I recently emailed John Atkinson of Stereophile

Eldragon -- Mine was just another opinion -- much like the ones that Stereophile offers -- though mine was considerably less couched.
Personally I don't see any credibility in their publication but those who respect it enough to do as they are TOLD in making purchases will surely not be dissuaded by the rantings of a disbeliever. I'm sure they love their stuff and will continue to do so as long as Stereophile does.

Whknopp713 -- You would be well served to dismiss Stereophile altogether and gleen your knowledge from these forums. The quality of suggestion will vary, of course, but the guidance will be good and the ability to know what is useful and what is not will come quickly. Also if you discover a person whose responses you respect, try contacting that individual directly. Everyone I know welcomes such overtures.

Macrojack: Thanks for the elaboration.

You're welcome, Z. Do you subscribe?
I hadn't seen the publication for a few years when this year a friend who took advantage of a twofer deal sent me a subscription for Christmas.
It has declined to the point of self parody. It says the same thing in every issue give or take a hyperbole and the new class above "A" sums the whole comedy rather nicely.
As someone said earlier in this thread, the pictures are great but the articles are lacking.

Actually, the pictures are woefully inadequate - just look at some of the Brit mags. A long promised effort to upgrade the graphic and especially the photo content of the mag fizzled before it got very far off the ground - I assume they just couldn't afford to really go for it. Think how much more interesting the magazine could be to look at if they had the same photographic standards as the car mags. Audio porn is not being done justice! Yeah, I subscribe. Probably the third time or so, but this time I don't think I'll get so disgusted that I'll let it lapse. They've effectively lowered my standards - and their price - to the point where I just don't care that much anymore. It comes, I read it in a day or two, and the basic update info it contains makes it worth the $12 a year it costs me. Occasionally I get infuriated with the lameness of the formula, but why get all worked up? The damage has already been done - the industry mold is set as it relates to the audio press. If I cared more about the high end, I might not subscribe as a protest, but I'm really just a voyeur who takes this hobby very lightly compared to many. Just the sort Stereophile depends on to subscribe ;^)