Rate the Audiophile Publications


What's your experience with recommended (or trashed)systems in the audiophile publications (Stereophile, Absolute Sound, What Hi Fi...)? I just read a nice thread by Trgi@flash.net (gregg) asking about the highly rated BEL 1001 and he got a couple of negative replies. That got me to thinking -- which magazines (paper or online) are trustworthy according to fellow audiogoners? Any opinions or experiences? Everyone has a different ear, but are there obvious omissions or differences of experience? Thanks.
ozfly
I would like to express my opinion about the trend in these magazines. I remember the day when TAS did not get advertising. The magazine was pricey but that was required so that it could be published. Now the price of the magazine i down and the number of ads are WAY up. It is the advertising money that pays the salarys. Do you REALLY believe they will "bite the hand that feeds them"? I consider the current state of the big guys rag to be simular to the sunday funnies. They are good for a laugh. I get them just to find out what is in the news. I look to all of you for the hard core advice!
An interesting info site also deals with this subject. Go to www.high-endaudio.com/index_ac.html and check out "reviewing the reviewers". Got this from a relevant thread here at a-gon.
In essence, the writer agrees with sqjudge.
I, too, read mags for news and (rare) equipment set-up info. No disrespect for these publications, but rate users' experience over journalistic analyses; when I need advice, I come to you guys (and gals)
I do the same as Gregm says, but still like TAS for general information and for their ruminations on the philsophy of listening ( how and to what ). As far as that 's concerend, they've taught me a lot through the last thirty years. I much preferred them, when they had no advertising and lets face it, thanks to JG Holt and HP later, we now have a fairly exact language to describe our listening experience in. I've been to Salvatore's homepage, which Gregm mentions and personally I was not impressed too much. In my opinion he's on a huge egotrip and in his rewieving the rewievers part I found his attitude overcritical and a bit far fetched occasionally. I find, that he feeds on our suspicions about reviewers, which maybe justified and healthy but I felt uneasy, sort of "lending" him mine, to feed his ego-trip. I left his page not with a good feeling.
Just my 2cents, regards,
I like Bound For Sound, http://boundforsound.com/. This paper publication does not accept advertisement. I find them to be honest, not prone to the flavor of the month, and great "breakthroughs" every week. Even if I do not agree with them on a particular subject they are consistent. They have great advise on breaking in equipment and their reviews are down to earth. If I were going to buy a product without listening first this would be the only guys I would take a chance.
I like the pretty pictures in all of them. The ink (other than the letters to the editor) is just filler between the art.