Specialized in hi-fi and home theater, the AVForums website and forum offers a wealth of reviews, news features and articles relating to image and sound. Launched in 2000 in the UK, this online magazine has members from over 200 countries and is very active on social media, with over 119,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Every year, AVForums gives the AVForums Editor’s Choice Award to the best audio and video equipment in several categories: televisions, home theater and hi-fi. The winners include soundbars, AV receivers, hi-fi speakers, hi-fi headphones, hi-fi turntables and much more. Denon, WiiM, Q Acoustics, Focal, Rega, LG, TCL… Here are the lucky winners for 2024.
The best hi-fi equipment of 2024
Regarding amplification, the WiiM Amp was voted best affordable all-in-one hi-fi system by AVForums. Highly versatile, this connected hi-fi model can play tracks shared through DLNA or streamed via Chromecast, AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth. What’s more, it provides access to the majority of streaming services with support for Hi-Res tracks, and it’s possible to control playback vocally thanks to its compatibility with voice assistants.
According to specialist site AVForums, “The WiiM Amp is a fairly remarkable bit of kit, containing as it does a specification that is impressively comprehensive at the price. It sounds good, it looks good and it’s a pleasure to use. For many reading this it will be all the audio product they ever need.”
Read – WiiM Amp review: an affordable connected amplifier
In the hi-fi category, the Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo II turntable stood out for its excellent value for money, winning the AVForums Editor’s Choice Award for best affordable turntable. The successor to the Pro-Ject Carbon Evo, this belt-driven manual model “takes an outstanding turntable, adds a smattering of components from the Pro and creates something that is truly outstanding at the asking price.”
The Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo II turntable features a number of improvements to perfect the sound, including a new aluminum platter and high-precision drive, as well as a Pick it MM EVO cartridge.
Last but not least, the Q Acoustics M40 speaker was named best aspirational wireless speaker during the AVForums Awards. Equipped with a full range of connectors, a Bluetooth aptX HD receiver and C3 Continuous Curved Cone drivers, this floorstanding speaker from the British brand offers a rich, accurate reproduction of all your sources. AVForums says: “If you want some full-scale streaming performance from a slightly-less-than-full-scale system at a less-than-full-on price, you won’t go far wrong here.”
Here are the other winners in the best hi-fi equipment of 2024 category:
- Technics SL-1200GR2: best aspirational turntable
- Rega Naia: best high-end turntable
- Rega Nd7: best cartridge
- Advance Paris X-i75: best affordable stereo amp
- Cambridge CXA81 MKII: best mid-priced stereo amp
- Cambridge EXA100: best aspirational stereo amplifier
- WiiM Ultra: best affordable streamer
- Cambridge EXN100: best aspirational streamer
- NAD M66: best high-end streamer
- iFi Audio ZEN Phono 3: best affordable hi-fi product
- Astell&Kern A&Futura SE300: best aspirational hi-fi product
- Cambridge Audio Melomania P100: best wireless headphones
- Focal Hadenys: best wired headphones
- Focal Aria Evo X N°3: best aspirational speaker
- JBL Authentics 300: best affordable wireless speaker
The best home theater equipment of 2024
This year, the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar was voted best multi-room soundbar by AVForums. With its 9.1.4 channel configuration with 14 drivers, this model from the American manufacturer ensures an immersive experience that will plunge you into the heart of films and series. What’s more, the Arc Ultra offers access to audio streaming services, web radios, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth streaming, as well as Sonos multi-room.
As for the sound, the AVForums website states that this soundbar “sounds very accomplished – deft, detailed, with a proper sense of space to its presentation and frankly quite dramatic low-frequency presence.”
Read – Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sonos Arc review: total immersion
As for AVRs, the Denon AVC-X4800H was crowned best midrange AV receiver. This 9.4 or 7.4.2 and 5.4.4 channel model guarantees an exceptional cinema experience thanks to its 4K and 8K UHD compatibility, while VRR, ALLM and QFT technologies optimize performance for gaming. What’s more, it supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X streams for ultra-immersive sound.
Journalists from the AVForums specialist forum and website were impressed by the Denon AVC-X4800H AV receiver, claiming that “Effects steering from immersive movie soundtracks is thrillingly accurate, dynamics are impressive, and dialogue presentation is crystalline.”
Here are the other winners in the best home theater equipment of 2024 category:
- JBL 220P: best value subwoofer
- Monitor Audio Anthra W10: best subwoofer solution
- Sony BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8: best gaming soundbar
- Sony BRAVIA Theatre Quad: best high-end immersive audio soundbar
- Marantz AV 10: best high-end AV processor
- Denon AVR-X1800H: best value AV receiver
- Onkyo TX-RZ70: best high-end AV receiver
- Denon AVC-A1H: best aspirational AV receiver
The best TVs of 2024
In the TV category, Korean manufacturer LG tops the podium with the LG OLED G4 range, which won the AVForums Editor’s Choice Award for Best High-End Gaming TV, Best Living Room TV, Best HDR TV and, above all, TV of the Year.
According to the specialized forum and site, LG OLED G4 series TVs offer “stunning accuracy out of the box for watching SDR movies with some of the most cinematic images available on the market.”
Another winner in this category, the TCL C89B (TCL C855) range of 4K mini LED TVs wins the AVForums Editor’s Choice Award for best value for money. The TVs in this series, with is the Chinese manufacturer’s range, use exclusive 6th generation QLED Pro and mini LED technologies to offer wide colorimetric coverage and deliver high brightness. AVForums claims that “the TCL C855 is an affordable high-end model from the company with all the features you could want on board.”
Read – TCL 65C89B review: Mini LED that outperforms OLED?
Here are the other winners in the best TVs and projectors of 2024 category:
- LG C4: best gaming TV
- Panasonic Z95A: best home theater TV / best TV sound
- Philips 65OLED959: best luxury TV / best TV design
- Sony BRAVIA 9: best luxury LCD TV
Diapason, Les Numériques, What Hi-Fi?, Trusted Reviews… Find all the hi-fi and home theater equipment awarded by the French and international specialist press with our press selections on Son-Vidéo.com.
