Recommended components on Stereophile Magazine.

All the blah blah blah about class A this and class AB that that, and so very few of us who worry about such things have little more than the most rudimentary grasp of why it even matters. Those who say, "trust your ears" are on to something.
For those who care about such things as class A beyond ego inflation - jump over to Randall's site aikenamps.com and read his piece titled "The Last Word on Class A" - although in reality we all know it'll never be the last word, but you'll pick up knowledge you'll not get reading Stereophile.

I think that, Stereophile and The Absolute Sound Recommended Components are a great starting point, but not an end-point.

If you look through those components you will be able to narrow your search down greatly as to what you're looking for, then you can compare those components to other online review sites, as well as right here at Audiogon.

Then when you get your list down to about 3-4 components that you're considering purchasing, the next thing you must do is to go and listen for yourself.

Rich

The RCL is just a ranking according to taste of stuff they've been able to review in the previous few years. It's a very skewed list. As John Atkinson might put it, I remain puzzled by the rankings and the many omissions.

You also need to pay attention to who did the original review, as your taste and priorities may be very different.

In any case, do not take the rankings literally. I have to make a conscious effort not to do so. Perhaps it's hard for some of us *not* to take rankings like this seriously, at least subconsciously, after so many years of indoctrination with ABCDF grading in school.

I like the TAS "the best" issues a little better, as they don't encourage thinking in terms of ranks like this. But they have another problem: they list by price. While this makes it easier to choose by budget, it enforces the idea that pricier is always better.

Stereophile is a good starting point but you need to then use your own ears and decide. Audition, audition, audition! I used to travel 1 1/2 hours plus to audition gear, or buy it here used and then flip it if I didn't like it.

Enjoy the ride! It can be alot of fun if you let it...don't get caught up in the search for perfect sound, find what you like and keep it!

Regards,

Matty