Audiphile Press: Am I jaded, experienced, or has it declined?

Whole heartedly agree that Art Dudley is sorely missed! Beyond his obvious knowledge of equipment & audio reproduction, he was a great writer who probably could have made almost any subject fun & interesting with his unique, simple observational style of humor. 
 

I do enjoy Jim Austin, the relatively new editor of Stereophile who has a lot of experience in the industry & is also a good writer. I also appreciate Steven Stone at The Absolute Sound for his clear, informative reviews of unique, almost bargain priced equipment. John Atkinson’s “ Jack Webb - Just the Facts Mam” approach is always welcome as are his pretty thorough measurements as opposed to the reviews of lofty stuff in the Absolute Sound that often feel more like a novel about life w/ hifi on the French Riviera than a review. 
 

I still read most of it & enjoy it because I love listening to good music through a good system. 

It's certainly true that the mags are less relevant to audiophile life than they once were.  The reviewers sometimes have useful insights into how to use a product, or its limitations, that I might not have figured out myself.

   I like the ads! Pretty pictures!

   I don't know anyone who would even dream of buying a $200,000 pair of speakers or amps - or even a $20K pair - except, ahem, me.

+1 @facten 

You nailed it.  As my subscription runs out (I have maybe 2 or 3 issues left) I find that I blow through it, Stereophile, in about an hour and then recycle.  Seems like such a waste.

Regards,

barts  

The Science hasn't changed - only those delivering the message. Once you've learned the Science, everything else is noise. You probably reached "Music Nirvana" years ago but forgot to filter out the noise. Has some gear technology's changed? Absolutely! But if you've been in this hobby long enough, you know better than chasing every new thing hitting the market. Over the past 20 years a few things in the stream have changed/improved (better amps, processors, DACs, Home Theater) but "the Science" remained the same. Once you've grown your system to near or showroom class, it should sound at the Audiophile level for years. 

Being retired, I have more time than ever to read , but the only magazine I’m currently getting is Stereophile. Mostly because the ads that lead down various rabbit holes. I read the threads here for the same reason.

Having said that, with almost all the hifi stores closing around me, I am reading more and listening less to new equipment.