Methodology
How the AudioFu Index works
Every hardware chart on AudioFu is sorted by one number from 0 to 100. This page shows exactly what goes into it, where the data comes from and what it can’t tell you.
What it measures
The AudioFu Index measures how established a model is in the market and how completely it is documented. It doesn’t measure sound, build quality or feel. We don’t test gear, we don’t collect star ratings, and we don’t publish a score we can’t trace back to data.
It is calculated for every model from the Thomann catalogue that we list: 38,531 models in 580 categories in the last run.
Five signals, fixed weights
Each signal is scored from 0 to 100 inside the model’s own category — the full Thomann category path, so an ST-style guitar is compared with other ST-style guitars, not with headphones. The five scores are combined with the weights on the right and rounded to a whole number.
Sets, bundles, packs and kits are multiplied by 0.6 unless the category itself is made of them, like drum kits or string sets. Without that, a guitar-and-amp bundle could top the guitar chart.
Finishes of one model share a row on the chart; the row says how many there are.
- Demand40%
Listings of this exact model for sale on Reverb, new and used, at the latest count — on a log scale against the most-listed model in the category. We have matched 8,038 model families to Reverb so far; any other model gets 30 on this signal. Not zero, so niche gear isn’t buried; not more, so a model without data can’t outrank a proven one.
- Lineup20%
How many finishes and versions of the model Thomann carries in the category, on a log scale against the biggest family there. Makers expand the lines that sell.
- Price15%
How the euro price at Thomann has moved since we started recording it every night on August 17, 2026 (or since the model arrived, if later). A flat price scores 50; each 1% drop adds 3 points and each 1% rise takes 3 away, within 0–100. Euros, because our dollar prices are converted at the day’s ECB rate, and an exchange rate says nothing about the product.
- Specs15%
How many technical parameters we can read from the maker’s description, against the best-documented model in the category. Where descriptions in a category carry none we can read, this signal is left out and the other four share its weight.
- Maker10%
How many models the brand has in the category at Thomann, on a log scale against the brand with the most.
One model, worked through
Straight from last night’s index.
Example · No. 1 in ST Style Guitars
Fender Player II Strat RW CGR
Index
40% × 100 + 20% × 87 + 15% × 88 + 15% × 75 + 10% × 100 = 92
- 649 for sale on Reverb
- 25 finishes at Thomann
- price down 13% since Aug 17
- 6 parameters in the maker’s description
- 279 Fender models in the category
When it changes
Every night. Thomann’s product feed brings new prices and drops the models it no longer sells, the Reverb listing counts are refreshed, and the index is recalculated before the charts are rebuilt. Nobody moves a model by hand.
What it can’t tell you
Popularity isn’t quality. A model can sell well and still be wrong for your hands, your music or your budget.
Reverb demand leans toward gear people resell, and our price history only starts in August 2026, so the price signal is still young. Use the index to see how the market rates a model, then read hands-on reviews and, where you can, play it before you buy.
Plugins and sample packs
Plugin and sample-pack charts aren’t scored by the index: they aren’t in the Thomann catalogue, and software has no resale market on Reverb. Their order comes from what the store tells us. First, how fully each product is described — for packs the formats, contents and tempo, for plugins the formats and systems it runs on, and for both a full description. Second, how many products its maker has in the chart. Each maker’s best entry comes first, then each maker’s second, so no single label takes over a chart. Prices come from Plugin Boutique, Loopmasters and ADSR Sounds and are checked every day; each chart says when. Plugin Boutique and ADSR Sounds give us their US dollar prices; Loopmasters sells in pounds, so we convert at the day’s rate. A product the store no longer shows for two weeks drops off the charts, and comes back if the store lists it again.
Money and who we are
AudioFu earns a commission when you buy through our Thomann links. It never changes the order: no brand or store can pay for a position, and the same weights apply to every model.
AudioFu is run by Denis Kataev. Think a model is ranked wrong, or a number on this page is off? Write to us with the link — we read every message.
Questions
Can a brand pay to rank higher?
No. The order comes from the index alone, and the same weights apply to every model. AudioFu earns a commission when you buy through our Thomann links, but that never changes a position.
Why is a model I love ranked low?
The index measures how established a model is in the market and how well it is documented, not how it sounds. A great instrument with few listings on Reverb, one finish and a short description scores lower than a best-seller. That says nothing about how it plays.
How often does the index change?
Every night, after Thomann’s prices and the Reverb listing counts are refreshed. A score moves when the market around the model moves.
Why don’t plugins and sample packs have an index?
They aren’t in the Thomann catalogue and have no resale market on Reverb, so most of the signals don’t exist for them. Their charts are ordered by how fully the store describes each product, one maker at a time.