Stereophile "coverage"


Stereophile must enjoy all the negative reaction they get out of their choices of what to cover. Witness the latest cover story, the new Krell LAT-1 speaker. Here, from the biggest of the big advertisers, we get basically immediate cover-story coverage of their latest release, a $37,500 speaker. Stratospheric. The reviewer (who amazingly wasn't Jonathon Scull, with something of this price), is extremely positive while almost seeming to forget the price of this beast. It doesn't go much below 40Hz and it measures horribly. I guess you'll have to wait for their $75K model to get around those obstacles, though the option to pair the LAT-1's with some Krell Master subs is offered up to get down below 40Hz.

So, a super-expensive speaker coupled with other reviews of >$8K components ("you guys never review affordable stuff!"), immediate, feature coverage of a new Krell product ("You guys pander to your advertisers!"), and a very positive review of gear that nobody would argue measures respectably (at any price) ("You guys always give good reviews!"), on top of the usual reduced size of the magazine in the middle of the summer - the August issue should keep the negative feedback coming in full doses.

kthomas
As something of a newcomer to "high end" audio I find it disappointing that a magazine like Stereophile does so little to encourage "newbies" like myself. My budget for gear probably exceeds that of others with a similar level of experience. Even so, products with a price tag much over $15K are all but untouchable. That doesn't mean reviews of "the higher priced spread" aren't interesting, just that there seems to be an imbalance between them and what are real world products for many of us. Stereophile would do well by having one writer dedicated to the "lower" high end who reviews products NOT made with unobtainium. A little more effort should also go into moving outside the very obvious circle of advertising manufacturers if for no other reason than to add a little spice and variation to the content. Not to mention maybe using it as an opportunity to regain a bit of their apparently tarnished credibility.

This is as good a place as any to add that I do understand the relationship between advertisers, periodicals and consumers. That's why comments like "The magazine only costs a buck" make me smile. The magazine costs what it costs to publish and it's more than a buck. Someone may only pay $1 out of pocket for a copy, but guess who is ultimately paying for all those glossy pictures and full page ads? Of course! We do when we buy something from one of the advertisers! That the cost is rolled into the price of a new cable doesn't change the price of the mag or who pays for it.

All that said, the most outstanding comment was from Musicslug who said to take "things with a great many grains of salt". I'd say that was one slug not long for this world! ;-)
The core readership of Stereophile is being let down - one by one - and the ML Prodigy and LAT-1 reviews are the most obvious symptons of this - pooly written and biased: e.g. the price/value relationship of the LAT-1. If a $40k (inc. taxes & shipping) speaker ought to be augmented by a sub there's something wrong!

The only thing I read the mag. for is MIKEY and the "Industry Updates" The classifieds are dead!

There are many areas of interest that could be introduced...reader's systems, store features, service features, vintage gear, pictures of the rear of reviewed components, established "Recommended Components" products (those pieces that have endured), and on and on.

But they won't do it! Go ahead let us all down Stereophile...I READ Ultimate Audio and UHF Magazine now anyway.
I think its funny that you frequently find in their "Recommended Components " issue " there are currently NO class C amps ,pre's tonearms.... WHAT!!! Class A is $25000 and there is no class c or d ?...