It has been a momentous year for What Hi-Fi?. Just a couple of issues ago, we celebrated our 50th birthday with a special blockbuster edition. And this month we have our annual Awards issue, highlighting the very best hi-fi and home entertainment products you can buy.
The What Hi-Fi? Awards aren’t quite as old as the magazine itself – although they aren’t too far behind. This year is the 44th year and counting that we have bestowed sought-after gongs on top products. The format has changed a little over the years, but the principle remains: to give our readers the best chance of finding the perfect piece of equipment, at an appropriate budget.
For obvious reasons, this is always our biggest seller of the year: it is, after all, a magazine you will (I trust) be returning to again and again, looking for inspiration. I can assure you that a huge amount of hard work has gone into creating it, and we hope you enjoy this special bumper issue.
That's not all, of course, as usual, you can also count on us to bring you reviews of the very latest hi-fi and AV products in our First Tests section.
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition.
Welcome to the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026
It is time once again for our bumper What Hi-Fi? Awards issue of the magazine. In the last year we have thoroughly tested all the latest hi-fi and AV kit, as well as revisiting the cream of the crop in each Awards category to see which products are deserving of the top honours.
Our team of dedicated reviewers has spent the last year thoroughly testing all the latest hi-fi and AV kit, and then considerable time and effort in coming up with this collection of the last year's products to be crowned What Hi-Fi? Best Buy Award winners. Every Award winner you read about in the pages of the magazine is a winner in its particular category; so you can be sure that you are getting superb value for money and a top-performing product when you decide to buy.
And then, as unveiled recently at the swanky Awards ceremony in London, we also detail the products we deemed deserving of the prestigious Product of the Year trophy.
As has been the What Hi-Fi? way since 1976, our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can be sure of buying what's right for you.
This year, that rigorous testing resulted in no fewer than 111 winning products across 24 hand-picked categories.
We take our role in this extremely seriously; and the fact that we are still able to perform this service almost 50 years after the What Hi-Fi? brand began shows that the industry does as well.
Whether you're looking for a great new TV, an upgrade to your stereo set-up, a home cinema projector or soundbar, or the best wireless speaker or noise cancelling earbuds (and all points in between), this should be your go-to source for hi-fi and AV kit.
Every recipient of a What Hi-Fi? Award is a class-leading product, deserving of our praise at different levels of budget and spanning the entire home entertainment technology spectrum. You can be absolutely sure that each one will be worth your time and investment.
So pick up this month's What Hi-Fi? magazine, settle back and read about all of our Award winners in this special, bumper issue.
This really is a fantastic issue of the magazine, so don't miss it! It's out now!
First with reviews
As always, our First Tests section is where you'll find our famously in-depth, impartial and expert reviews of all the latest AV and hi-fi kit.
First up this month is the Rega Planar 6 RS Edition turntable. Just as the firm did with the Rega Planar 3 RS Edition, this 'Rega Special' package upgrades the standard Planar in question with tech and build quality from the next tier up (in this case combining the talents of the Planar 6/Nd7 with the next-rung-up Planar 8). Is it good? Read more in this month's mag (spoiler: it's our Product of the Year in the turntables category!)
Elsewhere we have reviews of Astell & Kern's latest portable music player, the PD5; a fantastic home cinema package using Dali's new Sonik speakers to great effect, the Dali Sonik 5 5.1; and the Award-winning, 48-inch version of the LG C6 OLED TV.
But that's not all. We also have expert, in-depth reviews of the Apple iPhone 18 Pro, Topping DX1 II DAC, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 in-ears and Technics EAH-A1000 over-ears.
Find out more about all these products in this month's special Awards issue of What Hi-Fi?
Finally, don't forget to check out our Buyer’s Guide, featuring a definitive list of all the best home entertainment kit you can buy. If you’re looking to purchase anything from a pair of wireless headphones to a home theatre speaker system, this section will tell you where to spend your money wisely.
Whatever you do, don't miss the Awards 2026 issue of What Hi-Fi? Grab a copy today, or simply download it onto your tablet or smartphone instead. Enjoy!
You can subscribe or buy the latest issue here, or buy the digital edition on iPhone, iPad, Android devices or Kindle edition
