ASR Basis Exclusive 2X Phono Preamplifier ($8,400)

Anyone who still listens to a vinyl rig owes it to themselves to listen to their vinyl treasures via this phono-preamplifier. The ASR Basis Exclusive, with the latest gold board revision, does a slightly better than the phono stage in my Klyne 7 preamplifier. However, when you switch over to the battery driven power supply, the fun really begins. Music is produced from a background as dark as those produced by the best CD players. Music becomes much more of an event than just playing an album. When the music calls for it, the portrayal becomes much more relaxed, or it can become more intense, depending on what you’re listening to. The bass performance seems to roll into the room as it becomes deeper, and more real. The performance of the Basis Exclusive is top tier. [Mike Wright]

The Basis Audio Work of Art Turntable [$135k] stands out in the audio world as a statement piece of remarkable design and exquisite execution. Sound fundamental principles and engineering skill become united with distinguished visual and mechanical beauty to create auditory and visual esthetics that make great sense. This combination yields sonic performance and musical rendering of the highest degree, deserving much praise, respect and admiration. When coupled to the Basis Audio Vector 4 tonearm, this equipment stretches far beyond convention to satisfy at intellectual, emotional and aural levels very rarely encountered outside of the concert hall. Designer A. J. Conti has established a new benchmark for vinyl reproduction and anyone with the resources to step into this marvelous realm should arrange to audition this turntable system in a serious setting so as to see just how far musical beauty can reach in the home. Kudos to Basis Audio! [Les Turoczi]
 

Benz-Micro Ebony L MC Phono Cartridge ($3,500)
This new S-Class low output moving coil cartridge from Benz-Micro provides a wealth of texture and detail along with an accurate and non-fatiguing frequency balance. I found the bass to be particularly articulate, exhibiting bass nuances I’ve not heard from other cartridges. Navigate your vinyl tarmac with a new Benz S-Class today! [Frank Alles]

Blue Circle Audio SBH Headphone Amplifier ($1,195)

This is an amazingly musical headphone amp. With a good pair of headphones you can easily get lost in the music. The SBH is very well built and easy to use. [H. Courtenay Osborne]

Musical Surroundings Nova Phonomena Phono Preamp ($995)

I found the battery-powered Nova Phonomena to be a very competent low-noise phono stage. I appreciate the myriad selection of external gain and load settings that facilitate excellent results with almost every MM or MC cartridge currently available. Its ultra-low noise floor enabled me to extract very credible performance from the Benz-Micro Ebony L cartridge, which outputs a scant 0.26mV. Another comparable highly rated MM/MC phono stage that I had on hand proved too noisy for that duty. [Frank Alles]
 

Tri-Planar Ultimate VII Precision Tonearm ($4,700)

This is truly one of the finest tonearms available today and my personal favorite. I have used earlier versions of this arm over the years and have been very pleased. This latest version is superior in every respect to its predecessors. The Tri-Planar allows the user to extract the best possible performance from a particular phono cartridge. This is due to its sonic neutrality and user adjustments that allows one to optimize cartridge performance. The Tri-Planar is a top tier component when it comes to LP music reproduction. As you would expect, it gets my highest recommendation. [H. Courtenay Osborne]