2012 Blue Moon Award Winners in the Audio Reviews Categories
The 6moons Blue Moon Award is bestowed only on components or music releases of rare excellence. The following audio components were deemed outstanding for the specific reasons cited.


For English speakers not familiar with the colloquial phrase "Once in a Blue Moon", it connotes an event of considerable rarity, like finding a pearl inside an oyster. The actual occurance in its original and proper meaning relates to the extra full moon in a quarter of the year when there are four full moons rather than the usual three. The division of the year into quarters for this purpose sets the dividing line between March 21 and March 22. This relates to the rule for setting the date for the Christian Holy Day of Easter. It depends on the last full moon (as calculated by a somewhat inaccurate formula) on or before the Equinox on March 21.


This meaning of a blue moon was lost when the editors of the original Farmer's Almanac died. It was recovered only when researchers for Sky & Telescope magazine noticed that the Maine Farmer's Almanac from 1829 to 1937 reported blue moons that did not fit the meaning of the term calendar blue moon as has since become convention when people have taken to calling a full moon a blue moon based on the Gregorian calendar. By this use of the term, a blue moon is the second of two full moons to occur in the same calendar month. This definition of blue moon originated from a mistake in an article in the 1946 Sky & Telescope magazine, which failed in an attempt to infer the earlier definition used in the original Farmer's Almanac. It was helped to popularity when a Trivial Pursuit question used this as a source for one of its questions. Sky & Telescope discovered the error nearly 60 years later and the magazine printed a retraction and correction. But by the time the correction came about, the calendar definition had already come into common use. Because it is so much easier to understand, the mistaken calendar-based meaning has stuck.


Regardless of these arcana, a blue moon sighting refers to something that doesn't happen very often - a perfect image for a selective award and a fitting tie-in to this site's lunar identity. To read the winning reviews, click on the respective links below. But first, a reason why you should:
From Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novel  Blue Moon  
"Reading improves your vocabulary, Officer Maiden. You should try it sometime. Though I suppose you can get by with just looking at the pictures."

"Ooh, I'm cut to the quick on that one," Maiden said.

"If you cut us, do we not bleed?", Belisarius asked.

Maiden shocked the hell out of me by giving the next line: "If you tickle us, do we not laugh?"

Belisarius clapped softly. "Touché, Officer Maiden."

"Big and well read," I said. "I'm impressed."

He pulled a chain out of his pocket with keys on the end of it. "Don't tell the other cops. They'd think I was a sissy."

I looked up at him, all the way up at him. "It's not reading Shakespeare that makes you a sissy, Maiden. It's that damn gun. Only pansies carry that much hardware."

He unlocked the door at the end of the hallway. "Got to carry something big, Ms. Blake. Balances me out when I run."
  The following awards were given out in 2012:
XXHighEnd & Phasure NOS-1 DAC: "The Ultimate Windows-Based Software/Hardware Solution For PC Audio
Anthony Gallo Acoustics Strada 2/TR-3W: "The Perhaps Ultimate Desktop Speaker System Where It Achieves True Super Stereo Status"
Metrum Acoustics Hex: "2012's Affordable Super DAC"
Sablon Audio Cable Loom: "For An Ideal Balance Of Musicality And Sonics In An Affordable Complete Front-To-Back Loom"
PTP Audio Solid Series turntables: "Cost-Effective Vintage-To-Modern Transformations Of Classic Lenco Idler-Wheel Turntables Made To Order
Aura Vita: "The Perfect Everyman's Integrated Amplifier"
AURALiC Merak: "Brilliantly Executed Take On High-Power ModernClass D With Linear Power Supplies And Input Transformers"
B.M.C. C2 integrated: "For Resolution, Neutrality, High Power, Build Quality and Very High Value"
Calyx Femto: "Statement DAC With Perfect Balance Between Detail & Musicality"
Ocellia Reference Cables: "Approaching Realistic Tone & Flow Without Invoking Extreme Pricing"
Peachtree Audio Grand Integrated: "Top-Shelf Performance Across Deep Functionality With Drive-Anything Headphone/Speaker Power"
Tenor Audio Line1/Power1: "For Elevating The State Of The Art in Extreme Fidelity Luxury Preamps"
D-Sonic M2-1500M: "Extreme Power With Very Refined Sonics At An Extremely Attractive Price"
EMT TSD 15: "Transparency, speed, drive and texture in the $2.000 stereo cartridge arena"
JPlay: "Innovation in sound quality and musicality for PC/Windows music player software"
Bakoon Products Int'l AMP-11R: "State-Of-The-Art Mini Amp With 15wpc of Mosfet Power"
Artesania Esoteric: "An Ultimate Performance Rack of Great Flexibility and Demonstrable Efficacy"
Sonus faber Guarneri Evolution: "For Combining Luxurious Impeccable Finish Ands Cosmetics With State-Of-The-Art Performance For a Monitor Speaker"
Rack system SGR Audio Signature Rack: "Manufacturing, design and engineering excellence in an audio equipment rack system"
Devialet D-Premier AIR: "Innovative Extreme Performance All-In-One Integrated Amplifier Squared"
Red Wine Audio Signature 15: "Tubular tone density combines with low-impedance battery current drive"