We are honored to have several of our products recognized as some of the best in their respective categories in Part Time Audiophile’s 2023 Buyers Guide! Link here
Qln Prestige Three ($11,000 pr USD)
We’ve been drooling over the Swedish-built Qln Prestige Threes, especially with Vinnie Rossi amplification, for a few years now. Once we tested these floorstanding speakers, we didn’t want to give them back. The Qlns throw up a huge sound, warm and yet crystalline, and you’ll stare in disbelief when you hear these very petite towers in action. We felt they did so many things exceptionally well, that we suggested that many different types of listeners will find them to be “all they need.” An Editor’s Choice winner.
Qln Prestige Five ($17,500 pr USD)
Qln’s Prestige Five, along with the smaller Prestige Three, were so compelling that our reviewer wound up buying both pairs for himself. It’s no surprise that the PTA team is completely enamored with this Swedish speaker manufacturer; so much bass comes out of these still-petite enclosures that you’ll shake your head in disbelief. “Great imaging qualities and dynamic speed with an added something that gets us closer to the music,” we concluded, giving them a Reviewer’s Choice award.
Qln Prestige One ($6,800 pr USD)
This two-way stand-mounted bookshelf speaker from the extraordinary Swedish company competes with many of the finest monitors we’ve heard, and it comes at a price that makes us wonder why haven’t we purchased a pair for ourselves yet. Outstanding, balanced low frequencies in all but the largest rooms. “If you’ve heard the larger Prestige Threes playing at an audio show and you’ve fallen under their spell, you’ll be thrilled to know that much of that magic is present in the Prestige One.” Reviewer’s Choice winner.
Merason DAC-1 ($6,000 USD)
We felt that while there are many excellent DACs out there for around the same amount of money, the Merason is one of the best DACs we’ve heard at any price–so much so that we would still be impressed with it if it was far more expensive. Sonically, it can go toe-to-toe with plenty of the big boy DACs. “What you get is a product that seems to be built for the audiophile that is primarily interested in performance and doesn’t require a lot of fancy features or gold-plated-with-a-screen visuals.”
Merason Frerot with POW1 LPSU ($1,475 USD)
Small, simple and relatively inexpensive for the performance it offers, this DAC is perfect for audiophiles who don’t require a lot of bells and whistles but do want superb sound quality. We found the Swiss-built Merason Frerot to be perfect for streaming Qobuz, and for mating with an equally high-value streamer like the Innuos Zen Mini Mk. 3. Optional Pow1 LPSU ($900), improves sound quality across the board. A Reviewer’s Choice winner.
Audio Hungary Qualiton X-200 ($6,499 USD)
Powered by KT-120s or KT-150s, this integrated has many interesting features that move beyond the usual minimalist designs from Audio Hungary–a built-in phono stage, tone controls and a nice-sounding headphone amp. “Colossal soundstage, glorious midrange, clean highs, and pounding bass,” we decided before handing the X-200 a Reviewer’s Choice award.
Levar Resonance (prices vary)