The annual EISA Awards represent the combined judgement of magazine editors around the world, a global perspective on the best-value and highest-performing consumer electronics you can buy. 

Australian Hi-Fi and Sound+Image are EISA’s representatives for Hi-Fi and Home Theatre here in Australia, part of the global Expert Imaging & Sound Association which each year pools the editorial review experience of 61 special interest magazines across 29 countries to agree on a final list of EISA Award Winners. 

With the pandemic preventing the usual EISA Convention and Awards Meetings, all discussions this year were held virtually between the editors in each Expert Group, and alas the annual Gala Awards Presentation Evening held in Berlin each September will not take place. But Australian Hi-Fi placed its votes, and here are all the winners, representing the world’s best. 

Details of the winners from the Hi-fi expert group follow; you can see Sound+Image's publishing of the home theatre category awards here; and there are full winners lists from all other categories at the end.

Now then, let’s draw the golden card from the first EISA envelope... 
EISA TURNTABLE 2020-2021
Thorens TD 1601
The Thorens name has been associated with turntables for almost 120 years, and while the TD 1601 has a look reflecting classic turntables of the past, under the skin it’s all new. It retains the three-point sprung suspension of the TD150 of the 1960s, but brings the company’s latest decoupled synchronous motor for speed accuracy, and an electric arm-lift and end of side stop for convenient playback. A fully manual version of the deck, the TD 1600, is also offered. All this plus a balanced audio output alongside the usual connections, for even lower noise, makes for a turntable that combines heritage with bang-up-to-date sound quality.
EISA BEST VALUE DAC 2020-2021
iFi Audio ZEN DAC
The appeal of the iFi Audio ZEN DAC is simple: with eye-catching looks, flexibility, solid engineering within and a remarkably grown-up sound, this entry-level DAC is a conspicuous hi-fi bargain. It proves that desktop audio doesn’t have to be the poor relation of ‘proper’ hi-fi, and is a real giant-killer, whether as a DAC/headphone amp or a simple digital preamp. Buy this to boost the sound of your computer, and you may well find you’re listening to it most of the time. Best of all, it does all this at a very affordable price – this is amazing value for money.
EISA AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
Arcam SA30
Arcam joins the ‘all-in-one’ streaming amplifier trend with its flagship integrated. Within the elegant but purposeful casework the SA30 combines the company’s Class G amplification, for both finesse and power, with a raft of digital technologies. It will stream, and you can plug in everything from your TV to a turntable, while DIRAC room correction is offered to optimise the sound, using a computer and the supplied microphone. It’s not just a technical tour de force, it’s also a storming amplifier: Arcam may be streamlining its product range, but hasn’t lost its focus.
EISA SMART AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
NAD Masters M33
NAD won this category last year with its compact Masters M10 – not just an amplifier but also a complete ‘just add speakers’ streaming system. This year it has comprehensively evolved the concept with its Masters M33, combining state-of-the-art Class D amplifier technology from Purifi Audio with in-house streaming know-how. The result is just about all the amplifier anyone could need, combining massive power and beautiful clarity and finesse with broad connectivity, streaming and DIRAC room correction, all presented on a large front-panel touchscreen. It’s definitely an amp for the third decade of the 2000s.
EISA BEST VALUE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER 2020-2021
Focal Chora 826​
Drawing on its extensive expertise, from the manufacture of drive units to final assembly, Focal has developed an affordable floorstander able to sound great on demonstration and in the home. At the heart of the Chora 826 is a new ‘Slatefibre’ driver, for speed and bass extension, and the speaker has a sound that’ll make you want to keep on listening, with both bass weight, treble clarity and sparkle. It’s also easy to set up and position, will work with modest amplification, and sounds good in almost any room. However you look at it, this speaker offers a lot of performance for the money.
EISA BEST VALUE BOOKSHELF LOUDSPEAKER 2020-2021
Monitor Audio Bronze 100
Monitor Audio has built an enviable reputation for superb small speakers, winning the EISA Award for its bookshelf model last year and building on this performance for its latest, sixth-generation series in 2020. They’re admirable performers across a wide range of musical styles, with a killer combination of bass weight and sweet treble from the brand’s in-house-designed Ceramic-Coated Aluminium Magnesium (C-CAM) drivers, and a reflex port ‘rifled’ for smoother airflow. Their contemporary looks and easy-to-drive nature add to the appeal of these very sophisticated little speakers. 
EISA AUDIO ACCESSORY 2020-2021
Pro-Ject VC-E
Having spearheaded the vinyl revival with its excellent – and very affordable – turntables, Pro-Ject has now turned its attention to looking after your precious LP collection with its compact VC-E record cleaning machine. Not only is it small, it’s also very affordable and fast, spinning the disc at 30rpm to enable it to be cleaned in just a few rotations. In fact, Pro-Ject says one spin in each direction should be enough, while the clamp keeps the record label dry and the suction arm cleans the surface effectively. The result? Less noise, less stylus and vinyl wear, and even better sound from your favourite LPs.
EISA PORTABLE DAC/HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt
The latest addition to AudioQuest’s DragonFly range is its best yet. The Cobalt model not only converts a huge range of audio formats from your computer, it also features a high-quality headphone amplifier, as well as being able to deliver great sound to a hi-fi system – and all in a package no bigger than a USB thumb-drive. It’s an ideal portable audio companion: simply pop it into a USB port on your computer or ‘smart device’ which will both power it and supply the music. Then just plug in your favourite headphones, and you have all you need for superb music wherever you happen to be.
EISA MOBILE AUDIO PLAYER 2020-2021
FiiO M11 Pro
This portable music player packs best-in-class functionality into a high-quality chassis with bezel-free touchscreen display. Format support and listening options are unrivalled – the M11 Pro can be used as both a Bluetooth receiver and transmitter, as a USB DAC and USB audio player (with native DSD output), or playing direct from its onboard storage (expandable to 2TB) or streaming apps. A Samsung Exynos hexa-core SoC ensures seamless music management and a responsive user experience. Two AK4497EQ DACs with Velvet Sound architecture, meanwhile, support hi-res audio to 384kHz/32-bit, plus MQA decoding. The player’s trio of headphone outputs benefit from powerful, low-distortion amplification. And that all-important sound quality? In a word: exceptional.

​PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERT GROUP
EISA CAMERA OF THE YEAR 2020-2021
Fujifilm X-T4

EISA BEST BUY CAMERA 2020-2021
Nikon Z 50

EISA APS-C CAMERA 2020-2021
Canon EOS 90D

EISA FULL-FRAME CAMERA 2020-2021
Nikon D780

EISA ADVANCED FULL-FRAME CAMERA 2020-2021
Sony Alpha 7R IV

EISA PROFESSIONAL CAMERA 2020-2021
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

EISA PHOTO/VIDEO CAMERA 2020-2021
Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H

EISA COMPACT CAMERA 2020-2021
Fujifilm X100 V

EISA VLOGGING CAMERA 2020-2021
Sony Vlog ZV-1

EISA CAMERA INNOVATION 2020-2021
Canon EOS R5

EISA LENS OF THE YEAR 2020-2021
Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

EISA WIDEANGLE ZOOM LENS 2020-2021
Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art

EISA STANDARD ZOOM LENS 2020-2021
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM

EISA TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENS 2020-2021
Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD

EISA TRAVEL ZOOM LENS 2020-2021
Tamron 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD

EISA SUPER TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENS 2020-2021
Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

EISA PROFESSIONAL TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENS 2020-2021
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 120-300mm F2.8E FL ED SR VR

EISA WIDEANGLE LENS 2020-2021
Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G

EISA PORTRAIT LENS 2020-2021
Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm F1.8 S

EISA LENS INNOVATION 2020-2021
Canon RF 600mm & 800mm F11 IS STM

EISA CAMERA DRONE 2020-2021
DJI Mavic AIR 2

EISA PHOTO SOFTWARE 2020-2021
Nik Collection 3 By DxO

EISA MONITOR 2020-2021
EIZO ColorEdge CS2740
    
MOBILE DEVICES EXPERT GROUP         
EISA BEST SMARTPHONE 2020-2021
OnePlus 8 Pro

EISA ADVANCED SMARTPHONE 2020-2021
OPPO Find X2 Pro

EISA FOLDABLE SMARTPHONE 2020-2021
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

EISA MULTIMEDIA SMARTPHONE 2020-2021
Sony Xperia 1 Mark II

EISA SMARTPHONE CAMERA 2020-2021
Huawei P40 Pro

EISA IN-EAR HEADPHONES 2020-2021
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

EISA ON-EAR HEADPHONES 2020-2021
Bowers & Wilkins PX5

EISA MOBILE SPEAKER 2020-2021
LG XBOOM Go PL7

EISA BEST SMARTWATCH 2020-2021
Huawei Watch GT 2

COMBINED WITH HI-FI EXPERT GROUP         
EISA HEADPHONES 2020-2021
DALI IO-6
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EISA MOBILE AUDIO PLAYER 2020-2021
FiiO M11 Pro

EISA PORTABLE DAC/HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt
EISA BEST VALUE TURNTABLE 2020-2021
Pro-Ject T1
Pro-Ject has been making turntables for almost three decades, starting with the original Pro-Ject 1 and, along with the later Debut models, it more or less reinvented the budget turntable market. The T1 is the latest version of that design – a budget audiophile record-playing package with excellent sound for the money. The company also offers versions including a built-in phono stage and Bluetooth transmitter! With its machined plinth, high precision bearing, glass platter and newly-designed one-piece aluminium tonearm, it offers a wonderfully weighty and detailed sound – and even the Ortofon OM 5E MM cartridge is pre-installed, making it completely plug-and-play.
EISA HEADPHONES 2020-2021
DALI IO-6
Many loudspeaker companies have diversified into headphones, but none has done so as spectacularly as Danish manufacturer DALI. Not only is the IO-6 a wireless design, it also incorporates excellent active noise cancelling, adding to its closed-back design three modes of cancellation. As if that wasn’t enough, it then adds best-in-class battery life to keep you listening longer – up to 30 hours between charges, in fact. Add to that a superbly powerful yet open and informative sound, and you have nothing less than a sensational début.
Picture
EISA HIGH-END INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
Musical Fidelity M8xi
Musical Fidelity has always designed fabulous big amplifiers, following its belief that you can never have too much power. Now under Austrian ownership, and sharing a stable with Pro-Ject Audio Systems, it’s delivered the M8xi, offering a massive 550W – which it comfortably exceeds from its dual-mono construction. Inputs extend to both digital and analogue audio options, but this isn’t just a big prize-fighter of an amp: it’s also fast and nimble, delivering music with both speed and accuracy, not to mention masses of detail. If you want your amp all in one box, and superlative performance, this is the one to buy.
EISA HIGH-END PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
Michi P5/S5
Rotel’s high-end sub-brand is back, some three decades after its first appearance, and the Michi P5 control amplifier and S5 power amp bring a welcome breath of weight, scale and entirely natural music-making to the high-end arena. With cool black looks and stunning build quality, the duo displays a wide-ranging ability across a broad spectrum of musical genres. Michi is all about the emotion and spirit of the music, delivered on an entirely human scale. The amps are flexible too, the preamp offering a wide range of digital and analogue inputs, and the quality is assured by painstaking hand assembly, from the basic components upwards. It’s a stunning return.
EISA LOUDSPEAKER 2020-2021
SVS Prime Pinnacle
Sitting at the top of the SVS Prime range, this classically-styled floorstanding model is of simple design and construction, yet delivers a clear, crowd-pleasing performance – not least due to its trio of 16.5cm bass drivers and rear-facing ports. The woofers are drawn from the company’s Ultra Tower flagship model, and ensures music driven by bass and percussion is always thrilling, just as the midband and treble are crisp and sweet. In practice the Prime Pinnacles are svelte enough to slip into all but the smallest rooms, so if you crave a warm and a full-bodied sound, these towers will have your system glowing.
EISA WIRELESS LOUDSPEAKER 2020-2021
System Audio legend 5 silverback
Danish company System Audio took an entirely logical approach with the legend 5 silverback speakers: they’re active, with dedicated amplification for each drive unit, and become wireless when you add the full function Stereo Hub or third-party transmitter. Operation using WISA technology to avoid interference and carrying sound up to 192kHz/24-bit, the system can connect to a wide range of sources, from a digital connection from a computer to TV sound. It also has multiple streaming options, from DLNA/UPnP to GoogleCast, AirPlay and Bluetooth. It’s a beautifully elegant, and fine-sounding, wire-free music solution.
EISA PHONO PREAMP 2020-2021
Primare R15
​Housed in a compact case just 35cm wide, Primare’s R15 phono amplifier offers two levels of gain for both moving-coil and magnet cartridges, with further adjustments of resistance and capacitance to optimise loading for the cartridge in use. Built with the same care the company brings to its main amplifiers, its low-noise design is informed by the flagship R35 model just as its sound is the familiar ‘Primare’ mix of weight and substance allied to detail and resolution. It’s the ideal interface between a high-quality record player and the line input of your amplifier.
EISA DIGITAL SOURCE 2020-2021
Volumio Primo
This unassuming-looking little black box is a highly affordable solution to all your digital streaming needs, for not only will it play music stored on home network devices, it also allows you to access a huge range of online music services. With simple operation via web browsers or apps, and an on-screen GUI delivered over HDMI, the Primo includes digital outputs to feed any DAC while also playing music via USB stores. Compatible with music formats all the way up to DSD, via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, this small wonder is the perfect way to start your streaming adventure.


​HOME THEATRE AUDIO EXPERT GROUP    
EISA HOME THEATRE SPEAKER SYSTEM 2020-2021
Arendal Sound 1961 Series

EISA BEST BUY HOME THEATRE SPEAKER SYSTEM 2020-2021
Triangle Borea Series

EISA SMART SOUNDBAR 2020-2021
Harman Kardon Citation MultiBeam 700

EISA PREMIUM SOUNDBAR 2020-2021
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Stage

EISA HOME THEATRE RECEIVER 2020-2021
Denon AVC-X4700H


EISA HOME THEATRE SUBWOOFER 2020-2021
SVS SB-2000 Pro

EISA HOME THEATRE HIGH-END 2020-2021
Trinnov Altitude platform

EISA HOME THEATRE HEADPHONE 2020-2021
JVC EXOFIELD XP-EXT1

EISA HOME THEATRE AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
Emotiva XPA Gen3

EISA SOUNDBAR 2020-2021
LG SN8YG

EISA BEST BUY SOUNDBAR 2020-2021
TCL TS9030 RAY·DANZ
​
COMBINED WITH HOME THEATRE VIDEO&DISPLAY EXPERT GROUP         
EISA HOME THEATRE MEDIA PLAYER 2020-2021
Zappiti Pro 4K HDR

HOME THEATRE VIDEO&DISPLAY EXPERT GROUP     
EISA 8K TV 2020-2021
LG 75NANO99
​
EISA BEST PREMIUM OLED TV 2020-2021
LG OLED65GX

EISA LARGE SCREEN TV 2020-2021
Samsung QE75Q950TS

EISA BEST BUY TV 2020-2021
TCL 65C815

EISA HOME THEATRE TV 2020-2021
Philips 65OLED935

EISA BEST BUY OLED TV 2020-2021
Philips 55OLED805

EISA PROJECTOR 2020-2021
Optoma P1
​
COMBINED WITH HOME THEATRE AUDIO EXPERT GROUP         
EISA HOME THEATRE MEDIA PLAYER 2020-2021
Zappiti Pro 4K HDR


IN-CAR ELECTRONICS EXPERT GROUP         
EISA IN-CAR HEAD UNIT 2020-2021
KENWOOD DMX9720XDS

EISA IN-CAR SOUND PROCESSOR 2020-2021
Helix DSP ULTRA

EISA IN-CAR BEST VALUE DSP 2020-2021
Ground Zero GZDSP 4-8XII

EISA IN-CAR AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
MOSCONI GLADEN ATOMO 2

EISA IN-CAR DSP AMPLIFIER 2020-2021
Eton Stealth 7.1 DSP

EISA IN-CAR SPEAKER SYSTEM 2020-2021
ESB 8.6K3U LE

EISA IN-CAR SUBWOOFER 2020-2021
Hifonics ZRX6D2

EISA IN-CAR HIGH END COMPONENT 2020-2021
Audison bit One HD Virtuoso

EISA IN-CAR DASHCAM 2020-2021
KENWOOD DRV-A501W

​EISA CAMPER VAN HEAD UNIT 2020-2021
Zenec Z-E3766