In a remarkable turnaround this year, four of the five annual What Hi-Fi? stereo amplifier Awards go to brand new products. Cambridge Audio has really shaken things up by besting not one, but two Rega stalwarts – one of which was a five-times champ!
Other than our best amplifier at less than £400, every other price break sees a new product take the Best Buy in an extremely competitive category, where Naim also takes top honours twice.
Marantz remains the entry-level king
The one product to retain its crown is Marantz's hugely impressive PM6006 UK Edition, which saw the company take an already terrific product, tweak it for the UK market, and wow us even more.
Cambridge Audio takes two Rega crowns
The next two price categories see entrenched amps from Rega finally bested by rivals from Cambridge Audio.
Our Best stereo amplifier £400-£750 is the Cambridge CXA61, which takes over from two-time winner and our 2018 Product of the Year Rega Brio.
And, in the next price bracket up, Rega's remarkable five-time Award-winning Elex-R has finally met its match in the shape of the Cambridge Audio CXA81.
Naim is dominant at £1500+
Our final two stereo amplifier Awards both go to Salisbury stalwart Naim.
The Naim Nait XS 3 takes the crown from Moon's 240i in the £1500-£2500 category, while the remarkable Supernait 3 takes over from Roksan's Blak as the best stereo amplifier over £2500.
Those, then, are our five stereo amplifier Best Buy winners – but one of these stunning amps will be named What Hi-Fi?'s stereo amplifier Product of the Year.
That will be announced at our annual Awards ceremony on 5th November and online, and in our magazine Awards issue, out in the shops the following day.
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