In 2016 What Hi-Fi? celebrated its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion we picked our 40 most influential products from those four decades.
We've been adding a new product to our Hall of Fame every year since as part of the annual What Hi-Fi? Awards. Here are our most recent choices from the 2020s, right up to last year's winner...
- The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame, part 1: 1970s
- The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame, part 2: 1980s
- The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame, part 3: 1990s
- The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame, part 4: 2000s
- The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame, part 5: 2010s
Sony WH-1000XM4 (2020)
Sony has come to dominate our headphone category in recent years, perfecting not only the art of wireless earbuds but also the business of over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones. And with the WH-1000XM4, we decided they merited inclusion in our Hall of Fame.
Sony didn't need to reimagine the design but with the XM4s it did manage to make them slightly lighter while increasing the size of the pads for a more comfortable fit.
Noise-cancelling technology and the ability to adjust the level of ambient sound were still on board, while there was also Sony's LDAC tech for higher-quality wireless audio quality.
Sony moved from the DSEE HX to DSEE Extreme processor, promising better delivery of lower-quality files, while there was also support for 360 Reality Audio. Elsewhere the battery life was boosted and Sony promised an improvement to the noise-cancelling.
Crucially, the overall sound quality continued to keep ahead of the pack. Despite an increasingly competitive market, the XM4 headphones continue to set the pace for timing, dynamics, punch and entertainment.
The XM4s become the third pair of headphones to make our Hall of Fame (following the Sennheiser HD600 from 1998 and the Bose QuietComfort 15, 2009) and are the perfect poster child for what has become one of the most popular product categories in the tech world.
Read the full Sony WH-1000XM4 review
Marantz PM6007 (2021)
The best companies never rest on their laurels. Not content with winning a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2018 for the PM6006 UK Edition, Marantz went back to the drawing board and set about creating another Award winner, the PM6007.
The improvements are numerous. Chief among them is a new DAC, the AKM AK4490 (which replaces the Cirrus Logic CS4398 found in its predecessor). This is complemented by two digital filters – a slow roll-off and sharp roll-off – that users can choose between when playing from a source connected to either of its two optical or single coaxial inputs. Such versatility has trickled down from the brand’s more premium digital processors.
There are new components in the power amp and phono stages, the latter of which also has upgraded circuitry for a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Throw in a subwoofer output, and you've got enough improvements to tempt even PM6006 loyalists.
This all has an effect far beyond the spec sheet. The sound is smooth, balanced and full-bodied, besting its predecessor for clarity, precision and rhythmic punch. If you’re familiar with the PM6006 UK Edition, you’ll know that’s no mean feat.
Read the full Marantz PM6007 review
Sonos Arc (2022)
The Sonos Arc is the company’s first soundbar with Dolby Atmos, and the first soundbar to enter the Hall of Fame.
Atmos soundbars are now more common, and more affordable, but the Arc managed to stand out from the off thanks to its excellent sound quality and reasonable price.
Put it under your TV and you’re in for one of the most immersive experiences you can get from a single speaker.
Listening to music? It’ll help there too, acting as a wireless speaker that slots seamlessly into your Sonos network. That also means it plays nice with every major streaming service going. Which is another box ticked.
Sonos has had a bit of a mixed run of late but the Arc knocked it out of the park, and showed that when Sonos aims at the high end, it hits its target with pinpoint accuracy.
Read the full Sonos Arc review
Cambridge Audio CXN V2 (2023)
A music streamer has entered our Hall of Fame for the first time, and about time too. If the category is old enough to have a legend, this mid-priced Cambridge Audio network player is most certainly it.
The CXN (V2) has won six What Hi-Fi? Awards on the trot, and if you include the original CXN's gongs too, the model was decorated every year from 2015 until 2024 before Cambridge ultimately replaced it.
It's an all-round performer. Cambridge delivers both a punchy bass and a tinkling treble, while the timing is tight and gets your foot tapping. Entertainment and emotion in equal measure, the CXN (V2)'s sound quality led the pack for many years.
It also had all the features you'd want, with Cambridge's own streaming getting regular updates to ensure the likes of Chromecast and Tidal Connect were supported.
All told, it was a welcome addition to the Hall of Fame and a worthy first-ever music streamer.
Read the full Cambridge Audio CXN (V2) review
Naim Nait XS 3 (2024)
Naim’s Nait XS 3 integrated amplifier won its price category in the What Hi-Fi? Awards for five consecutive years. That’s a remarkable achievement – but it takes more than half a decade’s worth of domination for a product to make our Hall of Fame.
This award considers not only the product itself but whether its lineage has made a lasting impact on the world of hi-fi. There is no doubt in our minds that Naim’s Nait series of integrated amplifiers has done just that.
The original Nait integrated amplifier was launched in 1983. It was a basic half-width box with a claimed power output of just 13W per channel. Originally priced at around £180, it offered a cut-price way to access Naim’s famed sound. Up until then the company had only made separate pre/power products, and they sold at what would be considered premium to high-end prices.
That original amplifier was fun, and entertained as few others could at the price. Its basic DNA has survived through the various generations of Nait products since then, and we feel runs as strongly as ever in the current XS 3.
The Nait XS 3 is a fit-and-forget product in the best sense. It slots into your system and does exactly what you want it to, and that is to deliver the music with its emotional impact intact. We can’t ask for any more from an amplifier than that. Its Hall of Fame place is richly deserved.
Read the full Naim Nait XS 3 review
Cyrus CDi (2025)
The Cyrus CDi has won a staggering 12 consecutive What Hi-Fi? Awards in a row. If ever a CD player deserved to go into our Hall of Fame, this is surely the one. That being said, it's not the first CD player to feature in our Hall of Fame – it joins the Marantz CD-63 MkII KI Signature, which features in our Hall of Fame lineup for the 1990s.
The CDi was first reviewed back in 2014 and we would never have predicted just how much of an enduring product it would be. Sure, the design is a little dated but as CD's popularity has waxed and waned, the reliably great performance of the Cyrus CDi has remained steadfast.
Central to the design is its clock stability and bespoke Servo Evolution disc-reading engine, which relies on reading data correctly the first time (rather than relying on error correction). This seems to help deliver a performance that is beautifully precise, detailed and expressive.
Read the full Cyrus CDi review
