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The newest issue of What Hi-Fi? magazine has landed, and for anyone who cares about how their music actually sounds, it’s the kind of read you’ll want to clear an evening for. This edition leans hard into the categories reshaping home listening right now — music streamers, streaming amplifiers, and all-in-one audio systems — alongside group tests of premium wireless over-ears from Apple, Sony, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins and Dali, plus a fresh batch of high-end turntables, speakers, and OLED televisions. Source
What makes this issue particularly compelling is the editorial thesis behind it: the long-standing trade-off between convenience and sound quality has, for the first time in modern hi-fi history, almost disappeared. As the magazine puts it, streaming amplifiers used to be “significantly compromised in terms of sound quality and often suffered streaming drop-outs.” That’s no longer the story in 2026. The compromise gap is closing — fast — and What Hi-Fi?’s reviewers have spent the month stress-testing exactly which products prove it. Source
If you’re an audiophile rethinking your separates rack, a casual listener tired of a Bluetooth speaker that can’t keep up, or a smart home enthusiast trying to make Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal coexist gracefully, the new issue speaks to you. Here’s our deep-dive into what it covers, why it matters, and how it fits into the bigger picture of where premium audio technology is heading.
Why What Hi-Fi? Still Sets the Benchmark
Founded in 1976, What Hi-Fi? has spent nearly five decades doing one job exceptionally well: telling readers, without fear or favour, what’s worth their money. Its reviewers test in custom-built rooms in London, Reading and Bath, and its five-star verdicts and annual Awards are treated as a global seal of approval by manufacturers and retailers alike. Source
That credibility matters more than ever in 2026. The audiophile equipment market has fragmented into dozens of overlapping categories — network streamers, streaming DACs, streaming amplifiers, all-in-one systems, wireless ecosystems — and consumers are drowning in spec sheets. A trusted editorial voice that has actually heard the gear, side-by-side, in controlled conditions, is genuinely useful. The magazine’s hi-fi reviews function as a stabilising force in a noisy market.
How Hi-Fi Has Evolved in Five Short Years
Rewind to 2020 and a “modern” hi-fi setup still typically meant a CD player, integrated amplifier, and a pair of passive bookshelf speakers, with streaming bolted on as an afterthought via a Chromecast or AirPlay dongle. Today, the picture has flipped. A 2026 hi-fi system is far more likely to start with a streaming music device as its source, with vinyl present as a deliberate, lifestyle choice rather than a daily driver.
Three forces drove that shift:
- Catalogue explosion. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon Music now offer more than 100 million tracks each, with the latter four delivering CD-quality lossless or better at no extra cost.
- High-resolution audio going mainstream. Apple Music alone moved tens of millions of subscribers into lossless and high-resolution audio territory overnight when it stopped charging extra for it.
- DAC and streaming module costs collapsing. A $329 box like the WiiM Ultra now delivers performance that would have cost five figures a decade ago. Source
That’s the context the new issue lands in — a market where the entry price for genuinely good sound has never been lower, and the ceiling for what’s possible has never been higher.
Inside the New What Hi-Fi? Issue
The issue is organised around a few clear pillars, and each one is worth unpacking.
Major Reviews
The headline group test is a quartet of streaming amplifiers — the magazine’s argument being that this category, more than any other in 2026, represents the sweet spot of sound quality, features, and shelf-space efficiency. There’s also a comprehensive premium wireless headphone shoot-out pitting Sony’s latest flagship against the Apple AirPods Max, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, Bowers & Wilkins’ Px8 S2, and Dali’s IO-12. Source
First Tests
The First Tests section delivers verdicts on freshly arrived hardware, including the Sony Bravia 8 II QD-OLED, Sky Glass Gen 2, the Lindemann Limetree Bridge II streaming transport, the Canvas HiFi Canvas 65 soundbar, the Audio-Technica AT-LP8X turntable, and KEF’s first-ever soundbar, the XIO, which earned a five-star rating. There’s also a home cinema build around the BenQ W2720i projector. Source
Temptations (High-End)
For readers with deeper pockets, the Temptations pages cover SME’s high-end Model 8 turntable — described by reviewers as “immaculately made… built to last for decades” — and Fyne Audio’s F701SP standmount speakers, both earning five stars.
Industry Feature: Coaxial Drivers
The issue’s standout technical feature interrogates why so few manufacturers use coaxial driver arrangements, despite their well-documented advantages in soundstage precision and tonal balance. KEF and Fyne Audio’s implementations are held up as exemplars.
Buyer’s Guide
A freshly updated audio buying guide rounds out the issue, consolidating Award-winning kit across every major category — from wireless headphones to full home cinema speaker systems.
The Latest Music Streamers: Key Technologies and What Actually Matters
The new issue’s streaming coverage reflects a category that has matured remarkably. A music streamer — sometimes called a network player — is, in simple terms, a dedicated component that pulls music from your home network or a streaming service and converts it into a signal your amplifier and speakers can play. Think of it as a turntable for the digital age, except the “record” is the entire internet.
What Hi-Fi’s Reviewers Are Listening For
Across this and recent issues, the consistent benchmarks are:
- Streaming platform compatibility. A modern streamer should natively support Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Roon, and ideally TIDAL Connect — without forcing you to live inside a clunky manufacturer app.
- High-resolution audio support. 24-bit/192 kHz PCM and DSD playback are now table-stakes for anything above £400.
- Build quality and noise management. Linear power supplies, shielded clocking, and isolated digital boards separate the £400 streamers from the £4,000 ones audibly.
- App experience. As Crutchfield’s reviewers note about HiFi Rose, the brand “absolutely nails the streaming interface that I wish most hi-fi equipment could have.” Source
Standout Streamers in the Current Market
While the new What Hi-Fi? issue runs its own picks, the wider 2026 landscape — the context readers are buying into — is dominated by a tight group of products:
- WiiM Ultra (~$329) — The disruptor. A streamer, DAC, preamp and Dirac Live room correction host that “nails streaming performance with an excellent codec implementation.” Source
- Bluesound Node Icon (~$999) — The mid-range darling, praised for “immediate improvement in low-level detail retrieval and imaging precision.” Source
- Cambridge Audio MXN10 — A perennial five-star recommendation for first-time streamer buyers.
- Eversolo DMP-A6 — Big colour display, audiophile internals, surprisingly aggressive pricing.
- HiFi Rose RS151 — A flagship statement piece, what StereoNET calls “a network streamer that pushes the boundaries of what a digital source can be.” Source
- Naim and Linn — Still the high-end choice for buyers prioritising long-term software support and “very distinctive sound.” Source
Why Music Streamers Are Transforming Home Listening
A decade ago, getting wireless audio into a hi-fi system meant compromise — Bluetooth’s lossy codecs, fiddly Wi-Fi bridges, and dropouts mid-chorus. In 2026, a dedicated music streamer does three things that fundamentally change the listening experience.
First, it eliminates the smartphone bottleneck. Streaming directly from a phone via Bluetooth (even with aptX or LDAC) introduces jitter, RF interference, and codec compression. A network streamer pulls audio directly from the source server, decoded with audiophile-grade clocks and DACs.
Second, it democratises high-resolution audio. A subscription to Qobuz or Apple Music now puts millions of 24-bit/192 kHz tracks in your living room — but only a streamer can fully decode and render them.
Third, it future-proofs the system. Firmware updates regularly add support for new services (Tidal MAX, Apple Music Lossless via AirPlay 2, native Spotify HiFi), meaning a good streamer purchased in 2026 will likely outlive three generations of phones.
The audio streaming market itself underscores the trend: it’s valued at $45.2 billion in 2026 and projected to hit $103.6 billion by 2033. Hardware is racing to keep up with where the music already lives. Source
All-in-One Audio Systems: Simplicity Without the Sonic Sacrifice
An all-in-one audio system bundles the streamer, amplifier, DAC, and sometimes the speakers themselves into a single chassis. Think of it as the difference between buying separate camera lenses, bodies, and flash units versus picking up a top-tier mirrorless that does everything in one.
Advantages Over Traditional Setups
- Space efficiency. No equipment rack, no tangle of interconnects.
- Single app, single power button. Setup typically takes 10 minutes versus an afternoon.
- Cost savings. A £2,000 all-in-one often matches the sonic performance of £3,000+ of separates by the time you add cables, racks, and a streamer.
- Aesthetic integration. Brands like Naim (Mu-so/Uniti), KEF (LSX II LT, LS60 Wireless), Cambridge Audio (Evo 150), and Ruark prioritise design as heavily as sound.
Performance Considerations
The honest trade-off: at the very top end (think £10,000+ systems), separates still win. A dedicated power amp can deliver current that a slim all-in-one chassis simply can’t accommodate. But for the 95% of consumers shopping under £3,000, modern all-in-ones — including streaming amplifiers like the Roksan Caspian 4 and NAD M10 V3 — close the gap to a degree that would have been unthinkable five years ago. Source
Best Use Cases
- Apartment dwellers wanting genuinely good sound without dominating a room.
- Multi-room households that need consistent ecosystems across kitchen, study, and bedroom.
- First-time hi-fi buyers who want to skip the learning curve.
- Downsizers consolidating decades of separates into one elegant solution.
Traditional Hi-Fi vs Streamers vs Wireless Ecosystems vs All-in-Ones
To help frame the choice, here’s how the four dominant approaches compare in plain English:
Traditional separates (turntable + CD player + amp + speakers) deliver the highest sonic ceiling and the deepest hobbyist satisfaction. They demand space, budget, and patience. They reward tweakers and grow with cable, isolation, and power upgrades.
Music streamers added to existing separates are the upgrade path for people who already own a beloved amp and speakers. You’re injecting modern source quality into a system you already trust.
Wireless speaker ecosystems — Sonos, Bluesound, KEF Wireless, Bose Smart Home — prioritise convenience, multi-room synchronisation, and family-friendly operation over outright fidelity. They’re the right answer for whole-home listening.
All-in-one audio systems sit in the middle: hi-fi performance, streamer convenience, and a single box. They’re the fastest-growing category for a reason.
Best Audio Trends Shaping the Industry in 2026
Several technological currents are visibly reshaping the products covered in the new What Hi-Fi? issue and the wider market.
High-Resolution Audio Becomes the Default
Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music Unlimited all stream lossless at no premium. The conversation has shifted from “is high-res worth it?” to “is your gear good enough to hear it?” PCMag and others now publish dedicated high-resolution audio service comparisons as standard consumer fare. Source
Wireless Streaming Standards Mature
The WiSA standard is finally hitting its stride. WiSA HT supports up to 8 channels of audio at 24-bit/96 kHz in the 5 GHz band, enabling Dolby Atmos setups without speaker wire. Brands like Piega and Klipsch have shipped WiSA-certified all-in-one systems that genuinely deliver. Source
Smart Home Integration
Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit are increasingly first-class citizens in smart audio systems. Voice control of streaming services is becoming the new remote control, particularly for casual listeners.
Multi-Room Audio
Sonos remains dominant, but Bluesound BluOS, KEF’s Wireless platform, and DTS Play-Fi have all matured into legitimate alternatives — often with superior high-res support.
AI-Powered Audio Optimisation
This is 2026’s most consequential trend. At CES 2026, Dirac and Klipsch jointly debuted AI-powered room correction on the new “The Sevens II” and “The Nines II” powered speakers — software that listens to your room and continuously adapts EQ and timing for the seat you’re actually sitting in. Source
WiiM has embedded similar Dirac functionality into a $329 streamer. The trickle-down is breathtaking — what was a $5,000 calibration option in 2020 is essentially free in 2026.
How Streaming Services Are Driving Hardware Design
This is the dynamic the new issue keeps circling back to: the tail is now wagging the dog. Hardware manufacturers no longer dictate what audio formats matter — streaming services do.
When Tidal launched MAX with high-res FLAC, every streamer maker shipped firmware updates within months. When Apple bundled Dolby Atmos and lossless into the standard Apple Music subscription, the entire wireless speaker industry pivoted toward spatial audio support. As one Sonos user community puts it, listening to Apple Music Atmos through Era 300s “blew my mind.” Source
The implications for buyers are stark: the streaming service you commit to now meaningfully shapes which hardware you should buy. An Apple-centric household benefits enormously from AirPlay 2 hardware. A Tidal/Qobuz audiophile leans toward Roon-ready streamers. A Spotify household can save money by skipping high-res-focused gear entirely.
Expert Commentary: Where the Market is Going
The consensus among reviewers, manufacturers and analysts points to four near-term shifts:
- Sound quality differentiation moves to software. Hardware DACs have hit a quality ceiling that’s audibly indistinguishable for most listeners. Room correction, upsampling algorithms, and streaming codec implementation are the new battlegrounds.
- Consumers will increasingly prefer “invisible” hi-fi. Beautiful, single-box solutions are outselling rack-based systems in nearly every developed market.
- Competition is brutalising the mid-market. Brands like WiiM and Eversolo are forcing legacy hi-fi names to justify £2,000+ price tags with genuinely superior performance — not just brand cachet.
- Innovation cycles are accelerating. A streamer purchased in 2026 will likely receive substantive feature updates for 5–7 years; one purchased in 2018 was lucky to get three.
How to Choose the Right Audio System for Your Needs
The new What Hi-Fi? issue’s Buyer’s Guide is designed exactly for this question. Here’s a condensed framework based on its philosophy.
For Budget-Conscious Buyers (Under £500)
Start with a WiiM Pro Plus or WiiM Ultra paired with an existing receiver, or grab a Bluesound Node for a future-proof streaming entry point. Add speakers you already love. You’ll achieve 80% of audiophile performance for 20% of the cost.
For Audiophiles (£1,500–£5,000)
This is where separates still win. A Cambridge Audio CXN100 or Naim ND5 XS2 streamer feeding a quality integrated amp (Rega, NAD, Cyrus) and standmount speakers from KEF, Fyne Audio, or B&W will deliver genuinely transcendent listening.
For Casual Listeners
A wireless ecosystem is the right answer. Sonos Era 300, KEF LSX II LT, or Bluesound Pulse systems integrate with your phone, your smart home, and your TV without ever needing a remote.
For Home Theatre Users
Look at streaming amplifiers with HDMI ARC inputs — the NAD M10 V3 and Marantz Stereo 70s bridge two-channel music and home cinema gracefully. Pair with a quality soundbar like KEF’s new XIO for stereo-first AV setups.
Practical Tips for Upgrading Your Home Audio
- Upgrade the source first. A great streamer makes mediocre speakers sing; mediocre source kills great speakers.
- Spend the most on speakers and the room. Acoustics dominate everything else.
- Run Ethernet to your streamer. Wi-Fi is fine; wired is bulletproof.
- Adopt room correction. Dirac Live, ARC Genesis, or Audyssey will outperform any cable upgrade.
- Don’t ignore standmounts. Floorstanders aren’t inherently better — a well-placed pair of bookshelves often beats compromised towers.
Future Outlook: What Comes Next
Looking 18–24 months out, several developments seem near-certain:
- Lossless Bluetooth becomes real. Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless and forthcoming LE Audio with LC3plus codec will collapse the wireless/wired sound-quality gap for headphones and portable speakers.
- Spatial audio formats consolidate. Dolby Atmos Music is winning the immersive audio war, with Sony 360 Reality Audio fading. Expect more streamers and all-in-ones with native Atmos rendering.
- AI-personalised sound profiles. Beyond room correction, AI will increasingly tailor EQ to individual hearing curves (Mimi, Sonarworks SoundID).
- Connected audio ecosystems unify. Matter-over-Thread and AirPlay 3 will likely break down the walled gardens between Sonos, Apple, Google and Amazon — finally letting you mix-and-match across brands.
- Premium listening becomes a “snackable” upgrade. Expect more $300–$500 products that genuinely embarrass $3,000 setups from a decade ago.
Key Takeaways
- The new What Hi-Fi? issue is anchored by a major group test of streaming amplifiers, plus first reviews of the Sony Bravia 8 II QD-OLED, Sky Glass Gen 2, the Lindemann Limetree Bridge II, KEF’s debut XIO soundbar, and the Audio-Technica AT-LP8X turntable. Source
- Music streamers and all-in-one systems are the fastest-evolving categories in hi-fi, with the convenience-vs-quality compromise nearly eliminated.
- High-resolution audio is now the default, not a premium tier. Hardware buyers should pick gear that can actually decode it.
- AI-powered room correction (Dirac Live, ARC) is the single biggest sound-quality upgrade most listeners can make in 2026.
- The streaming service you use now drives which hardware makes sense — Apple Music, Tidal/Qobuz, and Spotify each favour different ecosystems.
Conclusion
The latest What Hi-Fi? magazine issue is a snapshot of an industry hitting an inflection point. The barriers that historically separated “real” hi-fi from convenient consumer audio — sound quality, format support, sonic integrity — have eroded to the point where genuine premium sound quality is available at every price tier, in every form factor, for every type of listener.
Whether you’re a long-time audiophile rethinking your rack of separates, a smart home enthusiast building a multi-room system, or a casual music lover finally ready to retire that aging Bluetooth speaker, the new issue is essential reading. It captures not just the products that matter right now — the streaming amplifiers, the network players, the all-in-ones, the headphones — but the broader narrative of where music in the home is going.
For anyone interested in high-quality audio, the simple truth is this: it has never been a better time to listen carefully. And there has rarely been a better issue of What Hi-Fi? to guide the way.
