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Rotel don’t often get the love they deserve. Perhaps it’s the name, which, if you’re not familiar with the brand, sounds like a copy machine manufacturer. We think they deserve to be a household name.

The tech we review is often classy, usually sleek, occasionally drop dead gorgeous. But very rarely does it invoke a sense of glee, or surprise. The UE Roll 2 does both, in spectacular fashion.

In-ear technology has come a long way in just a few short years. While wireless earbuds increase in popularity, companies like Campfire Audio keep pounding away with new wired designs, focusing purely on high quality audio.

The bookshelf speaker market is hugely competitive, with hundreds of companies putting out everything from tiny wireless wonders to huge monoliths that shade the line between bookshelf and tower speakers. Audioengine have made waves here.

Very few audio designers are as accomplished as Aaron Fournier. After stints at Tivoli Audio and V-Moda, the Boston-based engineer started his own company, Thinksound, with the goal of making environmentally-friendly headphones that sounded fantastic.

While we don’t have a yearly awards event for the best audio products of the year— on account of the fact that all of our product roundups already name the very best in each category— that doesn’t stop us from having favorites.