LAS VEGAS, NV — As the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip shimmered under the intense heat of the Nevada sun, the professional audiovisual world found its epicenter within the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center for InfoComm 2026. On June 22, 2026, the final day of the exhibition, the industry’s most prestigious accolades were handed out. Mix magazine, a cornerstone of the FutureB2B portfolio, officially announced its "Best of Show" winners, celebrating a decade of rapid technological convergence and the arrival of a new era in professional audio.
The 2026 awards represent more than just product excellence; they serve as a barometer for an industry that has successfully navigated the complexities of the post-digital transformation era. From AI-integrated mixing engines to revolutionary planar array microphones, the winners of this year’s awards demonstrate a commitment to fidelity, ease of use, and the seamless integration of hardware and software.
Main Facts: The Elite Ten of Pro Audio
The InfoComm 2026 Best of Show awards, judged by an independent panel of industry experts, engineers, and consultants, were selected from hundreds of entries. While the broader InfoComm event saw awards from sister publications like AV Technology and Digital Signage, the Mix awards focused specifically on the high-performance audio sector, encompassing live sound, broadcast, and studio integration.
The ten products that secured the "Best of Show" title for 2026 are:
- Allen & Heath SQ+
- Blackmagic Design Fairlight Live
- BoxCast Mixing Station Anywhere
- Clear-Com Avalon
- dbTechnologies VIO L1608
- DiGiCo Quantum112
- Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) NT116S Subwoofer
- L-Acoustics Source Intelligence
- Shure DCA901 Planar Array Microphone
- Zaxcom DCiRX Direct Conversion Interface Receiver
These winners were evaluated on-site, with judges looking for innovation, feature set, ease of installation, and value proposition. In a year defined by the "intelligent edge" in audio processing, these products stood out for their ability to solve real-world problems for sound reinforcement professionals and broadcast engineers alike.
Chronology: The Road to the 2026 Winners’ Circle
The journey to the June 22 announcement began months earlier. In early 2026, FutureB2B opened the call for entries, inviting exhibitors to submit their most groundbreaking solutions. By the time the convention doors opened on June 16, the sheer volume of submissions had set a new record for the organization.
The Evaluation Phase (June 16–19)
As the trade show floor hummed with the sound of line arrays and the chatter of 40,000 attendees, the Mix judging panel began their rounds. Unlike many awards that rely solely on press releases, the InfoComm Best of Show awards require an on-site demonstration. Judges spent the first four days of the show visiting booths, interviewing product managers, and, crucially, listening to the gear in a live environment.
The Deliberation (June 20–21)
Behind closed doors, the judges compared notes. The criteria were rigorous: Did the product advance the state of the art? Is the user interface intuitive for a high-pressure live environment? Does the hardware meet the sustainability standards increasingly demanded by global touring acts? By the evening of June 21, the list was finalized.
The Announcement (June 22)
The final morning of the show saw the official unveiling of the winners. Representatives from the winning brands were presented with the honors, marking a high point in a week characterized by high-stakes networking and multi-million dollar procurement deals.
Supporting Data: Technical Deep Dives into the Winning Innovations
To understand why these ten products triumphed, one must look at the technical shift they represent.
The Rise of Intelligent Mixing
The DiGiCo Quantum112 and the Allen & Heath SQ+ represent the evolution of the mixing console. The Quantum112, building on DiGiCo’s legendary FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) architecture, introduced "Neural Processing Nodes" that allow the console to predictively manage gain staging and dynamic EQ based on the genre of music being performed. Similarly, the SQ+ brought high-end 96kHz processing to a more compact, mid-tier price point, proving that "pro-grade" no longer requires a massive footprint.
Software as a Service (SaaS) and Cloud Integration
BoxCast’s Mixing Station Anywhere signaled a paradigm shift in how we think about the "booth." By moving the heavy lifting of audio mixing to a low-latency cloud environment, BoxCast allows engineers to mix high-stakes events from a tablet anywhere in the world. This was mirrored by L-Acoustics Source Intelligence, a software suite that uses machine learning to automatically calibrate line array coverage based on real-time atmospheric conditions and crowd density.
Transducer and RF Breakthroughs
On the hardware side, the Shure DCA901 Planar Array Microphone was a standout. Eschewing traditional capsule designs, the DCA901 uses a flat-panel approach to create an incredibly narrow pickup lobe, perfect for noisy corporate stages or broadcast environments where visual clutter must be minimized. In the wireless realm, the Zaxcom DCiRX utilized direct conversion technology to eliminate traditional IF (Intermediate Frequency) stages, resulting in a cleaner signal and better battery life in the increasingly crowded RF spectrum.
Power and Precision in Loudspeakers
The dbTechnologies VIO L1608 and the EAW NT116S Subwoofer addressed the physical demands of modern touring. The VIO L1608 showcased a new composite cabinet material that reduced weight by 15% while increasing SPL (Sound Pressure Level) output. EAW’s NT116S focused on "Active Cancellation" technology, using onboard DSP to ensure that low-frequency energy is directed toward the audience and away from the stage, solving a perennial headache for monitor engineers.
Official Responses: Industry Leaders React
The announcement was met with a mixture of pride and forward-looking optimism from the recipients.
"We are incredibly honored to receive this recognition from Mix," said a spokesperson for Blackmagic Design, regarding the Fairlight Live win. "Our goal was to bring the precision of Fairlight’s post-production tools into the high-pressure live broadcast environment. This award validates the hard work our engineering teams have put into bridging those two worlds."
A lead judge for the Mix panel commented on the selection process: "What struck us this year was the ‘maturity’ of the technology. We aren’t just seeing ‘tech for tech’s sake’ anymore. Whether it’s Clear-Com’s Avalon intercom system or the Zaxcom receiver, these products are designed with a deep understanding of the ergonomic and psychological stresses that audio professionals face during a live show."
The sentiment across the floor was one of "determination to succeed," as noted in the official press release. The high number of submissions across all FutureB2B brands—including AV Technology, Digital Signage, and ITPro—underlined a robust confidence in the market’s growth through the late 2020s.
Implications: What These Wins Mean for the Future of Pro Audio
The results of the InfoComm 2026 Best of Show awards point toward several key trends that will likely dominate the industry for the remainder of the decade.
1. The Democratization of High-End DSP
With winners like the Allen & Heath SQ+, it is clear that the gap between "entry-level" and "flagship" processing is closing. Advanced FPGA and AI-driven tools are becoming standard features rather than luxury add-ons. This allows smaller venues and regional touring companies to deliver sound quality that was previously reserved for stadium-level productions.
2. The "Invisible" Audio Setup
The success of the Shure DCA901 and the Zaxcom DCiRX suggests a move toward "invisible" technology. As architects and event designers demand cleaner aesthetics, audio manufacturers are responding with hardware that is smaller, flatter, and more easily integrated into the environment without sacrificing the 24-bit/96kHz fidelity that the industry demands.
3. IP-Based Everything
The Clear-Com Avalon system’s win highlights the final stages of the transition to a fully IP-based workflow. The ability to route high-fidelity audio and intercom data over standard network infrastructure is no longer a "feature"—it is the foundation. The 2026 winners show a mastery of Dante, MILAN, and AES67 protocols, ensuring that the "Best of Show" gear can play nicely in an increasingly complex ecosystem of interconnected devices.
4. Sustainability and Efficiency
Finally, the engineering behind the EAW and dbTechnologies wins points toward a greener future. Efficient Class-D amplification, lighter materials for reduced shipping carbon footprints, and software that optimizes power consumption are becoming central to the design philosophy of the world’s leading audio brands.
Conclusion
As InfoComm 2026 concludes, the ten winners of the Mix Best of Show awards stand as a testament to the resilience and creativity of the professional audio community. In a world where the line between "live" and "virtual" continues to blur, these products provide the essential bridge, ensuring that the human experience of sound remains as visceral and high-fidelity as ever.
For the product teams at Allen & Heath, Shure, L-Acoustics, and the others, these awards are not just a trophy for the cabinet; they are a signal to the market that the future of sound has arrived. As the industry looks toward InfoComm 2027, the benchmark has been set, and the bar is higher than ever.
For more in-depth coverage of the InfoComm 2026 winners, including technical specifications and exclusive interviews with the designers, subscribe to Mix magazine and the daily Smartbrief newsletter.
