Whaat does Consumer Reports say?

Just remember you have to cancel it before the month is up. Otherwise, CR will keep charging you $4.95 each month till you do.

Pabelson: Thanks again, but yes I did see that at the sign up. Minor annoyance, but still a very good option for someone with one-time or temporary need.

would anyone in high end audio actually trust CR?

Audiotomb - I've yet to see anything that you'd probably consider "high end audio" appear in CR. It's mass merchant products for the average consumer. If a person was looking for that type of product, I'd certainly trust CR above all others, if for no other reason than the fact that they go out and purchase their test samples at a store. While the editors/reviewers of the niche audiophile media are more knowledgeable and can express their knowldge in more exacting ways, you can also bet that the samples they receive from the manufacturers are checked and double checked and tweaked to make sure they're the absolute best of what they offer and are not neccessarily truely representive of what you and I purchase. Just my 2 cents.

would anyone in high end audio actually trust CR?

Actually, I'd trust it more than I'd trust any high-end magazine. CR compares products directly, side-by-side, and discusses both strengths and weaknesses. High-end audio reviews, by contrast, invariably read like advertising copy. CR's reader surveys produce good data on rate-of-repair records.

Granted, CR rates strictly mass-market gear, not the sort of things audiophiles would buy for their primary systems. But if I were looking for a cheap minisystem for a basement workshop or something, I'd definitely see what CR had to say about the category. Whereas if I were looking for a new preamp, I'd ignore TAS completely.