hi-fi+ Magazine      February 2026

  hi-fi+ is a magazine that is serious about hi-fi. Our articles are intended to help you get the best from your system, rather than simply telling you to buy another one. Our reviews only cover product that we think is worthwhile. You can read more about that by looking at our reviews policy, but lets just say that our attitude to equipment is rather different, and we hope, much more informative. We haven't forgotten that hi-fi is supposed to be fun!

UK Music Market 2025: Streaming Surges & Vinyl Resilience
BPI Annual Review: 210.3 billion streams, +4.3% album consumption, vinyl growth, and a breakout year for women artists.
Editorial By Alan Sircom
On the last day of every year, the BPI (the British Phonographic Industry) publishes its annual review. While it's often an exercise in finding the positive out of a thin gruel of negativity, this year's trends in music are all up, but perhaps not in the way we expect. The headline figure is that across sales and streaming in the UK, over 210.3 million albums were consumed last year; an increase of 4.3% on the previous year. Streaming now accounts for a whopping 89.3% of all music consumption, rising 5.5% year-on-year. That meant the UK market passed the 200 billion streams point for the first time, with 210.3 billion streams accumulated across 2025. Meanwhile, UK vinyl sales continue to increase, for the 18th consecutive year. However, the growth has slowed to just 1.4% over the previous year. This was also a big year for women in music... and not just Taylor Swift. Olivia Dean, Skye Newman, Lola Young and more have all scored chart success, and not just in the UK. British artists like Sleep Token have scored No 1 chart successes in the US and UK in 2025.
---> UK Music Market 2025: Streaming Surges & Vinyl Resilience.

Comment
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Your Views On All Things Audio.

Equipment Reviews
10 Technics SL-1200 / 1210G Master Edition
Vinyl LP turntable and tonearm

18 Thiele TT01 / TA01 Turntable And Tonearm

25 JMF Audio PRS 1.5 And HQS 6002
Preamplifier And Stereo Power Amplifier

33 Linn Majik DSM (5th Gen) Network Music Player

39 Pro-Ject CD Box RS2T CD Transport

45 Hegel H150 Integrated Amplifier

51 ArgentPur Monobloc Mono Power Amplifier

57 APL DSD-WR Digital-To-Analogue Converter

63 Viva Solista Integrated Amplifier

69 Electrocompaniet Rena SA2 Streaming Amplifier

75 REL Carbon Special Black Label Subwoofer

80 Music First Audio LP 103 LCR Phono Preamp

84 Focal Bathys MG Wireless Headphone

88 Reiki Audio JundoStream Reference Network Cable

91 IsoAcoustics Gaia III Neo Loudspeaker Feet

95 WK Audio TheRAY XLR Interconnect Cable

97 Kubala-Sosna Realization USB Cable

99 Little Fwend Mk 2 Automatic Tonearm Lifter

Features
103 Meet Your Maker In-akustik

Music
111 Music Reviews
Contemporary, Classical, And Jazz Music

Plus
108 Subscriptions
Subscribe and save!

119 Advertiser Index

120 Next Month
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