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Home / News / Stuff Gadget Awards 2012 – Audio Gadget of the Year shortlist

Stuff Gadget Awards 2012 – Audio Gadget of the Year shortlist

Now hear this – we've compiled a collection of the year's top notch audio products. Sounds good, eh?

We’ve racked our brains to compile a list of the finest hi-fi equipment, iPod docks and headphones that pleased our lugholes this year – it’s the Audio Gadget of the Year shortlist for the Stuff Gadget Awards 2012!

£170 bowers-wilkins.com

The second pair of on-the-ear headphones from the Brit speaker stalwarts, the P3s are more portable, more durable and more glamorous than the P5s they supersede. Oh, and they sound the business too, with mid-range detail and weighty bass.

Read our review

Bowers & Wilkins P3

Bowers & Wilkins P3

£35 soundmagic.com.cn

Proving that eardrum-strokingly great sound quality doesn’t have to come at a high price, the E10 earbuds deliver superb clarity and bass for less than the price of a steak dinner (with wine). The build quality is excellent too.

Read our review

£350 parrot.com/uk

Pricey? Yes. But look at what you get for your money: Bluetooth, NFC, touch controls, EQ settings – and all wrapped in that gorgeous Phillipe Starck-designed frame.

SoundMagic E10

SoundMagic E10

£650 philips.co.uk

The DS9800s might look a little “weird” with their eyestalk-like appendages, but there’s nothing strange about the sound quality. 100W of power allows the system to go room-fillingly loud while retaining clarity – and AirPlay for wireless streaming is always welcome.

Read our review

£345 uk.jbl.com

The OnBeat Xtreme is a feature-packed beast, with Bluetooth streaming, iOS dock, USB, mic and video out complementing the great sound and sparky design.

Read our review

Parrot Zik

Parrot Zik

£2795 naimaudio.com

The price is eye-wateringly steep, yes – but the NaimUniti 2 takes all-in-one hi-fi to stunning, audiophile-friendly heights. 70W per channel amplification, excellent CD playback, every kind of radio under the sun and a streamer that supports full 24-bit/192kHz lossless audio. Just add speakers.

Read our review

£700 cambridgeaudio.com

Able to stream almost anything from hi-res audio to Internet radio, the Stream Magic 6 also works as a classy DAC. It’s fully controllable through an iOS and Android app, making the whole thing far more user friendly than the average slab of audiophile gear.

Read our review

Philips Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800W/10

Philips Fidelio SoundSphere DS9800W/10

£300 uk.onkyo.com

A micro hi-fi with a difference: hook it up to your router and it’ll access streaming services like Spotify and Last.fm, as well as web radio stations. Use the iOS or Android remote control app and you’ll also be able to suck up lossless audio from a PC or NAS. Lovely stuff.

Check out the Stuff Gadget Awards 2012

Profile image of Dan Grabham Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home