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  3. 1013029057

TAS new look-the end is near?

Picked up the latest copy of The Absolute Sound a couple of days ago and something just aint right. First I noticed the cover has changed. Gone is the dignified layout- White boardered in a contrasing color. Changed is the subtitle from "The High End Journal of Audio and Music" to "Stereo - Multichannel Audio - Music" ! Flipping through I find bold red printed highlighted quotes between paragraphs in some of the reviews. Then I came accross pages 18-19. FUTURE TAS big orange letters, pictures and arrows and captions and it hit me. Stereo Review! Audio! But not TAS! Even the paper stock seems cheaper. I remember when the cool little "underground" mag grew to full size. Oh well at least the print and pics were bigger. But now the "journal" looks like any mag, no character. Shorter reviews, less critical comment, more watered down praise. Now this! What happened to this sharp edged journal? Does this distub anyone else? PS- if the must change their look they should check out HI-FI+ (GB).
blkadr
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Suretyguy, I couldn't agree with you more. Pearson is a personality in the tue old sense of the world, not one of those run of the mill types, who though intelligent, will adroitly adapt themselves to anything and call it political correctness out of pure lack of guts. If he is still true to his character, I doubt that he will take to the restraints imposed on him for very long. I will be sad to see him go, because we all owe him much, last not least the language we use to describe what we hear.
frap
213 posts
 
We also owe him "Lyrita", "Living Stereo", "Living Presence", A wonderful Super Disc list, The ability to spot greatness almost as quickly as the Asian audiophiles. The publication was immensely satisfying for at least until the first 60 issues or so. The original format, whereby 3 reviewers all gave thier view on a unit under test, was the way it should have stayed. The downfall of these mags is commercialism. When the editor in chief (HP), only concerns himself with $60+k Burmiester cd player/transports,and stops recognition of high performance real world products,(and or comments on such), an "ivory tower" perception is observed by the longtime subscriber. Most high end mags have lost thier way since the 90s. HP needs to start over. He could look to issues 1 thru 10 of TAS to see how it should be done.........Frank
mjm
20 posts
 
"HP needs to start over"? Hmmmmm...I wonder if he has an exclusivity contract with the current TAS management for his audio musings? Or might he be 'permitted' to start a small-format publication, or even a newsletter, NO ads :-), and build up a subscriber base the old-fashioned way? Maybe even a password-protected subscription web site? I love the idea of bringing back some of the directness and simplicity of TAS and S'phile in their salad days! Of course, neither he, nor we, can recreate our own innocence....
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