New Stereophile format

The verticle bar is a slight distraction. The thick horizontal bars in the middle of the page are down right stupid. It makes you think that its time to move back to the top of the page. Makes you slow down and figure out which way to go to continue with the article. I guess the guy/gal who came up with the new layout doesn't read much.

As for the content; too much high priced gear. How many $350K amps do the sell anyway? How about reviewing stuff in the $1k-$5k range that people can afford in todays economy. That we keep out the low budget mid-fi crap. It seems like the go from one extreme to the next. Like reviewing a $350k amp righ after reviewing a pair of $269 speakers. Now, if you hook up the cheap speakers to the solid gold mega-amp will you have a Class A Stereophile system?

I thought it was very interestin that Art's not-so-hot review of the Audioquest cables caused a 1+ page manufacturer's response in which they politely slam Art and his ability to understand and properly review their product. It must have caught them by off guard as they are so used to getting glowing reviews even when minute improvements cost big bucks.

Prpixel - Nobody reads much nowadays and I think that's what Stereophile is going for. The new format is "short attention span friendly" and thus the center page lines, mid page lines, etc. It is supposed to make the reader think there is less text so it's more attractive.

And I hate to say this, but I am probably typical of Stereophile readers (age wise) and I find the font too small. My eyes ain't what they used to be. It kinda works like this: they can't spend much money on paper so they have to use small print size. But the majority of their readership is middle aged (and getting older) so the eyes aren't what they used to be. However, younger readers also don't like small fonts - looks like too many words! I'm generalizing, of course, because there are guys my age who see really well without glasses and young people who don't mind actually reading something - but in general...

I found the new format somewhat distracting. I actually miss the 1980s version. While the review of the $350K amp generated a lot of criticism, you can bet that most readers nearly ripped the magazine in half in their hurry to find the story! It was a wonderful example of why subjective reviewing needs to be backed up by objective testing. Stereophile is the only magazine I've seen that offers high-end hobbyists that kind of credibility. I guess that makes format changes a bit inconsequential to me.

Tomryan,

I have to admit that I'm in the group that's middle age with declining eyesight. I've also noticed a lot more grammatical errors in all forms of print. I guess there is such a rush to get things to print with the net putting pressure on print media. Or, maybe, it's a lack of qualified editors. I'm not the best when it comes to writing, and I tend to make more typos these days, but at least I have the common sense to keep three essential books on my desk: A pocket style guide, The MLA handbook and The American Heritage dic-tion-ar-y.

Later,