About this Website

Our mission

hifiandmusicsource.com bridges the gap between gadget reviews and more specialist ‘audiophile’ review websites. The site seeks to cover the more affordable ‘real world’ audio marketplace and to articulate product and music reviews in simpler terms accessible to all with our subjective evaluation system that considers performance, ease of use and value for money.

The team

Simon is joined by Ian Ringstead and John Pickford, both established writers in their own right.  Chris Baillie has also written several pieces recently for HF&MS.

Ian Ringstead

Ian’s love of music began at an early stage, when he was about 8 years old. By the time he hit his teens, he had discovered progressive rock, which he listened to alongside his schoolmates, including Yes, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. Initially, Ian was playing records on his parents’ Pye Black Box stereogram, which had valves in the amp. At sixteen, after a summer job, he purchased his first proper hifi system, a Metrosound amplifier, BSR HT 70 turntable with Goldring G800 and a pair of Koss Pro4AA headphones, as he couldn’t afford speakers as well for the £60 in his pocket!

The following year, he purchased a Thorens TD160 with Shure M75ED type 2. The speakers would have to wait for another year. Then in 1980, his wish came true when he got a job at the Audio Centre in Sheffield selling high-end kit, including Linn, Naim and Rega.

In 1985, he moved to Superfi in Sheffield as manager, spending nineteen years there. A spell in the Civil Service was necessary thereafter. Following ten years of reviewing at HiFi Pig, Ian has joined HF&MS as a regular contributor, bringing 45 years of experience in high-quality audio and AV equipment. He has travelled to the Munich High End, Copenhagen, and Warsaw shows, as well as numerous other UK shows.

John Pickford

John has been a professional sound engineer for over 40 years, with a passion for achieving audio excellence in both the studio and at home. He is a huge Beatles fan, and he loves classic rock and pop from the 1960s onwards as well as jazz, folk and blues. Vintage turntables and valve amps feature in his primary system, driving Tannoy Berkeleys with the 15” HPD driver.

John has written for StereoNet and several pro audio sites for over 15 years.

As a team, we have over 50 years of experience in the hi-fi, AV and consumer tech industries, and listening to music on quality audio systems is our passion.