++++StereoPhile Class A components+++++

Helcat: My position about Stereophile ratings has not wandered one bit, nor am i "sucking up" to "a famed reviewer".

Having said that, i'm NOT going to put Kal on the spot. I will only say that i've found his reviews to offer moments of critical insight that i've found lacking in the reviews of other Stereophile employees. THAT is why i don't have a problem with Kal or his reviews.

The fact that Kal has very little to do with overall Class Ratings at Stereophile also comes into play. That info can be found in another thread that he, i and JA were involved in over at AA. For that matter, if you had ever read ANY of my public correspondance with members of Stereophile at AA, you would know that i'm not a "brown noser" in the least. I try to call them as i see them, good or bad. As such, i've posted "kudo's" to them when i really enjoyed something and dished out criticism when i thought something was "fishy" or poorly executed. After all, i am one of the bosses there and have the right to voice my opinion. As to how i am one of the "bosses" there, my subscription fees help pay their bills and paychecks : )

As far as cancelling subscriptions go, i'm not going to do that as i'm prepaid for another three years or so. Whether or not i like specific attributes of the magazine is besides the point. It is a great source of info / current trends / occasional technical articles. In that respect, it is worth way more than what we pay for it. As some may recall, i had actually encouraged JA to raise the price of a subscription so as to minimize the dependency of the magazine on advertising revenue. I still have that point of view and would put my money where my mouth is should they decide to go that route. Sean
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Sean, I will try to take some time off to catch up with your prolific postings on multiple sites. Sorry...
My wife forced me to attend AA after a vicious three day bender. I got the chip somewhere. I was under the impression they were a self perpetuating meritocracy without bosses.
The other day me and JA ST and the gang had to call MF onto the carpet over that whole crown jewel reference se/shelter fiasco. Just kidding. I always enjoyed name dropping.
Don't make me taunt you a third time.
Enjoy:)

Helcat: I don't know whether to take your post in jest or not. I wasn't trying to "name-drop", i was trying to point out that my comments / points of view have remained consistent regardless of who i was talking to and where it was said.

For the record, i do enjoy my music, my systems and the correspondance that takes place on forums of this nature. If i didn't, i wouldn't be involved with any of it. Sean
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Helcat, Kal, John Atkinson, "Sam Tellig," John Marks and other Stereophile contributors have participated from time to time at audioasylum.com, where Sean is also a regular. Sean has had some arguments with "Sam" and, in general, is one of the members there who seems to be very interested in audio reviewer "ethics" and Stereophile's policies.

I find most of these discussions rather tedious. Though I have had an argument with Kal regarding speaker frequency response (I like presence dips, he doesn't), I think all of the contributors to the print mags are decent guys, and almost all of the components they review are recommended because most things made and sold by audio manufacturers do what they are supposed to do. My only discomforts are with the increasingly stratospheric prices of the components they review and the proliferation of "Class A" loudspeakers (I think a lot of them belong in a lower class or are too expensive to recommend for the performance offered, but that's just the personal pov of a listener not connected in any way with the industry). It is unrealistic, however, for anyone to expect a component to be trashed in a review. There just aren't that many of them that are so bad.

Just remember that Stereophile is a buff mag published to entertain and to provide a vehicle for advertising. (There isn't anything wrong with advertising.) Unlike Sean, I would not pay more for Stereophile. I have less and less interest in component reviews anyway, but the components they are reviewing are just getting too expensive.

Paul: That was a very nice overview of my past "discussions" with the folks at Stereophile, especially given our personal differences in the past. Hats off to you for being a complete gentleman about those differences and presenting a very fair synopsis of the situation. I would only add that i've had more than a few "run-in's" with JA and, to a far lesser extent, John Marks. Kal must have found a good rock to hide under or is either more selective / more careful about how and what he writes : )

While i would be willing to pay more money for what i would consider a magazine of higher calibre and integrity, i too have to agree with your assessment of the price structure of components reviewed. While it is true that technology and R&D take both time and money and a manufacturer has to recoupe that somehow, the prices on the majority of "high end" products is beyond belief. Quite honestly, i can't afford the mass majority of products reviewed or featured in these mags anymore. That does not mean that i don't want to be aware of them and / or the technologies / design theories that went into creating them though.

As a side note, folks might want to take a look at this very recent Stereophile based thread on AA. Some may agree / disagree with the points that i bring up there, but everyone is welcome to voice their opinion. I'm sure that JA and those that run Stereophile would like to hear from their subscribers on this matter as it could be the future of the magazine. Sean
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