What Hi-Fi? 50th Anniversary

"The concept is spot on and it could be a signpost to the future of surround" – revisiting our review of the world's first soundbar

By Robyn Quick Published 8 June 26

The soundbar that started it all

1976 vs today: veteran audio experts discuss the biggest shifts in music and hi-fi during What Hi-Fi?'s 50-year lifetime

By Becky Roberts Published 26 May 26

As we turn the big five-o, we ask seasoned members of the industry about the most significant changes they have seen in hi-fi during their careers and lifetimes.

Steely Dan’s The Royal Scam turns 50 this month – and it's a brilliant test of your hi-fi’s chops

By Tom Wiggins Published 25 May 26

Aja is considered the band’s sonic pinnacle, but its predecessor gives your system just as much of a challenge

9 debut stereo amplifiers from iconic hi-fi brands – legendary amps from Audiolab, Cyrus, McIntosh, NAD, Naim and more

By Becky Scarrott Published 15 May 26

Probably the best inaugural amplifiers in hi-fi history

15 of the very first turntables from iconic hi-fi brands

By Becky Roberts Published 30 April 26

We take a trip down memory lane to explore the humble beginnings of seminal turntable brands, from Linn and Michell Audio to Technics and Rega.

“The next leap isn’t about making turntables heavier or more complex; it’s about making them more intelligently controlled systems” – hi-fi engineers discuss where there is room for improvement in record player design

By Andy Madden Published 16 April 26

We ask some of the industry’s biggest experts where the focus on turntable design should be next

A hi-fi classic: meet Rega's first-ever record player, the Planet

By Ketan Bharadia Published 14 April 26

The Planet established the engineering DNA that has made Rega so successful

Forgotten gems: 8 unsung turntables that deserve to be celebrated

By Ketan Bharadia Published 13 April 26

They may be lost in the mists of time, but these record players deserve recognition

Brilliant step-up loudspeakers, car stereo and VCRs: we revisit the What Hi-Fi? archives from 45 years ago

By Jonathan Evans Published 10 April 26

The January 1981 magazine issue shows how much things have changed, and how much they remain the same

Apple at 50: how Cupertino changed the audio world time and again – and not always for the better

By Tom Wiggins Published 1 April 26

Apple shares its 50th birthday with What Hi-Fi?, and the company's influence on how we listen to music is impossible to ignore