About Stereo

Stereo

Stereo (written STEREO) is a German-language magazine devoted to hi-fi and music, published monthly from Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia. Founded in 1973, when the hi-fi wave from Great Britain swept across Germany and the first component-based systems replaced the traditional living-room radio, it combines equipment tests, buying advice, and music reviews, and is regarded as a reference for qualified hi-fi journalism. The print edition runs to 146 pages, and the magazine appears both in print and online. Since the beginning of 2025, Stereo has been published by the falkemedia media house of Schönkirchen.

Overview

Stereo appears monthly as a print magazine and online at stereo.de. Its ISSN is 0340-0778. The content combines test reports on hi-fi components, from loudspeakers and headphones to turntables, amplifiers, network players, CD receivers, and digital-to-analog converters, with guide articles, background reports, factory visits, and music reviews covering rock, pop, jazz, and classical. The print edition comprises 146 pages (as of 2023). The editorial team, based in Euskirchen at Eifelring 28, numbered seven staff for print, online, and social media as of mid-2025.

The magazine's approach is critical, informative, and entertaining, in its own words: curious about music and technology. Beyond the tests, popular sections include the classifieds market for buying and selling used equipment, the hi-fi exclusive section, CD and LP reviews by established music critics, and the magazine's unconventional but effective tips for improved sound. The online edition extends the print content with daily news from the hi-fi world, guides on topics like instrument sound and streaming technology, and the editors' recommendations. The audience is the German-speaking hi-fi and high-end community: buyers of serious audio equipment, music lovers who care about playback quality, and the specialist trade that sells the components the magazine tests.

History

Stereo was founded in 1973 by Ernst Pfau as editor-in-chief, appearing in the early days in Munich's PC Moderner Verlag, at a moment when the hi-fi wave from Great Britain was sweeping across Germany and the first component-based systems were replacing the traditional living-room radio. In its first issues, rock, pop, and jazz were treated on equal terms with classical music, which set the magazine apart from other publications of the time and reflected the youth culture of the early 1970s. The PC Moderner Verlag became the Spezial Zeitschriften Verlag (SZV) in the following years. In 1997, the publisher Reiner H. Nitschke took over the title, and the magazine grew into the leading title for qualified hi-fi under the Reiner H. Nitschke Verlag, alongside the classical magazine Fono Forum and the musicians' magazine drums & percussion. The Nitschke publishing house later became part of the Funke media group.

In September 2023, the Funke media group announced a strategic reorientation of the Stereo hi-fi magazine; on January 9, 2025, the sale to falkemedia was reported in the trade press. Falkemedia, a broadly positioned media house with a focus on special-interest publications and a base in Schönkirchen in Schleswig-Holstein, took over the brand and the entire editorial team, with production continuing at the Euskirchen location. Funke's magazine division managing director Jesper Doub expressed satisfaction at having found a buyer that understands the brand's significance and excellence, and expressly praised the staff whose work had made Stereo the undisputed reference in hi-fi journalism; falkemedia CEO Kassian Alexander Goukassian spoke of a shared culture of passion for target groups. For falkemedia, the purchase was a targeted expansion of its existing audio segment, where it already owns the media brands Beat and Professional Audio, and the company intends to contribute its expertise in digital subscriptions to drive Stereo's growth.

The October 2026 takeover of the high-end magazine image hifi by falkemedia built a hi-fi excellence center around the Euskirchen team, consolidating two of the German-speaking market's most respected audio titles under one roof. image hifi, appearing six times a year since December 1994 with elaborate tests, large music and background stories, and a large-format visual language, had appeared in the IMAGE Verlag of Olching, which had to file for insolvency in early September 2026. Notably, image hifi emerged from Hifi Exklusiv, which once appeared in Stereo's then-publisher, so the takeover returned the title to its roots after three decades apart. Julian Kienzle, who remains editor-in-chief of Stereo, took over the editorship of image hifi as well, with the first falkemedia issue, 6/26, on sale October 26, 2026.

Coverage and Content

Stereo's core is the equipment test: loudspeakers, headphones, network players, amplifiers, turntables, CD players, CD receivers, compact systems, subwoofers, digital-to-analog converters, pickups, and accessories are tested in the magazine's own listening rooms and reported in detailed reviews that weigh sound quality, build, features, and value. The tests are supplemented by guide articles explaining technology, from streaming services to room acoustics, and by reports such as factory visits to manufacturers like the Canadian brand Moon. Music holds a large place: each issue carries reviews of new CDs, LPs, and DVDs, and the hi-fi exclusive section presents music features.

The online edition at stereo.de carries daily news from the hi-fi world, product announcements, and the guide section with tips, explanations, and reports on hi-fi topics, from how an acoustic guitar sounds to how famous album covers came to be. The editors' recommendations curate highlights across all categories. The classifieds market remains a beloved fixture for readers buying and selling used equipment, and the magazine's unconventional but effective tips for improved sound are a reader favorite. The combination of serious buying advice, a comprehensive service section, and music coverage by renowned critics defines the magazine's identity as the leading title for hi-fi, high end, and music enjoyment.

Organization and Ownership

Stereo is published by the Falkemedia GmbH & Co. KG, based in Schönkirchen, with the editorial office at Eifelring 28, 53879 Euskirchen. The editor-in-chief is Julian Kienzle, who also leads the newly acquired image hifi. Previously, the magazine appeared in the Reiner H. Nitschke Verlag, which belonged to the Funke media group until the beginning of 2025; the Nitschke house had published Stereo alongside Fono Forum and drums & percussion. The takeover included the entire editorial team, and production continues in Euskirchen. Financial details of the magazine are not publicly confirmed.

Digital Presence

Stereo.de is the magazine's digital home, presenting all current hi-fi tests by category, news from the hi-fi world, guides, and the editors' recommendations. The site is updated daily, with recent articles including factory visits, instrument sound features, and album cover retrospectives. The magazine maintains a social media presence managed by the Euskirchen team alongside print and online, and the site lists the editorial office's contact details and hours. Digital subscriptions are part of falkemedia's growth strategy for the title, with the media house contributing its expertise in digital subscription models. Podcasts are not publicly confirmed.

The Reference for Hi-Fi Journalism

For more than five decades, Stereo has accompanied the hi-fi and high-end market: critically, informatively, and with a love of music. From its 1973 founding in the Munich publishing house through the Nitschke and Funke years to the falkemedia era, it has remained the reference for qualified hi-fi journalism in the German language, now strengthened by the image hifi acquisition into a hi-fi excellence center in Euskirchen.