In 1976, when the first issue of What Hi-Fi? landed on shelves, the world of home entertainment looked very different.
Vinyl ruled, cassette tapes were ascendant and the idea of carrying your entire music collection in your pocket, let alone building your own home cinema, belonged firmly to science fiction.
What hasn’t changed in the 50 years since is our mission: to help you find the best-performing products for your money, in order to enjoy your music and movies in the best possible quality.
Now, as What Hi-Fi? turns 50, we’re launching a year-long celebration across the What Hi-Fi? website and magazine, across our social channels, and ultimately at our annual Awards event.
Across the coming months, we’ll be diving deep into our archive to revisit the products, technologies and moments that shaped the hi-fi and home cinema landscape. We'll also be looking forward, and thinking about how the world of consumer electronics could change over the next 50 years.
And it won't be non-stop navel-gazing – we'll be spending plenty of time looking at how the wider hi-fi and home cinema industry has changed, from the tech to the products and the brands, and taking time to reflect on some of our favourite products.
The first issue of the magazine sought to be an impartial and trustworthy guide to the best way to get value for your hi-fi money. Sound was later joined by Vision, as What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision branched out into surround sound and screens.
The famous five-star rating system and annual Awards have become globally recognised benchmarks of excellence, helping millions of readers make buying decisions with confidence.
Over five decades, we have reviewed thousands of products – from turntables, speakers and CD players to Dolby Atmos sound systems, wireless headphones and multi-room streaming setups.
Our experienced reviewers have witnessed – and rigorously critiqued – every major shift in home entertainment technology. And while much of that experience is still present and correct on What Hi-Fi? every day, we'll be hearing from plenty of other voices throughout this year that have helped to shape the brand over the past 50 years.
Of course reaching our 50th birthday – which will tick around this autumn – would not have been possible without our readers.
Generations of enthusiasts have trusted What Hi-Fi? to guide their purchases, deepen their passion and help them get more from music and movies.
Without them – you – we wouldn't still be here today. So before we do anything, we thank you all for your support. And we will be seeking your help in our 50th celebrations, later in the year.
As technology continues to evolve, our promise remains the same as it was in 1976 – to deliver expert buying advice based on independent reviews that you can trust.
So stay tuned to What Hi-Fi? in 2026 for a host of special anniversary features, archive highlights and exclusive content to celebrate this landmark year.
