And the Part-Time Audiophile 2022 Product of the Year is…

…the Qln Signature loudspeakers.

Surprise, huh? But here is the reason why the Qln Signature monitors are the PTA 2022 Product of the Year: they deserve it. I kept saying things like “I can’t keep picking two-way speakers every year” and “we really need to pick an amp or a turntable or something” and then a singular thought popped into my head.

How fair is that to the Qln Signature?

Why penalize Qln’s Mats Andersen for creating my favorite component in 2022 just because it’s not a DAC or a $25,000 phono cartridge made of gold? I’ve spent decades looking for the perfect two-way monitor, and I think I’ve found it. Will I find something else I like more next year? Possibly. It’s an occupational hazard. But right here, right now, in 2022, the Qln Signature is at the top of my list for Santa.

I hooked the Qln Signatures to $5,000 integrated amps with a $300 pair of AudioQuest Rocket33s, and I hooked it up to $135,000 worth of amps, cables and power management. Not once did I hear a sub-optimal match, or something that sounded less than spectacular. Dave McNair once spoke of a pair of speakers as “the marrying kind,” and that’s how I feel about the Qlns, like my search has ended. That brings up, of course, our previous qualifier–that I’m the only one who had heard the Qln Signatures up to that point. Fortunately, much of the crew that covered the 2022 Capital Audiofest heard the Qlns, and when they returned they all gave this incredible loudspeaker their blessing.

Congratulations to Mats Andersen of Qln, as well as Qln sales manager Mark Sossa for winning the 2022 Product of the Year.