The Sound Organisation Brands Win Big at 2019 What Hi-Fi? Awards
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Oct 18th 2019
The results of this year's What Hi-fi? Awards are out and The Sound Organisation brands took home TEN (10) different awards! The biggest winner was Rega Research, taking home 5 awards home in the Turntable and Accessories categories. The Chord Company took home 3 awards in the Accessories category, with ProAc and newcomer Fyne Audio taking home an award each in the Speakers category.
Loudspeakers
Best floorstanding speaker under £500: Fyne Audio F302
Fyne Audio is the newest company to join the Sound Organisation, and is the youngest company to enter the audio market. Despite only being around a couple years, Fyne's staff has decades upon decades of experience in audio engineering and is producing some of the best speakers on the market. The 300 series of speakers has been getting quite a few awards and reviews, so it comes as no surprise that these fantastic speakers got the nod for best floorstander at this price point for the second year.
Best floorstanding speaker £1500-£2000: ProAc Response DT8
This is the second year in a row that the ProAc Response DT8 loudspeakers took home the award for best Floorstanding Speaker in the this price range. And for good reason! These amazing speakers are engineered to give you the best performance imaginable with big, agile bass and plenty of power in the mids and highs to pull every bit from your music.
Turntables
Best turntable £200-£500: Rega Planar 1
No surprises here: Rega's entry-level turntable took the top spot. The Planar 1 has been consistently winning this award since 2016.
Best turntable £500-£750: Rega Planar 3/Elys 2
What Hi-Fi? has always enjoyed the Rega Planar 3. The Planar 3 matched with the Elys 2 cartridge has won the top turntable in this class every year since it replaced the earlier RP3 model.
Best turntable £1000-£2000: Rega Planar 6/Ania
Another perennial winner, the Rega Planar 6 matched with the Ania cartridge has been winning the Best Turntable in the £1000 category since 2017. In their review of the Planar 6, What Hi-Fi? raved, "We’re impressed with Rega’s new level of performance. The Planar 6’s balanced, mature presentation is something you’ll appreciate the more you listen to it."
Best turntable over £2000: Rega Planar 8/Apheta 2
This is the first award for the Planar 8 with the Apheta 2 cartridge. "Rega pushes the boundaries of turntable performance", says What Hi-Fi?, and we couldn't agree more! The Planar 8 was released a year ago and has really set a new bar on what a turntable should be. If you haven't had a chance to try one out, please get in contact with your local dealer and give it a try; you won't be disappointed. The only downside is that the Planar 8 will have competition in this category next year, as Rega's Planar 10 launched this year.
Accessories
Best speaker cable over £15/m: Chord Company Rumour X
This is the first year the Chord Rumour X speaker cable has made the What Hi-Fi? Awards. Since its introduction in 2018, it has gotten the attention of plenty of audiophiles. We're sure the Rumour X is going to keep winning best speaker cable, so maybe its time you looked into upgrading your speaker wire!
Best phono stage under £250: Rega Fono MM MK3
Another What Hi-Fi? Awards mainstay, the Rega Fono MM Mk3 took the spot for best entry-level phono stage for the 3rd year in a row since it replaced its predecessor, the Mk2. As What Hi-Fi? said, "How do you improve the almost perfect? Rega has managed it with the Fono MM MK3."
Best analogue interconnect under £50: Chord Company C-line
For the fifth consecutive year, the Chord Company C-Line took best analog cable under £50. The affordable C-Line is widely known as one of the best "budget" cables out there and the surprising level of sonic clarity it can provide is enough to make anyone switch.
Best analogue interconnect over £50: Chord Company Clearway Analogue RCA
For those who demand even more performance from their sound system, the Chord Clearway is the way the to go. Since entering the competition in 2015 and taking Accessory Product of the Year, the Chord Clearway cable series has been consistently winning What Hi-Fi? awards. This year, the Chord Clearway RCA took best cable over £50. The Clearway is a 'clear way' to improve your home system, but don't take our word for it. "Chord's excellent speaker cable allows for more musicality and greater dynamics from your system."
