With the development of intelligent power system, the detection requirements of the operation state of key equipment in power system are increasing. Acoustic detection technology has become a research hotspot in the field of power system fault detection because of its nondestructive detection, high accuracy, wide application prospect and convenient location. Firstly, the mechanism of acoustic detection technology is described, and the application architecture of acoustic detection technology in power system is summarized. Secondly, the key problems and research status of acoustic detection technology for power equipment fault are summarized from the aspects of sound source signal acquisition, fault diagnosis, fault location and typical application scenarios. Finally, the limitations of acoustic detection technology for power equipment fault are analyzed, and four possible research directions of acoustic detection technology are extracted.