August issue now on sale
Welcome to the August issue
“Time was when the words ‘budget’ and ‘floorstander’ would trigger any self-respecting audiophile’s Spidey sense, and for good reason. Budget floorstanders hardly ever sounded as promising as they looked, too often relying on an expedient amalgam of lightweight, unbraced cabinets, cheap drivers and cheesy crossover components. The best that could be hoped for was generous loudness, appreciable bass of questionable quality and an impressive amount of fibreboard for your money…. None of this holds true now.”
“Time was when the words ‘budget’ and ‘floorstander’ would trigger any self-respecting audiophile’s Spidey sense, and for good reason. Budget floorstanders hardly ever sounded as promising as they looked, too often relying on an expedient amalgam of lightweight, unbraced cabinets, cheap drivers and cheesy crossover components. The best that could be hoped for was generous loudness, appreciable bass of questionable quality and an impressive amount of fibreboard for your money…. None of this holds true now.”
This is from our introduction to this month’s Group Test of affordable floorstanding loudspeakers priced under a grand – something that’s been much requested by readers, especially those looking to build a system from scratch or upgrade with an weather eye on expenditure. Technological developments have improved affordable floorstanders beyond compare and when it comes to all-round performance, some standmounts don’t even come close.
Elsewhere in this issue there's a discussion about the impact of TikTok on the music industry, plus insight into the musical tastes of the Stranger Things cast, and news about the Hi-Fi Show Live.
Dive In!

CURRENT ISSUE
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Inside this month's issue: iFi Audio ZEN One Signature DAC, HiFi Rose RA180 steampunk integrated amplifier, NAD C 399 integrated, Eclipse TD307MK3 desktop speaker, Philips Fidelio T1in-ears, six floorstanding speakers under a grand in our Group Test and much more...
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CURRENT ISSUE PLAYLIST
Standout tracks from our Music Reviews section, plus our current favourites to play in the HFC office.