The 39th edition of the What Hi-Fi? Awards took place on November 4th which saw 21 Roon Ready and Roon Tested products win across 11 different categories.
There were multiple awards up for grabs at the prestigious event in London, which included product ‘Best Buys’ and ‘Product of the Year’ awards across 26 product categories, as well as five ‘Special Awards’ – all of which featured products from the Roon family.
You can read about them all below.
Product of the Year Awards
Five Roon partners were awarded the ‘Product of the Year’ accolade, celebrating the very best tech of the year.
Bluesound Node | Roon Ready
Best music streamer
“At this money, it represents one of the most entertaining and comprehensive ways of adding music streaming to your hi-fi system.”
Cambridge Audio CX81| Roon Tested
Best stereo amplifier
“If you’re looking for a well-equipped integrated at this level, this is a great place to start.”
Chord Qutest| Roon Ready
Best DAC
“Chord has managed to do it again. The Qutest sets a new benchmark at this price”
KEF LS50 Wireless II| Roon Ready
Best all-in-one system
“KEF’s revisions have paid off; these sequels are among the most thrilling speaker systems we’ve heard”
Naim Mu-so Qb 2 | Roon Ready
Best wireless speaker
“The Mu-so Qb retains an inherently likeable presentation, but has matured over the three years since its first generation.”
In addition, a month before revealing the overall ‘Product of the Year’ winners, What Hi-Fi? announced all of their ‘Best Buy’ products, featuring thirteen Roon partner devices.
Best Buy Awards
Arcam ST60 | Roon Ready
Best music streamer £1,000-£1,500
“If you’re happy with your hi-fi system but simply want to smarten it up by slotting a streamer next to your separates, the Arcam ST60 is a strong choice.”
Astell&Kern A&futura SE180 | Roon Ready
Best portable music player over £1,000
“Astell & Kern’s quirkiest player yet is also one of its best value”
AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt | Roon Tested
Best DAC £200-£300
“If you loved the DragonFly Red as much as we did, and you’re looking to make the next step up without compromising on size or form, the Cobalt represents something of a no-brainer.”
Cambridge Audio CXA61 I Roon Tested
Best stereo amplifier £600-800
“Class leaders are constantly being replaced in hi-fi, but rarely is it done so soundly as by Cambridge Audio’s CXA81 integrated amp”
Cambridge Audio CXN V2 | Roon Tested
Best music streamer £750-1000
“Making the best even better, the CXN (V2) is the best streamer out there at this price point”
Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M I Roon Tested
Best DAC £300-£500
“Cambridge’s top-of-the-line DAC is a well-armed, high-performing all-rounder”
Chord Hugo 2 | Roon Tested
Best DAC over £1,200
“There isn’t another DAC around at anywhere near this sort of price able to communicate so torrentially, so unambiguously or so effortlessly. We like it a lot.”
iFi Zen DAC V2 | Roon Tested
Best DAC under £200
“One of the very best ways to upgrade your desktop headphone system.”
JBL Synthesis SDR-35 | Roon Ready
Best home cinema amplifier over £3,000
“If you’re building a high-end home cinema, the SDR-35 should be the first AVR you audition”
KEF LSX | Roon Tested
Best all-in-one system under £1,000
“A neat, compact and entertaining all-in-one system of rare sonic quality”
Marantz PM7000N | Roon Tested
Best hi-fi system under £1,000
“A practical, well furnished just-add-speakers streaming system that impresses with its entertaining performance”
Naim Uniti Atom | Roon Ready
Best hi-fi system over £1,000
“Rarely does a product look and sound as good as the Uniti Atom, but here Naim has drawn big old capital S’s on Style and Substance”
Naim ND5 XS 2 | Roon Ready
Best music streamer over £1,500
“The Nait XS 3 is a gentle upgrade but remains one of the most musically enticing options at this price”
Our friends at TIDAL also picked-up ‘Best music streaming service’: “TIDAL’s expansive, accessible and hi-res-inclusive catalogue remains the best option for streaming-savvy audiophiles”.
Three of our audio partners also won in the ‘Special Award’ category which acknowledges their outstanding innovations and contributions to the audio industry.
Special Awards
Cambridge Audio Evo 75 | Roon Ready
Readers Award
“The Evo 75 is a shining example of just how appealing a just-add-speakers streaming system can be”
Linn Klimax DSM AV | Roon Tested
Temptation
“When it comes to insight, clarity and dynamic expression, Linn’s exceptional range-topping Klimax DSM is second to none”
Marantz PM6007| Roon Tested
Hall of Fame
“Clearer and punchier than its award-winning predecessor, Marantz’s latest entry-level amplifier never puts the formidable 6000 Series dynasty in doubt”
Congratulations to all of our award-winning partners this year! You can find out more about the What Hi-Fi Awards 2021 and see all 109 winners here.