Record number of MQA partner wins at What Hi-Fi? Awards 2021
Partners
MQA partners won in 10 categories at the 39th edition of the influential tech magazine’s annual awards. TIDAL triumphed again in the ‘Best Music Streaming Service’ category, thanks to a superior user experience and continued innovation. Elsewhere, 9 MQA partner products were honoured across the DAC, portable player, amplifier, all-in-one and streamer categories.
TIDAL first won a What Hi-Fi? award in 2015 – the year of its acquisition by Jay-Z – and has maintained its winning streak ever since: MQA technology was integrated in early 2017; TIDAL Connect capability was added in autumn 2020; and the number of MQA partner products with native TIDAL playback continues to grow.
Best Music Streaming Service – TIDAL
“It's once again hi-res-hailing TIDAL that remains the audiophile's service of choice, having strengthened its offering in the past twelve months with TIDAL Connect and increasing hardware support.”
Best DAC (under £200) – iFi Audio Zen DAC V2
“The Zen DAC V2 is also an MQA decoder this time...music to the ears of TIDAL HiFi subscribers who devour the service’s MQA-encoded hi-res Masters.”
Best DAC (£200-£300) – AudioQuest DragonFly
“Wide-open soundstage and impressive clarity…offering still a keen sense of rhythm and expressive dynamic range.”
Best DAC (£300-£500) – Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M
“Cambridge’s top-of-the-line DAC is a well-armed, high-performing all-rounder.”
Best Portable Music Player (£500-£1,000) – Astell&Kern A&norma SR25*
“Far beyond anything that smartphones are capable of, the SR25 demonstrates just how good music on the move can sound, while also remaining reasonably affordable.”
Best Portable Music Player (over £1,000) – Astell&Kern A&futura SE180
“If you’re looking for an excellent-sounding player without spending thousands, the A&futura SE180 is among the best we’ve come across.”
Best Music Streamer (under £750) – Bluesound NODE*
“At this money, (the NODE) represents one of the most entertaining and comprehensive ways of adding music streaming to your hi-fi system.”
Best all-in-one system (over £1,000) – KEF LS50 Wireless II*
“The KEF LS50 Wireless II arrive with a world of expectation on their shoulders - but they well and truly meet those expectations.”
Best Music Streamer (£1,000 -£1,500) – Arcam ST60
“Arcam has carried its decades of sonic expertise seamlessly into the streaming segment, both with and without amplification, in one box.”
Best Home Cinema Amplifier (over £3,000) – JBL Synthesis SDR-35
“This JBL is a stunner, and if we were building a high-end home cinema from scratch, it would be the first component on the shortlist.”
*At the November awards ceremony, these three products also scored ‘Overall Product of the Year' wins in their respective categories.
Additionally, special awards were presented at the awards show including: the reader-voted award to Cambridge Audio for its Evo 75 DAC; and the Outstanding Contribution gong to Tetsuya Itani in recognition of his illustrious career at Technics.
