stereophile 2009 best products of the year

FeaturesStereophile's Products of 2009 By Stephen Mejias • December, 2009 I was sitting in the main listening room of In Living Stereo, a small Manhattan hi-fi shop nestled between Greenwich Village and the East Village, when my conversation with store owner Steve Mishoe turned to the economy's current dismal state. In the face of slow sales, Mishoe had noted an encouraging trend: Because we have less money to spend, we want to make sure that what money we do spend goes for products that not only deliver the thrill of something new, but also promise enduring quality. If this is true, then we have reason to celebrate. By shifting our focus from the so-called "latest and greatest" to that which will provide lasting enjoyment, we set ourselves up for some real happiness and fun. Editor John Atkinson had this in mind 17 years ago, when he began our "Products of the Year" ritual. He felt it important to distinguish the truly good products from all the flashy pretenders that too often win the affections of our capricious hearts.


Annually since 1992, then, Stereophile has named a few choice components as its "Products of the Year." We believe these are special products capable of providing musical pleasure far beyond our formal review period. To keep the awards procedure straightforward, we have just five primary categories: Loudspeakers (including subwoofers), Amplification Components (preamplifiers, power amplifiers, etc.), Digital Source Components (transports, processors, music servers, disc players), Analog Source Components (phono cartridges, turntables, tonearms, FM tuners, etc.), and Accessories (all those little extras that keep us busy and satisfied). In a more recent tradition, each of our writers and editors also gets to declare his favorite product. Finally, the two most important categories are self-explanatory: Our overall "Product of the Year" is the best of the best; and my favorite category, Budget Product of the Year, leaves us with the most cash to spend on new records.

The voting went like this: Each of Stereophile's 16 hardware reviewers and editors was asked to nominate up to six components for each category. To be a contender, a product had to have been reviewed in one of the 12 issues of Stereophile from November 2008 through October 2009, in a full Equipment Report, a Follow-Up review, or in one of the regular columns by Art Dudley, Michael Fremer, John Marks, Kalman Rubinson, and Sam Tellig. That way, only those components could be nominated for which a writer had put his opinion in print for public scrutiny. We then compiled a ballot form listing all components nominated by three or more writers and/or editors. This process ensured that most nominees in most categories will have been auditioned by the most reviewers. Each editor or reviewer gave three votes for his first choice in each category, two votes for his second choice, and one vote for his third choice (if any). An unambiguous picture emerged as the votes came in, and the winners became clear. John Atkinson tallied the votes—address your love letters and hate mail to him at stletters@sorc.com. (See JA's comments on how the voting process works.)

The prices listed were current as of the end of September 2009. To order back issues mentioned in this article, call (888) 237-0955, or visit www.stereophile.com (MasterCard and Visa only). "WWW" indicates that the review is available in our free online Archives.

And the winners are . . .

2009 Loudspeaker of the Year
Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX Series 3 ($68,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.32 No.9, September 2009 Review)

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
Aerial Acoustics Model 5B ($2200/pair; reviewed by John Marks, Vol.32 No.6, June 2009 Review)
DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Nine ($6500/pair; reviewed by Art Dudley & Jim Austin, Vol.30 No.12 & Vol.32 No.5, December 2007 & May 2009 Review)
Dynaudio Sapphire ($16,500/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.32 No.1, January 2009 Review)
Hansen Prince V2 ($39,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.32 No.3, March 2009 Review)
Harbeth M40.1 ($12,995/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.31 No.11, November 2008 Review)
PSB Imagine T ($2000/pair; reviewed by Sam Tellig & Kalman Rubinson, Vol.32 Nos.4 & 6, April & June 2009 Review)
Thiel CS3.7 ($12,900/pair; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.31 No.12, December 2008 Review)
Verity Audio Parsifal Ovation ($20,995/pair; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.31 No.12, December 2008)
Verity Audio Sarastro II ($39,995/pair; reviewed by Fred Kaplan, Vol.32 No.4, April 2009 Review)
YG Acoustics Anat Reference II Professional ($107,000/pair; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.32 No.3, March 2009 Review)

The latest iteration of Wilson's heralded MAXX loudspeaker edged out the bold and ambitious YG Acoustics Anat Reference to take the prize in this year's most fiercely contested race. And it was fierce: Though the Wilson and YGA were knotted with five first-place votes apiece, the Wilson earned more votes overall, for a convincing victory. "I guess this means the YG Acoustics Anat is not the world's best speaker, after all," declared Sam Tellig with his evil laugh. Heh-heh-heh. Well, not so fast, Sam. The YGA may still be the best loudspeaker in the world for some listeners, but it's clearly not the best for all. Other contenders with first-place nods were the Hansen Audio Prince V2 and Verity Audio Parsifal Ovation, which tied in votes cast, and our surprising third-place finisher, the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Nine, an excellent all-around performer at an affordable price.

But this is the Wilson's show. The mighty MAXX 3 employs Wilson's Aspherical Group Delay technology, in which the tweeter and one midrange drive-unit are placed in a discrete adjustable cabinet, while the second midrange driver occupies another, separately adjustable cabinet. With its revised driver configuration and crossover network and its supremely dense, nonresonant enclosure, the MAXX 3 offered a mesmerizing, top-to-bottom wholeness that had Mikey Fremer fluttering with joy. John Atkinson and I, swept away by the speaker's effortless power and grace, felt the MAXX 3 produced the best sound we'd ever heard in Mikey's room. Mikey agreed, and the MAXX 3s won't be leaving his room anytime soon. He bought them.

FeaturesStereophile's Products of 2009:
2009 Joint Digital Source Components of the Year




Ayre Acoustics QB-9 USB D/A converter ($2500; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.32 No.10, October 2009 Review)
dCS Scarlatti SACD playback system ($79,996; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.32 No.8, August 2009 Review)
Meridian 808i.2 CD player ($16,995; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.32 No.4, April 2009 Review)


Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
Ayre Acoustics CX7-eMP CD player ($3500; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, Vol.32 No.10, October 2009 Review)
Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 digital processor ($495; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.32 No.5, May 2009 Review)
Boulder 1021 disc player ($24,000; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.32 No.7, July 2009 Review)
Cambridge DacMagic D/A processor ($479; reviewed by Sam Tellig & John Atkinson, Vol.32 Nos.3, 6, & 8, March, June, & August 2009 Review)
Oppo BDP-83 universal player ($499; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, Vol.32 No.7, July 2009 Review)
Wadia Digital 170iTransport ($379; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.32 No.6, June 2009 Review)
Wavelength Cosecant v3 USB D/A processor ($3500; reviewed by Art Dudley, Vol.32 No.6, June 2009 Review)

Our Digital Sources category was the only race for which we could not determine a clear winner, and it seems appropriate that the award would be shared by three companies— Ayre Acoustics, dCS, and Meridian—that live on the cutting edge of design and are always interested in redefining the state of the digital art. The voting couldn't have gotten much closer than this, and we couldn't have been happier with the outcome: Though the Ayre QB-9 USB DAC received votes from the most number of writers (seven), the dCS Scarlatti SACD system and Meridian 808i.2 CD player each received four first-place votes, one second-place vote, and one third-place vote, which added up to the same total. It's also interesting that we've selected three unique products, each the result of a distinct vision. While the Meridian strives to squeeze the best from the familiar Compact Disc format, the Ayre is poised to reap the most from the future of high-resolution downloads, and the dCS system looks, at least for now, to be entirely future-proof.

The gorgeous Meridian 808i.2 uses a proprietary Resolution Enhancement algorithm and a new apodizing reconstruction filter to upsample CD data to 176.4kHz before feeding it to high-quality delta-sigma DAC chips. At levels approaching concert-hall volumes, the 808i.2 produced the correct scale and depth of classical orchestral works while avoiding any midrange congestion or treble hardness, and made John Atkinson a very happy audiophile. The impressive Ayre Acoustics QB-9 USB DAC marries Gordon Rankin's Streamlength software for the Texas Instruments TAS1020B USB receiver chip to Ayre's new Minimum Phase (MP) digital reconstruction filter, while maintaining Ayre's philosophy of zero feedback and fully balanced operation. The result was a huge, physical sound from PC audio files that charged old songs with new life. Wes Phillips had his soul "psychedelicized," and JA was impressed by the way Ayre's asynchronous USB mode handled the grueling Miller/Dunn jitter test.

Finally, the ultracomplex, ultrasophisticated dCS Scarlatti is a four-box system comprising Transport, Clock, Upsampler, and a DAC employing dCS's patented Ring DAC topology and switchable reconstruction filters. This imposing system has an imposing price, but according to Mikey Fremer, it's worth every dime: "dCS has built a jewel of a system that will make you very happy for a very long time, no matter what the audio future brings."

2009 Analog Source Component of the Year


VPI Super Scoutmaster Reference rim-drive turntable ($8200; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.32 No.2, February 2009)

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
Benz Micro ACE phono cartridge ($700; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.32 No.6, June 2009)
Koetsu Coralstone Platinum Mono phono cartridge ($15,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.32 No.5, May 2009)
Miyabi monophonic phono cartridge ($2800; reviewed by Art Dudley, Vol.31 No.12, December 2008 Review)
Ortofon SPU Synergy A pickup head ($1850; reviewed by Art Dudley, Vol.32 No.2, February 2009 Review)
Ortofon SPU 90th Anniversary phono cartridge ($1899; reviewed by Art Dudley, Vol.32 No.4, April 2009 Review)
SME 20/12 turntable w/312S tonearm ($31,995; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.32 No.5, May 2009 Review)
Sony XDR-F1HD FM/AM tuner ($99.99; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.32 No.4, April 2009)

It's surprising to note that the VPI Super Scoutmaster Reference Rim Drive turntable costs nearly $24,000 less than this year's worthy runner-up, the tank-like SME 20/12 'table with its arm. Though our reviewers awarded each turntable three first-place votes, the VPI earned a decisive victory with more votes overall. And while the difference in price between the two 'tables is staggering, it should come as no surprise that our writers were so impressed by the newest addition to VPI's Scout line.

In the Super Scoutmaster Reference Rim Drive, VPI's Harry Weisfeld has fused together several of his favorite design elements, borrowing the Super Platter and JMW-10.5i Memorial tonearm from the standard Super Scoutmaster Reference, and adding to them the Mini-TNT Stabilizer feet and dual-motor/flywheel module of VPI's top-of-the-line HR-X turntable. Most important, it sounded "fantastic," with a punchy, aggressive bottom end and a precise top-to-bottom coherence that kept Mikey listening long into the night. He called it "one of the best values of the true high-end turntables now available," and decided, "Unless you want to move into +$25,000 territory, you could buy one and be done." Now that's the kind of high-quality performance we're talking about!

Stereophile's Products of 2009:
2009 Amplification Component of the Year


Ayre KX-R preamplifier ($18,500; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.31 No.11, November 2008 Review)


Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
Benchmark DAC1 USB Pre D/A preamplifier ($1595; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.32 No.3, March 2009 Review)
Boulder 865 integrated amplifier ($12,000; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.32 Nos.4 & 8, April & August 2009 Review)
Conrad-Johnson Classic SE preamplifier ($1750; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.32 Nos.2 & 7, February & July 2009)
Nagra BPS phono preamplifier ($2399; reviewed by Michael Fremer & Fred Kaplan, Vol.32 Nos.6, 8, & 10, June, August, & October 2009 Review)
Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifier ($8000/pair; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.32 No.9, September 2009 ">Review)
Pass Labs XA30.5 power amplifier ($5500; reviewed by Brian Damkroger & Erick Lichte, Vol.32 Nos.5 & 8, May & August 2009 Review)
Peachtree Nova D/A integrated amplifier ($1199; reviewed by John Marks, Vol.32 No.8, August 2009 Review)
Simaudio Moon I-1 integrated amplifier ($1700; reviewed by Robert J. Reina, Vol.31 No.12, December 2008 Review)
Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8 preamplifier ($15,000; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.32 No.9, September 2009 Review)
VTL MB450 Signature monoblock power amplifier ($15,000/pair; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.32 No.3, March 2009 Review)

Wow. The jewel-like Ayre Acoustics KX-R preamplifier won significantly more first-place votes and more overall votes than any other product in our competition. In fact, with its total of 26 nods, the KX-R doubled the tally of our first runner-up, the magnificent Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock. Put another way, only five of our 16 reviewers chose not to vote for the KX-R, and the majority of those who did ranked it as their top choice. While mention must also be made of the Peachtree Audio Nova D/A integrated amplifier, which won three first-place votes, the Ayre KX-R is certainly respected, admired, and often loved, by all who hear it.

Designed to match Ayre's MX-R monoblock—which in 2007 topped this very category in similarly indisputable fashion—the KX-R is a zero-feedback, fully balanced design milled from a 75-lb billet of aluminum and forming one cool hunk of audio presence. It uses Ayre's Variable Gain Transconductance topology to maintain a constant signal/noise ratio independent of volume setting, for improved resolution of low-level detail. Wes Phillips was convinced. He praised the KX-R for its astonishing transparency, and enjoyed how deep—how very deep—it took him into the soundstage. "If it's not the eighth wonder of the modern world, I say demand a recount."

No recount needed in this poll, Wes. The Ayre is the clear winner

2009 Editors' Choice
John Atkinson: Two solid-state preamplifiers, the Ayre KX-R ($18,500, November 2008) and the Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8 ($15,000, September 2009), both which proved that it is possible to design an active component that lets through more of the music than a straight piece of wire can!

Jim Austin: DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Nine loudspeaker ($6500/pair, December 2007 & May 2009). Art Dudley got it precisely right when he spoke of the Gibbon Nine's "sheer humanity." This loudspeaker may be named for a nonhuman ape, but communicating human emotion, and the deep, human logic of great music, is what it does best.

Brian Damkroger: My "Hang My Name On Component" is the Pass Labs XA30.5 power amplifier ($5500, May & August 2009). I absolutely loved listening to music through the XA30.5, album after album and night after night. Absolutely, positively, and enthusiastically recommended!

Robert Deutsch: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Renaissance preamplifier ($9995, November 2009). If I had to use just three words to name the attributes that make the latest version of the classic CAT special, they would be transparency, resolution, and dynamics.

Art Dudley: Keith Monks Omni Record Cleaning Machine ($6495, May 2009). Are you rich? Do you have lots of records? Then a good record cleaning machine is not a luxury but a necessity. And if you're looking for the best, well, here it is.



Michael Fremer: Ypsilon VPS-100 phono preamplifier ($25,000, August 2009). Class A+. I haven't got over the Ypsilon and I don't expect to for some time. If ever.

Larry Greenhill: Snell Illusion loudspeaker ($50,000/pair, December 2008). The Illusion's dynamic capabilities are almost without equal. Its reproduction of orchestral music has a startling, dynamic, almost Technicolor quality that rapidly became addicting. Over the years, I've auditioned many Snell flagship systems; the Illusion is the most listenable, exciting, and satisfying Type A I've heard to date.

Jon Iverson: Oppo BDP-83 universal player ($499, July 2009). Superb-sounding Blu-ray player at a very affordable price.



Fred Kaplan: YG Acoustic Anat Reference loudspeaker ($107,000/pair, March 2009). I heard these only briefly in Wes Phillips' system, but they were the most natural, neutral, dynamic speakers I've ever heard. This was a bit disconcertingly so at first, but then I realized they sounded odd only because all other speakers I've heard sound at least a little bit colored by comparison.

Erick Lichte: Benchmark DAC1 USB Pre D/A processor ($1595, March 2009). Hook up your computer to the Benchmark's USB input, your phono preamp to the analog input, add amplifier and speakers, and live happily ever after.

John Marks: Luxman L505u integrated amplifier ($3700, April 2009). Luxman's entry-level but heavyweight integrated amplifier delivers sonic authority, tactility, centeredness, continuity, easefulness, soundstage size, image specificity—you name it—in spades. It's the difference between "This is pretty good" and "This is addictive."



Stephen Mejias: PSB Imagine B loudspeaker ($1000/pair, February, April, June, August, and October 2009). With bold sound and looks that belie its modest price, the Imagine B is just so easy to love. Every time I see this cute little thing, I want to hug it. Minding the drivers, of course.

Wes Phillips: Ayre KX-R preamplifier ($18,500, November 2008): Expensive, but exquisitely designed and constructed--and about as close to perfection as any component I have auditioned.

Robert J. Reina: Linn Majik 109 loudspeaker ($1590/pair, May 2009). This speaker has a level of high-frequency reproduction that far exceeds everything near its price. Its only shortcomings are those that you'd expect from a speaker this small: limited low bass and overall dynamics. Other than those, the Majik 109 effectively has no flaws that I can hear

Kalman Rubinson: It is a toss-up between two very different products, the "do everything well" Oppo BDP-83 ($499, July 2009) and, my essential companion, the XTZ Room Analyzer program ($320, November 2008 & November 2009).

Sam Tellig: The Radius Scuba Toothbrush is the product that has given me the most fun recommending all year, but if I am pressed to nominate an audio product, it is the Sony XDR-F1HD FM/AM digital tuner ($99.99, April 2009)


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