Hifiverse

Affiliate Disclosure Policy

Hifiverse.io — Last updated: 7 May 2026 · Version 1.0

Quick summary

  • Hifiverse may earn a commission when you click certain links and complete a purchase. You pay the same price either way.
  • Affiliate links carry the disclosure "Affiliate link" on the link, plus a clearer notice on every page that contains them.
  • We disclose every affiliate relationship before you click. We never hide them as plain text.
  • Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial decisions. Our editorial team picks products on merit. Our commerce team adds affiliate links after the editorial pick is final. The two teams don't talk during the review process.
  • We do not run pay-for-review. We do not accept payment to give a positive review. We do not let advertisers see editorial drafts.

1. About this Policy

This Affiliate Disclosure Policy explains how Hifiverse uses affiliate links in its editorial content, in the Price Index, in newsletters and elsewhere on the Service. It complements the Editorial Ethics & Independence Policy and the Sponsored Content & Branded Content Policy.

2. What an affiliate link is

An affiliate link is a hyperlink that points to a product page on a third-party retailer's website with a tracking parameter that identifies Hifiverse as the source of the click. If you complete a purchase after following the link, the retailer pays Hifiverse a small commission. The price you pay is identical to the price any other customer would pay.

Affiliate links are different from sponsored content (paid editorial placements, governed by the Sponsored Content Policy) and display advertising (banner units labelled "Advertisement").

3. The retailers we work with

Current affiliate partners include: Crutchfield, World Wide Stereo, Audio Advice, B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon Associates (multiple regional storefronts), Hifishop24, Audio T, Sevenoaks Sound & Vision, Tonality, Hi-Fi Klubben, and direct programmes with manufacturers including Focal, KEF, Bowers & Wilkins, Sonos, Naim, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, HiFiMAN, Audeze, FiiO, iFi Audio, Schiit, Topping, SMSL, Fosi Audio, Pro-Ject, Rega and Cambridge Audio.

The authoritative current list is at hifiverse.io/affiliates. We commit to listing every partner publicly.

4. Where you may see affiliate links

Affiliate links may appear in:

  • Editorial reviews of specific products.
  • Buying guides ("Best DAC under €500", "Best phono stages 2026").
  • News articles covering product launches that link to retailers.
  • Price Index reference pages ("Buy this model" links alongside historical-price charts).
  • The newsletter, where featured deals may carry affiliate links.
  • Comparison tables in editorial content.

Affiliate links do not appear in: the Marketplace, the Forum, Authentication reports, or direct communication between buyers and sellers through Marketplace lead routing.

5. How we disclose affiliate links

Per-page notice. Every page that contains affiliate links displays before the first affiliate link:

This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links, Hifiverse may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Editorial recommendations on Hifiverse are made independently of commercial decisions; see our Editorial Ethics Policy for details.

Per-link tag. Every affiliate link is tagged with the visible label "Affiliate link" or an icon tooltip saying the same. The link uses the rel="sponsored nofollow" attribute.

Amazon Associates. Where the link points to an Amazon storefront, the footer of the article shows: "As an Amazon Associate, Hifiverse earns from qualifying purchases."

Newsletters. Each newsletter issue containing affiliate links carries the disclosure at the top under the masthead.

Audio and video content. Disclosures are read out loud at the start of the content and included in the description.

Social media. Posts carrying affiliate links use #ad or #affiliate in line with FTC and ASA guidance.

6. The editorial firewall

Editorial team. Reviewers, editors and contributing writers select products to cover, design the testing methodology, write the reviews and pick winners — on merit. They do not see affiliate commission rates. Their compensation is not tied to affiliate revenue.

Commerce team. Handles affiliate-network registration, commission negotiation, link-building tooling and revenue analytics. Once an editorial review is finalised and recommended products are locked, the commerce team adds links. The commerce team does not see drafts before publication and does not influence the choice of products.

Where the firewall narrows. Buying guides require that each candidate is available from a partner retailer at the time of publication for a reader to be able to act on the recommendation. The editorial team picks candidates on merit; the commerce team confirms availability. Where the editorial team's preferred product is not available through any partner, the article either says so explicitly or omits a link.

No retailer veto. No retailer has the right to review, approve or veto editorial content before publication.

7. Choosing which retailer's link to use

The priority order: 1) Stock availability; 2) Best total price; 3) Trust signals (return policies, stock accuracy, treatment of readers); 4) Geographic relevance. Commission rate is not a primary tie-breaker.

8. What we do not do

  • We do not write reviews in exchange for affiliate revenue or commission upgrades.
  • We do not accept payment for editorial placement.
  • We do not change the conclusion of a review because a retailer threatens to withdraw from the affiliate programme.
  • We do not let manufacturer review-loan terms condition the conclusion of a review.
  • We do not make "no-test" recommendations.
  • We do not stack affiliate revenue with editorial fees for individual reviewers.
  • We do not set commission targets for editorial categories.
  • We do not use affiliate links to influence search ranking within the Service.

9. Conflicts of interest and corrections

If an editor or contributor discovers a conflict of interest — personal ownership of a recommended product, a family member working at a manufacturer — the conflict is declared in the article footer. For material conflicts, the editor is reassigned.

If a published article contains a factual error, we correct it and publish a correction note at the top of the article showing what was changed and when.

10. Data, cookies and your choices

Affiliate-link clicks set a cookie or pass a tracking parameter on the third-party retailer's site — their privacy policy governs that cookie. Hifiverse does not receive personal data about you from the click; we receive only aggregated commission data.

You can opt out by setting your browser's cookie choice on the retailer's site, by using private browsing, or by typing the retailer's URL directly.

11. Changes to this Policy

We give 30 days' notice of material changes. Routine updates to the partner list are made directly on hifiverse.io/affiliates.

Contact

  • Email: info@hifiverse.io (subject: "Affiliate", "Corrections", "Editorial Ethics")
  • Postal: Timelapse Games EOOD, Bulgaria