Hifi News

Haven't bought this mag in ages but, new editor, new layout, etc.. thought I'd give it a try for something to read.

First, they have a review of the Funk turntables made by the guy who did Pink Triangle - about 2 paragraphs on what the actual decks sound like, completely pointless review imo, especially as the decks appear to be very interesting and very affordable.

Second the awards, I think Hifi News have a thing for Musical Fidelity with their gear winning awards aplenty and then also appearing in the top 3 when they don't win. Now I admit to not being the biggest fan of MF gear but the awards almost feel like an MF catalogue.

Third, AV gear should be in a AV magazine not in a hfi mag. I know there are loads of people who will disagree but to me most AV gear is to make loud explosions not show the subtlely in a string quartet - just my opinion of course but I don't want to read about plasma tvs in a hifi mag - there are plenty of other mags who specialise in just that and whose opinions I will take over a hifi mag.

Looks like Hifi News will remain on the shelf for me from now on.

Is it really that difficult to have a good hifi mag, I think Hifi+ has gone down hill over the last couple of years but is still about the best read out there and every now and again Hifi World has an interesting issue.

Rant over (this is also due to my increasing annoyance at the problems I am having in purchasing my new rack).

It's no wonder hifi is becoming more of a niche hobby.

 

The "new look" really does seem to be the same old stuff shuffled around into a slightly different order. Just possibly (like an oil tanker) it takes time to really establish a new direction - but until they get some new writers the written-on-autopilot articles of many of the old faces are worn out and tiresome.

Having given this issue the benefit of the doubt I'll go back to one of my old rules-of-thumb - if a magazine comes in a sealed bag the content isn't good enough that a casual reader would buy it if it wasn't in a bag.

 

yeah, I bought it yesterday - they seem to be heading towards av and mp3 etc too much...I suppose they are losing sales because it was just hifi..?

 

Look at HFN web page:

http://www.hifinews.com/content/this.html

Right below the comments from the new Editor on the right there is a link direct to the AV forum!! Maybe this is an indication that AV is where they are moving to.

I know form talking to the previous Editor this is not the direction he wanted to take,...maybe that's why he's no longer there!

 

I'm pretty sure that link to AV Talk is a paid for advert.
Michael.

 

If two channel magazines had a large enough target audience, neither AV not Mp3 would feature in HFN.

In ten years, HiFi has gone from the mainstream to the fringe in my opinion. The magazines simply reflect this change.

 

Sadly I think this is true.

But MP3 is boring, ok it's great to have 100 albums portable with you but they all look alike, all have the same features, the same hard drives and most, if not all, have the same compression algorithm. Who wants to read about these ?

But then is serious AV going to have a bigger audience than 2 channel hifi ? If so then I guess we really are in a minority now.

My recent trip to dealer really depessed me, they spent more time explaining that my new rack would need a larger shelf for my large AV amp, even though I had told them I have Linn LK style amps (and they were a Linn dealer).

 

I'm reading Hifi News now for more than ten years. More AV means for me looking elsewhere. I'm simpy not interested.

Carl

 

I can't even get it anymore! Since the issue that had free tickets to the hi-fi show, WH-smiths (both local and Bluewater) have stopped selling it! They sell every other hi-Fi mag though. Why do they stop selling my fav one?

 

The printed HiFi press is in dire need of radical action

While we are all aware that purist 'high end' hifi is now a niche publishing market, the existing printed publications in the west need a good kick up the a**.

I have 25 years of HIFI mags in storage and its a good guide to the state of the HIFI press and its decline over the years - the rot set in way before the advent of home cinema and mp3 etc, there was a time that every one involved was passionate about music and its reproduction expressed in a genuinely exciting way - even the flat earth press like HiFi review were better than what we have today - im sick of single page group tests and pointless star ratings and useless articles about the latest projector - leave that to the boys toys mags

The steep decline of specialist journals like the Absolute Sound/Stereophile is a real heartache for me and the loss of other mags like the listener and sound practices was keenly felt - the online presence is just not good enough - has any one seen the absolute sounds website? its just an advertising portal for the shadow of its printed former self - you can buy both AS and Stereophile and not tell them apart, where's the radical reviewing, the controversy, the opinion, the excitement? When I finished reading (say) an early issue of The absolute sound I would be angry/excited/perplexed/shocked. It would make me go and buy an LP and try to get good sound, now all I do is skim the pages in vain hope of an interesting point of view. Stereophile regularly reviews less than 4 items of equipment!

I want a HiFi magazine, please!!!

In the UK we have:

HiFi Choice - Glossed up 'upmarket' version of What Hifi - needs more opinion and less single page throwaway reviews - we are not children - target the age 30 plus intelligent reader please

HIFi News - I only buy this now for Ken Kesslers' musings, I respect his knowledge and obvious love of Music etc but even he (I suspect its an editorial/advertising led thing) has succumbed to reviewing and praising only a 'select' bunch of kit - ever read a negative review of his?
The new look is is just that, I want an overhaul of their core premise - audio excellence...

HIFi Plus - in decline a bit, there's only so many speaker reviews I can take month after month after month....zzzzzzz

HIFI World - used to enjoy this in the early days, occasionally a good read but I've noticed them getting 'in to bed' with their favoured manufactures more and more - this is what happened with other magazines - I cant trust their opinions on analogue gear anymore - endless rega and origin-live arm reviews bore me senseless

What Hifi - I buy this occasionally because they have enthusiasm, thats why its the biggest seller

When I travel (I spend 50% of my working life on short/long haul travel), I always keep an eye on foreign audiophile magazines - and worldwide its all declining in the way it is in the UK, the Chinese/Hong Kong/Japanese/Asian press is still quite vibrant as are some euro publications.

Might have to do my own.

deccaman

apologies for the long rant

 

That just what it needs. An underground mag that's prepared to tell it like it is.

Current mags are in a catch 22 situation. They rely on advertising and without tht they are doomed. Obviously that means they can't slag off and products or manufacturers and likewise, if something is really special in a group test they will play it down should one of the lesser products be one of the companies they have a 'special' relationship with.

I know a few manufacturers of various types of products. When a product is sent for review, it is never returned as a matter of course. You have to ask for it back and chase it up. Often you have to arrange to have it picked up. If you do this you are more likely to have your products frowned upon in any future reviews. IMO reviewers see something they fancy and contact the manufacturer asking if they can review it, just so they can have it for themselves. If they like something they should pay the trade price at least. This attitude makes it difficult for small buisnesses trying to get going. It's almost a given that you kiss it goodbye.

So what's the answer?
I'll let you guys answer that.

I would say.............

An underground mag (probably online)
Honest, trustworthy and most of all knowlegable reviewers who are prepared to tell it like it is. (for little or no pay)
A customer base who are willing to pay a decent sum to get an honest mag without adverts.
A consistant listening room. All products are assessed in one place to give a level playing field.
Open accounts so anyone can see there has been no sculduggery.

Feel free to ad to the list.

Anyone fancy taking this on?
Good luck because it's likely to cost you a fortune. :JOEL:

 

TNT?

 

Absolutely

I worked in publishing for 10 years and believe me even niche magazines with small circulations cost lots. For example we published a business to business magazine with a print run of 30,000, no advertising to a paying subscription database, even with good contacts in printing we only broke even. Say I managed to produce enough content to publish an A5 magazine like the old Absolute Sound with around 32-48 pages, print run of around 10,000, you are looking at at least £18-30,000 just to print. Thats not including all the production - photography, design, layout, distribution etc. Its possible with backing and people willing to pay for a magazine.

I might think about doing it....maybe

deccaman

 

well, we already have a review section on here...

maybe we could work on that..? - maybe structure it a bit more and give the products ratings..? - I'm aware that it may not be ideal as for someone like myself (with limited experience) won't have much to compare a particular component to for example, but I do value what is said on these forums, and indeed - buy stuff from forums.

 

Massive undertaking to get a mag going but more power to you.

I largely agree with whats been said, but I think hi-fi world is a good mag with plenty of interesting articles in. The others just seem at the mercy of their parent company.

 

The concept of the "underground mag" has been made largely obsolete by internet forums, blogs etc.

Michael.

 

This has got me thinking. Ive contacted some old suppliers of mine, as a study Im going to find out what it would cost to print and supply 10,000 A5 32page magazines (Absolute Sound size roughly).

I will factor in costs for production, design and layout - this is easy as currently I am a director of a Design Agency, we would be looking at £20 per our for freelance design and copywriting around 150 quid a day...photography Im looking into.....


deccaman

 

I enjoy most of the online audio community and regularly post stuff, trouble is it would be nice to have a printed journal to complement every thing going on in the web. Something to keep and refer to. And cherish - a bit like a favourite recording or painting

Im thinking along the lines of a mag similar in 'feel' to the first 30 or so issues of Absolute Sound or Das Ohr or Listener or even stereophile in its heyday, but editorially biased towards the reality of being an audiophile in the 21st century and an Vinyl lover. It should be extreme and radical - the ethos should be clear from the start.

deccaman

 

maybe you should create a web presence first..?? maybe it would be cheaper and you could build up an audience...

just a thought anyway!

 

Well, I have been busy on my new pet subject.

Lets have a bit of speculation on a new printed HIFI magazine.

Circulation:10,000 worldwide (Possibly optimistic by 50%...)

Target audience: those who regularly use online forums/websites dedicated to Analog/Digital stereo and want something to complement the online community and find the current HIFI press to be inadequate.

Publishing proposition:

No advertising, no party line, no references except our own ears, etc

Costs

Assume we have enough editorial content for between 32-64 pages A5, nice paper, decent print spec, getting lesser quality paper and having staples would halve the print cost.

1. To print, bind, distribute 10,000 copies would cost £6,550 per issue, say 4 issues per year

2. Design, layout, editing, production, etc, (I have a decent designer on hand) 14 days to work up the mag per issue: £2100 depending on extent of content

so per issue my outgoing would be in the order of £8-10,000 (around a £1.25 per copy), therefore the magazine would need to be charged out at least £5-£10 per issue to cover costs/losses and re invest into the next issue. Finding a subscriber base willing to pay up front would be the most difficult part (and retaining them....)

No wonder Harry Pearson had such trouble getting The Absolute Sound out at all in its early years and had to take on advertising.

I will dream on and stick to online

deccaman