You’re always guaranteed to find a healthy mix of options in the What Hi-Fi? Awards' systems category, and this year is no different.
The majority of the faces will be familiar to regular readers, though, as six winners return from last year's list.
Even the new entry isn’t a million miles away from the product it replaces. You see, the KEF LSX II LT (pictured top) is based on the excellent LSX II that won a 2023 Award but offers the brand’s great wireless audio skills at a more affordable price. We couldn’t find anything at the money that gives such a mature, composed sound while also delivering all the streaming features you could really wish for, including AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Bluetooth 5.0, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect. It’s a fantastic all-round option with very few chinks in its armour.
The LSX II LT is sandwiched between its pricier and more capable big brother, the KEF LS50 Wireless II, and the super affordable Triangle AIO Twin (above) – two superb pairs of stereo streaming speakers that boast all the streaming goodness and sound quality that you could need at their respective price points.
Much further up the price scale but with a similar form factor is the JBL 4329P Studio Monitor. These streaming speakers picked up their first What Hi-Fi? Award last year and we think they deserve a second, such is the quality on offer. These big standmounters offer a clean, punchy and transparent performance with little compromise. If you can accommodate them, you’ll be richly rewarded.
The Technics SA-C600 (above) and Naim Uniti Atom are two of the best streaming amplifiers we’ve tested – all you need to do is connect a pair of speakers to them. They lead the rest of the chasing pack as solid, single-box source-and-amplification foundations for a convenient system packed with sonic ability. The Technics even offers a CD drive for those of you with stacks of discs that still need playing.
The Denon D-M41DAB (above) shows no sign of being removed from its throne as our pick of the entry-level system. It’s more modest in terms of performance and features than the category's other winners (its wireless offering is limited to Bluetooth), but it still majors on sound quality in the sparse budget space. Will it ever be beaten? It’s going to take something truly special to remove it from our thoughts.
But which system will be our Product of the Year for 2024? All will be revealed during the What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony tomorrow (14th November).
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