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AWARDS

A.D. 2025 AWARDS

Once a year we summarize our tests from the past twelve months, looking for the best, and most interesting devices. That's why we publish their list in “High Fidelity” every December, giving them Awards of the Year. Our hope is for this list to be a guide for you, offering you some advice on how to develop your systems with an even better performance in mind. You’re welcome to read it!

KRAKOW ⸜ WARSAW » POLAND


AWARDS

text by WOJCIECH PACUŁA, MAREK DYBA
translation Marek Dyba
graphic design by Bartosz Łuczak/Piksel Studio

No 260

January 1, 2026

LIKE EVERY YEAR, WE HAVE DIVIDED the list of award-winning products into four groups. First, you will find the SPECIAL AWARD. This year, we have awarded it to two com-panies. One goes to the Japanese publisher Sakuraphon and Mr. HISAO NATSUME, and the other to Poland, to J.Sikora. This is an interesting arrangement because last year we also had companies from the same countries in this place.

The next category is the STATEMENT AWARD – these are awards given to the “best of the best” products. This year, we awarded it to as many as eight products (!). This means that in 2025, we tested more expensive products than in previous years, and that many of them turned out to be formative products for their respective categories.

The largest group was awarded our BEST SOUND award. As in the previous year, we tested and presented over a hundred products: electronics, speakers, cables, and accessories, from which we selected a group that we consider representative. We divided it according to product type and listed them in alphabetical order in each subgroup.

Finally, we have a group dedicated to recordings that we have awarded the BEST RECORDING.

We would like to congratulate all the award-winning companies. We are proud to have hosted your products in our homes and setups! We invite our readers to read, re-read the tests, compare and draw their own conclusions. Thank you for your trust – without it, no test, no description and no award would make sense. Once again – THANK YOU!!!


HISAO NATSUME sakuraphon
record label
» JAPAN

SAKURAPHON is a Japanese record label known of reissues of historical piano recordings, derived mostly from 78 rpm shellac records, but also from rare master tapes. The label was founded by Mr. Hisao Natsume in 2008 with the intention of releasing CDs. His passion is shellac records, so it is no surprise that the label specializes in reissues of this type of record.

What is more, its founder is also a fan of piano music. That is why, as we read, he is involved in reissuing “unknown masterpieces by legendary and forgotten masters of 19th-century piano music”. And he does it perfectly, restoring extremely rare recordings with refined sound to the music world.

⸜ INTERVIEW: № 248 • 16th. January 2025, see → HERE

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J.SIKORA aspire
turntable & tonearm
» POLAND

Never before has J.Sikora offered a such affordable turntable as the Aspire. As it turns out, Robert Si-kora and Adam Niezbecki, who designed it, did a great job. It is a complete design, including the deck and the tonearm.

The Aspire is superbly built, offers truly high-end sound, and yet it is compact. As I mentioned, it is an exceptional turntable in every respect. It is a beautiful example of transferring expensive, top-of-the-line solu-tions to a level acceptable to a wider group of music listeners.

⸜ TEST: № 257 • 16th. September 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺


ACOUSTIC REVIVE
rtp-4eu final & absolute power cord-k
power strip & power cable AC
» JAPAN

We are presenting these two products together because that is how they were designed and how they work in our reference system. They have replaced the previous top-of-the-line designs from this Japanese company, which had been used in our editorial office for many, many years – and that says something.

Both are among the best products of their kind that I know, and in the case of the power strip – per-haps the best. The RTP-4EU Final introduces warmth, inner calm, and sophistication to the sound. It lowers the center of gravity and gently curbs the excesses of high frequencies. The power cable, on the other hand, is selec-tive, energetic, shows full bass and saturated midrange, and differentiates high frequencies perfectly. And it is extremely natural at the same time.

⸜ TEST: № 258 & № 259 • 1st. Oct. & 1st. Nov 2025, see → HERE & → HERE

⸜ ˻ REFERENCE SYSTEM HIGH FIDELITY ˺

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AVATAR AUDIO holophony numer 1
loudspeakers ⸜ floor-standing
» POLAND

NUMBER 1 are floor-standing speakers, consisting of two modules, for mid-high and low frequency, which use cone drivers manufactured in the early 1970s at the latest, often from the 1950s and 1960s, with very low pow-er handling (maximum 20 W), so that “the diaphragms can be very light and delicately suspended”, and thus “able to reproduce the finest details with the utmost precision and speed”. These are drivers featuring diaphragms made of paper.

Avatar Audio's top model also delivers top-notch sound in every respect. Formally refined, emotionally rich, beautiful. These are the company's best speakers and among the best on the market, regardless of price. If you don't need to play music very loudly (but that doesn't mean quietly), Czariusz speakers can be the icing on the cake for your system.

⸜ TEST: № 257 • 1st. Sept. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

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AYON AUDIO spheris evo linestage
preamplifier
» AUSTRIA

The Ayon Audio Spheris Evo Linestage linear preamplifier is another product that has remained in our reference system this year, replacing the previous version. It is also the best linear preamplifier I have ever listened to. It conveys music in such a beautiful way that I wonder how I could have lived without it. This is because with the new Ayon, the sound is presented more like “live” than with any other preamplifier I know. In the sense that it is less “hi-fi.”

⸜ TEST: № 254 • 1st. June 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

⸜ ˻ REFERENCE SYSTEM HIGH FIDELITY ˺

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HARBETH m40.5 xd2
loudspeakers • stand-mounted
» GREAT BRITAIN

The HARBETH M40.5 XD2 are objectively the best speakers this company has produced in its forty-odd years of history. They are also among the best speakers for medium-sized rooms that I know of. At the same time, they are priced more than modestly – elsewhere, you would have to pay two or even three times as much for sound of this class. These are full-range designs with incredible dynamics and great resolution. Their tonality is surprisingly consistent and set quite low. They also create a three-dimensional spatial image with great depth of soundstage. Beautifully vintage in design and appearance, but surprisingly modern in sound.

⸜ TEST: № 251, 1st Apr. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

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SME 60 + va
turntable + tonearm
» GREAT BRITAIN

The TOP-OF-THE-LINE SME turntable sounds absolutely neutral, but it is tonally rich and sensitive to the emo-tional changes recorded in the music. It is also extremely dynamic, presenting dynamics as something related to the music, rather than something that controls it from the outside. It plays with a nice, low bass, and only the best digital systems go lower. This device does not embellish the world. It is an excellent tool that fully im-plements the principles of “high fidelity”.

⸜ TEST: № 250, 1st. Feb. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT

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TAIKO AUDIO
olympus server xdmi + olympus i/o xdmi
audio files server/transport
» DENMARK

AUDIO FILES TRANSPORT by Taiko Audio plays with incredibly low and deep bass, there is also an almost warm, but actually natural midrange, and we also have an exceptionally resolving, accurate, saturated treble. The dynamics seem to have no limits, although in this case it is mainly about micro-dynamics. This reminds me of what I know from analog tapes. The space is huge, but precisely organized. It is one of the best digital sources I know. And one of the best audio signal sources in general.

⸜ TEST: № 250 • 1st. Feb. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

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THUNDER MELODY
ground hub black edition
anti-vibration platform/artificial ground
» POLAND

The GROUND Hub Black Edition is the best product in the Thunder Melody range that I have tested, and therefore one of the best on the market. It is better than my Nordost artificial ground, and also better than most of the platforms I have tested. In addition, it combines two elements in one product. As I wrote in the test: "Yes, it's a lot of money. But it also sounds f***ing good."

⸜ TEST: № 259 • 1st. Nov. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

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YPSILON ELECTRONICS hyperion
power amplifier • monaural
» GREECE

The Ypsilon Hyperion amplifiers are the best devices of this type I have ever had at home. It is not just a machine, but something like a “ghost in the machine”. The closest thing to it would be the 711 Mk II amplifier from the Swiss company FM Acoustics. But even so, the Greek amps show something even better. It is an outstanding device, one of the best I have ever dealt with in my life. No sugary sound, yet sweet, resolving, and never “piercing”. Simply put: a REFERENCE.

⸜ TEST: № 255 • 1st. July 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺


˻ HEADPHONE SYSTEMS ˼

FINAL AUDIO dx6000
headphones • dynamic, over the ear
» JAPAN

JAPANESE headphones are a special case of sound, which on the one hand seems dark, and on the other is rich in information. With a powerful amplifier, Final Audio DX 6000 will be one of the most pleasant-sounding designs on the market, which is also highly resolving one. What's more, listening to them for several hours will be just as comfortable as sitting in front of speakers.

⸜ TEST: № 253 • 1st. May 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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VIVA egoista 2a3
headphone amplifier • tube
» ITALY

The Italian Egoista 2A3 tube amplifier allows you to understand what directly heated triodes, such as the 2A3, are all about. That is why it is an amplifier that you can fall in love with. If someone finds that it lacks highs or lows, please don't be angry, but I say this with affection and love, that their hearing is out of calibration and that it's high time they listened to something with a complex and balanced sound. For example, an amplifier like the Egoista 2A3.

⸜ TEST: № 255 • 1st. July 2025, see → HERE


˻ ANALOG SOURCE ˼

DS AUDIO DS grand master extreme & tb-100
cartridge • optical + phono stage
» JAPAN

DS AUDIO Grand Master Extreme & TB-100, phono cartridge and preamplifier: one of the best cartridges on the market plus the brand's only tube preamplifier, what more could you want? DS Audio optical cartridges have the unique ability to remove barriers between the recording and the listener. The top-of-the-line Grand Master offers absolute precision, transparency, and unmatched resolution, while the TB-100 preamplifier perfectly utilizes all these advantages, giving them a touch of top-shelf tube style. Together, they form one of the very best sets I have ever encountered.

⸜ TEST: № 253, 16th, May 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

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CIRCLE LABS v1000
phono stage mm/mc
» POLAND

Circle Labs V1000 phono preamplifier. Good, because it's Polish! Not enough? It features brand’s in-house developed and made matching transformer, wound with the help of a machine specially designed for this purpose, unique in many respects. There are tubes on board, a separate, refined power supply, a wide range of settings and adjustments, brand’s renown great looks and even better sound! In my opinion, this is the best (at the moment) product from this still young brand, and although I hope that it will continue to develop and offer even better components in the future, today the high-end V1000 fully deserves the 2025 Award of the Year from “High Fidelity” magazine.

⸜ TEST: № 249, 1st. Jan. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺


˻ DIGITAL SOURCE ˼

BRICASTI DESIGN m19 + m11 series II
sacd transport + dac
» STANY ZJEDNOCZONE

Both the M19 transport and the DAC M11 Series II look great and are also very well built. They are a good example of a combination of engineering expertise and market awareness – after all, audiophiles are gadget lovers, and this should not be forgotten. And this class of audio is part of the “premium” market, which means that everything has to be refined, polished, and perfected. As is the case here. The two-box SACD player from Bricasti Design is an excellent device and an example of how “digital” is now a mature, sophisticated way to listen to music.

⸜ TEST: № 249, 16th. Feb. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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EVERSOLO dac-z10
d/a converter/preamplifier
» CHINA

This device from China is mentally a product of the 21st century. Both in terms of design, functionali-ty, and sound. It is a modern approach to each of these elements. The device plays in a selective and energetic way. It offers sweet treble, which are abundant and strongly defined. At the same time, it is an extremely func-tional device that allows you to precisely tailor its functionality, appearance, and sound to your needs. It is fan-tastically built and easy to use.

⸜ TEST: № 260, 1st. Dec. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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FOUND SOUND davio azure
d/a converter
» POLAND

THE POLISH DAC offers a rich, dense, warm sound that is also extremely believable. You can listen to albums in comfort, without worrying about the sound quality, because it will be better or worse depending on the album, but always interesting. This device is for people who seek emotions in music that do not result from artificial sound enhancement, but are recorded in a studio or at a concert. Simply put – beautiful sound.

⸜ TEST: № 258, 1st. Oct. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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SFORZATO dsp-09ex
audio files player
» JAPAN

I thought long and hard about which Sforzato player to choose, because each one deserves RECOGNITION. After some consideration, I came to the conclusion that the smallest device from this company deserves it. It re-tains all the advantages of the most expensive, three-piece combination, only scaled down. It plays with enthusiasm, passion, and beautiful dynamics, both micro and macro. It sounds warm, but not dark. For this price, a digital device should not sound this good – and yet it does. A wonderful player!

⸜ TEST: № 255, 1st. July 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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SHANLING (山灵) mcd1.3
cd/mqa-cd player
» CHINA

SHANLING is a player that is a pleasure to listen to – both with physical media and files. It is an excellent device, playing music the way I like it and the way I think music should sound. It is internally focused and rich in color. It does not overdo the warming of the sound, yet we perceive it as if it were based on the lower mid-range. And it decodes MQA-CDs, which are worth collecting, excellently.

⸜ TEST: № 256, 1st. Aug. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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XACT n1
lan switch
» POLAND

When listening to the LAN N1 switch, it is immediately apparent that we have something exceptional in our hands. This device guarantees lower noise levels, resulting in smoother sound that is also more distinct and differentiated. It also provides smoothness and a lack of nervousness. With the N1, the music sounds as if all the energy has remained in the music, but is better communicated. However, only devices of this class, such as the Xact N1, deliver on the promises of computer audio manufacturers in a way that allows us to sit back and listen to music without paying attention to the format.

⸜ TEST: № 257, 1st. Sept. 2025, see → HERE


˻ AMPLIFICATION ˼

ACCUPHASE e-800s
integrated amplifier
» JAPAN

THIS DEVICE offers perfectly balanced sound, rich in information that does not burst out into the world in the form of “details”. They are part of the whole and appear in the form of musical events, not “sounds”. We know right away that this is a complete sound, wonderfully combining the characteristics of class A and AB, i.e., densi-ty and fullness with dynamics. At the same time, it is a perfectly made and fabulously functional am-plifier. It is the type of audio product that we can stay with “forever.”

⸜ TEST: № 256, 16th. Aug. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

AUDIO ANALOGUE Maestro 2.0
integrated amplifier
» ITALY

As we wrote in the test, all the recordings sounded phenomenally good with this amplifier. There was al-so no doubt that this device gravitates towards heavy, saturated sounds with a rather long duration. It plays bass in all its fullness and power. Its sound is warm, but also energetic. It is a large, expansive sound with great depth that will appeal to many who are tired of endless searching, outside problems, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

⸜ TEST: № 251, 16th. March 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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AUDIO REVEAL classique
integrated amplifier
» POLAND

The CLASSIQUE by Audio Reveal is one of the most interesting amplifiers based on 300B tubes cur-rently available on the market. It is also one of the best Polish amplifiers overall. It has incredible momentum, rich colors, and is internally warm; it is also resolving. It delivers a rich, dense sound with tangible sound sources. The amplifier produces low, powerful bass with excellent clarity. The sound it produces is absolutely complete, pleasant, and simply captivating. It is also kind to poorly recorded albums.

⸜ TEST: № 257, 1st. Sept. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺

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AUDIOLAB 9000Q + 9000P
preamplifier + power amplifier
» GREAT BRITAIN/CHINA

Audiolab has done a great job with this amplifier. Its sound is warm, smooth, dense, with excellent bass. This combination makes the music flow with energy, but also calmly, without nervousness. The sound is controlled, full, and dynamic. Above all, it is interesting. After all, it's not about the lack of high frequencies or “syrupy” sound, that's not it. It's about a coherent, organic, and truly rich sound. Even if we buy two power amplifiers and treat them as monoblocks, it will still be a bargain. With a single one, it will be difficult to justify not giving it a chance when looking for devices in this price range.

⸜ TEST: № 250, 16th. Feb. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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DAN D’AGOSTINO pendulum integrated
integrated amplifier
» USA

PENDULUM Integrated is a hellishly expensive integrated amplifier, but also hellishly good. With it, we will appreciate both recordings that we haven't listened to in a long time because we considered them “unwor-thy” of our system, as well as polished audiophile releases. The sound quality will be communicated, but not forcefully, rather empathetically. It's as if the amplifier is saying, “It’s music, stupid!”. As I wrote in the review, “this is the best Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems amplifier I've ever heard.”

⸜ TEST: № 259, 16th. Nov. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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DIVALDI gold pa one
power amplifier • stereo
» POLAND

GOLD Pa One is a device that, in terms of tonality and effortlessness, plays like a small tube amplifier – it's all about intimacy – or a small class A transistor amplifier – in terms of “breath” and lack of distortion. And it is faster and has greater dynamic reserve. That is why it does not sound nervous, because it does not have to – it is as if it knows that it has as much power in reserve as it needs. Its impressive size, power, power supply, etc. – all this contributes to its performance, but it is subservient to tone and fullness. When testing it, I finally sat down relaxed, stretched out my legs, and folded my hands on my stomach – a typical “relaxed” position. I wish the same for you, because it's wonderful to be able to listen to music this way.

⸜ TEST: № 257, 16th. Sept. 2025, see → HERE

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FEZZ AUDIO luna mini evo
integrated amplifier
» POLAND

The LUNA Mini Evo is a small amplifier with a big heart. It delivers a powerful, dense sound with a warm character, but also with open tones, without any veiling. The device can play loud and powerful, but it must be paired with the right speakers and used in a small room. It surprises with its low bass, considering its power, which blends in perfectly with the rest of the range. The latter is based on a rich midrange and warm tre-ble. Let's add that the optional cards also do the job and are really useful, for example with inexpensive file or CD transport, and Bluetooth will surprise us with nice colors. Really great!

⸜ TEST: № 258, 16th. Oct. 2025, see → HERE

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MUSICAL FIDELITY b1xi
integrated amplifier
» GREAT BRITAIN

I WROTE: “We need devices like this one”. We as an industry and we as people looking for something better in a world where everything is becoming plastic and identical. The device offers dynamic and open sound. It also remembers about proper tonality and reverberations – this is the strong quality of this design. What is more, the functionality of the device is real, not simulated. Because the DAC, Bluetooth, and headphone out-puts all do their job well and do not disappoint. It is an exceptionally good amplifier with a solid mechanical and electrical design, and above all, at a very good price.

⸜ TEST: № 256, 16th. Aug. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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NORSE x1 & x5
power amplifier & dc power supply
» SWEDEN

The SWEDISH amplifier plays in a warm, dense way. But it doesn't warm anything up or thicken it. It comes across in a really natural way. Interestingly, with no type of music do we get the impression that the bass range is lacking. This is an amplifier that can play with really large speakers in a large room. We will be able to sell our visiting friends the fairy tale that it is a hundred-watt, fifty-kilogram amplifier hidden in the other room, and they will believe us. Yes, it is that kind of unique device.

⸜ TEST: № 259, 16th. Nov. 2025, see → HERE

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REGA brio mk 7
Integrated amplifier
» GREAT BRITAIN

The REGA Brio Mk 7 sounds warm, low, dark, and dynamic. Its sound is therefore relaxing, but also engaging. That's why all our favorite audiophile “gems” will sound surprisingly mature, as if they were being played by a large, powerful, top-of-the-line amplifier. It's an excellent, affordable amplifier for those who don't want to participate in the ‘race’, but rather appreciate complex, deep sound.

⸜ TEST: № 251, 16th. April 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺


˻ LOUDSPEAKERS ˼

CLOSER ACOUSTICS blocks
loudspeakers • floor-standing
» POLAND

Closer Acoustics Blocks SPEAKERS. Once again – it’s good because it's Polish! But above all, these are unique speakers, just like the brand itself, which from the very beginning has focused on its own niche of the market built around full-range drivers. Blocks are unique in that the user can select and even combine individual ‘blocks’ in various ways to best suit their room and taste. These are not speakers for bigger/louder/more power enthusiasts, but for those who listen to music for hours on end with the lights dimmed and a glass of good wine in their hand, who appreciate natural timbre, smoothness, and coherency, plus that indefinable, and in this case unique, musicality. As if that were not enough, Blocks can enchant and engage both when driven by a tube amplifier, a class A solid-state, or powerful class D amplifiers.

⸜ TEST: № 254, 16th. June 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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ESPRIT AUDIO amelia
loudspeakers • floor-standing
» FRANCE

FRENCH speakers produce a warm, dense, rather dark sound. But it is also an incredibly selective and vibrant sound. Their energy is overshadowed by these qualities, as is the bass response. Both of these elements are really good, but we don't pay attention to them. It's hard to believe that this is the company's debut in this field – the Amelie speakers sound as if they were the result of a long development process dating back many years.

⸜ TEST: № 251, 1st. March 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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MOFI ELECTRONICS
pointsource 10 master edition
loudspeakers • stand-mounted
» USA

THE NEW version of MoFi Electronics speakers offers fullness and scale. The excellent clarity remains, but now it is accompanied by tangibility. The Sourcepoint 10 speakers tuned in this way offer an exceptionally deli-cious sound. It is not a warm or “blanketed” sound that envelops us in a cozy cocoon of calm and melan-choly. These speakers are still very “rock” in character. That is, selective and expressive. But finally, they are al-so fuller and denser.

The “kit”, which can be purchased separately for the basic version of the speakers, transforms not only their sound, but also their class. With it, we get a truly great combination of speed and fullness. This shows that a good design can be modified to an extent we never dreamed of. And that should be a hint for other man-ufacturers.

⸜ TEST: № 260, 1st. Dec. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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PENAUDIO rebel two luumäki
loudspeakers • stand-mounted
» FINLAND

PENAUDIO Rebel Two Luumäki are open, expressive, resonant speakers with high dynamics. But they are also natural in what they do. This means that everything I have said does not result from band or sound at-tack adjustments, but from resolution and a focus on openness rather than warmth. This would therefore be a strategy opposed to the romanticization of the sound. It is a strategy that involves electrifying the presentation and bringing out the nerve of the music. And all this without brightness, without piercing the ears, and without nervousness. And in a classic, pure form.

⸜ TEST: № 259, 1st. Nov. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

˻ SYSTEM ˼

GRANDINOTE solo + mach 2 estrema
integrated amplifier + loudspeakers
» ITALY

THE GRANDINOTE SYSTEM DRAWS US INTO its world with an unprecedented amount of infor-mation. It does not mask anything in the recordings, which is why poorly produced material can be prob-lematic. Brightly recorded or remastered albums can sound downright unpleasant. There will be no searching for the good sides here. But when we hear something like Nature Boy, a track from the latest album by L’Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar, Terra Mater, we will want more, MORE, and MORE!!!

⸜ TEST: № 251, 16th. March 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺


˻ CABLING ˼

MB AUDIO CABLE clear
analog interconnect rca
» POLAND

IT'S FANTASTIC that a Polish manufacturer has produced such a cool and affordable interconnect. It has an almost warm foreground, open, large, full, but not intrusive. It also has a nice midrange, almost warm, but not to the point where you could use that term without quotation marks. And there is also a slightly rounded, energetic bass that goes lower than you would expect from such an inexpensive – not to say cheap – cable.

⸜ TEST: № 251, 1st. April 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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NEXT LEVEL TECH ether rca
analog interconnect rca
» POLAND

ETHER RCA does not sound warm, yet we get that impression. It is an interconnect that is not brightened, yet the energy of high frequencies is high. It is about a kind of warming, a smokiness, which is not present in the tested interconnect. The sound is dynamic, open, powerful, but also full. At the same time, it provides an extremely versatile sound with a slightly closer foreground, high energy, and powerful high frequencies. That's the kind of cable it is.

⸜ TEST: № 249, 1st. Jan. 2025, see → HERE
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ RED FINGERPRINT ˺

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WK AUDIO theray rca basic
analog interconnect rca
» POLAND

As I mentioned in the test, Witek Kamiński has really succeeded with this cable. On the one hand, its sound is open and resonant, and on the other, it is “safe” with a warm midrange. The bass goes very low and is multi-colored, changing over time. It is not tightly controlled, but this is simply a feature, not a flaw. All this re-sults in an organic sound, which is deep in tone on the one hand and orderly and natural on the other. The space with the tested cable is wide and deep, and the foreground is placed behind the line connecting the speakers, but the background stretches really far. With this cable, you can listen to music for a long time without fatigue.

⸜ TEST: № 259, 1st. Nov. 2025, see → HERE

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VERICTUM flux illumi sp
speaker cable
» POLAND

The most important feature of this speaker cable seems to me to be its resolution. Recordings that sound as if they were made during field recordings sounded extremely realistic. Verictum handles such things exceptionally well. It captures the spirit of the event, does not brighten anything, and even slightly sweetens the upper end. Sound sources have clear contours and are “concrete”. It is an excellent speaker cable at a reasona-ble price for a high-end product.

⸜ TEST: № 252, 16th. April 2025, see → HERE

˻ POWER SUPPLY ˼

AUDIO PHONIQUE desire power
power cable ac
» POLAND

AUDIO PHONIQUE Desire Power is an AC power cable for mature people. Mature in terms of music and sound, “taught” how a good system should sound like. For those looking for immediate dynamics, it will seem too calm and withdrawn, and for those who want to take a nap in their armchair, too expressive. It is a cable with very deep colors, which has a very good tonal balance that does not tilt the tonality in any direction. If anything, it can be said that it opens up the midrange, which results in the aforementioned clarity.

⸜ TEST: № 252, 16th. April 2025, see → HERE

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GIGAWATT pf-2 se evo+
power cord ac
» POLAND

THE SOUND of the Gigawatt power strip is resolving and selective. It is really close to what the com-pany's full-size conditioners offer, even though it seems to be “just” a power strip. At the same time, it is ex-tremely spacious. The Polish power strip adds sweetness and boosts some of the bass. The sound is therefore slightly more “dramatic” than with the reference power strip. But that's what audio is all about, isn't it? To stir something in us that is dormant on a daily basis. The new Gigawatt does this perfectly.

⸜ TEST: № 257, 16th. Sept. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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RICABLE invictus power reference
power cable ac
» ITALY

WITH THE Ricable sound goes in the direction of speed and dynamics, but it is also “warm” in a way. It is not a “machine gun” that immediately throws a million sounds at us. Rather, it is a calm run through the forest, during which we hear what is happening around us. And yet, the sound is accurate, selective, and clear. All this in very, very good proportions. The Invictus Power Reference turns out to be a very good, extremely bal-anced AC power cable at a really low price, considering the realities of the audio world.

⸜ TEST: № 251, 1st. March 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺


KENICHI TSUNODA BIG BAND
mixer’s lab sound series vol. 4

„Stereo Sound Analog Record Collection”
180 g LP & SUPER AUDIO CD/CD ⸜ 2024
» JAPAN

⸜ REVIEWED: „High Fidelity NEWS”, 24th. Jan. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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ADAM CZERWIŃSKI
song for my mother

AC Records ACR 036
180 g LP ⸜ 2025
» POLAND

⸜ REVIEWED: „High Fidelity NEWS”, 31st. Oct. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ BIG REDBUTTON ˺

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JOANNIS DE LUBLIN
tabulatura joannis de Lublin

Perf. by Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennett, Cracow Singers, Andrzej Szadejko,
Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG 902 2336-2

„MDG Scene”, SUPER AUDIO CD/CD ⸜ 2025
» GERMANY

⸜ REVIEWED: „High Fidelity”, № 256, 16th. Aug. 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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SETH MacFARLANE
lush life. the lost sinatra arrangements

Verve Records | Republic Records 602478075445
COMPACT DISC ⸜ 2025
» USA

⸜ REVIEWED: „High Fidelity”, № 255, 1st. July 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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ANOUAR BRAHEM
after the last sky

ECM Records ECM 2838
COMPACT DISC ⸜ 2025
» GERMANY

⸜ REVIEWED: „High Fidelity NEWS”, 14th. July 2025, see → HERE ˻PL˺

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ANDRZEJ TRZASKOWSKI SEXTET
seant
„Polish Jazz vol. 11” || „Polskie Nagrania Catalogue Selections”,
Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 50217 3 25956 0 7

SUPER AUDIO CD/CD ⸜ 1967/2025
» POLAND

⸜ REVIEWED: „High Fidelity NEWS”, 4th. April 2024, see → HERE ˻PL˺
⸜ RECOGNITION: ˻ BIG REDBUTTON ˺