Hifi News

[LiloLee]

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

Just when was the last review of anything by Rega or Origin Live? Dates and issue please.

 

[deccaman]

just pick up any issue that David Price has edited, the sheen of origin live and rega arms washes over every turntable and analog review - there was a group test recently of turntables, all were kitted out with rb 250 or derivatives, their slavish devotion to OI and rega arms is as bad as the HIfi review days when only an ekos or ittok was deemed worthy. HIfi world has still many excellent features -the diy, the underground scene coverage, the fair reviews and retro features. I have every issue since no1. Im angry about some aspects of their editorial. Are you?

ps I own two rega arms and have an OI conqueror, so what!!

deccaman

 

[vibbles]

I rather thought that DP had gone off Rega and OL in favour of Hadcock arms and Music Maker cartridges or so it seemed in the last t/t group test I saw

David

 

[deccaman]

yes you are quite right - I apologise.

I think I may be a bit too fervent and anoraky in my dislike of blanket praise of one or two components/companies without a wider range of comparisons. Stereophile suffered accusations of being a Musical Fidelity mouthpiece for constantly reviewing (and praising) their kit.

Im for more reviews of more equipment and less drum beating over a writers preferred bit of kit/manufacturer, let me decide.


deccaman

 

[griffo104]

I think I may be a bit too fervent and anoraky in my dislike of blanket praise of one or two components/companies without a wider range of comparisons. Stereophile suffered accusations of being a Musical Fidelity mouthpiece for constantly reviewing (and praising) their kit.

The Musical Fidelity bias was what got me about Hifi News this month and how many awards they received. OK I'm not a fan but it seems everything they released this year won an award or was one of the runners up.

Apologies to any MF owners out there - this is a go at the mags not the brand itself. You would think that there was only a handful of brands out there.

 

[LiloLee]

yes you are quite right - I apologise.

I think I may be a bit too fervent and anoraky in my dislike of blanket praise of one or two components/companies without a wider range of comparisons.

deccaman, respect, somebody on here who can apologize.

About 2 years ago I may have agreed with you, but of late HiFi World do like uni-pivots (including the Roksan Nima, which I own), as mentioned by vibbles. Out of all of the rags they are probably the fairest. They have enthusiast staff, some of whom are not professional writers. They would publish anything if well written I feel.

Mind you as for the other mags

 

[deccaman]

I agree. If im honest, of all the UK mags, I still enjoy HiFi world the most,along with HiFi plus when they review kit not seen elsewhere. After all only in HIFI world would we see a review of an obscure cartridge like the new London Professional or a power amp made in russia (say). I think my main concern is that I dont wont the specialist mags to all end up joining a party line or just banging out generic review of the same manufacturers every issue.

Dont wanna seem like a whinging old fool- I just love music and HIFI, I want my press to reflect my passion

deccaman

 

[TonyL]

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

I agree (though I do have a vested interest as I run the forum next door). The problem for me with magazines is that they can not escape from the us & them thing, i.e. they are inevitably written by self confessed 'experts' and targeted at what these 'experts' perceive as 'punters' or 'enthusiasts' ââ'¬â€œ by design it is not a level playing field. There is no two way interaction outside of the vague chance a readers letter may be published anything up to 60 days after the fact, and then only if the publisher deems it suitable.

An internet forum is a great leveller, manufacturers, journalists and punters contribute on an equal footing, their online credibility being entirely of their own making - no perceived hierarchy means anything if arguments don't stand up to scrutiny.

I can see no point whatsoever for printed magazines other than as a historical record of how we lived prior to the invention of the internet

Tony.

 

[deccaman]

Yes, so very true. The net is the great leveller, maybe my dream of a new underground magazine is really just answered by the large audio community on the web...

krautrock? I have a big collection, favorites: amon duul, ash ra tempel....etc

deccaman

 

[TonyL]

krautrock? I have a big collection, favorites: amon duul, ash ra tempel....etc

Excellent stuff. I'd kill for mint Ohr originals of the first two Ash Ra Temple albums! I've got Düül II, Can etc pretty much in the bag but still plenty of gaps elsewhere.

Tony.

PS I'd be far more likely to buy a Krautrock fanzine than an audio mag

 

[deccaman]

off topic a bit but:

in my collection on original vinyl ( and bought at time of release...!)

Ash Ra Tempel:

Ash Ra Tempel - gatefold fold out sleeve---
Shwingungen
Join Inn
Seven Up

I could go on as I have nearly 1000 krautrock or similiar

current favs: emtidi- saat and broselmachine and Can's tago mago

now back to the state of HIFI press..

deccaman

 

[Markus S]

I'd kill for mint Ohr originals of the first two Ash Ra Temple albums!

Not mint, but possibly of interest?

 

[Nomoretweaks]

I'll say nothing new, but I have also bought tha last issue of Hi-Fi News, and I think it may be the last Hi-Fi News I am buying. They seem to have moved away from real hi-fi trying to convince their readers in the opposite in their Letters section.
Musical Fidelity everywhere in Awards, Ken Kesslers' "funcking" review (he is turning himself into a hi-fi clown apparently), an empty article about VdH cables - just for the sake of promoting it as well as Chord, a lot of AV stuff that I do not even bother to read - they might as well start reviewing kettles and fridges - and in their "Reader systems" - yet another story of a hi-fi enthusiast-come-dealer who has spent almost a £100,000 on his home kit and made no serious attempt to fix his room accoustics (he apparently thinks that a couple of bass traps and a carpet are enough). OK there are also a nice pic and a short review of a Polish CD player costing £9,000 (who would ever buy it here?) and again some beautifully looking new Sonus Fabers - thre only article that was remotely interesting to me. And ads, and ads, and ads everywhere.. Big, big disappointment.
I usually buy HiFi news for Keith Howard's articles and haven't read his Spectral Lines in this issue - the only reason it's not in the bin yet.

 

[ianb]

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!

...

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?
deccaman

For radical reviewing etc., what about Robert E. Greene in The Absolute Sound? Probably the only regular contributor to a hifi mag that actually does know what he's talking about, and his views are sufficiently far off the mainstream that they seem regularly to prompt apoplexy in many readers (and fellow journalists).

On Ken Kessler, I used to be a fan, but how much obsessing about the LS3/5a can a person take? He's even accused Harbeth (an outstanding small British company, making outstanding products, IMHO) of deliberately conspiring to prevent their reintroduction, which is totally untrue - and he'd been told this before he wrote it. So like many others, it seems, I'm an ex-reader of HFN.

 

[deccaman]

Agreed on both points. I like REG's stuff as well as Art Dudley, occasionally enjoyed Jonathan Scull's writing - used to wind me up so much I'd sometimes screw my copy of Stereophile up in anger - which is the reaction a good mag should get.

Hifi News has become such a deadly bore, I read (skim) and finish it in about 10 - 20 minutes or so. Totally agree with your sentiments re KK, you are guaranteed before you even read a review of his exactly what to expect - ie if its ARC its the best ever - (I was amazed when he gave the 10 grand REF3 a glowing review despite misgivings over the nasty display - it was actually a non review more an advertising pitch for a Marque that is no longer producing 'reference' products...imho), if its a big expensive electro static ML panel speaker its the best ever since the last one....etc etc. Early KK was a delight when he wrote with left field verve about components no one rated (decca cartridges, valve amps etc) in a time when everyone measured and just bowed blindly before Linn/Naim (I have no axe to grind here, I used to own an LP 12 and use a naim cd player....)

 

[Carl]

Just read PauL Messenger in Stereophiles industry update:

"However there's little sign of HT taking over - only one HT component speaker package is sold for every eight or so so two- channel pairs ....... surround -sound speaker packages have fallen by much more than sales of two channel component speakers... "

I doubt HT is the future in Europe - six speakers in all those small houses and small rooms - its's not practical. Wrong way Hifi News.

Carl

 

[michaelab]

Paul Messenger is missing the point. Yes, few people will go out and by an "audiophile" 5.1 speaker package from, say, Dynaudio or B&W but they are buying the 5.1 packages that come with their TV or little Sony DVD all-in-one surround sound system and sales of these are probably not counted in PM's stats. These same people who, in the past, might have bought a 2-channel hifi system aswell for music are now using that little DVD/CD/SACD all-in-one to play their music too.

In the audiophile market 2 channel still rules of course but that market is now tiny compared to what it was. It's a miniscule niche. The magazines will either have to cut costs dramatically or diversify into areas like HT in order to maintain the circulation.

Michael.

 

[Uncle Ants]

<snip>

The magazines will either have to cut costs dramatically or diversify into areas like HT in order to maintain the circulation.

and of course risk losing their core audience who have no interest in HT. It might make more sense for them to start writing more about music (though most music stuff in hifi mags is turgid beyond words).

 

[Active Hiatus]

These same people who, in the past, might have bought a 2-channel hifi system aswell for music are now using that little DVD/CD/SACD all-in-one to play their music too.

Multimedia centres (i.e Combined TV, music, internet) are the future. For the majority quality will give way to convenience as always

 

[michaelab]

and of course risk losing their core audience who have no interest in HT

Yes, but these days there just isn't a 2-channel core audience big enough to sustain the number of hifi mags out there.

Michael.