Accolades for Sound Org Brands at What Hi-Fi?’s 2024 Awards
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Oct 9th 2024
Every year, What Hi-Fi? rounds up the best brands in audio (and more) to select the best pieces of kit for each price point. This allows for buyers of every budget to find the best audio products for their investment. The Sound Organisation brands always do quite well, winning multiple awards in different categories, and 2024 was no departure from the norm! Here's a list of all the amazing products from our storied brands that have taken home awards this year.
Turntables:
Rega always has a good showing at the What Hi-Fi? Awards, and this year is no different! Rega took a total of 5 awards this year, 3 of them for Turntables. See below for the list of accolades.
Best Turntable £200-£500: Rega Planar 1
No stranger to winning this award, the Planar 1 is a perennial favorite for entry-level turntables. Praised for its simplicity and precision, making it a great choice for music lovers who want stellar performance and great value. Plus, it just looks so stylish! View the Planar 1 here.
Best turntable £500-£1000: Rega Planar 3 with Nd3 Cartridge
The Planar 3 turntable adds to its already impressive stack of accolades with another "Best Turntable" nod this year. Now available factory fitted with the Nd3 or Nd5 moving magnet cartridge, P3 is back and better than ever. Learn more about the Nd3 Cartridge here.
Best turntable £1000-£2000: Rega Planar 6 with Ania Cartridge
Sporting the Ania Moving Coil Cartridge, the Planar 6 is a shoo-in for high-end turntables. While Rega offers some amazing choices higher up in the line, the Planar 6 sits comfortably in the middle of the pack, with superb timing and dynamics, extremely refined presentation and overall mastery of rhythm and transparency.View the Planar 6 here.
Amplifiers:
Rega: not JUST the world's best turntable brand! We were happy to see Rega get another acknowledgment here for the perennially astounding Aethos.
Best stereo amplifier over £3000: Rega Aethos
The Aethos Integrated Amplifier features a dual mono design using a custom wound toroidal transformer and regulated supplies for the sensitive amplification and driver stages. The pre-amplifier stage uses class-A discrete circuitry throughout. The Aethos is a no-compromise product with one goal: to deliver your music as faithfully as possible. The Aethos has been built to Rega's high standards of reliability and quality to ensure many years of musical enjoyment. View the Rega Aethos here.
DACs:
When it comes to Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs) there is no better name in the game than Chord Electronics. Chord took home two awards for the Mojo 2 and the Qutest.
Best DAC £300-£700: Chord Mojo 2
The Mojo 2 DAC and headphone amplifier returns to the What Hi-Fi? Awards again this year. Featuring the world's first lossless DSP, the Mojo 2 sets the bar for portable audio sound quality. A new menu system, USB-C inputs, advanced battery technology for charging speed and batter life, and class-leading build quality combine to make the Chord Electronics Mojo 2 the perfect companion for the modern music lover. View the Mojo 2 here.
Best DAC over £700: Chord Qutest
Part of the larger Qutest system from Chord Electronics, the Qutest is a standalone DAC whose performance belies its compact dimensions. With DAC architecture based on the award-winning Hugo 2, Qutest offers class-leading digital conversion. The Qutest is Chord's entry-level non-portable DAC, and a benchmark both at its price point and far beyond! View the Qutest here.
Accessories:
While Rega made another appearance or their Fono MM phono stage, The Chord Company was the star of the Accessories category, taking home three awards for their amazing cables.
Best phono stage under £300: Rega Fono MM Mk5
What Hi-Fi?: "The new casework is smart enough, though the secret to the Fono MM's success really comes down to its performance. Judged by sound quality, the Rega Fono MM Mk5 phono stage remains the one to beat at this level." View the Fono MM here.
Best speaker cable: Chord Company RumourX
The Chord Company's RumourX speaker cable is the prime choice for any high-spec' sound/vision installation. Utilizing Chord's new XLPE insulation, the RumourX gives high performance technology with discreet proportions. Tried, tested and recommended by audio manufacturers, custom installers and end-users. View the RumourX Speaker Cable here.
Best analogue interconnect under £100: Chord Company C-line
When it comes to entry-level upgrades that can massively redefine your system, there's no better place to start than Chord C-Line RCA cables. Winning What Hi-Fi?'s under £100 award for nearly a decade straight, the Chord C-Line ties your sound system together and removes aural veils from between you and the music. You will love how this small investment can make a noticeable improvement in your listening experience. View the C-Line RCA Cable here.
Best analogue interconnect over £100: Chord Company ClearwayX ARAY Analogue RCA
Winning awards since 2017, the ClearwayX Analog cable from The Chord Company is praised for its superior build quality and compatibility with nearly any system. Most importantly though, What Hi-Fi? says the ClearwayX "allows your system to perform with greater authority, drive, subtlety and precision" and can "eke out a greater degree of control, punch and musical expression" from any system. View the ClearwayX ARAY Analog RCA Cable here.
Conclusion
We want to congratulate Rega Research, Chord Electronics, and The Chord Company for the superb showing at this year's What Hi-Fi? Awards. We're proud to represent such amazing brands that consistently put out award-winning, beautiful-sounding equipment that brings music to our ears. We hope you'll consider these fine products and find a retailer to audition them yourself!