Latest Absolute Sound

As you can see by my paltry number of posts I am a noob. I have always loved high-end sound since I wandered into my local hi-fi shop 30 years ago, however, I never had the means to afford it until recently. I hadn’t kept up on the latest gear so I picked up a copy of TAS about a year ago and subscribed and have been reading each issue cover to cover. I was amazed at all the brands I had never heard of like Magico, Constellation and so on. The magazine gave me a chance to educate myself on what is available (brands, new technologies, etc.). More importantly it was another source to read reviews. I began to realize that they did seem to review much of the same gear that is advertised, but hey, that is what it probably takes to keep a print magazine going in the online world we live in. The point is they are just one of many sources I have used during the past year to learn and make decisions.

Now, a number of people have complained about the ridiculously expensive equipment they review? Why, that stuff is cool. Is it worth it? It is to the guy that buys it. If you cannot afford something and think someone is a fool for buying it, that is your right, however, it does not make you RIGHT. One of the things I like about looking at magazines and seeing all this cool schiit is it inspires me to work hard in hopes of having some of this gear. It worked when I was a teenager in the 1980s and I read about the new Porsche 959. I thought, wow, what an incredible car. Guess what, that fueled my love for Porsche and their engineering. Do I own a 959, no, however, I do own a few 911s. So, what is my point? Well, I think all this uber expensive stuff that everyone seems to hate on is like the 959 of my youth. Exotic, impractical and very expensive. But guess what, much of that technology trickles down. AWD, twin turbos? Yup, that is all common in cars today and affordable.

So, my point is you may not like that TAS has become tied to their advertisers but you have a choice not to read the magazine. I personally found it to be very helpful in my reeducation of hi-fi this past year since this was apparent and it was just one resource I used to find cool stuff.

One other thing, people complained they only review hi-end stuff. What about the PS Audio Sprout integrated for $499 or the ELAC B5 speakers for $229 the just reviewed? They raved about both and I actually bought the Elac B5 speakers last week while I am waiting for my new Raidho D1.1s to show up in February. I also just received my Constellation Amp and Preamp Friday. Is it the $100K plus Hercules II? No, the $10K inspiration amp. Will it sound as good as the Hercules II? No, but I bet it will sound pretty great for what I paid compared to their top of the line exotic stuff. Trickle down engineering at its best in my opinion.

Hey mmporsche, you've pretty much proven my point with your latest purchases. When someone reads a magazine such as Magico Monthly....(oops, sorry. Meant The Absolute Sound), all one hears about every month are Magico, Raidho, Wilson. Components like Constellation, Soulution, D'Agostino, etc. It's the same crap covered over and over and over.  It's a disgrace and like I said, TAS is doing a disservice to the community regarding lack of exposure to other brands. Read 6moons if you want the exact opposite of the rags, IMO.

Hello Devilboy,

I am not sure how I have proven your point. I was at RMAF (Rocky Mountain Audio Fest) and heard the Raidho speakers in 2014. As stated, I didn’t realize they were connected to Constellation gear. I spent three days walking the show and listening to as much gear as possible. It my opinion the Raidho room was the best sound I heard over the three days. I couldn’t shake the emotional connection I felt with the sound produced in that room. I discovered it was Constellation after I recently searched YouTube and found the room at the show. Honestly, the ads in TAS for Constellation never caught my eye. Their equipment is rather simple and mundane IMO. I like classic cars, mechanical watches, old cameras and the like and appreciate good design. The Dan D’agostina gear is what caught my eye at the show due to the exterior design. It also sounded pretty good to my ears as well. I never read a review of Raidho D1 speakers in the issues I received to my recollection or the Constellation Inspiration gear. As previously stated, I used TAS as one of many sources of information. It introduced me to newer brands I was not familiar with. I also visited a number of hi-fi shops to see what they sell. I considered VAC, Aestetix, Canton, Wilson, Vapor, McIntosh, ARC, Magico, B&W, PS Audio, Sonus Faber, Classe to name just a few. So, again, I read TAS to educate myself about some of the new technologies and brands and then went out on my own to see what actually appealed to my ears.

On another note, I take issue with people that complain about costs of things (cars, electronics, cameras, etc.). I love the fact that there are companies that produce insanely expensive products that make me dream. I guess some of you would be satisfied with the choice of three beige boxes, "pick one". This to me is a fun hobby and while it has been frustrating to uncover the truth about products that is what living in a free society is all about, choice. Can I currently afford a new Porsche 918? No, but boy are they fun to look at and listen to when I see them around town or on YouTube. I am sure Dan D’Agostina is not selling a 10,000 pieces of gear a year but I am sure he is selling much of what he produces. If he doesn’t, he will have to change his business model or fail. Imagine if there weren’t a bunch of rich people buying this esoteric gear. What would that mean to the equipment that eventually trickled down to us commoners? I speculate that it might be pretty mundane.

I am sure that you can find a system that sounds pretty good to you at a number of different budgets. As I previously mentioned, I just bought a pair of $229 ELAC speakers while I am waiting for my new Raidho D1.1s in February. I love finding great values in this hobby. Do they sound as good as the Raidho? No, but they blow the sound away for the money spent, much higher ROI.

Thanks Jon!