The following installments first appeared in HIFI AND MUSIC SOURCE, the publication for news, reviews and views, with whom PMA Magazine have a content sharing program.

_{All photos from HiFi And Music Source.}

Chord Company BurndyX Cable Upgrade

Our next Best of 2024 award goes to the Chord Company and their BurndyX upgrade for particular Naim Audio products.

The BurndyX upgrade features multi-stranded silver-plated OFC conductors with a high-density, silver-plated braid and foil combination to improve high frequencies. The umbilical link is terminated with the company’s unique, crimped ChorAlloy-plated connector pins. In our review featuring a Naim NAC-N 272 streaming preamplifier and an older Naim Audio XPS power supply, we concluded:

…a significant uplift in the system’s performance.

The performance upgrade obviated the need for this reviewer to purchase a new Naim Audio NAP 250, making the BurndyX a Best of 2024 winner!

PlixiR Statement Power Supply

Our next award goes to the PlixiR Statement power supply, which forms the backbone of the company’s Melco series of products, including the S100, N100, D100, and others. It is a significant upgrade to traditional power supplies, offering a pre-regulated stage that removes AC noise from the system and isolates the voltage regulation stage. Using the PlixiR Statement power supply with Melco products, we said in the review:

…there is a sense of uplift and tonal sweetness from the source.

We concluded:

The sum of the parts… built on this PlixiR Statement balanced DC linear power supply, is greater than the individual elements.

iFi Audio GO Bar Kensei Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier

Our next Best of 2024 award goes to the iFi Audio GO Bar Kensei, a balanced USB portable DAC/headphone amplifier featuring JVCKenwood’s cutting-edge K2HD audio processing technology. We said in the review that its:

… midrange is resolving, clear and detailed…

And we concluded, while bestowing the Kensei an Editor’s Pick award:

This GO Bar Kensei has a stunning soundstage, it is authoritative, and it has a sparkling presentation.

Naim Audio NAP 250 Power Amplifier

The next recipient of our award goes to the Naim Audio New Classic NAP 250 power amplifier. Though launched last year, we finally got our hands on it in April. Although I’ve spent the rest of the year trying to upgrade my old NAP, the new 250 is a stunning amplifier. We said, in response to the Naim driving the Kudos Audio 505 loudspeakers, that the combination elicited:

… a genuine emotional response.

We concluded:

I want it, I need it; it is an Editor’s Pick!

Outstanding Product of the Year 2024

The Kudos Audio Sigao Drive crossover is our pick for Outstanding Product of the Year 2024. It is an external passive crossover for Kudos Audio loudspeakers with active drive capability. It can be used with any amplification, and no power supply is required. Using it with the company’s Titan 505 loudspeakers, we said it was:

True, pure musicality.

We described the improvement as being like:

…Italian caffeinated coffee versus Starbucks decaffeinated filter coffee.

And we concluded it offered:

…nothing but the most outstanding performance. The best I’ve ever heard.

You can watch the new Best of 2024 awards video here.

Congratulations to Kudos Audio and to all our Best of 2024 winners.

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