The Ear’s reviewers pick the best hi-fi of 2024
If you want to know the best hi-fi of 2024, the audio products that really wowed our reviewers this year look no further. These components that made a lasting impression, they are the ones reviewers would have held onto if they could and sometimes did. There are examples of all manner of audio component, from the affordable to the extreme. We hope you find something to tempt your ears with. These remarkable components are listed in alphabetical and you can click on the model names for a full review of each.
Art Carbon 6
floorstanding speakers
£10,500
The Carbon 6 floorstanders impressed me with their innovative multi-layered cabinet construction aimed at controlling internal resonances and standing waves. They are also beautifully finished. Manufactured in Scotland, the stylish two-ways use a 6 inch Nextel-coated paper bass/mid driver and 25mm carbon tweeter. Their sound is highly dynamic, detailed, compellingly musical and they will get your foot tapping along with their rhythmic integrity and drive. They handle complex musical arrangements well, providing excellent insights into the contributions of individual musicians, and exciting, fatigue-free listening with a wide variety of music. CF
Atoll SDA300 Signature
streaming amplifier
£3,995
The all-in-one SDA300 Signature, designed and built in France, is Atoll’s top-of-the-range streaming integrated. It represents tremendous value and benefits from superb ease-of-use thanks to the new app, a supplied remote or via front panel controls.
There’s everything you need for digital sources including Internet radio and a raft of streaming solutions. A noticeable step-up from the SDA200, it still offers value-for-money along with superlative audio credentials. Timing is spot-on, the soundstage deliciously wide and deep; definition superb and both the dynamic abilities and detail extraction ahead of what one might expect at the price. Listeners are drawn into the music which becomes heavily engaging. All round a ‘winner’. TB
Audia Flight FLS1/FLS4
pre and power amplifier
FLS1 £7,350/ FLS4 £9,950
This combination pretty much picked itself as my first choice for the industry’s most coveted award. These amplifiers tick every box that I look for in such a component: They time superbly, sounding fast and dynamic, yet the full-bodied and fleshed-out sound avoids any hint of brightness. There’s a richness which helps bring out the best in even poor recordings, but not so much that it interferes with the finest sounding files and discs. On top of that, the FLS4’s beefy power supply delivers the current required to drive any speaker you are likely to pair it with.
In addition to sounding great, the FLS1 preamp has an excellent headphone stage, flexible inputs, and the option to add a DAC or a well-regarded phono stage. Add that to battleship build quality and distinctive looks, and this pairing from Italian brand Audia Flight makes for a winning combination. CB
Auralic Vega S1
streaming DAC
£1,999
Auralic’s S1 range of entry level streamers and DACs took the radical step of offering more features in more attractive if slightly smaller cases and at lower prices than the outgoing G1 models. The Vega S1 is a streaming DAC that is built to a very high standard and offers Auralic’s Lightning control software alongside the ability to be upgraded with an Purer Power S1 external power supply. It sounds clean and open and has excellent timing but more important is the fact that it makes you want to listen for longer thanks to powers of engagement that are rare in digital audio. A hard act to beat. JK
CAD USB Control
noise reducer
£675
This product opened my eyes and ears to how much noise exists within digital components. I had already heard a prototype of this device before my sample of the USB Control was left with me to try, so I knew it would work, but the finished product went much further than the early sample. Even used with a low-noise server such as Melco’s flagship N1-S38, the background was quieter, the soundstage was bigger and more holographic, and music breathed more naturally. Impressively, it even worked with my TV box. At £675, the USB Control represents a significant outlay for a pocket-sized component, but as both the editor and I discovered, it produced benefits that were often beyond what you might expect from spending a similar amount elsewhere in your system. Like all of the products from CAD that I have tried, the USB Control makes music more relaxing and enjoyable to listen to. As Yuletide approaches, this could be the perfect stocking filler. CB
Cyrus 40 CD
CD player
£2,995
A real surprise this one – not because I was unaware of the strong reputation the brand has – but because I simply did not expect a combined CD transport and DAC to be this good for the money. It delivered a confidently muscular performance with large servings of energy and tonal density, and crisp timing, combining the fine detail retrieval that the top ESS DAC chips are known for with a degree of expressive drive that is relatively uncommon when we consider alternatives DACs that sport the same core internals. We get impressive, almost forensic micro-dynamics and spatial cues, but accompanied by the kind of dynamic expression that tells our brain we are closer to the original as-recorded event. It’s looks cool and sports great build quality too. KF
Dynavector DV XX-2A
moving coil cartridge
£1,799
Dynavector has a long history of making excellent cartridges and the DV XX-2A at £1,799 is no exception. Some clever thinking has gone into its design. It uses alnico magnets instead of the more common rare-earth magnets because they have found they have lower magnetic resistance, which helps minimise fluctuations in magnetic force and improve transient response. Also, the iron parts of the magnetic circuit have been subjected to an annealing process, which improves the crystalline structure of the metal and improves permeability. All of which pays off with excellent sound quality. Emotion-packed vocals, rock-solid bass lines and excellent dynamics can be taken as read, as well as great insights into what musicians are playing and how. CF
Enleum HPA-23RM
headphone amplifier
£3,300
Equipped with separate voltage and current amplifiers that are optimised for different loads, Enleum’s flagship, transportable, battery-powered HPA-23RM is in a league of its own when it comes to driving both high-impedance dynamic and low-impedance planar headphones with authority and gives much larger desktop designs a serious run for their money. Add to that the current amplifier’s propensity to enrich the flavour of variable-impedance ‘phones and it’s easy to appreciate why this powerful and exceptionally musical little headphone amp will be the endgame for many headphiles. RB
Fischer and Fischer SN70
standmount speakers
£3,700
Renowned German loudspeaker brand Fischer & Fischer is back in the UK and that’s something to celebrate if the little SN70 two-way is anything to go by. Made from solid slate they are heavyweight designs in more ways than one.
Superbly engineered, this design is a joy to indulge with its alluring balance and 3D imaging abilities. Mesmerising is not to exaggerate the superb quality from this loudspeaker, and to achieve it from such diminutive drivers in such a compact cabinet is a worthy achievement deserving personal audition. TB
Heed Elixir
integrated amplifier
£1,500
There aren’t many real bargains in the world of audio, but this little pocket rocket of an integrated amplifier is one of them. I reviewed it back in February and re-reading my piece has reminded me of how much I enjoyed the Elixir. ‘Only’ 50W per channel perhaps but it filled our room with punchy, warm yet detailed music. The surprise of my year, in a very good way. CK
Hegel H190V
streaming amplifier
£3,250
Hegel’s revised H190 integrated streamer wasn’t meant to sound this good. All the Norwegians intended was to add an MM phono stage but the power supplies were redesigned to accommodate this upgrade and the overall sound improved. The original was a winner and, so, this new variant is a must-hear.
Alongside the wonderful digitally-based solution for onboard streaming plus both optical and coax digital inputs, we have a phono stage that’s very quiet and offers a rich, open sound while possessing sufficient gain for use with high output MC cartridges. TB
Holoaudio Cyan 2
digital-to-analogue converter
€1,389
By prioritising performance over non-essential features, Holoaudio’s most affordable D/A converter proves that less is more when it comes to delivering the sonic goods. The ability of this non-oversampling, resistor ladder DAC to accept PCM rates from 44.1kHz through 1,536kHz as well as DSD64 through DSD1024 will delight not only purists who prefer to listen to music without a digital reconstruction filter but also tech-obsessed tweakers eager to exploit the very latest advances in external oversampling algorithms. It is this versatility along with the smooth and articulate sound it produces that makes Cyan 2 such a bargain. RB
Life-Changer Audio Icon 5 Balanced
passive preamplifier
£5,605
Simply the best. And by a country mile. I can think of no other way to sum up the truly astonishing Icon 5, designed and built by Pal Nagy in Manchester. Don’t be misled by the lowly price – just over £4,600 for the single-ended version. In the review system it trounced a highly regarded active line stage with a price ticket more than six times greater.
This is a line stage that achieves such a high level of transparency and energy transfer that all other contenders are left sounding veiled and un-dynamic to a greater or lesser degree. As Nagy’s creation proves, and contrary to what most of the rest of the audio industry tells us, contemporary DACs, phono stages and streamers don’t require gain to be added to their output, just attenuation. Done right, as in the Icon 5, passive attenuation gives the most direct connection to recorded music that most of us will ever hear. KF
Luxman L-509Z
integrated amplifier
£10,999
An absolute shoo-in for one of my products of the year. Integrated amplifiers are my thing and this Luxman won my heart. It is an all-analogue affair with plenty of inputs, a superb phono-stage and at 120W into 8Ohms, more than enough power to drive any but the most awkward of loudspeakers. VU meters and defeatable tone controls all contribute to the retro feel of this state of the art machine. CK
Mutec MC3+ USB
reclocker
£ 1,145
There aren’t many reclockers on the market perhaps because their purpose is seen as peripheral. All of those that I have tested have been beneficial to the sound of digital audio in ways that other components have failed to match. The MC3+ USB is not only better than most but it has more in- and outputs and can be upgraded with a separate clock.
The benefit that it brings are to timing and imaging, both are clearly improved to a surprising degree with greater solidity of sounds in the room and more precise but not sharp leading and trailing edge definition. JK
Network Acoustics eno2 Streaming System
streaming filter & cables
£995 – £1,395
When I first experienced it, the original eno streaming filter system was one of those jaw-dropping products that took my streaming system to another level, and it has remained in my system ever since. Developments in the network streaming world are probably the fastest moving area within the industry right now, and eno2 has put Network Acoustics firmly back at the head of the competitive pack of in-line network filtering products. Music sounds richer, fuller and times better with the eno2 Streaming System feeding my streamer. It improves the hi-fi stuff, such as firmer and fuller bass lines and a more holographic soundstage, of greater importance, however, it kept me listening to track after track in awe of how much more enjoyable the music was to listen to. CB
Oephi Immanence 2
standmount speakers
£8,495
Here’s a speaker for which the warning ‘needs careful partnering’ isn’t advice but a stone cold necessity. Oephi’s top tier standmount is so revealing, so open, so unflatteringly honest that the contribution of everything upstream – the amplification, the cable loom, the source, the quality of the recording – is laid bare in stark, sometimes uncomfortable detail. The upshot is an unavoidable call to focus on what separates hi-fi should be all about: the need to access and nail the best possible personal mix.
Which means, in any system building scenario, the Immanence 2 comes first. It isn’t, like many speakers, the final form of tonal seasoning but, rather, a tougher critic of the musical talent before it than Simon Cowell. It won’t make everything sound nice but get the system right and hope the sonic stars align… well, the goosebumps will never end. DV
Ophidian Ffion
floorstanding speakers
£8,500
An eye-catching speaker that delivers notably high-quality sonic results for a price that could be regarded as something of a steal. Gareth James’s latest design might not have the badge-appeal of alternatives from the big-name speaker brands but sonically all his speakers punch way above their price. The Ffion combines low-distortion transparency with what is the among the best imaging capabilities of just about any speaker we can buy – certainly any full-range speaker. Buy with your ears rather than an eye for the brand and you’ll be as happy as Larry. KF
Origin Live Strata
turntable mat
£295
I have played with many turntable mats and the problem has always been that they may improve the sound of some turntables, but not all. This is because turntable platters can be made from metal, glass or some form of plastic, and one mat rarely suits them all. Until now. Mark Baker at Origin Live has been working on this conundrum for around 20 years and the Strata is the result – a three-layer mat specifically designed to improve a turntable, no matter what its platter is made from. It works superbly well on a wide variety of turntables with different platter materials, even my Audio Note TT3, which normally sounds best with no mat. On the turntables I tried, the Strata improved vocal clarity, separated out the instruments in the mix better, adding extra leading-edge bite and body, while bass lines were tighter and more agile. At just £295, that is quite an achievement. CF
PMC active twenty5.22i
active speakers
£5,275
2024 was the year that PMC brought active operation to its twenty5i loudspeaker range, or the two-ways within it at least. The active twenty5.22i is the larger standmount offering and powers each of its drivers with a 100W amplifier for maximum control and huge dynamic potential. This is an extremely capable loudspeaker that can deliver lifelike energy and phenomenal timing and imaging, it may look pricey for its size but you will have great trouble finding an amp and speaker combination to come close to the performance on offer. JK
Rega Nd5
MM cartridge
£295
Middle model in Rega’s latest range of moving magnet cartridges the Nd5 is a bona fide bargain, delivering significantly better sound quality than both its predecessor the Exact and well regarded contemporary cartridges from other brands. By redesigning the internals of the MM they have succeeded in creating a cartridge that is more revealing, neutral and entertaining than has been seen at this price before. Its three point fixing is designed for Rega arms but it will work in any other turntable and arm and will deliver results that will keep you listening for many, many happy hours. JK
Skyanalog P-1M & P-1G
MC cartridges
P1-M £349, P1-G £549
Two cartridges from the same brand came under scrutiny this year, and both were astonishingly good performers. Skyanalog itself has certainly learned a lot from manufacturing cartridges for other brands in the past, and they have produced what can only be described as an outrageously capable range of musically amazing cartridges. At a price which would normally be reserved for some of the mid- and upper-range MMs you can have MC performance which won’t disappoint. CB
Tellurium Q Ultra Silver II
RCA interconnects
£935.38
I have shied away from silver cables for all my many years in this fascinating, sometimes exasperating audio hobby. Why? Because over the years I was told too often that they were “bright,” or “not suitable for the gear you have”. Finally, I got to hear Geoff Merrigan’s latest iteration of the Ultra Silver range and was completely won over, years of misinformation blown away by the clarity and sheer musicality of these interconnects. Worth every penny in any system capable of making the most of them. CK
Tangerine Audio Revolver LP12
LP12 platter upgrade
£1,195
My Linn Sondek LP12 turntable is my most-used musical source and I thought I had it pretty well sorted. When I bought it used I had it rebuilt using Tangerine Audio hardware for the sub chassis, top plate and arm board, and thought that I had taken it as far as my budget could stretch, with a great sound coming through the original Ittok arm. Switching the platter that came with my Cirkus bearing upgrade out and replacing it with the Revolver was revelatory. Milled from a solid billet of stainless steel the Revolver was like a complete system upgrade. A specialist but worthy nominee for one of my products of the year. CK
Velodyne DD-10+
subwoofer
£4,995
Sometimes one sub is never enough, and certainly the pair of DD-10+ subs made a huge difference to the spatial elements associated with two-channel sound reproduction. The key was not to make them obtrusive; set up to be a discrete low-level (in every sense) performer they added immeasurably to the overall impression of scale in every recording (even intimate recordings such as solo guitar). While not cheap they are a veritable bargain in what and how they deliver. One on its own will do well, but two are simply astonishing. CB
Vivid Audio Moya M1
substantial speakers
£400,000
The Moya M1 is one of the most ambitious loudspeakers ever created. It takes Vivid’s ground breaking driver and cabinet technology to a level never previously seen and the result is a loudspeaker of extraordinary capability. The Moya M1 requires very high quality ancillaries to deliver on its promise but I was able to enjoy mind blowing results with relatively affordable sources and amplification in a room that was only just big enough for them. In other words while they reveal every single last grain of detail they don’t make lesser equipment or recordings sound bad. If you have the space and the budget these Vivids have few peers. JK
Zinamp Z-Act
MM cartridge enhancement system
£449
A real playing-field leveller, this one. Effectively negating the vagaries of tonearm cable capacitance and other electrical gremlins when using a moving magnet cartridge, the cheeky Z-Act, cunningly hidden in the headshell, and utilising a phantom power supply (so no additional wiring is needed) opens the door on just how capable some (quite modestly-priced) MM cartridges can sound. While MCs may still rule the roost in some people’s eyes, this bit of kit certainly narrows the gap. CB