I agree. If there are any DACs worth to mention then the RME ADI-2 series, because of performance and useful features. Seeing how often they are recommended at ASR I wonder why no one has mentioned them yet.
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ASR Product of the year?
- Thread starter Kachda
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The only thing I am motivated to do -- if I had far better memory than I do -- is to point out notable products. Thinking of the latest reviews, the Neumann KH310 speaker and JBL Stage A130 were two such products. I went in not expecting what I found. Sadly I just don't know remember all of them at this point. That said, I do feel an obligation to write something on what all we have learned this year.
BTW, the above should also include negatives and positives.
BTW, the above should also include negatives and positives.
Vini darko
Major Contributor
Magnapan LRS for achiving negitive preference score. Takes real engineering chops to pull that off 
dougi
Addicted to Fun and Learning
I agreed, being unexpectedly good or unexpectedly disappointing, at the price-point would be an interesting summary.
dougi
Addicted to Fun and Learning
The headphone rig could be next years!ASR Product of the Year is the AP Analyzer, every year.
I'd say the NFS this year. AP was last year. Next year is the headphone rig.ASR Product of the Year is the AP Analyzer, every year.
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I'd say the NFS this year. AP was last year. Next year is the headphone rig.
Oh, good point!
RealityCheck18
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What about the Top Ten Craptastic Audio Products of the Year!
From noise harvesters, poor measuring amps/DACs and poor speaker designs--nothing like learning about the latest in Cleveland Steamers. Maybe get some cow shit, dry it a bit and apply varnish for the ASR polished turd award.
Sure, it is nice to know about multi-thousand dollar speakers but that can be figured out by looking at the charts. Now having a polished turd award, that would be different and could be tongue-in-cheek entertainment as we nurse a hangover on January 1st.
To avoid being "the bad guy" you can have a vote concerning the poorest and non-performers of the field--then have the ASR members take the blame for the vote. Just a thought, then again I should not drink and post....
From noise harvesters, poor measuring amps/DACs and poor speaker designs--nothing like learning about the latest in Cleveland Steamers. Maybe get some cow shit, dry it a bit and apply varnish for the ASR polished turd award.
Sure, it is nice to know about multi-thousand dollar speakers but that can be figured out by looking at the charts. Now having a polished turd award, that would be different and could be tongue-in-cheek entertainment as we nurse a hangover on January 1st.
To avoid being "the bad guy" you can have a vote concerning the poorest and non-performers of the field--then have the ASR members take the blame for the vote. Just a thought, then again I should not drink and post....
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Actually that's clever, as the site does expose snake oil products and promote a scientific understanding of sound reproduction.
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oooo
Regardless of what the general consensus is on a "ASR Product of the Year" or "Member's Choice" award, I'm all for a "Top Ten Craptastic Audio Products of the Year" list. Awards for the best products, while cool, might be divisive and cause paragraphs of arguments; whereas awards for the worst products would be both handy and entertaining for everyone. Though, I still would be interested in both a "best" and "worst" list, if possible.
I know I'd bring my popcorn for the latter, anyway.
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I’m not sure something this negative is a good idea, can’t we just be happy about the good stuff?
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Probably not- that's the issue. People would be arguing about what truly deserves to be awarded best. But, most would have a laugh at the failures and have satisfaction in knowing what not-decent products look like. Singling out what not to buy is always easier, and potentially more fun, than singling out what to buy.
How about you all nominating the top 10 and we go from there?
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Okay then. Here's mine, with some small write-ups:
10. - Klipsch R-41M
The third speaker ever reviewed to get a broken panther. I have the RP-41M, and can verify all of amirm's subjective impressions. There are so many oversights, like the sides of the chassis singing, or the tweeter driver's response being split up by the plastic cross section in front of it, that are just plain dumb. Whether it's my bias, or the third time being the charm, I feel the R-41M easily makes the list. The only reasons it doesn't rank higher are that it's decently enjoyable with a crazy 20-filter EQ I made with REW, and that the active version (the RP-41M) is often available for under $200- a price-range that isn't all that competitive for small, active speakers.
9. - MC-1000
Hey, what's the best speaker in the world doing here? I had so much fun riding on a roller coaster in the shape of its frequency response.
8. - Emotiva RMC-1 AV Processor
Man, there are just so many things that are broken about this product. I don't know where to start. Considering its DAC chip is supposed to measure much better, it really is one of the more clear examples of poor engineering. All this alongside ridiculous pricing, and you have the #8 spot.
7. - Yamaha NS-6490 3-Way Speaker
Just drivers in a box. Surely one of the least appealing tonalities of any speaker measured so far. Directivity is comically bad- two people sitting side by side would likely hear not insubstantially different things. The only reasons the NS-6490 doesn't rank higher are that it's pretty cheap, looks good, and would probably sound competitive in a Best Buy show room. In other words, the NS-6490 knows its place.
6. - PS Audio Noise Harvester and AC Cleaner
I tried to not let blatant snake oil onto the list. Though, this is a joke from a company not specializing in comedy, unlike, say, AudioQuest. But man, what a joke. Really? Diversion to a little LED? C'mon, that's cute.
5. - AudioQuest Wind High-end Cable
Speak of the comic! I wonder what it's like to know you charged a price for a cable many 10s of times greater than its standard, common counterpart, only for it to perform worse? I feel like some of the frontal lobe would have to be missing to not feel shame.
"Mind you, there was more air when listening to the Wind. But then my wife who was in the kitchen informed me that the dogs had left the patio door open and whether I was OK if she closed it. Once she did, the air factor disappeared."
Need I say more?
4. - Chord Huei Phono Preamp
I'll just quote amirm again:
"It is hard to imagine a phono stage being broken in so many aspects then the Chord Huei. Almost unusable interface. Huge amount of noise and fair bit of distortion. RIAA equalization that is not accurate, nor spec compliant. And Rumble filter that does nothing. The only thing it has going for it is that it is pretty!"
All that at a ridiculous premium.
3. - PMC Twenty.21
I distinctly remember doing a spit-take when I saw a flat valley between two humps in the lower and upper bass that resembled that of a camel, and just keeping a shocked look on my face until I finished the review. Terrible tonality and high distortion, all from a highly regarded "pro speaker" company. What's not to tease? Thankfully, @Thomas savage apologized on behalf of Britain, so all was well in the end.
2. - CEntrance Hifi-M8 V2
The M8 has a "simple-business" look that seems to imply unique function over form. Alas, it is somehow much harsher on the ears than it is on the eyes. Low power, high distortion, and deceptive looks, all at an absurdly high price. Tsk tsk. It's especially disappointing when CEntrance's other portable amp, the DACPort HD, is so good- still being rather unrivaled in power output in its form factor to this day.
1. - Ocean Way HR5 Studio Monitor
The sheer amount of deception behind most every aspect of this speaker lets it win the Number 1 spot. From a super wide, wavy chassis that seemed to imply at least decent directivity -not among the worst-, to Allen Sides' blatant lies and sleezery in the background. I just kept shaking my head throughout the entire review. It was the first speaker I read about that cost over $1K that measured objectively worse than my already poorly designed $200 Klipsch RP-41M, which is very much quite the feat; I had a hearty chuckle at that. The HR5 is truly laughably bad at any price point. But, also shockingly so at the one it commands.
Okay then. Here's mine, with some small write-ups:
10. - Klipsch R-41M
The third speaker ever reviewed to get a broken panther. I have the RP-41M, and can verify all of amirm's subjective impressions. There are so many oversights, like the sides of the chassis singing, or the tweeter driver's response being split up by the plastic cross section in front of it, that are just plain dumb. Whether it's my bias, or the third time being the charm, I feel the R-41M easily makes the list. The only reasons it doesn't rank higher are that it's decently enjoyable with a crazy 20-filter EQ I made with REW, and that the active version (the RP-41M) is often available for under $200- a price-range that isn't all that competitive for small, active speakers.
9. - MC-1000
Hey, what's the best speaker in the world doing here? I had so much fun riding on a roller coaster in the shape of its frequency response.
8. - Emotiva RMC-1 AV Processor
Man, there are just so many things that are broken about this product. I don't know where to start. Considering its DAC chip is supposed to measure much better, it really is one of the more clear examples of poor engineering. All this alongside ridiculous pricing, and you have the #8 spot.
7. - Yamaha NS-6490 3-Way Speaker
Just drivers in a box. Surely one of the least appealing tonalities of any speaker measured so far. Directivity is comically bad- two people sitting side by side would likely hear not insubstantially different things. The only reasons the NS-6490 doesn't rank higher are that it's pretty cheap, looks good, and would probably sound competitive in a Best Buy show room. In other words, the NS-6490 knows its place.
6. - PS Audio Noise Harvester and AC Cleaner
I tried to not let blatant snake oil onto the list. Though, this is a joke from a company not specializing in comedy, unlike, say, AudioQuest. But man, what a joke. Really? Diversion to a little LED? C'mon, that's cute.
5. - AudioQuest Wind High-end Cable
Speak of the comic! I wonder what it's like to know you charged a price for a cable many 10s of times greater than its standard, common counterpart, only for it to perform worse? I feel like some of the frontal lobe would have to be missing to not feel shame.
"Mind you, there was more air when listening to the Wind. But then my wife who was in the kitchen informed me that the dogs had left the patio door open and whether I was OK if she closed it. Once she did, the air factor disappeared."
Need I say more?
4. - Chord Huei Phono Preamp
I'll just quote amirm again:
"It is hard to imagine a phono stage being broken in so many aspects then the Chord Huei. Almost unusable interface. Huge amount of noise and fair bit of distortion. RIAA equalization that is not accurate, nor spec compliant. And Rumble filter that does nothing. The only thing it has going for it is that it is pretty!"
All that at a ridiculous premium.
3. - PMC Twenty.21
I distinctly remember doing a spit-take when I saw a flat valley between two humps in the lower and upper bass that resembled that of a camel, and just keeping a shocked look on my face until I finished the review. Terrible tonality and high distortion, all from a highly regarded "pro speaker" company. What's not to tease? Thankfully, @Thomas savage apologized on behalf of Britain, so all was well in the end.
2. - CEntrance Hifi-M8 V2
The M8 has a "simple-business" look that seems to imply unique function over form. Alas, it is somehow much harsher on the ears than it is on the eyes. Low power, high distortion, and deceptive looks, all at an absurdly high price. Tsk tsk. It's especially disappointing when CEntrance's other portable amp, the DACPort HD, is so good- still being rather unrivaled in power output in its form factor to this day.
1. - Ocean Way HR5 Studio Monitor
The sheer amount of deception behind most every aspect of this speaker lets it win the Number 1 spot. From a super wide, wavy chassis that seemed to imply at least decent directivity -not among the worst-, to Allen Sides' blatant lies and sleezery in the background. I just kept shaking my head throughout the entire review. It was the first speaker I read about that cost over $1K that measured objectively worse than my already poorly designed $200 Klipsch RP-41M, which is very much quite the feat; I had a hearty chuckle at that. The HR5 is truly laughably bad at any price point. But, also shockingly so at the one it commands.
Ok, now I see the point. Nice write up.
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Cool, thanks.
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I'll go with the Neumann KH310 too. Bought a pair after a long awaited RTA compensation payout a year ago, along with a Topping E50 and a second BK XXLS400FF sub.
I reckon you'd have to spend a lot more to top this combo for both SPL capability and sound quality...Could be wrong however.
(Definitely puts a smile on my face and makes the pain and inconvenience of a badly broken leg seem worth it.)
I reckon you'd have to spend a lot more to top this combo for both SPL capability and sound quality...Could be wrong however.
(Definitely puts a smile on my face and makes the pain and inconvenience of a badly broken leg seem worth it.)
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