The Loudspeakers category in 2017's CE Pro BEST Awards was a pretty crowded space, considering six brands — Bluesound, Leon Speakers, SVS, Stealth Acoustics, Triad, and Dynaudio — tied in three different sub-categories.
This isn't a common occurence, but it isn't terribly surprising, either. Loudspeakers are just about the most diverse category in home technology integration.
Style is often in the eye of the beholder, but in the loudspeaker industry, style wasn’t on the radar for years. The only concession manufacturers made to style was a big (if not bigger) veneer box.
Manufacturers are now cognizant of home décor, realizing consumers want audio without sacrificing style. The newly-established diversity provided plenty to sort through during this year's judging process for the CE Pro BEST Awards.
“The BEST Awards offer an incredible glimpse into the future for the entire residential AV integration industry,” says Jason Knott, editor-in-chief, CE Pro.
“Some of the products and technologies that integrators now consider mainstays to their businesses made their first appearance in the market via the CE Pro BEST Awards. These entries truly represent the cutting edge of technology.”
This year's 179 entries were judged on innovation, functionality, competitive advantages and benefits to the installer by a dozen credible industry leaders, along with the editors of CE Pro.
See all the CE Pro BEST Awards winners winners here.
The following products took home awards in the Home Theater and Multi-Room AV category.
Click on the winning loudspeaker to see its slide:
Soundbar (TIE!)
Bluesound
Bluesound PULSE Soundbar
Leon Speakers
Horizon FIT Soundbar
Wireless Audio
RIVA Audio
RIVA WAND Series
Subwoofer (TIE!)
SVS
SVS SB16-Ultra Subwoofer
Stealth Acoustics
Stealth Image III Sub – Customizable On-wall Art Subwoofer
On-Wall Speaker
Starke Sound
IW-H5 Elite Loudspeaker
In-Wall/In-Ceiling Speaker (TIE!)
Triad
Triad Designer Series Speakers
Dynaudio
Dynaudio Studio Series S4-LCR65
Freestanding Speaker
TruAudio
S63i
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