2025 Audioholics Product of the Year Award Winners

2025 proved to be a standout year for audio—one where meaningful performance gains, smarter engineering, and real innovation weren’t limited to sky-high price tags. After months of hands-on testing, measurements, and critical listening, the Audioholics team sifted through everything the industry delivered—separating the merely competent from the truly exceptional.

As manufacturers continue to refine design and production, great sound is more accessible than ever—but a select group of products still rose well above the rest. This year’s standouts include the no-compromise Marantz 13.4-channel Dolby Atmos processor, class-leading Bowers & Wilkins noise-canceling headphones, DALI flagship tower speakers, and RBH budget towers that redefine value. We also honored a massive SVS subwoofer, a JTR lifestyle product capable of an eye-opening 123dB output, an audiophile-grade Denon turntable, and beautifully crafted Yamaha bookshelf speakers that punch far above their class.

These are the products that defined 2025. Welcome to the Audioholics Product of the Year Award winners—our picks for the very best audio gear we reviewed and tested all year.

Award: Best A/V Processor

Marantz 13.4CH AV 20 Pre/Processor | Review | Buy 

MSRP: $6,000

Those who want a high-end home audio experience without wanting to get a megabuck processor were given a terrific choice from Marantz this year with the AV 20 per/pro. At $6k, it isn’t cheap, but it is the least expensive way to get into Dirac ART, a feature that you would normally see in processors at $20k and above. Dirac ART is a state-of-the-art way of controlling bass through modulating the low-frequency signals of all the speakers to compensate for the room’s low-frequency phase interactions. The result is a smooth low-frequency response throughout the entire bass range. The AV 20 also has more 8k HDMI inputs as well as a much beefier DSP chip to handle the tremendous level of computation needed for such high-resolution video and audio. The user interface is also greatly improved over its predecessor model, the Marantz AV8805A. In addition to new and improved features, the AV 20 has a higher build quality and is designed and manufactured by the Shirakowa Audio Works facility in Japan. This 13.4 Atmos processor has four independent subwoofer outputs and is Dirac Bass Control compatible, so even if you don’t meet the speaker requirements to pull off Dirac ART, you should still be able to get near-perfect bass with a multi-subwoofer setup. The list of features of the AV 20 is too long to go over here, but there is a heck of a lot more that it can do than it can’t do. It’s a killer piece of gear for a reasonable price, so we are awarding it our Product of the Year for Best A/V Processor.

 Marantz AV 20 13.4CH Pre/Pro & AMP 20 Review

Award: Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 Wireless ANC Headphones | Review | Buy

MSRP: $429

The Px7 S3 Wireless noise-cancelling headphones didn’t revolutionize headphones, but rather, they took what we thought was a very good headphone and made it better. The B&W Px7 S2 and S2E were solid wireless headphones that had a light weight as well as good noise-cancelling, but they still retained B&W’s typically great sound quality. The Px7 S3 improves upon them in all categories and adds some new features to boot. They are lighter and slimmer, and now have better noise cancelling through the use of eight microphones rather than six. They have also improved the sound through a better motor structure in the driver. Through adherence to the new Bluetooth version 5.3 spec, it has features that include a Bluetooth low power mode for when users don’t need pristine sound quality and would rather save on battery life. Auracast is also a part of Bluetooth 5.3, and it is the ability to turn compatible mobile devices into publicly accessible stations with the corresponding ability to tune on, so if anyone is transmitting in Auracast nearby, the Px7 S3s could allow you to hear their content. These headphones also add the new aptX lossless codec for the ultimate in high-resolution streaming, although you will need a streaming device that supports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound for compatibility. In our review of the Px7 S3, we found it to be a great headphone for critical listening at home as well as one of the best wireless headphones for on-the-go use, so it gets our Product of the Year award for noise-cancelling headphone.  

Award: Best Floor-Standing Loudspeaker

DALI Epikore 9 | Review | Buy

MSRP: $40,000/pair

While we didn’t run a full review of DALI’s Epikore 9 speakers, we did manage to spend some time with them, and were enamored with their drop-dead gorgeous styling and sumptuous sound. The Epikore 9 is not an inexpensive speaker at $48k/pair, but if you want a loudspeaker with so few compromises, it can’t be cheap. Every single element in the speaker is given a premium treatment with an attention to detail that is befitting of such a luxury product. The motor magnets use a special magnetic material that is a lot more controlled than typical iron ferrite or neodymium, so it’s more performant. The voice coil formers are made from titanium, which is tougher than the usual polyimides or paper fiber materials and has better thermal handling and less conductivity than aluminum. The woofers have a unique form, which holds their shape at higher frequencies, thereby widening the bandwidth and lowering distortion. DALI’s hybrid tweeter assembly has been optimized to have a much higher sensitivity as well as lower distortion and improved compression capability. The Epikore 9 model is a full four-way speaker that places its bass drivers at equal distances from the dome tweeter, which is the central source point of the speaker’s sound. This not only helps to keep all the sound emanating from the drivers in better timing with each other, but it also reduces floor and ceiling reflections, as well as averaging out low-frequency reflections (the ‘ground bounce’ effect) from having wider spacing between the bass drivers. From all of this technology, the resulting sound is exquisite, and the form and cabinetry of the Epikore 9s is nothing less than a work of art (especially in the high-gloss maroon finish), so we are awarding it our 2025 Product of the Year for floor-standing loudspeakers. 

 DALI Rubikore 8 Floorstanding Speakers Demo Experience

And for those who don’t want to spend the equivalent of a new car, we think that the DALI Rubikore 8 is a pretty close runner-up for its combination of craftsmanship and sound quality. It’s still expensive at $13k, but it's within reach of a lot more people than the Epikore 9 speakers and uses many of the same technologies to produce a terrific sound. Gene was so impressed with his demo of the Rubikore 8s at Audio Advice Live 2024, that he ordered a set for his music room to take a closer listen so stay tuned for his impressions in 2026.

Award: Best Bookshelf Loudspeaker

Yamaha NS-800A | Review | Buy

MSRP: $2,500/ea

A pleasant surprise among the products we reviewed this year was Yamaha’s NS-800A loudspeaker. Yamaha has always been a solid and reliable brand for audio components, so perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the NS-800A would be such a great speaker, but it nonetheless exceeded our expectations. Firstly, it is one of the classiest-looking bookshelf speakers on the market. It has beautiful cabinetry with a true piano gloss finish that very few other speakers could hope to match. Indeed, the finish is done with the same method and by the same people who apply the finish for Yamaha’s quarter-million-dollar grand pianos. The build quality and finish are true luxury-class, and while these speakers are not cheap, we think that if another manufacturer had released them, they would have had a much higher pricing. And then there is the sound that the NS-800As make; they sound outstanding. They have pinpoint imaging within an expansive soundstage, and they have a clear, clean sound that makes them addictive to listen to. This is due in part to their neutral frequency response, aside from a high-treble peak that lends them some airiness, with which everything sounds nicely balanced. Along with their frequency response is their even projection of sound, where they retain their neutrality over a wide angle. What that means is listeners won’t need a heavily treated environment for the NS-800As to sound good, and any equalization done to suit listeners’ tastes can be done very predictably. What is frosting on the cake of all of this is that the NS-800As have great low-frequency extension for their size, and they have a fairly benign electrical load, too, so they can be run on any amplifier without problem. For these reasons, we happily award our 2025 Product of the Year to Yamaha’s NS-800A among bookshelf loudspeakers. 

Award: Best Lifestyle Loudspeaker System

JTR Speakers Kallos 465 Speakers and Kallos 12Sub Subwoofer | Buy

MSRP: Kallos 465: $2,499 each, Kallos 12Sub: $3,699

One system that ended 2025 on a bang for us was JTR's Kallos 465 Speakers and 12Sub. While they are nominally just a 'lifestyle' system in that the speakers are meant to be used as on-walls and the sub is not a huge one, they still provide more dynamic range than would be expected and, in fact, can surpass many dedicated home theater loudspeaker systems. Audioholics' Gene DellaSala was floored in his listening experience with a simple Kallos 465 and 12Sub setup: commercial cinema level dynamics, balanced audiophile sound, and deep, razor-sharp bass. These are easily some of the best on-wall speakers on the market and likely the most powerful ones. This task is accomplished by sourcing the best drivers on the market, creating the best crossover circuit design that does not cut corners, and putting them in a cabinet that is built like a tank but has high-end furniture-grade aesthetics. The Kallos subwoofer is about the best we've ever heard in a 12" sealed relatively compact design thanks to the incredible driver technology borrowed from their 18" driver. The Kallos driver boasts a 36mm Xmax, utilizes a 3" voice coil, and has a triple magnet motor structure that is almost as large as the basket and is 9 inches deep. The end result is bombastic bass that is tight, clean and tactile and almost defying based on its manageable footprint.

 JTR Kallos 2.2 Speaker Listening Event

If you want a heavy-duty home theater sound experience but need to fit it into a living room with unobtrusive speakers, these are one of the best solutions out there, and so we are awarding it our Product of the Year in 2025 for Best Lifestyle System. Also, keep on the lookout for our full editorial review coming in early 2026!

Award: Best Subwoofer

SVS PB17-Ultra | Review | Buy

MSRP: $3,000

While SVS launched their phenomenal PB17-Ultra in late 2024, we didn’t get to experience it in person until 2025, which makes it a candidate for our 2025 Product of the Year. The PB17-Ultra nets our product of the year award for making such a big leap in performance over its predecessor while only moving the pricing up a small amount and still managing to keep the same enclosure size. In order to boost performance over the PB16-Ultra without increasing its already very large size, SVS had to install a far more powerful amp as well as redesign the driver to be more sensitive without losing deep bass performance. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially while keeping cost increases minimal, but SVS has managed to accomplish this beautifully. The PB17-Ultra retains its predecessor’s massive deep bass capabilities while making a huge jump in midbass performance. It is one of only a few subs to have ever achieved our Bassaholics ‘Maximus’ rating. Of course, along with its staggering performance is the usual slate of SVS advantages, including their sophisticated app control, gorgeous gloss black finish, and industry-leading customer service. In years past, a subwoofer of this caliber would have been a rare and specialty product, so to think that anyone can just order something like this and have it at their doorstep in a matter of days is pretty mind-blowing. SVS has managed a technological feat without moving the price into the stratosphere, and this is why we are awarding it our 2025 Product of the Year for subwoofers.

 SVS PB17-Ultra Subwoofer Review Discussion

Award: Best Turntable

Denon DP-3000NE | Review | Buy

MSRP: $2,800

Denon has a long history with turntables that date back to nearly the beginning of the media format over a century ago. We reviewed Denon’s latest chapter for this product category in the DP-3000NE, which we found to be a terrific addition to Denon’s story. It has a new direct drive system optimized for speed stability, which uses a three-phase AC motor. We tested it to reach a perfect speed stability in less than three seconds, and it's able to hold that stability even if left on for twenty-four hours. It has a thick one-piece aluminum player with a rubber undercoating that we also tested to be very non-resonant. The DP-3000NE uses a new ‘S’ tone arm that has an array of adjustments that allow for better tracking. One of our favorite features is a new counterweight system that slides a single weight along a shaft on the tone arm for extreme fine-tuning for virtually any cartridge weight. It’s much easier to use and more versatile than discrete counterweight solutions. In our review, we found the DP-3000NE to have a balanced and detailed sound with a low noise floor and a wide dynamic range. It’s easy to use for novices but has high enough fidelity that audiophiles can thoroughly enjoy it. On top of all of this, it is not outrageously expensive like so many high-end turntables, and for this reason, we are awarding it our Product of the Year for turntables.

Conclusion

As we look back on 2025, one thing is unmistakable: this was a banner year for audio innovation, performance, and value across every category we evaluated. The products honored here didn’t just rise to the top of their respective classes — together, they define the current state of the art in home audio, from lifestyle-friendly solutions to no-compromise enthusiast gear. Wickedly great in both design and performance, these components have the ability to cast a spell on any audiophile lucky enough to own them. Whether you’re building a new system or refining an existing one, these award-winners represent smart, satisfying investments today — and set a high bar for what’s to come in 2026. Merry Christmas to ALL and a Happy New Year!