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The 2019 Product of the Year Award Winners represent the most innovative and high-performance audio products recognized by major industry publications and award programs throughout 2019. This comprehensive guide covers the standout products that shaped the audio landscape, from revolutionary wireless headphones to groundbreaking speaker systems.
2019 was an exceptional year for audio innovation, with significant advancements in wireless technology, planar magnetic drivers, and smart home integration. The year saw major award programs including What Hi-Fi?, Headphone.Guru, AudioReputation, and Audioholics recognize products that pushed the boundaries of audio performance and user experience.
In this guide, we’ll explore the major award programs, their winners across different categories, and the key innovations that made 2019 a landmark year for audio enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your setup or simply want to understand the year’s most significant audio achievements, this comprehensive overview has you covered.
From Sony’s industry-changing WH-1000XM3 headphones to innovative planar magnetic models like the Meze Empyrean, we’ll examine why these products earned top honors and how they’ve influenced today’s audio market.
The Major Award Programs of 2019
Product awards in the audio industry serve as trusted indicators of excellence, helping consumers navigate the complex landscape of audio equipment. Let’s examine the most influential award programs of 2019 and their unique approaches to recognizing outstanding products.
What Hi-Fi? Awards
The What Hi-Fi? Awards represent one of the most prestigious recognition programs in consumer audio, with a legacy spanning decades. Their 2019 awards covered 26 product categories, from TVs to turntables, determined by expert panel testing and voting.
Expert Panel Testing: A rigorous evaluation process where multiple audio professionals test products under controlled conditions, comparing performance against established benchmarks and competitor products.
What Hi-Fi?’s methodology emphasizes real-world performance testing, with products evaluated in environments that mimic typical consumer use cases. Their 2019 awards particularly highlighted products offering exceptional value alongside premium performance.
Headphone.Guru Product of the Year Awards
Specializing in personal audio, Headphone.Guru’s awards focused specifically on headphones, IEMs, and portable audio equipment. Their 2019 program featured 15 specialized categories, each with detailed technical analysis and hands-on testing.
The publication’s expertise in headphone technology allowed for nuanced evaluations of driver technologies, acoustic design, and portable audio performance. Their awards often highlighted innovative approaches to personal audio that traditional publications might overlook.
AudioReputation Product Awards
AudioReputation took a comprehensive approach with their 2019 awards, covering an extensive range of audio equipment with detailed specifications and rating systems. Their reviews emphasized technical specifications alongside subjective listening impressions.
What set AudioReputation apart was their focus on providing detailed measurements and technical data, helping readers understand the objective performance characteristics of award-winning products.
Audioholics Product of the Year
Audioholics brought a technical focus to their 2019 awards, with emphasis on measurement-based reviews and scientific evaluation. Their awards particularly highlighted products offering exceptional value and performance in home theater and speaker categories.
Their rigorous testing protocol includes standardized measurements of frequency response, distortion, and power handling, providing readers with objective data to support their subjective impressions.
Award Program Comparison
| Award Program | Focus Areas | Testing Method | Categories in 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Hi-Fi? | Comprehensive consumer audio | Expert panel testing | 26 |
| Headphone.Guru | Headphones & portable audio | Expert reviewer evaluation | 15 |
| AudioReputation | Broad audio equipment | Hands-on + measurements | 20+ |
| Audioholics | Home theater & speakers | Technical measurements | 9 |
“The diversity of award programs in 2019 reflected the growing sophistication of audio equipment across all price points. From budget-friendly innovations to flagship statement products, the industry saw unprecedented levels of innovation.”
– Gene DellaSala, Audioholics Founder
2019 Award Winners by Category
The 2019 award season recognized exceptional products across multiple categories. Let’s explore the standout winners that defined excellence in audio equipment.
Headphone Award Winners
Headphones saw remarkable innovation in 2019, with wireless technology reaching new heights and planar magnetic drivers gaining mainstream attention.
Sony WH-1000XM3 – Best Noise-Canceling Headphones
The Sony WH-1000XM3 dominated awards in 2019, earning recognition from What Hi-Fi? and multiple other publications. Priced at $349-$399, these headphones set new standards for active noise cancellation and wireless audio quality.
Key innovations included improved noise cancellation over previous generations, enhanced touch controls, and an industry-leading 30-hour battery life. The headphones’ ability to adapt to environmental conditions and optimize sound quality based on atmospheric pressure made them particularly impressive.
Meze Empyrean – Best High-End Headphones
At $2,999, the Meze Empyrean represented the pinnacle of headphone technology in 2019. This planar magnetic headphone earned top honors from Headphone.Guru and AudioReputation for its innovative driver design and exceptional sound quality.
The Empyrean’s unique hybrid driver array, combining planar magnetic and electrostatic elements, delivered unprecedented clarity and dynamics. Its build quality, featuring CNC-milled aluminum and genuine leather, matched its sonic performance.
Focal Stellia – Best Closed-Back Headphones
Focal’s Stellia ($2,995) earned recognition for bringing high-end audio performance to a closed-back design. What made the Stellia special was its ability to deliver the open, spacious sound typically associated with open-back headphones while providing isolation and privacy.
The headphones featured Focal’s signature beryllium drivers, known for their exceptional stiffness-to-weight ratio, enabling remarkable transient response and detail retrieval.
Speaker Award Winners
2019 was an exceptional year for speaker innovation, with products winning awards for both performance and value across various price points.
Q Acoustics 3020i – Best Budget Bookshelf Speakers
AudioReputation recognized the Q Acoustics 3020i for delivering outstanding performance at an accessible price point. These speakers demonstrated that high-quality sound doesn’t require a massive investment.
The 3020i featured improved cabinet design over its predecessor, with enhanced bracing and port placement for better bass response. Their ability to fill a room with clear, dynamic sound made them a favorite among budget-conscious audiophiles.
KEF LSX – Best Wireless Speaker System
KEF’s LSX wireless speaker system earned What Hi-Fi? recognition for bringing high-end audio performance to a convenient wireless format. The speakers featured KEF’s innovative Uni-Q driver array, with a coaxial design that improved imaging and soundstage.
What set the LSX apart was its combination of audiophile-grade sound quality with modern streaming capabilities and multi-room functionality. The speakers supported high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz, appealing to discerning listeners.
Revel PerformaBE M126Be – Best High-End Bookshelf Speakers
Audioholics recognized the Revel PerformaBE M126Be for exceptional performance in the high-end category. These speakers featured beryllium tweeters and deep ceramic cone (DCC) woofers, representing cutting-edge driver technology.
The M126Be’s precise imaging and neutral frequency response made them ideal for critical listening applications. Their build quality and finish options matched their sonic performance, appealing to audiophiles seeking both beauty and precision.
Audio Equipment Award Winners
2019 saw significant innovations in audio components, with receivers, DACs, and amplifiers earning recognition for advancing the state of the art.
Denon AVR-X3600H – Best AV Receiver
The Denon AVR-X3600H ($1,100) earned recognition from both What Hi-Fi? and Audioholics for delivering exceptional features and performance in a mid-range receiver. It featured 9.2-channel amplification with 11-channel processing capability.
Key innovations included support for 8K video, enhanced room correction with Audyssey MultEQ XT32, and comprehensive streaming options. The receiver’s ability to drive demanding speaker loads while maintaining clarity made it a standout choice.
Chord Qutest – Best DAC
What Hi-Fi? recognized the Chord Qutest for its exceptional digital-to-analog conversion capabilities. This compact DAC brought Chord’s proprietary FPGA-based digital filtering technology to a more accessible price point.
The Qutest’s ability to decode high-resolution audio formats up to 32-bit/768kHz, combined with its precise timing and low noise floor, made it a favorite among digital audio enthusiasts seeking to improve their systems’ performance.
Cambridge Audio CXA81 – Best Integrated Amplifier
AudioReputation recognized the Cambridge Audio CXA81 for delivering exceptional power and refinement in its class. The amplifier featured 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms, with Class AB amplification providing the perfect balance of efficiency and sound quality.
What made the CXA81 special was its combination of traditional analog performance with modern digital inputs, including high-resolution USB support and aptX HD Bluetooth for wireless streaming.
Portable Audio Award Winners
Portable audio saw significant innovation in 2019, with products winning awards for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in portable formats.
FiiO M11 – Best Portable Music Player
Headphone.Guru recognized the FiiO M11 for bringing high-end audio performance to portable players. This Android-based DAP featured dual AK4493 DAC chips and a THX AAA amplifier circuit, providing desktop-level performance in a portable format.
The M11’s ability to decode high-resolution audio formats, combined with its balanced output and streaming capabilities, made it a versatile choice for audiophiles on the go.
beyerdynamic LAGOON ANC Explorer – Best Travel Headphones
Headphone.Guru recognized beyerdynamic’s LAGOON ANC Explorer for innovative design in the travel headphone category. These headphones combined beyerdynamic’s Tesla driver technology with advanced noise cancellation.
What made the LAGOON unique was its modular design, allowing users to swap cables and earpads for different use cases. The headphones delivered high-resolution audio support and excellent noise cancellation for frequent travelers.
⏰ Did You Know? 2019 saw planar magnetic headphone technology move from niche high-end products to more mainstream offerings, with multiple manufacturers introducing planar models under $1,000.
Key Audio Innovations of 2019
2019 was a watershed year for audio innovation, with several technological advancements reshaping the industry. These innovations not only earned products awards but also influenced the direction of audio equipment development.
Wireless Audio Maturity
Wireless audio technology reached new levels of sophistication in 2019. The Sony WH-1000XM3 demonstrated that wireless headphones could deliver sound quality rivaling their wired counterparts while adding convenient features like adaptive noise cancellation.
Key advancements included improved Bluetooth codecs supporting high-resolution audio, reduced latency for gaming applications, and enhanced battery life enabling multi-day use between charges.
Planar Magnetic Mainstream Adoption
Planar magnetic driver technology, once the domain of ultra-high-end headphones, began appearing in more affordable products. The Meze Empyrean and other models showed that planar technology could deliver exceptional clarity and dynamics without requiring mortgage-level investments.
This technology’s advantages include lower distortion, better control over driver movement, and the ability to reproduce fine details that traditional dynamic drivers might miss.
Smart Home Integration
2019 saw audio equipment increasingly incorporate smart home features. Products like the KEF LSX demonstrated that speakers could deliver audiophile-grade sound while integrating seamlessly with home automation systems.
Voice control, multi-room audio synchronization, and streaming service integration became standard features rather than premium add-ons.
High-Resolution Streaming Accessibility
The year 2019 marked a turning point for high-resolution audio streaming. Services like Qobuz (recognized by Headphone.Guru) made studio-quality music accessible to average consumers, while products like the Chord Qutest made it possible to enjoy these formats at home.
✅ Pro Tip: When considering 2019 award winners for purchase today, check for firmware updates and continued manufacturer support. Many products have improved through software updates since their initial release.
Choosing Award-Winning Audio Equipment
While award-winning products represent the best of their time, making informed purchasing decisions requires careful consideration of your specific needs and circumstances.
Assessing Long-Term Value
When evaluating 2019 award winners, consider their technological relevance today. Products with modular designs, upgradeable firmware, or timeless performance characteristics tend to offer better long-term value than those dependent on quickly evolving technologies.
For example, high-quality amplifiers and speakers often remain relevant for years, while digital products may face faster obsolescence cycles.
Budget Considerations
Award-winning products span all price points. Don’t assume you need to spend thousands to get award-winning performance. Many 2019 awards recognized budget-friendly products that delivered exceptional value:
- Under $500: Look for products like the Q Acoustics 3020i or Sony WH-1000XM3 (on sale)
- $500-$2000: Consider options like the Denon AVR-X3600H or Cambridge Audio CXA81
- Over $2000: Premium products like the Meze Empyrean or Focal Stellia offer cutting-edge performance
Compatibility and System Integration
Before purchasing, ensure award-winning products will work with your existing equipment. Consider:
- Input/output compatibility
- Power requirements and impedance matching
- Room size and acoustic considerations
- Source equipment capabilities
Final Recommendations
The 2019 Product of the Year Award Winners represent a landmark year in audio innovation, with products that continue to influence the industry today. From Sony’s revolutionary WH-1000XM3 headphones to innovative planar magnetic models and smart home-integrated speakers, these products set new standards for performance and convenience.
For those seeking the best overall value from 2019, the Sony WH-1000XM3 remains an excellent choice, offering outstanding noise cancellation and sound quality at a competitive price point. In the speaker category, the Q Acoustics 3020i demonstrates that exceptional performance doesn’t require a massive investment, while the KEF LSX shows how wireless convenience can coexist with audiophile-grade sound quality.
For premium enthusiasts, products like the Meze Empyrean and Focal Stellia continue to represent the pinnacle of headphone design, while components like the Denon AVR-X3600H and Chord Qutest showcase the best in audio processing and digital conversion.
When considering these award winners for your own system, remember to assess your specific needs, budget constraints, and existing equipment compatibility. Many of these 2019 innovators have evolved through firmware updates and remain competitive in today’s market, proving that truly great audio design stands the test of time.
⚠️ Important: Always verify current availability and pricing for 2019 award winners, as some models may have been discontinued or replaced by newer versions. Check manufacturer websites and authorized dealers for the latest information.
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