Sound+Image’s annual black-tie Awards dinner was held last night in the Star Room, appropriately situated above the IMAX Theatre, Darling Harbour.
Thirty-five categories span stereo and multichannel audio, digital TV sources, computer audio and iPod docks, as well as new awards for digital radio, headphones and soundbars.
The evening was hosted by Sound+Image's Editor Jez Ford.
.jpg) "It's one of the rare nights the AV industry gets together in relatively relaxed circumstances," he says. "We keep the winners under wraps until the evening, and it's all good music and this year an astounding half-time show from Hungry Beast's Dan Ilic and Marc Fennell, who were also responsible for that superb spoof Freeview ad last year."
The big winners?
"We try to point to both the Products of the Year and the Highly commended as major winners," says Jez. "There's a bewildering amount of AV gear available on the market, so the products we identify as the top two or three in the sector really are the best of the best.
"Having said that, Panasonic had a great year, getting Product of the Year for Blu-ray player, DVD player, plasma and DVD/BD recorder. Australian companies were especially strong in stereo, with Krix and Whatmough loudspeakers taking out major categories."
Sound+Image’s Awards issue will publish on 9 December with full details and reviews of all the Products of the Year and Highly Commended winners.
Meanwhile, here's a sneak peek at the full winner's list...
STEREO
CD PLAYER of the year: Harman Kardon HD 990
STEREO SPEAKERS of the year UP TO $2500: Krix Harmonix
Highly Commended
Aaron ATS-5
Paradigm Reference Studio 10v5
T+A Criterion TR 450
STEREO SPEAKERS of the year OVER $2500: Whatmough Signature P33
Highly Commended
Dynaudio Confidence C4
JBL LS80
T+A Criterion TCI 2E
STEREO AMPLIFIER of the year UNDER $3000: Moon i-1
Highly Commended
Cambridge Audio Azur 650A
Marantz PM7003
STEREO AMPLIFIER of the year OVER $3000: Harman/Kardon HK 990
Highly Commended
Parasound Halo JC2 / 2 x JC1
DIGITAL AUDIO PRODUCT of the year: Sonos Multi-Room Music System
Highly Commended
Bryston BDA-1
Cambridge Audio DacMagic
IPOD SPEAKER DOCK of the year: Boston Acoustics Horizon Duo-i
Highly Commended
AktiMate Minis
Yamaha PDX-50
HEADPHONES of the year UNDER $500: AKG K242 HD
HEADPHONES of the year OVER $500: Sennheiser HD 800
DIGITAL RADIO of the year: Pure Sensia
Highly Commended
Pure One Classic
Sangean WFR-1D
TVs/DISPLAYS
PROJECTOR OF THE YEAR UNDER $8000: Epson EH-TW3500
Highly Commended
Mitsubishi HC7000
PROJECTOR OF THE YEAR OVER $8000: SIM2D80E
SMALL LCD TV OF THE YEAR: Sanyo LCD37XR9DA
Highly Commended
Baumann Meyer DF3220BC
Samsung UA40B7100
BIG LCD TV OF THE YEAR: Metz Primus 55 FHDTV 200 R
Highly Commended
Samsung UA46B8000
Sony KDL-46XBR45
PLASMA OF THE YEAR: Panasonic TH-65VX100W
Highly Commended
Samsung PS50B850
SOURCES
DIGITAL VIDEO CAMCORDER OF THE YEAR: JVC Everio GZ-X900
DVD PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Panasonic DVD-S54
Highly Commended
Toshiba XD-E500
BLU-RAY PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Panasonic DMP-BD60
Highly Commended
Oppo Digital BDP-83
Sony BDP-S560
PERSONAL VIDEO RECORDER OF THE YEAR: Topfield TRF-2400 Masterpiece HD
Highly Commended
Beyonwiz DP-P2
TiVo
DVD/BD RECORDER OF THE YEAR: Panasonic DMR-BW850 Blu-ray recorder
Highly Commended
LG MS409D
Panasonic DMR-XW350
MULTICHANNEL
AV RECEIVER OF THE YEAR UNDER $2000: Denon AVR-1610
Highly Commended
Marantz SR5004
Pioneer VSX-519X
AV RECEIVER OF THE YEAR $2000-$4000: Yamaha RX-V3900
Highly Commended
Denon AVR-4310
AV RECEIVER OF THE YEAR OVER $4000: Onkyo TX-NR5007
Highly Commended
Arcam AVR600
Rotel RSP-1570/RMB-1575
HOME THEATRE SPEAKER SYSTEM UNDER $2500: Aaron Décor Series D-400 / D-200
Highly Commended
Jamo A 402 HCS 5
KEF KHT2005.3
HOME THEATRE SPEAKER SYSTEM $2500-$5000: Focal Dôme Pack 5.1
Highly Commended
Jamo C407 / C400 / SUB 550
Whatmough Magnum3
HOME THEATRE SPEAKER SYSTEM OVER $5000: Mordaunt-Short Mezzo
Highly Commended
B&W XT Series
KEF Audio iQ70
SUBWOOFER OF THE YEAR UNDER $1000: Krix Seismix 3 mk5
Highly Commended
Yamaha YST-SW515
SUBWOOFER OF THE YEAR OVER $1000: Velodyne CHT-12Q
Highly Commended
Sunfire HRS-8
SOUNDBAR OF THE YEAR: B&W Panorama
Highly Commended
Polk Audio SurroundBAR360 DVD Theatre
CUSTOM INSTALLATION
SYSTEM CONTROLLER OF THE YEAR: Clipsal Wiser
Highly Commended
iPod touch
RTI T1-B
IN-WALL LOUDSPEAKERS OF THE YEAR: Stealth Acoustics Invisible Speakers
Highly Commended
BG Radia BGX-4850 inwall subwoofer
CUSTOM INSTALLATION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: Meridian Sooloos Media System
CUSTOM INSTALLATION OF THE YEAR: Audio Connection
SPECIAL AWARDS
MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCT: iTunes App Store
JUDGES’ CHOICE: Steinway Lyngdorf Model D Music System
HALL OF FAME
FOR SERVICE TO THE AUDIO-VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
Alex Encel
Geoff Matthews
Scott Krix |
|