In this article we give a first update on the status of the 2022 Reader voted best gear polls.
For those if you who have no idea what I am talking about, check out this page here where we announce and explain the Reader Awards:
The categories this year are the following:
- Headphones – Link: Headphones
- Universal IEMs -Link: Universal IEMs
- Custom IEMs – Link: Custom IEMs
- TWS IEM – Link: TWS IEM
- Portable Players/DAPs – Link: DAPs/Port. Source
- DAC/AMP Combo – Link: DAC/AMP
And the Status on February 24 is the following:
Headphones
- Meze Audio Elite – 22.76%
- Sennheiser HD800 – 16.26%
- Audeze LCD-5 – 13.01%
The Meze Audio ELITE is strongly in the lead and that’s no surprise as it’s an excellent headphone. At the same time I wouldn’t be surprised if the HD800 catches up on it over the next months. It’s a nice surprise to see the LCD-5 in the third spot, I certainly did not expect the majority to like this super detailed, neutral and very expensive headphone.
Universal IEMs
- Sennheiser IE900 – 16.81%
- Vision Ears EXT – 15.04%
- Empire Ears Odin – 12.39%
Sennheiser is doing well in our lists and the IE 900 – which I absolutely love – is the number 1 for now with a very small margin. The EXT from Vision Ears is very close in 2nd position with the Odin (surprise!) in the 3rd spot. I am sure we will see many more changes in the positions in this category over the next 12 months.
Custom IEMs
- 64 Audio A18T – 28.57%
- Vision Ears Elysium – 17.86%
- Unique Melody MEST – 16.86%
A very clear lead for the 64Audio A18t, a top quality CIEM. It will be hard for the Elysium and MEST to catch up but all three are very impressive custom IEMs. And who knows, we migh find a new gem in 2022 as well.
TWS IEM
- Apple AirPods Pro – 27.27%
- Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 – 24.24%
- Noble Audio Falcon Pro – 12.12%
Personally I am not really in to TWS IEMs, but our wireless expert Yagiz has reviewed many of these on HFN already. The Appre AirPods Pro is taking the lead, but the Sennheiser (again!) Momentum TWS is really close to it. I am sure many more TWS IEMs will see the day of light in 2022, so I am not really sure where we will end with this poll. Exciting!
Portable Players/DAPs
- Fiio M17 – 26.47%
- AK SP2000T – 12.50%
- AK SE200 – 11.76%
It’s really no surprise for me. I still have to publish the Fiio M17 review, but I can already tell you that it indeed is up there with the very best DAPs on the market. Astell & Kern take both the second and third spot with their SP2000T and SE200, and that shows that Fiio with the M17 has created something very special. Its lead is huge, but who knows what the new Cayin N8ii will bring. I’ll be following this poll closely!
DAC/AMP Combo
- Chord Electronics Hugo TT2 – 19.44%
- RME ADI-2 DAC FS – 16.67%
- Chord Electronics Mojo 2 – 13.89%
DAC/AMP combos are extremely popular nowadays and there are so many excellent ones on the market in all budget ranges. For now you have put the Hugo TT2 in the first spot, with a close RME ADI-2 and Mojo 2 right behind it. Chord Electronics just might win multiple awards this year.
Don’t forget that you can still vote and participate in all of these polls. If you don’t agree with the intermediate results or you want to see your favourite piece of gear in the results, you know what to do…
Check out Page 2 and following and get voting!
Full links:
Headphones: https://www.headfonia.com/2022-reader-voted-best-gear-polls-update-1/2
Universal IEMs: https://www.headfonia.com/2022-reader-voted-best-gear-polls-update-1/3
Custom IEMS: https://www.headfonia.com/2022-reader-voted-best-gear-polls-update-1/4
TWS IEMs: https://www.headfonia.com/2022-reader-voted-best-gear-polls-update-1/5
DAP: https://www.headfonia.com/2022-reader-voted-best-gear-polls-update-1/6
DAC/AMP: https://www.headfonia.com/2022-reader-voted-best-gear-polls-update-1/7
