Amplification Component of the Year
Bel Canto Design Black amplification system ($50,000/system; reviewed by Michael Fremer & John Atkinson, July & October 2015, Vol.38 Nos. 7 & 10 Review)
Described by Bel Canto Design as an amplification system, the Black is a three-box integrated amplifier in which one box (the ASC1) serves as a digital preamplifier and system clock, and the other two boxes (the MPS1Ps) are monoblock amplifiers with a digital input and a class-D output stage, each capable of passing 1200W across a 2 ohm load. The ASC1, most of whose inputs are digital, also handles DSD, and can be controlled by means of an iPhone/iPad app, a remote-control handset, or its own built-in multifunction knob. Through the Black system, Michael Fremer heard some of the best "Red Book" CD sound of his experience, and enjoyed "velvety-rich, three-dimensional sound" from his high-resolution files. Irrespective of source, he declared the Bel Canto Black "the best-sounding implementation of class-D technology" he has heard to date.
Notes on the Votes: Unlike last year's Products of the Year celebration, in which the winners were more or less evenly divided between solid-state and tubed designs, 2015 appears to have been a banner year for Our Friend the Transistor: Only the Line Magnetic LM-518IA integrated amp and the VAC Signature SE preamplifier use tubes. But don't read anything into that.
Finalists (in alphabetical order
Ayre Acoustics AX-5 Twenty integrated amplifier ($12,950; reviewed by Art Dudley, August 2015, Vol.38 No.8 Review)
Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty preamplifier ($27,500; reviewed by John Atkinson, December 2014, Vol.37 No.12 Review)
Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty monoblock power amplifier ($29,500/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, August 2015, Vol.38 No.8 Review)
Bricasti Design M28 monoblock power amplifier ($30,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer & John Atkinson, May & August 2015, Vol.38 Nos. 5 & 8 Review)
Line Magnetic LM-518IA integrated amplifier ($4450; reviewed by Herb Reichert, October 2015, Vol.38 No.10 Review)
PS Audio Sprout integrated amplifier ($499; reviewed by Herb Reichert, May 2015, Vol.38 No.5 Review)
Simaudio Moon Evolution 860A power amplifier ($15,000; reviewed by Fred Kaplan, August 2015, Vol.38 No.8 Review)
VAC Signature SE preamplifier ($26,000 with phono stage, as tested; reviewed by Robert J. Reina, June 2015, Vol.38 No.6 Review)
Notes on the Votes: Unlike last year's Products of the Year celebration, in which the winners were more or less evenly divided between solid-state and tubed designs, 2015 appears to have been a banner year for Our Friend the Transistor: Only the Line Magnetic LM-518IA integrated amp and the VAC Signature SE preamplifier use tubes. But don't read anything into that.
Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty preamplifier ($27,500; reviewed by John Atkinson, December 2014, Vol.37 No.12 Review)
Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty monoblock power amplifier ($29,500/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, August 2015, Vol.38 No.8 Review)
Bricasti Design M28 monoblock power amplifier ($30,000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer & John Atkinson, May & August 2015, Vol.38 Nos. 5 & 8 Review)
Line Magnetic LM-518IA integrated amplifier ($4450; reviewed by Herb Reichert, October 2015, Vol.38 No.10 Review)
PS Audio Sprout integrated amplifier ($499; reviewed by Herb Reichert, May 2015, Vol.38 No.5 Review)
Simaudio Moon Evolution 860A power amplifier ($15,000; reviewed by Fred Kaplan, August 2015, Vol.38 No.8 Review)
VAC Signature SE preamplifier ($26,000 with phono stage, as tested; reviewed by Robert J. Reina, June 2015, Vol.38 No.6 Review)
