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AWARDS 2023 AWARDS
Once a year we summarize the REVIEWs of the last twelve months, searching for the best, most interesting components. That's why, every December, we publish a list of them in "High Fidelity", awarding them with Awards of the Year. Our hope is that it will be a guide for you and will suggest the direction of development of your systems. Let us invite you to read it! |
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AWARDS
text WOJCIECH PACUŁA, MAREK DYBA |
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No 236 January 1, 2024 |
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Another category is STATEMENT AWARD - these are awards given to "best of the best" products. This year we awarded it to five products, including as many as three from Poland. We are very proud of this fact! Before our eyes, the best manufacturers from the our country are becoming part of the world audio scene. And not just as a curiosity, but rather important players. The most numerous group was awarded by us with the BEST SOUND award. In 2023, we REVIEWed and presented more than a hundred products: electronics, speakers, cables and accessories, from which we selected what we think is a representative group. We divided it by product type and listed them in alphabetical order in each subgroup. And finally, there is a group dedicated to recordings that we awarded with the BEST RECORDING. We would like to congratulate all the awarded companies, we are proud to have hosted your products in our homes! And we invite our readers to read, and re-read the REVIEWs, make comparisons and draw their own conclusions. Thank you for your trust - without it, no REVIEW, no description and no award makes sense. Once again - THANK YOU!!! 
⸜ DIVINE ACOUSTICS • Galileo – anti-vibration feet → REVIEW: № 233 ⸜ September 16th. 2023, see → HERE DIVINE ACOUSTICS GALILEO anti-vibration feet are simply excellent. Their mechanical design, the idea behind it, but also the workmanship are for me a model of what such a product should look like. They bring out depth, velvety smoothness, plasticity, energy - everything a recording has to offer. At the same time, they are extremely differentiating, because they don't impose that character on the music. And they are part of the "High Fidelity" reference system. 
⸜ AAVIK • I-880 – integrated amplifier → REVIEW: № 234 ⸜ October 1st 2023, see → HERE It is an outstanding work of art, re-creating the "presented world" of the recording, to use a category used in the study of literature, in a way that is believable and natural at the same time. Its sound is fantastically clear, carrying and fast. And at the same time silky soft and smooth. I didn't experience exaggerated or overblown sound with it on any album. It brings the background sounds out that by almost all other amplifiers are masked. But not to boast about them, but to enrich the presentation. ⸜ KONDO • Gakuoh II – power amplifier → REVIEW: № 234 ⸜ October 1st 2023, see → HERE The Kondo Gakuoh II will fulfill all, the wildest dreams of the 300B tube lovers. Its sound is natural, incredibly deep and fantastically colorful. The presentation is very fast and dynamic. It's speed is expressed in density and naturalness. Dynamics on the other hand builds the diversity of the sound and isn’t heard as something independent. ⸜ GIGAWATT PowerMaster • AC power conditioner → REVIEW: № 233 ⸜ September 1st 2023, see → HERE Gigawatt's new conditioner is a proposition for the top systems, where it will show more than we could imagine. With it we get an incredibly energetic presentation with perfect tonal balance. Its bass is superbly controlled, but has both a soft attack and full sustain. The layers are clear, accurate, without cutting instruments out of their acoustic surroundings. The sound is not at all pushed in our direction, but is rather placed a bit further away, as the stage has great depth. This is simply an excellent conditioner. ⸜ AVATAR AUDIO loudspeakers ⸜ floor-standing. → REVIEW: № 231 ⸜ July 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» The laREVIEW version of Avatar Audio's speakers is still a design you need to get to know, because its sound is different from 99% of speakers on the market. But not because it's "weird," but because the designer has his own patent on them and his own vision of what is most important in audio presentation. Take a listen, and you may find that you have been looking for just that all your life. ⸜ J.SIKORA KV12 Max Zirconium Series • tonearm → REVIEW: № 233 ⸜ September 16th 2023, see → HERE The most important thing about this tonearm is that it makes you listen to music with excitement, with curiosity. There is no room for lingering, there is action, and when necessary you can catch a breath, and there is no exaggeration either way. In Marek Piwowski's Rejs (1970), engineer Mamoń, played by Zdzisław Maklakiewicz, said that nothing happens in Polish film. Here, on the contrary, something is happening all the time. With KV12 Max even the silence carried some energy and made musical sense. And that, I think, is what music is all about. ⸜ ANALOG RELAX EX-2000 ⸜ MC phono cartridge → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 16th 2023, see HERE «PL» A cartridge that costs 99,000 PLN? That's pure madness! And yet... The Analog Relax EX-2000 is a top cartridge that goes a step further than the company's other (less) expensive models. It offers an even better resolution, differentiation, richness and fullness of the sound, extraordinary internal energy, brilliant coherence, smoothness, fluidity and naturalness of sound, and a so incredibly high, intense level of experience that it left it me speechless as I found it really difficult to put into words what I heard while listening to it. So please, don't believe my, imperfect, insufficient words, but rather try to listen to it in a well-composed, top-notch system! I can't imagine that you can regret such, unique experience. 
⸤ DIGITAL SOURCE ⸣ ⸜ AYON AUDIO S-10 II Transport ⸜ audio file transport → REVIEW: № 232 ⸜ August 1st 2023, see → HERE As such transports as Ayon S-10 II-T clearly prove, files can be a source of incredible listening pleasure, offering proper differentiation, resolution and dynamics, and above all naturalness. Which in part should be credited to the DSD link offered by the Austrian device, and its algorithm that converts PCM to DSD, and its excellent design. Great respect and commendation ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺.. ⸜ FERRUM Wandla ⸜ digital-to-analog converter → REVIEW: № 230 ⸜ June 1st 2023, see → HERE Wandla with the switching mode power supply we buy it with is great, it's a device that deserves a RED FINGERPRINT award. But with Hypsos it's a top-of-the-line system that fully deserves our GOLD FINGERPRINT. ⸜ ANCIENT AUDIO Compact Disc transport → REVIEW: № 227 ⸜ March 1st 2023, see → HERE The Polish Compact Disc transport is great at what it does. It offers disciplined, well-differentiated sound. Its timbre is focused on the midrange and its higher part. Unlike when this range is emphasized, however, the sound is not bright. On the contrary, it often seems creamy and smooth. However, it has a punch, an attack that results in an open and fast sound. ⸜ DIGITAL AUDIO SYSTEMS Model 3 ⸜ audio file player → REVIEW: № 235 ⸜ November 1st 2023, see → HERE The HD-Player Model 3 from Digital Audio Systems is a beautifully built device. Beautiful also in the sense that it is honest. The point is that everything about it is refined and well thought out. Similarly, by the way, as its performance. The latter realizes the intention of the designer, who did not try to render it in the most neutral way possible, because with files this strategy usually fails. Instead, he tried to make the recordings sound as natural, even physiological, as possible. ⸜ dCS Lina ⸜ file player & master clock & headphone amplifier → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» Lina is an excellent system that should be treated as a full-fledged audio system. I know, I know - the Bartók may seem more interesting because it is ... big. But, for me - and this is my personal opinion - the Lina is not inferior, and in terms of such features as sonic balance and resolution - even better. And there is, after all, an excellent, truly reference headphone amplifier in the series, which can be an object of desire even for blasé reviewers like me. ⸜ LUMIN D3 ⸜ file player → REVIEW: № 235 ⸜ November 1st 2023, see → HERE Lumin's D3 file player is a highly resolving, colorful device. It plays any kind of music with commitment and panache. It has limitations, that much is clear. These consist primarily, in the not-quite-clear farther layers of the soundstage and in bringing different recordings closer together in terms of tone. It will always deliver big, dense and warm presentation. ⸜ MERASON DAC 1 Mk II ⸜ digital-to-analog converter → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» This is a DAC of perfectly balanced proportions, with an internally complex, refined sound. The latter is slightly lowered, with strong support in the mid-bass and in the breakthrough with the midrange. The treble, on the other hand, is selective, resolving, but also dense and more "loose" than "biting." So there's no denying that this is a device primarily for people who have or love a turntable. It's a dynamic, energetic presentation with a clear sonic signature in which richness and density are most important. Because these two features of the sound are what we really rarely get with such class. 
⸤ ANALOG SOURCE ⸣ ⸜ REGA Naia ⸜ turntable → REVIEW: № 235 ⸜ November 16th 2023, see → HERE The British design is an extremely versatile turntable. It shows a dynamic and energetic world of music, using a wide range for it. But there is nothing in this sound that forces us to do anything. Nor is there a shadow of nervousness. And yet we know, we know very well, that this is a very resolving and neutral sound. The Rega Naia is an exceptional summary of the company's 50 years on the market and a worthy culmination of its 50th anniversary celebration. ⸜ MOLA MOLA Lupe ⸜ phono preamplifier → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» On the one hand, it's a preamplifier that meets the requirements of a "tool," that is, it gives you a set of features to quickly evaluate the sound and describe it. But at the same time, it's a product that doesn't step over the line dividing what's exciting and new from what's irritating and annoying. Because it is a sound, in fact, with a silky finish, dense and deep. With perfectly reproduced band extremes, but drawing our attention primarily to its midrange. And with powerful, beautifully arranged space. Add to that phenomenal energy, and it turns out to be one of the best phono preamplifiers on the market, regardless of price. 
⸤ AMPLIFICATION ⸣ ⸜ ACCUPHASE C-2300 ⸜ line preamplifier → REVIEW: № 234 ⸜ October 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» While in the case of the C-2300, every aspect of the sound has been taken care of individually, the goal was a certain end result, a whole that makes you focus on the music rather than analyzing the sound, although if the quality of the latter leaves a bit to be desired you will still recognize it. Only that with this preamplifier you will always be able to correct many issues, at least to some extent thus enhancing the musical experience. ⸜ AYON AUDIO Crossfire Evo Delta ⸜ integrated amplifier → REVIEW: № 230 ⸜ June 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» The newest representative of the Crossfire family combines the advantages we love SET amps for, with the strengths that are often listed among the advantages of solid-state competitors. Higher power from the PSE means excellent speakers control, lower bass extension and proper, powerful punch, extraordinary energy and above-average dynamics. All the above features are still complemented by a beautiful, colorful, juicy, dense and resolving midrange, but also by equally refined, delicate, in the best sense of the word, open, clean, airy, and sonorous treble. The whole impresses on the one hand with momentum and energy, on the other with extraordinary fluidity and naturalness of presentation. This is an amplifier that can reconcile discerning supporters of both technologies. MD. ⸜ AURORASOUND HFSA-01 ⸜ integrated amplifier → REVIEW: № 230 ⸜ June 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» For a long time there has been a lack of a small tube amplifier on the market that would work equally well with speakers and with headphones. The Aurorasound HFSA-01 fills this gap perfectly, as if it had always been there. It offers an open, clean sound with remarkable energy. Its sound is not muffled or lifeless, as large devices tend to be. At the same time, it has enough authority at the bottom of the band to show the scale of events, the volume of instruments and the depth of the soundstage. ⸜ FEZZ AUDIO Silver Luna Evo ⸜ integrated amplifier → REVIEW: № 230 ⸜ June 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» The amplifier is inexpensive, well made and has a fantastic design. I like best the colors bearing the company's names Evergreen and Big Calm, but you may disagree and choose any of the seven available lacquers. The important thing is that it's a large selection that you don't have to pay extra money for. Well, and its sound is extremely relaxing, calming, full. It's not a step up from the first version of the amplifier, but two, maybe even three, in every respect. ⸜ SOULNOTE A-3 ⸜ integrated amplifier → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» The A-3 offers warm presentation with lots of information. It's a dense sound with large phantom images and an important role of the foreground. But these phantom images are also three-dimensional with well-defined bodies. There is also a deep, even very deep, soundstage. There are plenty of exciting elements and details in this presentation, but listener’s focus is never on them but rather on the „big picture”. It will give you a chance to fall in love with your albums all over again. 
⸤ LOUDSPEAKERS ⸣ ⸜ STRUSS PL 20 ⸜ loudspeakers - floor-standing → REVIEW: № 233 ⸜ September 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» |
With their very low coloration, the PL 20 from Struss are indeed very versatile speakers. They combine seemingly opposing qualities like clarity and openness with darkness and fill. They will appeal to anyone looking for an exciting sound at good money, but one that won't kill them with detail. These designs play well both listened to quietly and loudly. They have enough headroom for really loud listening without overdriving. These are extremely well-designed speakers at an absurdly low price. ⸜ CIARRY C8 ⸜ loudspeakers → REVIEW: № 232 ⸜ August 1st 2023, see → HERE The main strength of the C8s lies in the fact that they transmit energy in a way that translates into a particular coherence of sound. Their presentation is built from a myriad of small pieces of information, and it's only these that add up to something bigger. Maybe that's why one listens to music with them in such comfort - because we are not forced into anything. They offer a perfectly deep stage with clear layers and instruments complete the picture. These are very, very pleasant speakers to listen to, easy to drive even for tube amplifiers. ⸜ CLOSER ACOUSTICS Forlane ⸜ speakers - floor-standing → REVIEW: № 230 ⸜ June 1st 2023, see → HERE FORLANE ARE THE SMALLEST floor-standing loudspeakers from Closer Acoustics. However, they seem to be very important to the manufacturer, as they were used for the company's 10-year anniversary logo. And they are also, next to the Ogy, the most well-balanced Closer Acoustics designs that get into listener’s head very easily. A beautiful summary of ten years of being in audio business. ⸜ GAUDER AKUSTIK Capello 40 Be Double Vision ⸜ loudspeakers - floor-standing → REVIEW: № 228 ⸜ April 1st 2023, see → HERE With the Capello 40 Be I liked jazz and small ensembles of classical music, including piano, best. However, they are not exclusionary speakers either, as they will also play rock and electronica very pleasantly. Perhaps for the first time we will hear with this type of music how the various sources are positioned on stage, because these are very resolving speakers. Their dynamics are high and not at all like the dynamics known from speakers with crossovers of this type. Maybe the smallest in the series, maybe not the most expensive in the range, but with a big heart - Gauder Akustik Capello Be. ⸜ MOBILE FIDELITY 3/5a ⸜ loudspeakers - bookshelf speakers → REVIEW: № 231 ⸜ July 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» The version of the BBC LS3/5a speakers offered by Musical Fidelity is excellent. Its sound is not colored in the lower midrange, yet the scale is thrilling. Also, there is a precise location of phantom images on the stage. When needed in stereophony in front of us, and at other times around us and behind us. The speakers disappear from the room and this is not a trite "cliché", but a fact. ⸜ MOBILE FIDELITY SourcePoint 10 ⸜ loudspeakers - bookshelf speakers → REVIEW: № 226 ⸜ February 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» These speakers deliver a big sound with a powerful soundstage. They are precise and believable, without being over-analytical or brightening the sound. The treble are carried very evenly and cleanly all the way to the top, without veiling anything. They will give us a lot of joy and allow us to listen to recordings in a more conscious way than many other designs. Very, very good speakers. ⸜ QUALIO IQ ⸜ loudspeakers - floor-standing → REVIEW: № 226 ⸜ February 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» These speakers are ideal for long listening sessions. They don't limit us to a certain type of music, nor do they scare us away from music recorded not as well as we would like them to be. Everything will sound really nice with them, Dynamics are calmed down, so we won't get sudden jumps and nothing will "hit" us. But they are just that kind of speakers - friendly both to us, the listeners, and to the music. ⸜ JBL 4329p ⸜ loudspeakers - active → REVIEW: № 231 ⸜ July 1st 2023, see → HERE «PL» The laREVIEW proposal from the American company JBL is an example of how three elements of an audio system can be combined: speakers, amplifiers and source (file player) so that the whole is visually attractive, easy to use, and emotionally engaging when playing music. These are speakers that create a large space, offer excellent dynamics, go low with the bass and are not jazzy; I would even say their sound is warm. 
⸤ CABLES ⸣ ⸜ STAGE III CONCEPTS A.S.P. Reference Ckahron Limited Edition ⸜ speaker cable → REVIEW: № 234 ⸜ October 1st 2023, see → HERE The Ckahron plays warmly, plays densely and plays with an emphasis on the midrange. But the sound is fast, agile with it. And this is because, I assume, it maintains time coherence between all sub-bands. That's why we have both a rounded attack and excellent, powerful sound filling. This is a cable that will steer your audio system towards "analog" in general. It will add color, give it depth and straighten out - if there are any - anomalies in the higher midrange. This is a very cool, detail-oriented cable with a "forgiving" character for all who know what high-end is and how it manifests itself. ⸜ WK AUDIO TheRed ⸜ speaker cable → REVIEW: № 233 ⸜ September 1st 2023, see → HERE TheRed is a relatively inexpensive, and truly high-end cable that fits into a system one adds it too, and while it does modify the sound in its own way, it does so not against the system, but empathetically, along with it. It is inexpensive in the context of other manufacturers' cable prices. It plays dynamically, strongly and has a velvety attack and vibrant sustain. Low, powerful bass and a perspective shifted deeper into the stage are its other hallmarks. ⸜ TiGLON TPL-2000R & TPL-2000SP ⸜ analog interconnect + speaker cable. → REVIEW: № 230 ⸜ June 1st 2023, see → HERE Any of these cables can work in any system, where they will show all the advantages I wrote about in their individual REVIEWs. But used together they will highlight their strengths. And it is focused, dense sound with great energy and "attack". The cabling system, while warm in expression, does not slow down the presentation, but actually energizes it. ⸜ NEXT LEVEL TECH Flame SPKR-S ⸜ speaker cabl → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» The key to this cable seems to me to be the calmness maintained with any signal, the consistency with any recording and the smoothness with all types of recordings we can think of. Its tonality is focused on the midrange, of that there is no doubt. It's carried out sensitively, however, so we'll really find it hard to say that the lows or highs are in its shadow. It's an exceptionally coherent sound picture. 
⸤ POWER ⸣ ⸜ Audio Illuminati POWER REFERENCE II ⸜ AC power cable → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» The Power Reference II cable builds large scale sound, and builds it in a dense and midrange-focused way. With it, you'll get a very well put together, spatially and timbre-wise, presentation in which you'll be surprised by the high resolution - surprised when you know how much this cable costs. Much more expensive designs go deeper into the fabric of the tracks, but you'll need a really high-end listening system to notice this. A superbly built, very good-sounding power cable with an extremely versatile effect on sound. Really worth it. ⸜ SOYATON Benchmark mk² ⸜ power cable → REVIEW: № 236 ⸜ December 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» The Soyaton Benchmark Mk 2 is a cable of exceptional beauty. Made by hand, it does not represent a craftsmanship from under the Florian Gate, if you know what I mean, but a high-end approach to product. And then there's the sound, which you will miss after you unplug the cable from your system. It offers a beautifully put together, deep sound with high dynamics and a sonorous treble that will grace any system, from tube to solid-state, those with digital sources in the lead role, as well as those with analog ones. Congratulations to the designer! ⸜ CYRUS PSU-XR ⸜ power supply unit → REVIEW: № 235 ⸜ November 16th 2023, see → HERE → AWARD: RED Fingerprint Adding an external power supply to any Cyrus component translates into an improvement in all aspects of sound, with emphasis on those I wrote about above. These are not cosmetic changes, but fundamental, as if we were listening to a new product. Seemingly the same, because the basic structure of the sound, its character, do not change, and yet different, because more refined. 
⸤ ANTI-VIBRATION PRODUCTS ⸣ ⸜ PRO AUDIO BONO Ceramic 70 Uni-Foot ⸜ anti-vibration feet → REVIEW: № 227 ⸜ March 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» Pro Audio Bono anti-vibration feet are among the best products of this type in the world. They are mechanically well thought out and superbly made. Their effect on sound is versatile, but the most important thing about them is resolution. They allow audio devices to bring out something more from the signal, something "extra" that was in it, but masked by other sounds, buried under the noise. They are part of the HIGH FIDELITY reference system. ⸜ GRAPHITE AUDIO Classic 100 Ultra ⸜ anti-vibration platform → REVIEW: № 230 ⸜ June 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» This is a high-end product that seems to come from a company with years of experience. It's not cheap, but the best products of its kind, to cite Thunder Melody, are also expensive. And at the same time, the platform is superbly made, with respect for detail and proportion, which is a bonus. The platform is part of the HIGH FIDELITY reference system. ⸤ ANTI-NOISE PRODUCTS ⸣ ⸜ Shunyata Research ALTAIRA CG-NR ⸜ artificial ground → REVIEW: № 235 ⸜ November 1st 2023, see → HERE The changes made by Altair are more valuable than replacing some other device. The latter may change the timbre, dynamics, soundstage, but will not improve the structure of the sound, how it is built - which is what Shunyata's artificial ground does. And it does it perfectly. The sound is most distinct, purer, better defined and cleaner with it. The relations between instruments are also shown more clearly with it. It may seem like not much of a change, but at the high-end level they are significant. ⸜ THUNDER MELOD Akcelerator Black accRCA + accSpeaker + nanoGraal passive noise filters → REVIEW: № 233 ⸜ Septemner 16st 2023, see → HERE It is easy to discriminate products like Accelerators. Because they bring complications to the system, because they lengthen the signal path, because the changes that the materials used in them bring to the audio signals are measurably small (although you can see them in measurements). Go ahead and offer some creative contributions. You'd have to be a fool, however, not to appreciate their impact after you've applied them in your own. 
⸜ CZESŁAW NIEMEN on SACD discs ⸜ Part 1 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ October 20th 2023, see → HERE «PL» ⸜ GEORGE MICHAEL Older Virgin/Epic | Sony Music Labels SICP-31544-5 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ November 18th 2023, see → HERE «PL» ⸜ ADAM MAKOWICZ Blue Sapphires AC Records 028 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ September 8th 2023 → HERE «PL» ⸜ THOMAS KESSLER Fragile Hypersensitive Records HRCS 004 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ January 13th 2023, see → HERE «PL» ⸜ ADAM CZERWIŃSKI, No Name Yet AC Records AC29 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ November 17th 2023, see → HERE «PL» ⸜ JOHN SCOFIELD Uncle John's Band ECM Records/Universal Classic Jazz & Rock UCCE-1201/2 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY ⸜ November 16th 2023, see → HERE «PL» ⸜ CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH Württemberg Sonatas wyk. KEITH JARRETT → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ August 18th 2023, see → HERE «PL» ⸜ RIVERSIDE ID.Entity Mystic Production/Sony Records Int’l SICP 31600 → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ February 28th 2023, see → HERE «PL» ⸜ G. Ph. TELEMANN 12 Fantasias for Viola solo Perf. Michał Bryła → REVIEW: HIGH FIDELITY NEWS ⸜ February 28th 2023, see → HERE «PL» |
S WE DO EVERY YEAR, we have divided the list of awarded products into four groups. First you will find SPECIAL AWARD. We awarded it this year, and in the previous year as well, to a Polish company and its designers. We are talking about the DIVINE ACOUSTICS and Mr. PIOTR GALKOWSKI, and the pretext was Galileo anti-vibration feet.
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