The Absolute Sound’s Golden Ear Awards is the annual feature in which our staff and freelance writers choose those components that stand out from the competition. Some of these components are references that have withstood the test of time. Others are newfound favorites destined to become classics. In either case, the products selected for a Golden Ear Award are special, indeed. Unlike our Editors’ Choice Awards—a compendium of every product we recommend, chosen by consensus of the senior editorial staff—Golden Ear Awards allow each writer to express his individual views on which components he thinks are truly great—and why. The diversity of products selected here reflects not just the industry at large, but also each writer’s quest for the absolute sound. Robert Harley the absolute sound September 2013 53
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