Best Hi-Fi Products of the Year! The Absolute Sound names the 2025 Editors Choice Awards
The Absolute Sound is the world’s preeminent source of expert reviews, features, and commentary on high-performance audio and music since 1973.
Siltech Royal Double Crown
Interconnects and Speaker Cables
$18,000/ 1m interconnect;
$34,985/ 2m speaker (WBT);
$15,300/ 2m power cord
Siltech Royal Double Crown Audio Cables Review
Write Up: These silver cables, which based on a 6-core Hexagon construction, deliver a purity of sound that truly is fit for a king. The Royal Double Crown does not deliver razzle-dazzle but a lustrous presentation that is cut from the same sonic cloth throughout the frequency spectrum. The Double Crown’s lack of grain is remarkable. Without sacrificing detail or transient bite, it captures the natural warmth of a string quartet or orchestra, all set against a jet-black background. The low noise level of the cable means that instruments emerge naturally with an almost soothing quality to them. Bass reproduction is full and taut, helping to endow the music with rhythmic solidity and weight. Is there more to be had? The Double Crown is second from the top of the Siltech line, but its performance should satisfy the most exacting audio connoisseur. JHb, 337
The Absolute Sound, Issue 358
Jacob Hielbrunn, The Absolute Sound, Issue 337
Chario Constellation Pegasus Mk2
Stand Mount and Floorstanding Loudspeakers ($5,000 – $10,000)
$6,650
Chario Pegasus Loudspeaker Review by The Absolute Sound
The Chario Pegasus Mk2s are gorgeous new floorstanders from an Italian company with over 45 years of experience. They feature a 1.2” soft=dome tweeter, a 6.6” paper-compound woofer, and a 6.6” paper compound subwoofer aimed down from the bottom into the base. Each tower is slightly swept back, which angles the drivers upward. The cabinets are finished with beautiful walnut, and they are a real pleasure to look at. These are as much furniture as they are speaker cabinets. Happily, they sound just as good as they look: Midrange purity was exceptional, and the top end had some serious sparkle. The bass was solid but not life-changing. The Charios were generally very easy to position and played well with different room shapes. Overall, the Pegasus Mk2 is an absolute gem. DK, 353
The Absolute Sound, Issue 354
Drew Kalbash , The Absolute Sound, Issue 353
B.audio Alpha One
Integrated Amplifiers ($3,000 and Above)
$18,000
B.audio Alpha One Review by The Absolute Sound
Alpha One is B.audio’s medium-power 120Wpc integrated amp with DAC and networking module. Minimalist in design, the passively cooled, dual mono unit runs on two pairs of high-current bipolar transistors. Tonally, the Alpha One was spot-on-neutral and dynamically lively and assertive across the spectrum, with impeccable image focus and clarity. NG felt there was an elevated sense of smoothness and liquidity to the presentation. And a warm warmth and bloom that seemed to cast a pleasing rose complexion over the music. B.audio is a young company with high-end standards, but its Alpha One performed like an old pro. NG considered its TAS debut nothing short of exemplary. NG, 350
The Absolute Sound, Issue 354
Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound, Issue 350
SME Model 12 Mk2 with 309 Tonearm
Turntables and Record Players
$15,599
SME Model 12A, Model 12 Turntable with 309 Tonearm
2020 Editors Choice Product of the Year Award: Best Turntable
Write Up: Replacing SME’s previous entry-level Model 10A, which also came with the 309 tonearm, the Model 12 MK2 represents a substantial leap in performance over what was already an impressive ensemble. It evinces the typical SME house “sound”: all but peerless neutrality, deep background blackness, and dynamic range second to none. A powerful new motor effectively banishes concerns over speed accuracy, stability, constancy, and timing, while its proprietary mat/ clamping arrangement rivals vacuum hold-down. Not only is the 12/309’s sonic performance astonishingly close to that of the company’s flagship models, but it also receives the same standard-setting quality of build, parts, fit, and finish. The 12 MK2 may be the welterweight in the company’s lineup, but it can certainly hold its own in the with the big boys. PS, 306
The Absolute Sound, Issue 358
Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound, Issue 306
SME Model 20
Turntables and Record Players
$35,619 (includes Series V tonearm)
Write Up: This improvement upon the middle model in SME’s lineup now brings it so close to the flagship 30/3 that it’s doubtful their performances can be reliably distinguished on even the highest-resolution setups. Stability, control, and neutrality triangulate the virtues of this and every other SME setup, with an extraordinary impression of foundation plus a deep, deep background blackness that very few competitors can approach, let alone surpass. Built like all SMEs to the highest standards, this setup will last a lifetime. PS, 216
The Absolute Sound, Issue 358
Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound, Issue 216
SME Model 30 Mk2
Turntables and Record Players
$52,779 (includes Series V tonearm)
Mounted with the SME Series V ‘arm, the 30/ 2 impressed PS with its tonal neutrality, pitch accuracy, resolution, transparency, rhythmic grip, ambience, low coloration, and soundstaging. He concluded that its specialness “lies in three related area of sonic performance: background silence, dynamics, and that elusive impression of liveliness that persuades you the music has come alive in your living room.” PS, 154
The Absolute Sound, Issue 358
Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound, Issue 154
SME Model 60
Turntables and Record Players
$75,789 (Starting price with custom finishes optionally available)
Crafting the SME Model 60 TAS Michael Fremer Investigates
SME Model 60 and VA Series Tonearm
A worthy successor to the still-in-production, former “flagship” SME 30 (recently upgraded to Mk2), the larger, moderately higher-mass Model 60 features new adjustable, de-coupled feet, and now hidden within the four support columns, a new, more sophisticated vertical and lateral isolation/ damping O-ring suspension system. The biggest news though is the new Series VA ‘arm exclusive to the Model 60, CNC-machined from an advanced, acoustically inert polymer resin. The new ‘arm, suspension and a few other design enhancements work together to produce SME’s most sophisticated sounding, lowest coloration turntable yet. MF, 333
The Absolute Sound, Issue 358
Michael Fremer, The Absolute Sound, Issue 333
AnalogMagik
Accessories
$1,100
AnalogMagik Cartridge Software Setup Review by The Absolute Sound
Most set-up systems rely on physical alignment of the arm/ cartridge with known physical “ideals.” AnalogMagik changes the game by measuring the distortion of the arm/ cartridge as you adjust it physically. The system comprises a set of test discs that allow adjustment of speed, channel balance, azimuth, VTA, zenith, anti-skating, loading, gain, tracking force, and resonant frequencies. The turntable outputs these test signals to include software running on a laptop so that you can see the distortion results and, in some cases (e.g. VTA), make adjustments in real time. This approach will be easier for some and harder for others. The logic seems compelling to us for a high-end rig. TAS YouTube.
The Absolute Sound, Issue 354
Siltech SAGA Amp System
Power Amplifiers ($20,000 and Above)
$120,000 (preamp and two-chassis amp)
Siltech SAGA System Review by The Absolute Sound
TAS 2013 Technology Breakthrough of the Year Award
This brilliantly engineered, three-box, Class A preamplifier and 360Wpc (into 8 ohms) Class A stereo power amplifier are not just a hybrid of triode tubes and transistors; they are also a hybrid of battery power and AC power, of conventional circuitry and pure light (the SAGA uses a beam of light to bias its resistors). There has never been anything to JV’s knowledge like the Siltech SAGA System. Nor does anything else sound like it. The tube preamp/ amp for the solid-state maven, the transistor preamp/ amp for the tube aficionado, the SAGA manages to combine most of the signal virtues of each amplification device into a preamp/amp with the color, dimensionality, and bloom of glass audio and the resolution, frequency extension, transient speed, low noise, and high control of solid-state. something new and genuinely wonderful sounding under the hi-fi sun, and co-winner of TAS’ 2013 Technology of the Year Award. JV, 239
The Absolute Sound, Issue 358
Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound, Issue 239
About The Absolute Sound
The Absolute Sound network is the world’s preeminent source of expert reviews, ratings, technology features and commentary on high-performance audio and music. Since 1973, The Absolute Sound has set the standard for quality audio and music journalism, helping to shape the industry and guiding audio enthusiasts and music lovers to components and recordings that faithfully reproduce the sounds one might hear in a good concert hall.
The Absolute Sound network provides consumers, manufacturers, and dealers with a broad array of audio coverage including our magazine (print and digital), website, YouTube channel, weekly newsletters, Substack, and podcast. This media reaches over 500,000 audiophiles and music lovers.
Our strategic focus on the growth of audio has led to content for portable audio enthusiasts, listeners in small environments, and traditional two-channel enthusiasts.
Subscribe to The Absolute Sound
