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Most Honest Audio Magazine?

I subscribe to Stereophile and I really enjoy reading it but something happened last year that made me raise an eyebrow as to the authenticity of their intentions. Remember the review of the B&W Nautilus 805's? The original reviewer raved about them and rated them "Class A Restricted Low Frequency". Shortly thereafter they demoted the same speaker down to "Class B Restricted Low Frequency". This really hurt the magazine's credibility in my eyes. My first conclusion was that they didn't want to upset the other manufacturers who produced "Class A" products at far higher prices. Shouldn't a trade journal give credit to the truly remarkable products especially when they are produced for relatively decent prices? It's unfortunate that the advertising dollars of the megabuck manufacturers bullied a stellar product into receiving a less than stellar final rating. I'm wondering if this hasn't happened before. I've since heard from some of my audio buddies that corruption does indeed exist in the audio press; everything from reviewers being related to manufacturers to reviewers being offered products for a song (pun intended). Please share your thoughts and experiences when it comes to audio magazines and let me know which ones you'd rate best and worst. Putting together a great system is hard enough without having to sift through the sometimes suspicious advice of those publications who purport to advance the hobby.
canadianguy
mcne
113 posts
 
hummmm! Most Honest Audio Magazine. Is that not an Oxymoron?
I enjoy going to the local bookstore and looking at them all. I am glad there are many audio rags published because that gives a lot of pictures to look at. But when it comes to shelling out cash for it, I am a little reserved. I have bought some of each when it has a review or article that is interesting. The English mags are very biased against American equipment. Stereopile is infected with the "Julian Hursch" virus.(is that the way it is spelled?) I get tired of Listener’s "we are so much not like Stereopile) attitude.
And I still have 2 years on my TAS subscription and still enjoy it. But let's face it. These magazines would not exist without the advertisers dollars. We have seen more then a few rebel mags go down in glorious "we will not submit to your filthy money flames". And my guilty pleasure is, I don't waste any time grabbing the new Stereopile (when it magically shows up in my mailbox) and going through the whole thing at once. I don't read the whole thing through anymore but I still enjoy it and give up the overly inflated price. So I guess that I am guilty and I am part of the problem and not part of the fix. Dale
eds2978
1 posts
 
If you live in the tweak kingdom you will be happy with most magazines. If you are an engineer, or demand that all claims be proven you will be served better by Audio Critic. In the end, just enjoy the music, show off your new stereo, and enjoy the music. Music is after all the point isn't it?
dds_hifi
26 posts
 
Like most of the posts above, I have a general skepticism of these magazines. With that said, I think some are better (TAS) than others.

For me, though, the key is finding reviewers with like-minded ears and sensibilities as you (I can't relate to HP's sense of value). This is a courting process and takes time. My votes for most reliable writers are Robert Greene (TAS), Neil Gader (TAS) and Paul Seydor (TAS). They aren't pundits of myth and folklore or manufacturer reps, and they call a spade a spade without the incredible arrogance that is typical of their peer group.

While this post may seem irrelivant to some, I think it's important. Forums like this can influence magazines - so can sales rates.

One closing thought. I've tried to stay positive here, but I just have to say it. Something smells at Stereophile! I'm discontinuing my subsription becuase I just can't trust them (although I enjoy the music reviews).
stereokarter
185 posts
 
Dds_hifi you are right about Stereophile: When Michael Fremer & Lisa Astor jump ship they are "Done Like Dinner" as Wendel Clark (retired Toronto Maple Leaf hockey player) once quipped.
kthomas
911 posts
 
I think Stereophile will be around a long time, with or without MF and LA, especially if they keep their subscription price at $1/issue. I think their credibility would go way up if they ditched Jonathon Scull, and if they could broaden their choice of manufacturers to review. I think they've more than covered Cary and Musical Fidelity for the time being. -Kirk
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