If you're looking for a new stereo amplifier, then boy do we have the line-up for you! We have recently announced the winners of the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2021, and it is British outfits Rega and Cambridge Audio who once again prevail in this year's stereo amplifier category.
Rega sandwiches the category with the shoebox-shaped io (£379, $595, AU$849) at one end and the premium Aethos (£2999, $4000, AU$$5999) at the other. While there's the expected gulf in performance between the two, both amplifiers display the lively, rhythmically secure sonic character we've come to love in the company's products.
Between those brilliant Rega bookends, Cambridge Audio keeps a firm grip on the middle of the market with the double whammy of its CXA61 (£749, $999, AU$1899) and step-up CXA81 (£999, $1299, AU$2495) – which hail from the CX series Cambridge launched in 2019. Both these repeat winners are supremely talented amps, delivering a combination of detail resolution, precision and punch that price rivals just can't match. Spending extra for the CXA81 gets you greater dynamic punch and sonic authority. Both integrateds are superbly made and sensibly specified, too.
Our list of Award winners is completed by the excellent entry-level Marantz PM6007 (£479, $599, AU$1290) and Naim's evergreen Nait XS3 (£2199, $2999, AU$5250). The Marantz is well-equipped in the connectivity department and a brilliant sonic all-rounder that works really well across a wide range of systems. The Nait XS3, meanwhile, is an undiluted thrill machine that's a joy to listen to.
The keenest-eyed among you may notice that these top dogs were also victorious in last year's What Hi-Fi? Awards. And while we always like a shake-up in an awards category, this stronghold only goes to show how exceptional these amps truly are. Arguably all are worthy of the category's 'Product of the Year' trophy, but only one of the six will take one home from the What Hi-Fi? Awards ceremony on Wednesday 3rd November, when we will also announce a handful of special awards. Tune in that evening to find out which takes the glory.
MORE:
More Awards! See all 109 What Hi-Fi? Award winners
The best stereo amps for every budget
The What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame: the best tech products of the 2020s
