Hi-Fi News

What Hi-Fi News does

Hi-Fi News is a UK-based specialist publishing brand, founded in 1956 and operated by AVTech Media Ltd, that produces editorial coverage of high-fidelity audio equipment and music releases. It serves audiophiles, hi-fi enthusiasts, and music collectors who seek independent, lab-tested reviews and guidance on amplifiers, speakers, turntables, DACs, headphones, phono stages, network audio players, and cables, alongside reviews of audiophile vinyl, high-resolution digital downloads, and music across rock, jazz, and classical genres. Named reviewers (Adam Smith, Jamie Biesemans, Andrew Everard, Ken Kessler, Mark Craven) anchor the editorial authority that is the brand's central asset.

The core product is a subscription-based magazine with print and digital editions, distributed through AVTech Media's checkout platform with newsstand retail as a secondary channel. Distribution and consumption surfaces extend to a dedicated iOS application, a digital archive of past issues, an eNewsletter, and a magazine locator service for physical copies. The publication also operates the UK Hi-Fi Show Live, an annual hi-fi exhibition, and participates as a member of the EISA Awards judging panel, providing both an event-revenue stream and B2B credibility. The technology stack is a conventional digital publishing platform — subscription management, CMS, and a mobile app — without disclosed AI, data, or proprietary technology components.

Revenue mechanics are subscription-led (recurring print and digital tiers) with one-time newsstand sales and, implicitly, advertising tied to review coverage. The publication sits within AVTech Media's portfolio alongside sister titles such as Hi-Fi Choice, Home Cinema Choice, and Stereophile, sharing backend infrastructure and editorial scale. The business is privately held, with 11–50 employees, no disclosed funding rounds, and no public revenue figures. Geographic scope is global for digital subscriptions but primarily UK-centric for the print and event businesses.

Name

Hi-Fi News

Legal name

AVTech Media Ltd

Website

https://hifinews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hi-Fi News is a UK-based specialist publisher, founded in 1956, delivering subscription-based editorial reviews of hi-fi audio equipment and music releases to audiophiles and music collectors through print, digital, iOS app, and archive channels under AVTech Media Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Audio Publications

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Hi-fi magazine
• Audio equipment reviews
• Music reviews
• Audiophile journalism
• Hi-fi publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Edenbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Print and digital subscription revenue through AVTech Media's checkout platform. Subscribers receive regular issues plus access to digital back issues and archives.
2. Print Newsstand Sales: Single-copy magazine sales through retail distribution

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hi-Fi News is a long-running UK-based publication that produces expert reviews and editorial coverage of hi-fi audio equipment (amplifiers, speakers, turntables, DACs, headphones, cables) and music releases across vinyl, digital, rock, jazz, and classical formats. The content is delivered through a print magazine, a digital edition, an iOS mobile application, and an online digital archive of past issues, sold primarily on a subscription basis.

Product overview

Hi-Fi News is a digital publication platform providing reviews and editorial coverage of hi-fi audio equipment and music releases. The offering consists of equipment review content organized into categories covering integrated amplifiers, outboard DACs, disc players, loudspeakers, turntables/arms/cartridges, pre/power amplifiers, phono preamplifiers, network audio players/servers, headphones, and cables. Music review content spans audiophile vinyl, digital releases, rock, jazz, classical, and hi-res downloads. The site also covers industry awards including AVTech Media Awards and EISA Awards. Published by AVTech Media Ltd, the publication serves audiophiles seeking detailed equipment testing and music recommendations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hi-Fi News Print & Digital Magazine Subscription

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AVTech Media LtdparentOthersParent publishing company that owns Hi-Fi News along with other audio publications including Hi-Fi Choice, and related brands under the MyTime Media umbrella

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• What Hi-Fi?: UK-based consumer audio and hi-fi review publication owned by Future plc, covering amplifiers, speakers, turntables, DACs, and headphones across price points. Direct competitor in the UK audiophile review space with broader mass-market reach than Hi-Fi News.
• Stereophile: US-based audiophile magazine covering high-end hi-fi equipment reviews and music. Stereophile is explicitly named as a sister publication under AVTech Media, making it the closest direct peer in audience, format, and ownership structure.
• Hi-Fi Choice: UK audiophile magazine covering hi-fi equipment reviews across similar product categories to Hi-Fi News. It is a sister publication under the same AVTech Media parent, sharing the same subscription checkout and digital infrastructure.
• Home Cinema Choice: UK home theater and AV review magazine covering receivers, speakers, projectors, and AV components. Sister publication under AVTech Media with shared subscription infrastructure and overlapping AV-adjacent audience.
• The Absolute Sound: US-based audiophile magazine reviewing high-end hi-fi equipment and music recordings. Direct international peer with overlapping equipment categories (amplifiers, speakers, turntables, DACs) and a comparable lab-testing plus subjective review methodology.
• SoundStage!: Online hi-fi and home theater review publication originating in Canada, covering amplifiers, speakers, headphones, DACs, and source components. Comparable review-first model with a global digital audience competing for the same audiophile reader.
• HiFi+: UK-based audiophile magazine covering high-end hi-fi equipment reviews with a similar enthusiast-to-ultra-high-end coverage spectrum. Operates as an independent title focused on the same premium equipment purchasing decisions as Hi-Fi News.

Emerging players

• Audioholics: US-based online AV and hi-fi review publication with lab-testing methodology covering receivers, speakers, amplifiers, and source components. Emerging digital-first peer competing for the same high-intent equipment purchaser, though with a broader AV-systems orientation.
• Tone Audio: US-based online audiophile magazine reviewing high-end hi-fi equipment and music. Niche digital-first peer with overlapping coverage of amplifiers, turntables, and DACs but smaller scale and digital-only distribution.
• Darko Audio: Video and podcast-first hi-fi review platform covering streaming DACs, network players, and integrated amplifiers. Emerging-format competitor that targets the same audiophile purchasing audience through YouTube and podcast channels rather than print or magazine apps.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hifinewsmag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hi-Fi News