DAC

WINNER - AURALiC Vega G2.2

An evolution of Auralic’s hugely popular Vega G2.1 streaming DAC, the new 2.2 was always going to have large footprints to fill. In every respect, it succeeds – bringing new levels of construction quality, functionality and tech to this market sector – plus stellar sound. It sports the company’s clever dual chassis design, with a second skin made from copper to electrically shield the internals – and is packed with the latest electronics. On the outside, the perfectly finished aluminium and glass case gives it the feel of an ultra-high end design.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Musical Fidelity M6x

The latest in a long line of Musical Fidelity M-series DACs, the 6x is the company’s current flagship number cruncher. An old-school design sans streaming or any other such fancy stuff, it’s still come a long way since the first Digilog of the nineteen eighties. Large, heavy and festooned with buttons and status LEDs, it’s extremely well made inside and out while offering 32-bit, 768kHz PCM and DSD512 playback plus MQA, and excellent connectivity. Its sound is the star attraction though, thanks to its wonderfully open, detailed and musically enjoyable character.

STREAMER

WINNER - Cambridge Audio CXN100

The old CXN v2 was one of the best network music players anywhere near its price, so Cambridge Audio faced a major challenge updating it. The new CXN 100 goes for evolution rather than revolution, offering more of the same but better. This latest design gives a cleaner and more detailed sound, alongside 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512 resolution plus MQA compatibility. Factor in the handsome styling, improved display and the already excellent Stream Magic app, and this even more grown-up new product is seriously hard to beat.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - WiiM Ultra

A sub-brand of Linkplay Technology, set up in 2014 by a team of tech entrepreneurs from Google, Broadcom, InterVideo and Harman, WiiM has really put the cat among the hi-fi pigeons in 2024. The company calls itself "a group of geeky music enthusiasts who believe in the power of music wholeheartedly” – and you can see why with the Ultra. This compact, one-box streaming DAC preamp sports a host of features at an almost unfathomably low price. Packed with the latest connectivity and functionality, it’s a fine-sounding package for aspiring audiophiles.

STREAMER, HIGH END

WINNER - Audiolab 9000N 

Audiolab’s latest 9000 series has been busy winning friends and influencing people – and the new 9000N streamer is no exception. The fruit of over three years of intensive research and development with technology partner Lumin, it crunches PCM at up to 32-bit/768kHz and native DSD512. A clean-looking design that’s largely app-controlled, it sports decent connectivity and a great colour display. Sonically, it’s a real class act – sounding tight, punchy, detailed and engaging. A great all round package, if you’re serious about streaming then it’s hard to beat at or near the price.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - AURALiC Altair G2.2

The company says that ninety percent of the components in Auralic's latest streaming DAC preamp have been changed from the outgoing G2.1. The new Tesla G3 playback platform is said to ratchet up performance thanks to its quad-core, 64-bit architecture, and the clever digital tweakery of the G2.2's Fusion DAC blends the best of discrete ladder and Delta-Sigma designs. It certainly sounds the part, with its intricately etched sound full of filigree detail – little at or near its price comes close. And thanks to the excellent Lightning app, streaming is a breeze.

LOUDSPEAKER CABLE

WINNER - Chord Company ShawlineX

If you still believe that all speaker cables sound the same, then a quick dem of Chord Company’s latest ShawlineX cable should change your mind. Believed to be a subtly tweaked version of the brand’s highly popular Rumour, this new design sports high-quality silver-plated oxygen-free crystal copper conductors in a twisted pair configuration, with a new PVC internal jacket and XLPE insulation. The sound is feisty and fun without ever getting harsh, and there’s loads of detail too. A top speaker cable package at a sensible, real-world price, then.

INTERCONNECT CABLE

WINNER - Tellurium Q Ultra Silver II

The latest in a long line of high-end cables from Tellurium Q, the Ultra Silver II sits just below the company's statement Silver Diamond range. The brand has been winning friends for decades now and bagged a brace of British Queen's Awards for Enterprise along the way. As ever with this company, the ingredients remain secret, but you can bet the conductor, dielectric, and shielding are all top-flight, as well as the XLR plugs. Sonically, it's glass-clear, adding virtually no discernible character to the sound, even in the finest systems.

POWER AMPLIFIER

WINNER - Topping B100

This company is famous for doing physically tiny hi-fi separates that punch way above their size and weight – as this new B100 monoblock power amplifier shows. You’d expect it to be a Class D design at this price, but it’s actually Class B with a claimed 70W into 8 ohms – which is immense considering its dinky dimensions. When paired up with a second unit for stereo, you get a crisp, dry and surprisingly detailed sound with next-to no overhang or bloat. And the wee Topping is impressively dynamic for the price, too.

POWER AMPLIFIER, HIGH END 

WINNER - Electrocompaniet AW 300 M

This enigmatic Norwegian company has a long-established reputation for excellence in solid-state amplification, so it’s no surprise to see its AW 300 M winning StereoNET’s coveted best high-end power amplifier award. This pure monoblock runs in pure Class A up to 10W then switches to AB to punch out 300W into 8 ohms and double that into 4. It sounds superb; fractionally on the warm side of neutral, it is pretty much translucent so just steps out of the way to deliver the goods in a totally self-effacing and fuss-free style.

PREAMPLIFIER, HIGH END

WINNER - MOON by Simaudio 891

The preamplifier from MOON's ultra-high-line North Collection, the 891, is a worthy partner to the company's own 861 power amplifier – or any other such high-end design. With its beautiful in-house made casework, the build quality is as sublime as you'd expect at this price – and the sound is even better still. This preamp's built-in phono stage, streaming board and DAC are all superbly implemented, which means you can hear your favourite music sources with wonderful fidelity, all from just one box. It's hard to think what more you could ask from any preamp.

INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

WINNER - Cyrus Audio 40 AMP

The recent launch of the new 40 AMP was a significant moment for Cyrus, given that it ended the company’s decades-long tradition of making compact, high quality hi-fi separates with small push-button controls. This new integrated sees the introduction of a tactile new touchscreen interface, plus new functionality and better sound. It’s an unalloyed success, finally bringing the company’s ergonomics into the 2020s while delivering an even tighter, tauter and more detailed musical performance. This worthy StereoNET Award Winner is first among equals in a highly contested marketplace.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Arcam Radia A25

This sleek and modern-looking amplifier is the top model in Arcam's new Radia range and punches out a claimed 100W per side into 8 ohms and two-thirds more again into 4. That means it's got plenty of power for any speaker it's likely to be partnered with – and careful electronic design means it has the sound quality to match. It's stronger and gutsier than its slimline styling suggests but has no hard edges – as you'd expect from this British brand, with its near-fifty-year pedigree. A class act that deserves to succeed.

INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER, HIGH END

WINNER - Chord Electronics Ultima

The recent DAC explosion has been something of a distraction for Chord Electronics – albeit a welcome one. Over the past decade or so, this British stereo specialist has kept very busy shipping its hugely successful range of digital audio convertors, causing some to forget that it was originally famous for amplification. The Ultima integrated reminds us why, offering as it does a combination of eccentric ergonomics and eyewateringly good sound. With lots of design input from the company’s MD John Franks, it reminds us once again of this company’s electronics engineering prowess.

PROJECTOR

WINNER - BenQ W5800

Aimed squarely at home theatre enthusiasts, BenQ's new W5800 is a single-chip DLP projector with a 0.47-inch DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) at its heart. It has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 but achieves 3,480 x 2,160 in practice using advanced techniques more common in higher-end designs. Factory-calibrated, the unit ships optimised for colour accuracy and precision tuning of colour temperature, gamma, white, and black levels. With abundant connectivity and an excellent picture, it's the company's finest DLP projector to date and a great value proposition.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Epson EH-LS800

This premium-priced ultra-short-throw projector tops Epson's EpiqVision Ultra range and offers class-leading brightness, an excellent Yamaha-designed sound system, and useful functionality. It's not the most compact of its type, but it is undeniably good-looking with a modern form factor. The EH-LS800W casts a large 4K image from virtually no distance at all, and it looks great thanks to super colour fidelity with bold primaries and deep hues. With its excellent cinematic picture, it's great for sports and general entertainment, as well as home theatre.

PROJECTOR, HIGH END

WINNER - JVC DLA-NZ7

This beautifully made, premium tier, 8K upscaling projector offers stunning performance in a physically largish but perfectly formed package. The new DLA-NZ7 comes packed to the gunwales with JVC's leading-edge technology, including Frame Adapt HDR Generation 2 Dynamic Tone Mapping, which strikes an excellent balance between maintaining brightness and depth. Its class-leading native black levels – for which JVC is revered – make for film-like images laden with detail and have a three-dimensional sense of depth. Despite its high retail price, this outstanding projector represents excellent value for money.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Sony BRAVIA Projector 8

The path to projector perfection gets ever shorter as each successive year passes – as products like Sony’s BRAVIA Projector 8 (VPL-XW6100ES) improve picture quality ever further. This high-end design is packed with the company’s latest image processing technology, including enhanced Dynamic Tone Mapping and XR Deep Black intelligent laser dimming. The all-new XR processor performs real-time upscaling, contrast enhancement, and noise reduction of objects. The end result is some of the finest HDR imagery that StereoNET has seen from a projector – pictures are startlingly life-like and beautiful to behold.

AV RECEIVER

WINNER - Denon AVC-A1H

Offering exceptional levels of clarity and detail, excellent channel steering and stage depth, the AVC-A1H envelopes any movie room in sound. This AV receiver is also capable of explosive dynamics, thanks to its fifteen channels of powerful amplification that can confidently drive 9.4.6 configurations. Dirac Live Bass Control and Audyssey Pro functionality add even more. If you want all this performance and functionality from another product, be prepared to spend much more. Worthy of Denon’s prestigious A1 moniker, this is a game-changing high-end home cinema amplifier.

AV RECEIVER, HIGH END

WINNER - Storm Audio ISR Fusion 20

You might wonder how the ISR Fusion 20 can succeed at over twice the price of competing flagship receivers. The answer is its sheer ability – it's an exceptional design with performance akin to high-end hi-fi separates. Simply put, it runs rings around its rivals sonically. Its outstanding power and dynamic punch make for an exhilarating listen. Coupled with remarkable transparency and detail, it delivers a true cinema-at-home sound. A technology-packed, one-box product that brings cinema-level quality to the home, it's a worthy winner of StereoNET's High End AV Receiver 2025 Award.

CINEMA SPEAKERS, INSTALLED

WINNER - Monitor Audio Cinergy

If you're looking to recreate the sound of a state-of-the-art modern cinema in your home, there's no messing around. With Cinergy, Monitor Audio offers a 'turnkey solution' range of speakers and amplifiers that give superlative results right up to THX Dominus specification, which is the closest approximation to public cinema venues. THX Ultra Certified, it's built to achieve reference volume levels. Rather than being an off-the-shelf solution, Cinergy is only available through select cinema designers who professionally install it. The result is a startlingly clean and expansive sound, with breathtaking dynamics and bass extension.

SUBWOOFER

WINNER - Ascendo The16 SUB

When you're talking about a subwoofer with an 80-inch driver and weighing 260 kilograms, the term "room-filling" is an understatement. The largest of Ascendo Immersive Audio's infrasonic designs, this monster is capable of plumbing subterranean depths and does so with absolute authority. Subs are always a trade-off between size, efficiency and low-frequency extension – and The16SUB gets the balance right. Its 1,000 watts of Class D power are meted out in a carefully contained way, thanks to the sealed-box design – there's amazingly little overhang, which makes its punch seem all the more terrifying.

TURNTABLE

WINNER - Technics SL-1200GR2

During vinyl's heyday of the nineteen seventies, Technics wowed the world with its wide range of precise sounding direct drive turntables, which became loved by audiophiles and DJs alike. Warp forward forty or so years, and the company relaunched the SL-1200G – upgraded and updated over its SL-1200 MK2 predecessor. A few years later, we arrive at the SL-1200GR2, an improved but slightly cost-cut version of the mighty G. It sounds superb for the money, with snappy dynamics, racing rhythms, copious detail and super low noise.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2

From the master of affordable turntables comes this enjoyable-sounding design. A classic belt drive built with one eye on cost, the Debut EVO 2 nevertheless offers far more than you might expect for the money. The damped cast aluminium turntable platter is a big plus, for example, as is the decent plinth that comes in several colours. The carbon fibre tubed tonearm is a quality design and is pre-fitted with a special Ortofon Pick-it MM EVO moving magnet cartridge. Sonically it's smooth and fun, yet surprisingly sophisticated at the price.

PHONO AMPLIFIER

WINNER - Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B

This affordable but feature-packed phono stage offers the sweet sound of valves courtesy of two E88CC vacuum tubes, along with the option of balanced outputs via rear panel XLR sockets – something that was confined to high-end designs not so long ago. Factor in switches for gain adjustment, loading options, a subsonic high-pass filter and a continuously variable impedance control, and it's amazingly well specified by class standards. The Pro-Ject sounds great for the money, with a warm, detailed and musical character that makes you want to keep spinning vinyl.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Manley Labs Oasis

US-based Manley Labs enjoys a cult following for its phono stages, and the Oasis shows why. Steeped in vacuum tube heritage, the company has been going for many decades and has products to suit most budgets. This is the second-from-top model in the company's range and has four 6922 triode valves doing the heavy lifting, plus another serving as an output driver. It's highly configurable, so it should work with most MM or MC cartridges. A dynamic yet detailed-sounding design, it has an infectious passion for music that makes listening fun.

PHONO CARTRIDGE

WINNER - Aidas Cartridges Malachite Silver

Based in Kaunas, Lithuania, you might say that Aidas Cartridges is a boutique high-end moving coil brand that's been going for decades. The Malachite Silver is hand-built with special suspension, core geometry and coils, encased in an exquisite green Tru-stone body that's said to offer unique damping properties. An Adamant Namiki boron cantilever and MicroRidge stylus complete the package, resulting in a sound that's quite out of the ordinary. Natural and fulsome, it has a highly authentic character that lets the texture of acoustic instruments and human voices shine forth.

CD PLAYER

WINNER - Exposure 3510 CD

Trust this venerable British hi-fi brand to come up with something exotic, at a relatively affordable cost. An unconventional top-loading CD player, the quirkiness extends to the electronics inside – as the 3510 CD uses a vintage multi-bit DAC, unlike the latest types fitted to its price rivals. Likewise, the transport is a bespoke CD mech, first fitted to players a generation ago. The result is an engaging, musical sound that’s tonally a tad warm yet highly dynamic. A clever silver disc spinner that punches harder than its price suggests.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Roksan Attessa CD Transport

Although many audiophiles have now moved over to streaming, there are still a great many Compact Discs around – including rarities that aren’t yet available online. Factor in the wide availability of modern stand-alone DACs, and it makes sense for many to buy a quality modern CD transport such as Roksan’s Attessa. Part of a deservedly successful range that includes integrated amps and even a turntable, this gives an affordable route into silver disc spinning. Reliable, smooth and accurate in operation, there is much to like about this handy bit of kit.

OVER-EAR HEADPHONES, WIRELESS

WINNER - DALI IO-12

Powerful noise cancellation and fine audio performance are available from headphones considerably less expensive than this DALI over-ear wireless design, but, still, the extra spend on the IO-12 is justified. This unapologetically luxurious statement headphone will satisfy the most demanding mobile music fan. Everything from the 'new wallet' leather smell to its overall fit and finish is superlative. It's an amazingly comfortable thing to wear and, indeed, to listen to – like the finest DALI hi-fi loudspeakers, it sounds rich, vibrant and exciting whatever music you care to play.

OVER-EAR HEADPHONES, WIRED

WINNER - Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000

When only the finest sound will do, wired headphones rule the roost. The ATH-ADX3000 is one of the best dynamic designs we've heard, thanks to top-level engineering know-how, excellent materials use and superlative build quality. A skeletal open-back design with a light magnesium alloy frame, it weighs just 257g. This, plus the soft velour pads, make it exceptionally comfortable. The 58mm dynamic drivers have excellent transient speed and low distortion, making for a super-fast, taut and highly etched sound with impressive air and space. Sonically and visually, this is a thing of beauty.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Dan Clark Audio E3

Planar magnetic drive units are for high end phones only, so are precisely what you’d expect from the E3 – Dan Clark Audio's fifth-generation V-Planar driver technology is super-light and fast. The company’s Acoustical Metamaterial Tuning System ensures it integrates perfectly with the transducer enclosures. Factor in the neat metal headband and premium connecting cable, and this feels a special product. At 455g it’s not the lightest around, but is still a comfortable wear. Powerful and gripping, it’s nothing less than one of the best sounding closed-backed headphones that money can buy.

IN-EAR HEADPHONES

WINNER - Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4

A giant amongst in-ear monitors, this premium Sennheiser offers exceptional value for money. With each earbud weighing just 6.2g, it's not literally huge – the size is comparable to its rivals. However, its fit stands heads and shoulders above its peers thanks to its highly ergonomic design with durable cross-woven fabric finish. Class-leading battery life, excellent Bluetooth and a great control system make for a great user experience, better than the best of the rest at this price. Sonically, the Momentum True Wireless 4 hits the spot brilliantly – crisp, accurate, delicate and subtle, just as you'd expect from this brand.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Campfire Audio Astrolith

There's nothing like a super-light planar magnetic driver to extract the finest nuanced details from a recording. Generally reserved for full-sized, over-ear headphones, they're real head-fi esoterica. The Astrolith, however, brings this tech to in-ear monitors, and the result is exhilarating sound. Campfire Audio's new Additive Acoustic Optical Inclusion shell houses twin transducers and makes for a comfortable wear. The high price tag of this pair of IEMs is justified as soon as you listen – it's a delightfully delicate and insightful sound that makes every recording sound vibrant and alive.

HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

WINNER - dCS Lina Headphone System

Who else but dCS would you expect to make the world's most expensive headphone amplifier package? Comprising the Lina Headphone Amplifier, Master Clock and Network streaming DAC, it ports the company's unparalleled high-end digital audio know-how to a set of compact components aimed at well-heeled audiophiles. The unique, bespoke Ring DAC technology gives exceptional sound with breathtaking resolution, atmosphere and dynamics. Meanwhile, the amplifier stage drives practically every conventional headphone made with superb fidelity and power. An audacious, cost-no-object head-fi system that's destined to become a classic.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Violectric Niimbus US 5 Pro

With styling inspired by Braun's Dieter Rams, the Nimbus US 5 Pro is already off to a good start, but we need to go beneath the surface to find this machine's real star attraction. With twin power transformers and expensive passive components, the circuitry is an audiophile's dream. The 7W claimed power output should drive pretty much any headphones with ease. Preamplifier functionality adds another string to its bow. The end result is a beautifully built, stylish, and highly versatile device with an exceptionally gutsy, transparent and three-dimensional sound.

DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER

WINNER - FiiO M23

The latest in FiiO's range of premium digital audio portables, the M23 is pitched against more affordable versions of high-end machines. As you'd expect, it's a well-made, crisply styled device packed with high-quality components – including AKM DACs. It can deal with digital audio files of every worthwhile type, including MQA, up to 24-bit/384kHz and DSD256 resolution. Android-based, it's easy to use and responds snappily to commands. But it's the stellar sound which impresses most. Open, insightful and musically engaging, it's hard to beat at anywhere near this price.

FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKERS

WINNER - VAF Signature i93 MKV

Effortless and unconstrained, this big Australian floorstander delivers highly impressive bass, a glass-clear midband, silky and atmospheric treble and outstanding dynamics. The soundstage is wide and tall, with precise imaging that immerses the listener in the music. It excels in speed and accuracy, too. All of this makes the Signature i93 MKV a spectacular performer at its price – one that's able to equal or better any rival in the world. A credit to VAF Research, it's a worthy winner of StereoNET's Floorstanding Loudspeaker of the Year 2025.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Tannoy Stirling III LZ Special Edition

It is no accident that – many decades after they originally surfaced – countless audiophiles worldwide remain passionate about Tannoy dual concentric loudspeakers. How so? Well, there's really nothing else that compares, when you're seeking a certain sound that's fast, physical, spontaneous, animated and intimate – yet never harsh. The Stirling III LZ SE personifies this; it's a modern reworking of the classic fifty-year-old Monitor Red and sports a mid-size 10-inch driver to give a healthy 93dB sensitivity. It sounds spectacular, with firecracker dynamics, wonderful imaging and a rich, vibrant tonality.

FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKERS, HIGH END

WINNER - Estelon XB Mk II

This beautifully crafted, cost-no-object loudspeaker shows how high-end hi-fi can function both as superlative music-reproducing equipment and as a striking piece of interior design. The XB Mk II is said to have no parallel walls, and Estelon says that almost every surface inside the cabinet is curved. As well as making it exceptionally acoustically inert, it makes for breathtaking aesthetics. Factor in superb quality drive units and crossover, and you are presented with an uncannily open and uncoloured-sounding floorstander with glorious delicacy, detail and dynamics.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signature

B&W's 801 is an iconic high-end speaker and has been for over five decades. A dream design for many audiophiles, it has become shorthand for 'best speaker in the world' due to its popularity with pro audio people and consumers alike. So how to improve on the latest and greatest 'D4' incarnation? Simple, do the same thing even better – so the Signature boasts some improved structural parts and other tweaks. The difference is clear to hear – there's even more detail and insight from this massive behemoth of a box.

STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKERS

WINNER - Monitor Audio Studio 89

This suavely-styled new compact mid-price standmounter deploys technologies developed for Monitor Audio's superb flagship Hyphn loudspeaker to significant effect. Deeper than it is tall, this unusually proportioned design has a sublime finish, and the company's latest drive units are positioned in a vertically symmetrical layout. Locate it a little away from a boundary wall to give its rear-facing narrow-velocity ports room to breathe, and the result is a super-clean, open and engaging sound. This is a seriously special speaker with a delicacy that's rare at or anywhere near its price.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - DALI Rubikore 2

Ten or so years after DALI launched its popular and capable Rubicon range and two-plus years since its Kore flagship loudspeaker made its debut, the Danish speaker maker has a new range called Rubikore. The 2 is a compact standmounter boasting fancy trickle-down tech from the company's top designs. Very well-finished and neatly styled, this speaker's star attraction is undoubtedly its bespoke-designed drive unit package, which delivers a lovely tone. Best used with a powerful solid-state amp, the Rubikore 2 sounds musically engaging yet rich, smooth and expansive.

STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKERS, HIGH END

WINNER - Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 2024 Limited Edition

The quest for the ultimate BBC-licensed LS3/5a will never stop – but were it to end, then here would be as good a place as any. This premium-priced, limited-edition version from Falcon Acoustics sounds as good as any that StereoNET has ever set ears upon – and displays faultless build and finish. This company has an excellent pedigree in the LS3/5a world and it shines through when you listen. Fast, tight, taut, punchy, open and expansive, the exquisite English burr elm veneered 2024 LE sounds like a thoroughly modern, state-of-the-art mini monitor.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Perlisten Audio S5m

A fascinating meeting of the high-end hi-fi and leading-edge home cinema worlds, the S5m from Perlisten forms part of a loudspeaker range that is the first to achieve THX Dominus certification – which is the latest and most high-performance rating. Designed as a large-sounding speaker that's physically smaller than a tower, it's a tall 3-way standmounter that boasts a wide bandwidth and excellent dispersion. Very much on the studio monitor side in character terms, it serves up incredible levels of detail and shows rare grace under pressure.

STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKERS, ACTIVE

WINNER - PMC Active twenty5.21i

For decades now, the Professional Monitoring Company has straddled the pro audio world, where its speakers are widely used, and the domestic hi-fi scene, where its commitment to transmission line loading does not follow fashion. The Active twenty5.21i is available in active or passive form; this active version has a dedicated 100W Class AB power amp built in. This, plus its excellent drive units and rigid cabinets, makes for a belter of a standmount speaker. Highly musically expressive, its bass packs a punch way bigger than its modest size suggests. 

HIGHLY COMMENDED - JBL 4329P

Despite making very fine hi-fi loudspeakers, JBL has concentrated on channelling its heritage designs of late – often refreshing them and adding modern tech such as active amplification and streaming functionality. JBL's 4329P is one such example, and hails from the company's popular 'Studio Monitor' series. This big banger sports a horn tweeter and largish mid/bass driver for old-school fun, allied to 300 watts of amplification – enough to get any party started. It sounds fast and furious, with sufficient power to wake up your neighbourhood. Classic JBL, then.

ONE-BOX SYSTEM

WINNER - Cambridge Audio Evo One

This British company, whose history dates back to 1968, is on a roll right now – and its new Evo One shows why. A compact tabletop system that's a modern equivalent to an all-in-one music centre, it's loaded to the max with speakers inside. No less than fourteen drive units are each fed by 50W of Class D power, making a total of 700W. Easy to use, its 6.8-inch TFT screen looks as crisp as its walnut veneered case. Great connectivity, including HDMI eARC, makes it super-versatile – and it sounds way better than a small box should.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Ruark Audio R410

A classy desktop music system with the accent on sonics, Ruark's R410 looks great with its surprisingly large, furniture-grade, real wood veneered case. It's a stylish thing too, sporting a classic yet strangely timeless look – the company's trademark horizontal wooden slats give it a minimalist Scandinavian feel. Beauty is more than skin-deep, though, as it features excellent connectivity and streams a multitude of different music files. The phono stage will delight analogue addicts, and its brace of good quality speakers – driven by 120W of Class D power – deliver super sound.

AUDIO ACCESSORY

WINNER - Origin Live Strata Turntable Mat

The relationship between a vinyl record and the turntable platter is an important one. The latter must support the disc surface securely, as well as being as mechanically inert as possible. Designers have used many different approaches over the years, employing glass, mazak, pressed steel, acrylic, etc., plus mats made from rubber, felt, cork, and so on. Origin Live’s Strata platter mat is claimed to damp down resonances over a wide frequency band thanks to its multiple, specially selected, layered materials. It works great, bringing more detail, depth and dynamics to many types of turntable.

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Audio Origami isoPods

Anyone who’s ever heard the effect that extraneous ground-borne vibrations can have on the sound of a turntable, CD player, streamer and/or amplifier will know that the better isolated your hi-fi components are, the nicer your system will sound. Audio Origami’s isoPods do a great job of reducing these bad vibes, effectively lowering resonance to boost the performance of your system. The result is firmer bass, cleaner midband and smoother treble. They’re very well made and keenly priced compared to some rival isolation products.

OVERALL PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR 2025

HI-FI - Estelon XB Mk II

A textbook example of form following function, Estelon's XB Mk II is a strikingly beautiful loudspeaker that looks as it does by virtue of its acoustic design. The cabinet has been meticulously shaped to minimise internal resonances, giving the superb drive units their chance to shine. The result is a spectacularly translucent sound which wrings the best out of every recording. Expensive, yes, but this is a state-of-the-art design which advances the art of high-end audio. A worthy Product of the Year for StereoNET, this loudspeaker pretty much selects itself.

HEADPHONES - dCS Lina Headphone System

No other company could conceive, design, and manufacture the Lina headphone amplifier package, which is the sum total of several unique things that come together. The company's roots in aerospace and defence contracting set it on a path of technical excellence, as did its founder's passion for music and high-end hi-fi. What followed were decades of pushing the envelope with digital audio, literally leading the industry. Then came dCS's decision to commit to headphones; the result is what you see here. It may be spectacularly priced, but head-fi fans can do no better.

CINEMA - Monitor Audio Cinergy System

If we're honest, high-end home cinema can be pretty hit and miss. It's perfectly possible to find a great installer and end up with movie sound that puts your local cinema to shame, but that doesn't always happen. The idea behind the Cinergy system is that it provides very high quality, tried-and-tested, and – very importantly – acoustically and electrically matched amplification packages. And these don't come from some random tech start-up, as Monitor Audio has great pedigree in hi-fi. It's a great concept that should help to make home cinema sound both better and more accessible.

LIFESTYLE - Cambridge Audio Evo One

The history of Cambridge Audio spans over fifty-five years, during which time the company has repeatedly reinvented itself – but one thing stays the same. Whether it's accomplished two-channel hi-fi separates it is making, or compact, convenient and user-friendly domestic audio systems like the Evo One – sound quality comes first. That is why this product wins StereoNET's coveted Lifestyle Award for 2025 – it's more than just a pretty face. The audio world needs more products that open up the joy of high-quality music reproduction to a wider audience – and this does precisely that.