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AWARDS AWARDS 2022
The end of the year is usually a time of summaries. In "High Fidelity" for years, we have been doing it by awarding the most interesting, in our opinion, products our awards of Product of the Year. We would like this list to be a guide for you and suggest the direction of development of your systems. Let’s begin! |
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AWARDS Text: WOJCIECH PACUŁA | MAREK DYBA Graphic design: Bartosz Łuczak/Piksel Studio |
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No 224 January 1, 2023 |
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The next category is the STATEMENT AWARD - these are awards given to "best of the best" products. This year, we awarded it to four products, including one from Poland. The largest group was awarded BEST SOUND. In 2022, we tested and presented almost 120 products: electronics, loudspeakers, cables and accessories, from which we chose a representative group, in our opinion. We divided it according to the type of product and in each subgroup we listed them in alphabetical order. And last but not least a group for recordings, that we decided to award with the BEST RECORDING. Congratulations to all the awarded companies, we are proud that we could host your products in our homes! And we invite our readers to read, or to re-read the tests, and to compare products on your own and draw independent conclusions. Thank you for your trust - without it, no test, no description and no prize makes sense. Once again - THANK YOU!!!
⸜ THUNDER MELODY POLISH COMPANY Thunder Melody specializes in products for vibration damping, noise reduction and power supply conditioning. We have already tested several of its products and each time we are surprised by the maturity of technical solutions, as well as the sound refined in every detail. Thanks to them, you can improve the sound of a system from any price range. This can be done in a comprehensive, synchronized way. Its offer is unique on a global scale. → TEST: № 218 ⸜ 16th June 2022, see → HERE 
⸜ Accuphase DC-1000/DP-1000 WE RECOGNIZED THE DP-1000/DC-1000 SYSTEM to be the best product this Japanese company has ever prepared - not only the best digital player, of course, but precisely - the product. It plays every album in an equally wonderful way, giving each performer emotions, energy, but also not allowing the sound to be too bright. I would even say that it is the darkest sounding player from this company, if it did not suggest that it is dark, which it is not. With it we get a lot of information about the treble, but even more about the midrange and bass. Simply top high-end. → TEST: № 202 ⸜ 1st Feb. 2022, see → HERE ⸜ J. Sikora KV9 MAX ZIRCONIUM SERIES J.SIKORA KV9 Max Zirconium Series is an excellent, outstanding product. Seemingly, the differences compared to the first tonearm of this brand, the KV12, (apart from the length) are not that big. In fact, the new wiring (Soyaton), a number of tonearm elements made of bronze, a headshell specially designed for this model and an even lighter, but still Kevlar tonearm tube, and finally zirconium in the bearing, together make up a splendidly fast, dynamic, precise, resolving and at the same time fabulously musical sound. This is one of the best arms you can buy on the market today. → TEST: № 224 ⸜ 16th Dec. 2022 ⸜ Lime Ears AENIMA FOR THE SECOND YEAR in a row, we award the headphones of the Polish company Lime Ears, and for the second time we do it in the STATEMENT category, i.e. w→ HERE we present the absolutely most important and best products. The Anima model is an incredibly internally organized product that has the ability to convey a lot of information at once, but in an orderly manner. The Anima is one of the best headphones I've ever heard. And this regardless of the type of design. Lime Ears are ultra-transparent to sound material. → TEST: № 214 ⸜ 1st Dec. 2022 ⸜ Weiss DAC502 The SWISS DAC is precise in the drawing of the instruments, differentiates them and separates them nicely. But it also has an amazing depth of sound and richness of harmonics. The timbre is very even, although it seems that it plays "warm". It seems that the "inside" of the sound is audible better than its bright, strong attack. At the same time, the device is incredibly functional, and the digital tone correction will help many rooms w→ HERE passive elements correcting acoustics cannot be used. And t→ is a very good headphone amplifier, which should not be forgotten either. Modest, simple and great. → TEST: № 222 ⸜ 16th October 2022, see → HERE ⸜ XACT S1 We really enjoyed the XACT S1 AUDIO FILE TRANSPORT. Its sound encourages long listening sessions. They will be relaxed, fatigue-free, and yet rich in sound experience. Transport is characterized by a slightly warm, dense and saturated sound. Its sound has a lot of energy, especially with hi-res files. It's a refined, thought-out, sophisticated product in which you can perfectly see the man behind this product. → TEST: № 223 ⸜ 1st Nov. 2022, see → HERE 
⸤ DIGITAL SOURCES ⸣ ⸜ Audio Phonique PCM/DSD DAC The POLISH DAC sounds in a way that is associated with both vinyl and tape. It's really good digital sound, with a clearer treble and well-controlled bass. This is a device that sounds in a balanced way, but through the resolution and purity of the treble. The Audio Phonique sounds in an open, but also soft way. It is not brightened, but has a lot of energy in the upper midrange. The bass is dense, low and strong. It plays music, not sounds. And it does it, let me repeat myself, perfectly. → TEST: № 221 ⸜ 16th Sept. 2022, see → HERE ⸜ MuzgAUDIO DAC-01S The POLISH DAC offers excellent dynamics and resolution, it also sounds open as is tonally well-balanced. More expensive devices from the world leaders are more vivid and better differentiate the sound within the bodies of the instruments. However, you will have to pay twice as much for this improvement to make sense at all. → HERE and now, the DAC-01S by MuzgAUDIO is a product with exceptional sound qualities, whose sound can be largely shaped by changing various types of digital filters. → TEST: № 214 ⸜ 16th Feb. 2022, see → HERE ⸜ Boulder 812 BOULDER 812 IS A FUNCTIONALLY complex device. We were surprised by Boulder with this device. The '812' is small in size and sounds like a full-size, expensive product. Its sound is far from the stereotypical perception of this brand's devices, and we suspect that it was probably designed so that it would fit into some systems that are not as ‘puristic’ as those Boulder devices usually play in. The tested device has everything a real high-end needs and music need. → TEST: № 219 ⸜ 1st July 2022, see → HERE 
⸤ ANALOG SOURCES ⸣ ⸜ Tentogra WoWo THE SOUND OF THE WOWO TURNTABLE focused on timbres, well-differentiated, dense, internally rich. We can hear them clearly, but we do not pay attention to them. It's the same with dynamics. WoWo does not impose itself with colors, dynamics or range extension. It presents everything in a controlled, "mature" way. It doesn't care about the type of music, pressing or release. Each of these elements will be clearly shown, but not in a way that focuses listeners attention on it. Knowing that we are dealing with a mature product, we will listen comfortably to any album with it. → TEST: № 221 ⸜ 1st Sept. 2022, see → HERE 
⸤ AMPLIFICATION ⸣ ⸜ Ayon Audio TRITON EVO MONO THE TESTED AYONA AMPLIFIER was built to best reflect the energy of recordings. Triton Evo needs a balanced, maybe even slightly warm system with high dynamics. With the Ayon we get excellent control over the speakers, large volume and incredible freedom in creating the presentation, also when we have a lot of bass. So - energy, vividness, control. And exceptional resolution. This is the latest Gerhard Hirt amplifier. → TEST: № 214 ⸜ 1st Feb. 2022, see → HERE ⸜ Audio Note COBRA The COBRA AMPLIFIER from audio note is not cheap. At least if we look at its make and finish. T→ HERE is nothing special about its physicality. However, when we connect it to good loudspeakers and feed it a signal from a good source, we will hear magic - real magic. Seemingly inconspicuous, musically extremely musical. Only Audio Note can do that. → TEST: № 214 ⸜ 16th Apr. 2022, see → HERE ⸜ Audio Research I/50 The I/50's presentation is sonorous, extremely dynamic and well arranged. The amplifier copes well with all kinds of music With all its sympathy for worse-sounding music, it directs our attention towards the better one, towards top performances and top recordings. The amplifier also has a nice visual design that someone has worked on. It sounds great both through speakers and through headphones. This is one of the most interesting amplifiers, regardless of the technique, in this price range. → TEST: № 220 ⸜ 18th Aug. 2022, see → HERE ⸜ Audio Reveal FIRST MkII AUDIO REVEAL FIRST MkII is an amplifier that implements many different assumptions in a very nice way. It is dynamic, resolving and transparent. But we also focus attention on the midrange with it, because it is internally complex and strong, both in the bass and treble, and because it is saturated with harmonics. It's just a rich sound, if that's how I can describe it. The current reserve of the power supply → HERE is so large that the First MkII drove the Harbeth M40.1 loudspeakers better than many tube amplifiers capable of delivering 30W output and more. → TEST: № 224 ⸜ 1st Dec. 2022 ⸜ Bladelius ASK The ASK AMPLIFIER sounds extremely pleasant. Although its timbre is warm, dense and strong, it is also extremely resolving. The music sounds with it in a perfectly balanced way, with emotional depth and great dynamics. With it we get a warm, dense, but also internally resolved sound. This is a sound that allows for long listening sessions of any kind of music, with most loudspeakers available on the market. → TEST: № 222 ⸜ 1st Oct. 2022, see → HERE ⸜ Cyrus CLASSIC PRE CLASSIC PRE is a small device that sounds extremely dynamic and dense, in an open, but also pleasant way. If you are looking for a universal preamplifier, then the reviewed Cyrus will surely appeal to you. The preamplifier draws quite a wide and deep sound panorama. At the same time, it is not overly analytical. As it is, the English preamplifier is really great. → TEST: № 223 ⸜ 1st Nov. 2022, see → HERE (PL) ⸜ Circle Labs P300 + 2 x M200 The P300 + 2 x M200 set by Circle Labs combines deeply thought-out, comprehensively tested and refined products. They look great, and their sound, combining the sophistication of tubes with the power of transistors, is also extremely musical, co→ HERE and highly expressive. They will play any music in an engaging, smooth, co→ HERE, and at the same time dynamic, energy-saturated way, with great bass and excellent PRAT. It will offer you a unique emotional experience and make you feel (almost) like you were at a concert. This is why it convinces lovers of music and good sound on several continents. Yes, they do make truly world-class audio products in Poland. Be sure to listen to them before you choose products from other brands! → TEST: № 223 ⸜ 16th Nov. 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Grandinote SUPREMO THE SUPREMO AMPLIFIER does not offer a "tangible" sound, but rather a distanced one, showing events behind the line connecting the speakers. It presents impeccable dynamics and excellent attack - it's something absolutely unique, regardless of the money. It is extremely "gat→ hered" internally, it is focused on the sound matter. Listening to music with it, we have to focus more than usual, because we receive so much information that it adds up to a completely new whole, giving a new quality, i.e. real, high-end at its best. → TEST: № 216 ⸜ 15th April 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Soul Note P-3 SPECIAL EDITION The P-3 SE SOUNDS like a pure tube preamplifier. It has all the features of a smooth, fluid, color-rich tube device. Its space presentation is splendid, but it does not bring the sound far into the stage, but rather broadens it and extends it around us. The dynamics are fantastic and give a taste of being close to live instruments. The P-3 Special Edition is a top preamplifier belonging to a group of very few devices of this type that really are the "heart" of the system and feel good about it. → TEST: № 216 ⸜ 1st May 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Western Electric 91 E THE AMERICAN AMPLIFIER DOES EVERYTHING that we expect when listening to a high-end device with 300B tubes. It plays in an incredibly pleasant, smooth way. Although its nominal output is not high, the recordings have a full range, are resolving and have momentum. In pop recordings, we also get lower bass, which will move a lot of air in our room. The American amplifier encourages you to listen to music, not necessarily to audiophile-type listening. → TEST: № 220 ⸜ 18th Aug. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ Vinius Audio TVC 05 SPECIAL EDITION VINIUS AUDIO PREAMPLIFIER maintains the internal co→ HEREnce of the sound, opens up the treble and deepens the bass, and at the same time is perfectly dynamic. The device sounds like a high-end tube preamp, but with better resolution and dynamics than most of them. It has its own character. However, this is a good character, a "tamed" imperfection. A great, very nicely made device that I would put in any, even the most expensive, audio system. → TEST: № 216 ⸜ 16th Apr. 2022, read → HERE |
⸤ SPEAKERS ⸣ ⸜ Ancient Audio VINTAGE HORTEN VINTAGE HORTEN D are extremely good speakers. Their sound has everything one could expect from a music "relay": timbre, density, weight, mass. Let's connect a good file of CD transport to the Ancient Audio loudspeakers, and we will get a compact audio system that will last for years. In addition, one that will play any music, be it better or worse, in an engaged, full way without emphasizing the treble. → TEST: № 218 ⸜ 1st June 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Audio Physic SPARK 6 AUDIO PHYSIC SPARK are a "targeted" product. They depart from full tonal neutrality in the name of precision, speed, dynamics, and above all spaciousness. These elements are at an extremely high level. And I mean it: incredible. They are neither bright nor sharp. The amount of information in the midrange and treble is staggering. For good treatment, they will repay you with phenomenal differentiation and purity of presentation. These pretty big monitors are like Houdini. They disappear leaving us alone with the presentation. Sparks do it phenomenally. → TEST: № 216 ⸜ 16th April 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ Avatar Audio Holophony Nr 2 III HOLOPHONY No. 2 III combine resolution, speed and brilliant "stitching" of drivers. They impress with their design, but we are really paying for the ten years that their designer spent on fine-tuning them. No other manufacturer I know, apart from some companies from Japan, is as precise and as attentive in his work as he is. You must hear it, because these are the best Avatar Audio loudspeakers I have heard. Those who will understand this will be richer with a unique experience. → TEST: № 218 ⸜ 1st June 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Gradient R-5 The GRADIENT R-5 have a special ability of disappearing from the listening room. They do not draw attention to themselves in any way, leaving us alone with the music. You can set them up pretty much any way you want and they'll still perform optimally. Although they are large, they do not emphasize bass. It does extend pretty low, but most of all it's precise and clear. Gradients offer a complex internally refined sound and sound like a single full-range driver, but without the unevenness and coloration audible with most designs of this type. A very, very good design for virtually any type of music. → TEST: № 224 ⸜ 1st Dec. 2022 ⸜ Pylon Audio JADE TWENTY JADE TWENTY appeal to our taste for the retro market. They are distinguished by a modern sound, i.e. resolving, broadband and well-balanced. With "vintage" we get sound building in a tight cocoon between the drivers and us, as well as the immediacy of the presentation. Their appearance is unique and the make&finish are very good. We liked these loudspeakers very much, both visually and soundwise. They offer pure fun, not forgetting that we also want to know what is playing in the system before them and what releases we use. → TEST: № 221 ⸜ 1 Sept. 2022, read → HERE ⸜ TAD EVOLUTION TWO (E2) EVOLUTION TWO are loudspeakers with a sound that cannot be confused with any other. They resemble studio monitors, but with nicer, better saturated colors. They are equally dynamic, differentiating and resolving, but they add sweetness of treble and information-filled sounds. Their tonal balance draws our attention to the midrange and its upper range, because t→ HERE is no hint of coloration in their bass. If this is what we are looking for in music, it will be difficult for us to absolve you if you don't listen to them. → TEST: № 219 ⸜ 16th July 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Closer Acoustics OGY OGY ARE LOUDSPEAKERS that, when properly controlled and positioned will deliver a big, incredibly tangible sound. They sound beautifully co→ HEREnt and show an incredible amount of detail about the recording. However, they are never exaggerated in what they do. These designs are full of life, energy and colors. They could, on the one hand, be uses in a recording studio as near-field monitors, and on the other hand, they will be a great companion for long night listening sessions in the living room. → TEST: № 215 ⸜ 16 March 2022, read → HERE ⸜ JBL L52 CLASSIC The L52 CLASSIC are loudspeakers that deliver a large, expansive sound with a very good tonal balance. But at the same time they are not super-resolving or analytical. They are not typical audiophile loudspeakers, but rather ones that are relaxing and bringing an element of fun to life. And they do it perfectly. The more so that their design, referring to the best JBL features, is fantastic. → TEST: № 213 ⸜ 1 Jan. 2022, read → HERE (PL) 
⸤ HEADPHONES ⸣ ⸜ Ferrum ERCO THE SOUND OF THE POLISH DAC is incredibly friendly, and at the same time selective and clear. The presentation has a soft "underbelly" with it, and at the same time is compact and full. It is able to convey the atmosp→ HERE of the recording in an unforced way. It offers a complete, organized presentation for relatively little money. It is also a very competent headphone amplifier, with a clear, transparent sound that can be tamed by the dark sound of headphones. In a word - another extremely good, and at the same time the most universal and "sonically friendly" Ferrum product. → TEST Z OKŁADKI: № 214 ⸜ 1st Feb. 2022, read → HERE 
⸤ CABLES ⸣ ⸜ KBL Sound FLUID v2 KBL SOUND FLUID v2 have a very well-balanced and structured sound. Their sound is engaging and just plain fun. They do not distinguish anything specific in the sound, but they deliver it in a smooth, balanced way. They introduce order and calmness to the sound, but do not impose these elements on the other elements of the system. It's a very, very nice cabling system at a very attractive price. It will work with any music in any system. As long as it's good music and a good system. → TEST: № 219 ⸜ 16th Sept. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ Katharsis Technology COINCIDENCE The POLISH INTERCONNECT perfectly controls everything, without resorting to sharpening the sound or flattening it. This translates into a presentation that is, on the one hand, transparent to the recordings and the way they are released, and on the other, one that goes so deep into the sound that mistakes, or not fully understandable choices of people from the "other" side of the glass, do not seem so bad. It has a strong top of the band. It has an energetic large part of the bottom end. A presentation with momentum. And yet it does not generate a stream of sound, but an orderly musical message. A perfect example of what many years of research and passion can result in. → TEST: № 221 ⸜ 16th Sept. 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Synergistic Research ATMOSPHERE EUPHORIA SX The SYNERGISTIC RESEARCH SYSTEM sounds in an extremely smooth, warm, dense way. Regardless of the album you listen to, you will have the impression of participating in a real spectacle. The tested cables make the sound fill the space, a bit like when listening through headphones. All this makes the sound incredibly attractive and wonderfully relaxed. It is a cable set for free, lazy afternoons and evenings - "welcome to the club!" → TEST: № 215 ⸜ 1 Mar. 2022, read → HERE 
⸤ POWER ⸣ ⸜ AudioPhase BILBERRY THE LATEST CABLE by Audiophase resembles cables from Japanese companies, such as TiGLON or Hijiri. It is dark, dense and focused on the music. Everything in its presentation is interconnected and "interlocked" - t→ HERE are no "loose tails" → HERE. For PLN 2,300 we get a 2-meter cable with excellent sound. You can hear that it was prepared by someone who loves music and finds themselves in it. And the sound? Sound is just a means to an end → HERE. → TEST: № 222 ⸜ 1 July 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ Furutech PROJECT V1 Furutech's most expensive cable is the top AC power cable. Its sound oscillates around a warm core of sound and connective tissue. It is incredibly dynamic and very resolving. Furutech's Project V1 is like a warm blanket on a cloudy winter day, like evening wine from a good vineyard. I would say that its sound is warm, soft and full. But it is also dynamic and resolving. It binds everything together in a one whole, which has more weight than without such actions. A unique design. → TEST: № 216 ⸜ 1 May 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ GigaWatt PC-4 EVO+ '21 The GIGAWATT PC-4 EVO+ '21 provided excellent dynamics and control of a highly resolving, energetic, but also saturated, smooth and fluid sound. With each good recording, it allowed the system to create a highly engaging, emotionally rich musical spectacle, while ensuring that even a picky, demanding audiophile with expectations other than mine had nothing to complain about. In a word - it is the best conditioner that Marek Dyba has hosted at home. → TEST: № 221 ⸜ 16th Sept. 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Oyaide VONDITA-X NEW, TOP Oyaide cable sounds beautiful. Based on a perfectly saturated midrange, but has clear, clean and pure band extremes. They have a sweet character, they focus more on sustain and decay than on attack, but we are clear that it is an incredibly fast sound. Because it is simply the best cable that Oyaide has ever prepared in its history. → TEST: № 213 ⸜ 16 Jan. 2022, read → HERE ⸜ WK Audio THE RED The LATEST cable from WK Audio is the best cable from this company I've heard. It shifts the center of gravity of the recordings down the scale and bases it on the low midrange and mid bass. The high treble is withdrawn and dark. "Darkness" is a good term in this context - it is the effect of getting rid of unwanted interference and distortion, which is characteristic of the high-end. The fullness of sound that this cable offers is something rare and highly desirable in audio. The most important, however, is the naturalness with which The Red conveys music. → TEST: № 219 ⸜ 1 July 2022, read → HERE 
⸤ ANTI-VIBRATION PRODUCTS ⸣ ⸜ TiGLON TMB-DR20E FOCUS OF THE SOUND, its volume, better extension of the frequency range, greater breath and lower timbre, all add up to what could be briefly described as higher level of enjoyment while listening to music. T→ HERE are better anti-vibration platforms on the market. However, they are much more expensive and much larger. TiGLON TMB-DR20E is very low, does not cost a fortune and will fit into any system, both in terms of sound and design. It's a nice, very nice addition to audio systems, regardless of their price. → TEST: № 222 ⸜ 1 Oct. 2022, read → HERE ⸜ Audio Replas OPT-30HG20SS HR/3P & OPT-100HG-FLAT-SS HR/4P Both Audio Replas models are simply outstanding. The OPT-30HG20SS HR3P feet are more spectacular in operation and will prove themselves in any system - good and bad, expensive and cheap. They improve the resolution by saturating the music with harmonics and bringing order to the presentation. The OPT-100HG-FLAT-SS HR4P model affects the signal in a similar way, but it is more explicit in showing the flaws of the system and recordings. After a test under my loudspeakers, under which I have been using the Acoustic Revive RIQ-5010 discs for several years, i.e. a smoked brown variety, I decided that I would like them to be t→ HERE eventually. I will also use the OPT-30HG20SS HR3P to test devices, because they will get more of their "own" sound from them. → TEST: № 216 ⸜ 16 May 2022, read → HERE 
⸜ GEORGE MICHAEL Older Virgin/Epic | Sony Music Labels SICP-31544-5 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ 18th Nov. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ OLEŚ BROTHERS & DOMINIK STRYCHARSKI Koptycus Audio Cave ACD-001-2022 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ 11th Mar. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ ART BLAKEY & JAZZ MESSENGERS First Fligh to Tokyo. Lost 1961 Recordings → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ 15th Feb. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ IMMANUEL WILKINS The 7th Hand Blue Note | Universal 3832750/Tidal Master → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ 4th Feb. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ THOMAS KESSLER, Close To Silence Hypersensitive Records → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ 1st Oct. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ LUDOVICO EINAUDI Underwater Decca Records → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ 28th Jan. 2022, read → HERE (PL) ⸜ MACIEJ GOŁYŹNIAK TRIO Marianna New Beat Records NBR Vol. 1 → REVIEW: № 214 ⸜ 1st Dec. 2022 → AWARD: ˻ BIG RED BUTTON ˺ ⸜ WOJTEK KAROLAK 80th Birthday Concert AC Records ACR 024 → REVIEW: № 214 ⸜ 22th Jul. 2022, read → HERE (PL) |
IKE EVERY YEAR, WE DIVIDED the list of awarded products into four groups. First you will find the SPECIAL AWARD, which we awarded this year to a Polish company and its designers. We are talking about THUNDER MELODY and Mr. KONRAD RAS and RAFAŁ HŁADZIAK.
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