If budget models shook up the music streamers category at last year's What Hi-Fi? Awards, then this year belongs to the premium players.
The Audiolab 9000N is the new winner in our most premium price brand ('above £2000'), beating out the stalwart Naim ND5 XS2 thanks to a combination of insightful, transparent sound and a sleek, user-friendly interface. Indeed, for its flagship network audio player, the brand decided to use the high-end Lumin streaming platform for the first time, and the performance has been revelatory.
Price-matching the Naim rival, the 9000N wowed our in-house reviews team with impressive tonal neutrality and class-leading detail and precision levels. The Naim remains a fun, richly textured and rhythmically energetic alternative, but the Audiolab's more transparent and neutral nature, which still relays drama, excitement and emotion, gives it the upper hand.
A new entrant for the mid-range price bracket below is the brand-new Cambridge Audio EXN100, which effectively replaces the old (and former Award-winning) 851N and offers a step-up performance from the mid-priced CXN100 that also launched this year. The EXN100 offers a wealth of streaming features and connectivity (including HDMI ARC) and delivers a wonderfully clear, spacious, large-scale and refined performance. Cambridge Audio's family of streamers have an enviable reputation, and the EXN100 shows just how mature its streaming talents have evolved over the years.
The two most affordable winners from last year keep their crowns, with the Cambridge Audio MXN10 and WiiM Pro Plus fending off new competition and delivering the best-value performance at their respective price points. The WiiM Pro Plus continues to deliver unparalleled specs, a friendly user interface and enjoyable performance for just £219 / $219 / AU$339. Meanwhile, the MXN10 delivers such a musically engaging and capable performance for its £449 / $499 / AU$899 asking price that the step up towards the EXN100 feels more rewarding than the gap between the MXN10 and CXN100.
Will the MXN10 hold on to its Product of the Year trophy for a third year, or will we be crowning its EXN100 sibling or the new premium Audiolab 9000N as the music streamer supreme of 2024? You only have to wait a few more days to find out, as all the Product of the Year and special category winners will be announced following the What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony this Thursday (14th November).
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