The top car audio products of Europe and around the globe were named by EISA, the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, in its 2021 Awards.
For a third year in a row, Kenwood won for the top head unit, this year the DMX8020DABS, which has many similarities to a US product, the DMX907S (although the DMX907S has a few features the 8020DABS doesn’t have, such as 4 camera inputs instead of 3). What makes the deck a standout in its class is the fast, responsive touchscreen (due to a fast processor), an easy to use graphic interface and “it sounds really good and will play Hi Res files,” said a Kenwood spokesman. EISA called it “a futureproofed head unit that’s both loaded with features and offers a high-quality audio performance.”
In speakers, an Eton Onyx component set took a prize for Best In-Car Speaker System. A US Onyx series is due from Eton in the first quarter of next year. In Europe, the Onyx is Eton’s step down from Eton’s CORE series (not available in the US). Standout features of the Onyx include the fact that ALL drivers use neodymium magnets. The 28 mm dome tweeter has an isolated rear chamber. EISA said the system delivers an “ultimate high-end sound experience.”
Ground Zero took a prize for the Best Speaker Series for its URANIUM SQ, high end line, introduced in the US earlier this year. EISA said the line offers “excellent resolution and tonality, plus an authoritative bass.”
Pioneer took an award for its compact subwoofer, the TS-WX010A
AudioTech Fisher won a couple of awards including one for its Conductor knob/controller for In-Car Innovation. EISA said calling the unit a ‘knob’ doesn’t do it justice. Introduced a few months ago, the ‘knob’ can control many functions on Match, Helix and Brax digital signal processors and DSP/amplifiers. It’s surrounded by a ring of LEDs that change color so you know when you are in volume control mode or subwoofer level control mode or Bluetooth trackup/down mode. Retail price is $150.
To see these and other EISA In-Car Electronics awards, click here.
To see EISA awards in all categories including HiFi and Home Theater, click here.
