Search

Swear to God, it's like audio companies deliberately want to complicate things. We don't know how a group of people can produce gear that sounds so heavenly, and yet requires a PhD in physics to understand.

Here, we'll break down everything you need to know about headphones, from specs, formats, boosting your sound, and even how to tube-roll.

You might go for massive floorstanding speakers in the front, or a pair of convenient bookshelf speakers. You could choose dinky little surround sound units, or put your faith in a soundbar or soundbase. Whatever it is, we've got you covered...

You'd think it would be simple. Two speakers, one amp. That's how a hi-fi system is supposed to work. We promise it's easier than it looks - especially with our amazing set of guides to speakers and amps. Come with us. We'll explain everything.

We love amps. Adore them. And we have a special spot for DACs and DAPs (pocket audio players, to non-audiophiles) too.

Surround sound speakers - home theater systems, to use the technical terms - can be huge fun to have around. Once you've had a movie or a Netflix series bombarding you from five, seven, nine or thirteen directions at once, you'll never go back.

The sound on most TVs is just not up to scratch. That's where home theater components can make a real difference. Throw a few speakers into the mix - a subwoofer, a couple of floorstanding speakers, some surround sound gizmos and perhaps a soundbar...

While we haven't listened to every bit of audio equipment in existence, we've listened to enough to start having favorites. Those favorites earn their place in the Editor's Choice section.