Rubbish in, rubbish out, they are saying – which in hi-fi phrases signifies that you want a very good supply to have a very good total sound.
Instances have been when it was really useful to spend extra on the supply than the rest, and that may nonetheless be true for turntables. With the rise of digital streaming, nevertheless, you could possibly scale back your digital sources right down to a very good DAC, and even ignore them solely and spend the financial savings on a wise amp that may stream.
These are the merchandise which have wowed us during the last 12 months of our magazines Sound+Picture, Australian Hello-Fi, Finest Purchase’s Audio & AVand Esoteric Audioand which symbolize our suggestions of the easiest hi-fi sources out there in Australia in the present day.
For the complete particulars on every winner, try the Particular Awards Difficulty of Sound+Picture journal, on sale now in print and digital editions. Print subscriptions right here; digital points right here!
Now let’s meet the winners!
CD participant
CD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rossini Apex CD Participant/Streamer
AU$49,995
Judges’ Remark: This high-end CD participant from the UK is all arrange for the brand new in addition to the previous – a full digital participant, streamer and preamplifier on the highest ranges of expertise.
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Streamers
STREAMING MUSIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR UNDER $5000
Cambridge Audio MXN10
AU$899
Judges’ Remark: Fronted by the superb StreamMagic app, this little Cambridge streamer is a pocket rocket that may convey streaming smarts to any current audio system.
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STREAMING MUSIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR UNDER $5000
Merging +PLAYER +POWER
AU$34,285 (as reviewed, +PLAYER+POWER)
Judges’ Remark: It’s immediately apparent that the sonics listed below are very good — extremely full, extremely wealthy, extremely detailed. With a full lifetime Roon subscription included within the value, Merging delivers the final word in music streaming and playback.
DACs
DAC OF THE YEAR
Musical Constancy MX-DAC
AU$1595
Judges’ Remark: Our award provides belated recognition for this compact and clear-sounding DAC which simply sits in a system simply doing its job, reliably delivering high-quality D-to-A conversion from its 5 inputs. It has glorious visible suggestions as nicely.
Turntables
TURNTABLE OF THE YEAR UNDER AU$500
Audio-Technica AT-SB2002 Sound Burger
AU$429
Judges’ Remark: We have been stunned to seek out that, whereas topic to the vagaries of being a light-weight moveable battery-powered turntable, the Sound Burger isn’t any toy, and performs vinyl respectfully! We’re delighted the restricted 2022 run has been prolonged for brand spanking new 2023 Sound Burgers.
Click on to learn our full assessment.
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TURNTABLE OF THE YEAR AU$500-AU$1000
Music Corridor Traditional
AU$899
Judges’ Remark: Music Corridor turns to a brand new supply for its ‘Traditional’, and the result’s a high-value turntable that appears nice, is simple to make use of, and delivers efficiency above its value.
Click on right here for our full assessment.
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TURNTABLE OF THE YEAR AU$1000-AU$2000
Cambridge Audio Alva ST
AU$1299
Judges’ Remark: With a built-in phono stage and the flexibility to play through Bluetooth, the Cambridge Audio Alva ST provides versatility in addition to strong replay of vinyl through the rich-sounding Audio-Technica cartridge. It’s a fantastic mid-price turntable.
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TURNTABLE OF THE YEAR AU$2000-AU$10,000
Professional-Ject X2B + Phono Field S3 B
AU$2699 + AU$659
Judges’ Remark: It’s not simply the balanced operation: it’s an impressive moving-coil cartridge, an impressive turntable and an impressive phono stage. What’s to not like?
Click on right here to learn our full assessment.
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TURNTABLE OF THE YEAR OVER AU$10,000
Holbo MkII Airbearing Turntable
AU$12,000 with out cartridge; reviewed with Kiseki Blue N.C.
Judges’ Remark: Pump up the amount! Holbo’s airborne platter and linear-tracking tonearm mix with a fantastic moving-coil cartridge to ship easy perception into recordings on vinyl.
Click on to learn our full assessment.
Phono Stage
VINYL PHONO STAGE OF THE YEAR
Musical Constancy M6x ViNYL
AU$3675
A full-width and totally versatile phono stage from Musical Constancy, with three separate inputs (together with a balanced possibility) every capable of have totally different loadings utilized — and recalled everytime you swap. In the meantime discrete part circuits guarantee an exciting audio expertise from these most delicate of musical indicators.
