LISTENER Magazine...What Do You Think?

Listener is a fun read. I love the "classic" equipment reviews. Too see how prices were and how they compare it with present day stuff.

Still a fine mag, but definitely not for the obsessive/compulsive crowd. IMHO, their main pluses are being down to earth(usually), some excellent writers, Art Dudley, good music reviews, and, above ALL, evaluating gear from the perspective of the musical/emotional involvement it provides. True, they have become more "niche" and therefore would not be most audiophiles choice as sole magazine subscription. Were they once better? Maybe..... Has any audio mag defied entropy?

They list the Wright phono stage as a five star phono stage! (Have you ever heard one?) It's the perfect magazine if you're into budget SET amps, Linn products, Lowther horns, or DIY amps. Personally, I find Art's humor great, but find myself not reading many of the reveiws.

The great thing about Listener is that you get the impression that they are more honest in their reviews than Stereophile. When a Listener reviewer does not like a component you know it from reading the review; you don't have to read between the lines like you do Stereophile or a papal encyclical. I subscribed to Absolute Sound for a year and almost fell asleep reading it. They tended to harp on the most expensive equipment and use the term "liveried" quite often. What a load of crap! Listener, on the other hand, actually review equipment a school teacher or a working shmo could afford. There is very musical inexpensive equipment out there that can make people happy. That is the whole point of the hobby, right? Do I really need to add stress to my life in my hobbies? Art Dudley and most of his editors do have a very defined point of view, and if you don't agree you will hate this magazine. But if you agree, if you enjoyed Dr. Gizmo, or if you don't have $30,000 to spend on a hobby like this, then Listener can be of great value. And the bunnies are great; I show them to my wife every issue! Thanks,
Art.

I would like to thank everyone who posted an opinion to
my question. After reading your comments and considering
the type of gear I favor - McIntosh electronics and Thiel
and B&W speakers - I am going to drop LISTENER when my
subscription expires and give Bound For Sound a try.