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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
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
vek
6 posts
 
Audio Critic... this mag was recommended to me by Don Morrison. This is the only mag he reads. Don believes in it so much he actually sent me two copies for free. If you haven't heard of Don check out his website www.donmorrisonaudio.com.
Anyhow, Audio Critic measures everything they get their hands on. Their conclusions (not opinions) of a products performance are based on science. The editor finally found a publisher (after 20+ years) that will let will let him write based on his morals, not the advertisers influence. Now that its published on a grander scale its available everywhere. This is an entirely different audio publication.
Now I have to go find an electronics book to figure out what all their measurements mean.
tfta
44 posts
 
Positive Feedback is a great mag as well, when they decide to put out an issue.
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