September 2017


Best Of 2017 Blue Note Equipment Awards

Questyle Audio Golden Reference System
CAS192D, CMA800P, And CMA800R
Price: $12,495 for complete dual mono system
Click here to read the complete review.

  Using hand-picked components and ultra-low-distortion Rodgers Ceramic PCB boards, Questyle's maxed-out Golden Reference system sets a high bar for endgame performance. The resolution, clarity and detail are simply stunning from this four-piece set. This is a system that really must be heard to be believed.

In our World Premiere review, Enjoy the Music.com reviewer Dave Hanson talks in vivid detail about what it is like to listen to music through this epic end-game system.

"Moving on to the transparency, imaging and soundscape aspects brings us to the thing that makes Questyle's Golden Reference system so spectacular: its ability to truly transport you into the recording. Listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn's Grammy Award-winning rendition of "Little Wing" in DSD put me right there in the studio with the band. I am sitting there in my chair. Right in front of me, Stevie Ray is standing comfortably front and center, pouring every ounce of himself into the guitar, while the gentle hum of his Tube Screamer distortion pedal buzzes subtly through his amp in the background.

Just when I think it can't get any more immersive, drummer Chris Layton comes into the fold. The shocking inner resolution of his tone and the stunning spatial imaging on his drum kit help to unveil a perfect three-dimensional view of the enormous soundscape and a keen sense of the acoustic properties of the recording area. Running in dual mono mode with my Sennheiser HD800 via the excellent DanaCable Lazuli balanced cable, I am not sure I have ever heard a headphone system perform better in terms of soundscape size, dimensionality and imaging performance. It easily scores perfect marks in all categories related to spatial performance.

No less impressive is the performance of bassist Tommy Shannon. The Questyle Golden stack captures the intent behind his performance masterfully, in terms of both resolution and dynamics - laying back a bit on the bass, always ensuring Stevie remains the center of attention, pushing where it is needed, but taking care never to step out of turn. Gaining so much insight into such a nuanced background performance says quite a bit about the excellent resolution and powerful dynamics the system has to offer. It is truly something special."

Click here to read the complete review.

Previous Annual Blue Note Awards

Product of the Year Awards 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001.