Skip to main content
What Hifi What Hifi What Hi-Fi? THE WORLD'S #1 TECH BUYER'S GUIDE
Subscribe
RSS
(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
What Hi-Fi Magazine Subscription
(opens in new tab)
What Hi-Fi Magazine... (opens in new tab)
Why subscribe?
  • The best home entertainment buying advice
  • In-depth, unbiased, expert reviews
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$21.45
(opens in new tab)
View (opens in new tab)
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Best Buys
  • Deals
  • Advice
  • Features
  • British Hi-Fi Week
  • More
    • Awards
    • Forum
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Sound+Image
    • Australian Hi-Fi
    • About Us

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. Features
Sponsored

All you need to know about audio with our jargon buster

By What Hi-Fi?

The terms you'll be seeing a lot

(Image credit: Dixons)

Confused by what some new products have to offer? Read on to become an expert in all things audio!

Headphone app integration

(Image credit: Dixons)

Headphones are now packed with tech, so they’ll often come with apps to help you track and customise their performance. The Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless in-ears, for example, use the Sony Headphones Connect app. It’ll let you see the battery level of each earbud, tweak the built-in equaliser and flip the functions of the controls. There’s even a Sound Quality Mode, for prioritising clear sound over the strength of the Bluetooth connection.

Voice assistants

(Image credit: Dixons)

Voice assistants are the smarter way to control your digital life. With a few simple commands, you can pick an album or playlist, skip tracks and change the volume without touching your device. The big three are Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant. They’ll also read you the news, pick out new recipes, and control smart bulbs and thermostats.

True wireless

(Image credit: Dixons)

True wireless earphones offer total freedom. No wire to your music player, no wire between the earbuds – just easy, unrestricted listening. They connect to your device via Bluetooth, so you’ll need to make sure it’s compatible. Some also include active noise-cancelling, which cuts out certain sounds from the outside world that could disrupt your listening.

Dolby Atmos

(Image credit: Dixons)

Dolby Atmos is home cinema technology where the sound travels both horizontally and vertically, surrounding you. That means you can hear aeroplanes soaring overhead, the birds in the trees and rumbling thunder as a storm emerges. It works in a number of ways: you can have speakers placed in your ceiling; speakers that fire upwards; or opt for a product that recreates the effect with virtual technology.

Create a haven of great audio

(Image credit: Dixons)

1.SMART SOUND

There’s a huge range of ‘smart’ speakers and soundbars – usually, this means they have a voice assistant that’ll perform tasks, like reading news and weather reports, controlling smart bulbs and thermostats, and almost anything to do with music playback.

2.HEADPHONES

When it comes to headphones, it’s all about the ideal fit. Choose from in-ear, on-ear and over-ear, and features like Bluetooth and active noise-cancelling. Just think, when you can filter out unwanted noise you’ll be able to enjoy your music in peace more often!

3.MP3 PLAYERS

Great sound isn’t just for the home. A personal music player is ideal for taking your tunes on the road, and some can play hi-res files too – those are the ones with a greater sample rate than CDs. Given music playback is its main focus, a good one will likely sound a lot better than your smartphone.

4.HI-FI

The term might seem a little archaic these days, but a good hi-fi is anything but old-fashioned. There are loads of great all-in-one systems, as well as separates, that do everything from play CDs and radio stations to streaming services such as Spotify. There’s something for all types of listener.

5.TURNTABLES

Few people would have predicted such a big resurgence in vinyl but the turntable market has grown along with it. There are loads of great-sounding traditional decks, as well as automatic players with Bluetooth on board. Just make sure the one you choose plays all the speeds in your collection – 78rpm is rare and not all record players can go that fast.

6.BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS

From water-resistant portables to mains-powered behemoths, there’s a Bluetooth speaker to suit just about any space or need. Many of them will let you pair two or more together for even bigger stereo sound. And look out for physical connections such as aux-in too – that means you can plug in other devices that don’t feature Bluetooth.

For the latest prices, incredible offers and options to spread the cost, visit currys.co.uk (opens in new tab)

What Hi-Fi? Newsletter

Sign up below to get the latest from What Hi-Fi?, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over.
What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?
Social Links Navigation

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


Read more about how we test

No comments yet Comment from the forums
  1. Best stereo amplifiers
    1
    Best stereo amplifiers 2023: the best integrated amps you can buy
  2. 2
    Best home theatre speaker systems 2023: budget to premium home cinema set-ups
  3. 3
    Best Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray players 2023: budget to premium disc players
  4. 4
    Best speakers 2023: budget to premium stereo speakers
  5. 5
    Best 50-inch TVs 2023: top sets for every budget

What Hi-Fi? is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab).

  • Terms and conditions (opens in new tab)
  • Contact Future's experts (opens in new tab)
  • Privacy policy (opens in new tab)
  • Cookies policy (opens in new tab)
  • About us (opens in new tab)
  • Contact us (opens in new tab)
  • Brands (opens in new tab)
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers (opens in new tab)

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.