The complete Positive Feedback Online Writers Choice Awards for 2014 just went live a little bit ago here.
My contributions to the awards are below.
Jeff Day's Awards for 2014
It is always an exciting time of year when the Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards roll around, because I get to tell you about my favorite audio experiences of 2014. It’s always a tough assignment for me, because ye olde beloved Editors of Positive Feedback Online ask us wordy writers to keep it short and sweet, and limit our choices to three. Three!
I can think of at least ten records I want to give awards to! I can think of at least seven audio people I want to give awards to! I can think of six vintage audio components I want to give awards to! I can think of at least four fab record labels to give awards to! I can think of two Editors I want to give awards to! I can think of one streaming jazz station I’d like to give an award to! I can think of … I know, I know, focus, Jeff.
Ok, so I’ll settle down and pick three mighty fine audio components for awards that I wrote about for Positive Feedback Online in 2014. Without further ado, my Writers' Choice Awards for 2014 are:
Mhdt Labs Stockholm V2 USB DAC ($1028 USD)
Yes indeedy, there's a place in my Hi-Fi rig for digital done right, and the Fab Four at Mhdt Laboratory know how to do digital right! One thing I really liked about the Stockholm V2 was the ability to listen to high-rez music files. It doesn't do DSD though, so if you want DSD compatibility you'll need to look elsewhere. What it does do is make digital sound like music, and it'll light up your heart and stimulate your senses with its beautiful presentation of the music.
One thing that I became addicted to during the review period was listening to Northwest Public Radio's new 24/7 KJEM jazz station stream through the Stockholm V2. The Stockholm V2 made the jazz stream come alive! I don't know how the Stockholm does it, but when playing what is assuredly a fairly low-rez stream, it made the music vibrant, colorful, and magically engaging!
My final analysis of the Stockholm V2 was that it is a bargain at $1028. It is not the musical equivalent of 45-rpm records from Analogue Productions, but it does present a wide variety of digital music in a musically satisfying manner, and it put digital music back into my life, so that should tell you something. I think it is more adept musically than many DACs I've heard, and I love the fact that it has opened up my musical explorations to include streaming audio from the web, where the magic it worked on those streaming files simply astounded me.
If you are looking for a USB DAC that can turn your computer into a music machine, I can't think of a better place to start. I’ve got Stockholm V2 syndrome for sure!
You can contact the Fab Four of Mhdt (Mouse, Horse, Dog, and Tiger) at mailto:[email protected] if you have any questions, and to order an Mhdt Lab Stockholm V2 USB DAC for your personal enjoyment, go to the Mhdt web site here.
You can read the whole story about the Mhdt Labs Stockholm V2 USB DAC in Issue 71 (January/February 2014).
The Sophia Electric 91-03 300B Stereo Integrated Amplifier ($6500 USD)
Record after record, the result was pretty much the same: whether I was listening to jazz, classical, opera, or rock & roll I was always immersed into an intense musical experience with the Sophia Electric 91-03 300B integrated amplifier.
I love the way Richard voiced the Sophia Electric 91-03, and I think he truly achieved his goal of combining the best of vintage musicality with modern sonics. In my system the Sophia Electric 91-03 300B integrated amplifier has a warm, natural, colorful, and dynamic sound, which makes music exciting and rewarding to listen to. The Sophia Electric 91-03 is very evenly balanced top-to-bottom, with bass response that is tight, deep, agile, and tuneful, and never overblown the way it is with some 300B amplifiers, and it has highs that sound extended and silky smooth.
Music lovers talk about how single ended triode (SET) amplifiers like the Sophia Electric 91-03 excel in the midrange, and by doing so provide a more direct and intense connection to the music. Over the years I have found the praise of SETs magic midrange qualities to be largely true, and I have really enjoyed listening to the SET amplifiers that have come my way.
What sets the Sophia Electric 91-03 300B SET integrated amplifier apart from all the other SETs I have listened to is that it extends that SET magic midrange up into the highs and down into the lows, and at the same time that it provides an intensely musical experience, it also provides exceptional sonic performance. It is simply the best, most enjoyable, fun to listen to, and exciting SET amplifier I have ever had in my system. As a bonus, the price is very fair.
I really like the Sophia Electric 91-03 300B SET integrated amplifier, it is an exceptionally musical piece of hi-fi electronics, and I can't think of a better choice for the beating heart of your hi-fi system. Yes, indeed, highly recommended!
Sophia Electric products are available around the world from the family owned audio business of Richard and Sue Wugang, through their website here.
You can read the full story about the Sophia Electric 91-03 300B Stereo Integrated Amplifier in Issue 72 (March/April 2014).
The Duelund-WRSE Crossover Project: Duelund CAST SILVER Capacitors & Autotransformers
Frederik Carøe and Magnus F. Pedersen, the principals of Duelund Coherent Audio, are building the highest quality audio capacitors, inductors, resistors, and autotransformers possible without any consideration for cost constraints. Personally, I believe that Frederik & Magnus’ Duelund Coherent Audio CAST product line of capacitors, inductors, and resistors are the finest being made in the world today for audio applications, and each one of them is an impressive work of audio artistry.
Whether you are building an external crossover for your personal loudspeakers, like I did with my Tannoy Westminster Royal SEs (pictured above), or whether you are looking for the very best capacitors, inductors, and resistors being made today for the statement products of your loudspeaker company, the Duelund Coherent Audio CAST SILVER components are the ultimate performance upgrade.
The pair of 6.8 uF Duelund CAST silver capacitors (€7500 each) in the photo above, have been absolutely stunning in the C1 position in the Duelund external crossovers of my Westminster Royal SEs. Placing the silver 6.8uF Duelund CAST capacitors into the C1 positions had a surprisingly dramatic effect, which when you think about it is pretty amazing, considering the already lofty performance level of the copper 6.8uF Duelund CAST capacitors that I normally use in the C1 position.
When I first tried them, I told the readers of my blog, “The result of replacing just the pair of copper 6.8uF Duelund CAST capacitors in my crossovers with the pair of silver 6.8uF Duelund CAST capacitors … and you'll probably be as crushed by hearing this as I was experiencing it … blew my farking mind. They are beyond awesome! Sorry about having to tell you that, because if you're an average bloke like me, you probably can't afford them, and man-oh-man, they are stunningly good, and you'll sure wish you could afford them!”
A few weeks later on Christmas Day, I said, "The Silver Duelund CAST 6.8uF paper-in-oil capacitors are simply amazing! Who would have thought that two capacitors could have such a profound influence on the performance of my system. Having listened to my Hi-Fi rig for a while now with the Silvers in the circuit, I think I can safely say that those two Silver CAST capacitors have made as large a difference in the performance of my system as the entire Duelund external crossovers have, including the rewiring of the WRSEs with the superb Sablon Audio Panatela cabling from Mark Coles."
If that isn’t a rave recommendation, I don’t know what is. All I can say is that if you have deep pockets, you shouldn’t be thinking about anything else but Duelund CAST SILVER capacitors, they are simply amazing.
Custom orders of Duelund CAST components for unique applications are also possible, and for example, Frederik made up a custom set of CAST SILVER autotransformers (above) designed to work with Tannoy Westminster Royal SE and Canterbury SE loudspeakers. Like the CAST SILVER capacitors, the CAST SILVER autotransformers (approximately $6219 USD per pair depending on silver spot prices and exchange rates) offered simply stunning performance installed into my crossovers (below). Like the CAST SILVER capacitors the CAST SILVER autotransformers get my highest recommendation – they are simply amazing.
If you have an idea for an imaginative custom Duelund CAST component, you should consult Frederik & Magnus directly for details about making your dream come true.
Breathtakingly expensive and astonishingly good is the most concise description of the Duelund CAST SILVER capacitors and autotransformers that I can think of.
Duelund Coherent Audio products are available through Parts Connexion in North America. To find out about the availability of Duelund Coherent Audio components in other parts of the world please consult the Duelund Coherent Audio website, and to inquire about special applications or custom orders for specific projects you can contact Frederik Carøe directly at Duelund Coherent Audio for more information.
In you want to read in detail what all the fuss is about with the Duelund Coherent Audio CAST SILVER capacitors and autotransformers, you can read all about it in Issue 74 (July/August 2014).
As always, it is a privilege and delight to be able to write about enthusiast audio for all of you here at Positive Feedback Online, and at my blog Jeff’s Place. I hope you have enjoyed reading about all of these fine audio products in their respective reviews during the year, and I hope you’ll join me in congratulating the Fab Four of Mhdt (Mouse, Horse, Dog, and Tiger) for their Stockholm V2 USB DAC; Richard and Sue Wugang of Sophia Electric for their 91-03 300B integrated amplifier; and Frederik Carøe and Magnus F. Pedersen of Duelund Coherent Audio for their amazing CAST SILVER capacitors and autotransformers. Congratulations to one and all for being selected for the 11th Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards!
