's is quite sensitive to even quite low coils around. Its crystal silent, always on point, dense and rich timbrals yet always very delineated makes this I believe the best stages around. Its interesting to note, that Linn’s own Uphorik stage (3,300.00) , once fully burned in , shares a great many sonic attributes with the Benz Lucachek. Again, this may be yesterdays news, but  all is forgotten when I play my platters for folks.

Already a classic, and here to stay.

2 systems that stuck in our minds in 2011.

Myriad M (2,800.00 ) / Naim Uniti ( 4,500.00 ) / Aurums Megans ( 2,800.00 pair )

In some ways in both funny and a contradiction in terms. Our first was the first set up we did when we opened our doors to our new location. In fact, it got every one to stop organizing our shop and listen. We all remember our Aurum Megans and both our Myriad i , all in one set up. Something awfully special stood out, then when we started tweeking right before we opened, we placed a Naim Uniti. Something simply told us of the gem of a line up this new relatively new speaker line was for us. The glue holding the memory together are the Aurums Megans.

Huge stage, major dynamics with no compression and timbres that were right on. But what stopped our crew, was that I had never listened to a small speaker throw a soundstage that you could walk through with arms wide open and still not touch its sides.

The other system is the last system I personally handled for the year. In some ways , it became a full circle moment from the time when we did the above system in March of 2011. Now we were preparing to close shop for the holidays , needed to tend to burn in issues,placed a couple of our new gems on our Naim system 282/250/Hi Cap/Flat cap/Cd5XS/ND 5XS our new Naim DS, Linn Akurate DS, Linn LP –12, Nordost Cables and new Tannoy Kensingtons’ SE. Within just a few hours time and especially next day, we managed to glue any client that walked in and this system became our Super Glue system. People were stuck to our sofas, we went throught several pots of premium coffee, and yes , we eventually had to throw folks out ...in a nice way of c-c-course.

Again, we suspect that this close to over 80,000.00 system was being held together by our Tannoy Kensingtons’. But, I myself admit that I stayed later that night and listened to several more hours of music by myself. I got why folks wanted to stay glued and transfixed to our sofas. In some ways, its unexplainable and actually very amusing and surprising that this would be so inter -related to the above first system. The latter system is most likely one of our top 5 systems we have built to this effect on our Stereo passion floor. All others were by planning, experience and design, this one, was by accident.

Expect the above system to stay on for a while yet in our new year.