Editor’s Note: We don’t want to steal all of What Hi-Fi’s thunder, so visit their What Hi-Fi’s Awards 2019 page to see all the winners!
The wait is over! It’s been four weeks since we announced our 111 Best Buy Award winners, and now, as announced at the What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony on Tuesday 5th November, we have decorated 26 of them – one from each product category – with the even more prestigious Product of the Year accolade.
The 2019 Product of the Year winners represent our absolute favorite products across all the categories we cover, from TVs to turntables, speakers to music streamers, and everything in between.
The full list of 26 Product of the Year winners, plus our five ‘special’ annual awards, can be found on What Hi-Fi?. And don’t forget, the Awards edition of the magazine goes on sale on Wednesday 6th November!
So, a quick rundown…
Apple takes three POYs this year for its consistent efforts in the phone (iPhone 11), tablet (iPad mini) and video streamer (TV 4K) categories, while Sony once again wins multiple gongs – this time for its tremendous WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones, and the “scintillating” VPL-VW270ES 4K projector.
Household hi-fi names are present and correct, with the KEF LSX heralded as the best-value system you can buy; Naim’s Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation triumphing in the wireless speaker category; Audiolab taking the plaudits for its 6000N Play’s music streaming masterclass; and Cambridge Audio knocking Rega off top spot to secure the stereo amplifier accolade with its all-new CXA81.
As other tough contests go, Denon has outmuscled Sony this year to claim top honours in the AV receiver category thanks to the fruitful features and lean, punchy performance of its AVR-X3600H.
Bowers & Wilkins claims one of the most hotly contested awards, stereo speakers, with its 606 standmounts, which also won a place in The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame. Their big brothers, the 607s, also scoop this year’s Readers’ Award – as voted for by you, our readers! Not a bad haul for Bowers & Wilkins’ 600 speaker series, then.
Unsurprisingly, new kids on the block sit alongside resilient repeat winners that refuse to be outclassed. The Chord Electronics’ Qutest DAC, AKG Y50 headphones, Roberts Stream 94i radio, Tidal music streaming service, Astell & Kern A&norma SR15 portable music player and Audio Pro multi-room system all prevail once again.
Despite tough competition from Samsung’s Award-winning QLED TVs, LG’s 55in model in its C-series 4K OLED TV range (the OLED55C9PLA) gets a second POY nod in a row. And as sure as night follows day, Rega representatives followed their familiar route to the What Hi-Fi? Awards stage to claim the turntable Product of the Year trophy for its unbeaten Planar 3\Elys2.
Visit What Hi-Fi? To See all the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2019 winners.
See also: TWICE 2019 Top 100 CE Retailers Report: Sales Top $140B
