BAJ issue 50 6.indd - Malcolm Steward

26
Hi-Fi Choice Awards
WE EXTEND OUR THANKS TO THE TEAM
AT HI-FI CHOICE FOR PROVIDING US
WITH ALL THE DETAILS ABOUT THE
MAGAZINE’S 2007 AWARDS. WE WERE
THERE, OF COURSE, BUT, IN KEEPING
WITH THE EVENT’S CASUAL AMBIANCE,
WE LEFT OUR NOTEBOOKS BACK AT THE
OFFICE AND SO COULDN’T JOT DOWN
THE WINNERS AS THEY WERE ANNOUNCED.
AT LEAST, THAT’S OUR STORY AND WE ARE
STICKING WITH IT!
All the hi-fi magazines seem intent on creating
awards frenzy… and Hi-Fi Choice is no
exception, with 123 award winning products in
41 separate categories. These span the full gamut of
hi-fi equipment, yet this year the number of products
that would technically qualify as ‘home cinema’ gear
has been substantially reduced.
In 2007, Hi-Fi Choice returned to its two-channel
roots. Multi-channel loudspeaker packages and
amplification systems were not included in the roll call
of awards products. The Apple iPod and other MP3
players were also not included, although hard-disk
music recorders were. DVD and universal disc players
were featured, but the reason for this was purely their
audio performance (both as CD and as SACD or DVD-
Audio players).
The awards themselves followed a distinct order, as
ever. Individual categories were sub-divided into price
levels that fitted the particular products. So, in the CD
player category, for example, the awards were further
divided into the best player up to £500, between £500
and £1,000, between £1,000 and £5,000 and over
£5,000. In each division there was a Gold, Silver and
Bronze winner.
In the CD players’ class, the Gold medalist for best
CD players up to £500 was Cambridge Audio’s Azur
740C. The company also picked up a second Gold
medal for CD players in the £500 to £1,000 category for
its Azur 840C. In the CD players priced between £1,000
and £2,000, Gold went to Rega for a second year for its
Saturn CD player. Having been called the Best Ever CD
on the cover of an earlier issue, it’s not surprising that
the Marantz SA-7S1 picked up the Gold medal for CD
players between £2,000 and £5,000, while the Chord
Red Reference CD picked up a Gold medal in the CD
players over £5,000 class.
There were four sub-divisions in the DVD/Universal
player category. The sub-£500 division was produced
in association with Hi-Fi Choice’s sister title What Video
and High Definition TV. Between them, they chose the
Marantz DV6001 as Gold medallist. Between £500 and
£1,000, the DVD/Universal Gold award went to NAD’s
T585. No change at all for players between £1,000
and £2,000, with Denon’s DVD-3930 picking up Gold
a second year running, while the new Accustic Arts
Surround-Player 1 won Gold in the DVD/Universal
players over £2,000 category.
The turntables category is always a
surprisingly hotly contended one, divided
up into four sub-classes as it had been in
the previous year. The Funk Firm beat off
stiff competition for a second year running,
with the Funk Firm Funk taking the Gold in
turntables under £500. Funk also picked
up the Gold gong for best turntable
between £500-£1,000 for the Funk
Vector, while Clearaudio’s Performance
took Gold in the £1,000 to £3,000
turntables class, and SME’s Model 20/12A
took Gold in turntables over £3,000.
In the five stereo amplifiers categories, Marantz
took Gold for the second year running in the sub-£500
group for its PM7001. Cambridge Audio’s Azur 840A v2
achieved a Gold in the £500 to £1,000 stereo amplifier
class, and the Cyrus Pre vs2 and 6 power took Gold in
the £1,000 to £2,000 class. Naim Audio won Gold for the
SUPERNAIT in the £2,000 to £5,000 class, while there was
no change at the top of the top amps, this year, with the
Krell FBI holding Gold in the £5,000+ class.
Swabbing up the rest of the electronics, in the
The BAJ ISSUE 50 | 2008