The new look hifi+

Well, you are outnumbered by about 75:1 on that. I've had nothing but praise for the disc and especially the recording.

Remember, this isn't a sampler designed to sell you into a record label, this is a series of recordings made by Gabi van der Kley of Crystal Cables (and her husband Edwin van der Kley of Siltech). The recordings were designed to help design the Arabesque loudspeaker.

Plus it's free!

 

Its been a few years since I bought HiFiPlush, I think I might have another crack after seeing this thread.

 

'The Padstow Lighthouse' by Malcolm Arnold is especially fine. Samplers are great ways of discovering stuff you wouldn't normally hear. Gets you out of a musical rut.

 

a cd with music chosen with the effort geared solely toward the ear of the listener, one that could be enjoyed on any level, that would be commendable, and perhaps worthy of brownie points, but a cd that's been chosen specifically to test/promote 'a' certain speaker design then chucked out with a mag as a freebie, well... you can't expect much bliss there, and no big deal, though it may after a few circles find use in keeping the bird's of the veg patch .

 

Now that is something I would be prepared to pay for - I'd even write it for Alan if he wanted

 

Many 'kit' manufacturers build their amplifiers/cd players/turntables/dacs for you if required, therefore giving people the finished article rather than a kit build.

Obviously, these products often provide a sound per pound that shop-bought kit cannot hope to emulate.

Despite this I've never seen such produts reviewed in hifi choice, hifi plus or streophile.

Hopefully Alan will address that as editor, it would be nice to see SOME of the following reaching the pages -

World Audio (no link to Hifi World anymore so why not?)
DIY Hifi supply products
Glasshouse products (www.hificollective)
Audionote kits (available from the above)
Twisted Pear Audio products

...and many more.

 

Bottleneck

I agree with the kit build items and Ideally I'd like to hear the thoughts of a reviewer comparing them with some commercial products too.

I'd also like to see some of the higher end vintage products given a fair airing. I know things progress but the endless earth shattering 'redefining of possibilities' with every new product just rings a bit hollow to me. Items such as Micro Seiki turntables, the Pioneer P3a and C3r pre-amps for example. Sure, it won' sell adverts and they are nigh on impossible to find, but it would make a really interesting feature.

Readers' systems are always interesting IMO too. As are the 'meet the dealer' and 'build me a system for 1/2/3/4/5 grand'

I'd like to see a magazine with proper TT comparrison facilities, dual input phono stage, the same cart and deck used to compare 2 arms, the same deck and arms used to compare 2 carts etc.

Finally, please oh please start reviewing some 'popular' music that isn't more than 20 years old. Ideally on musical merit not fucking sound quality, that said the best recorded Album I;ve heard in the last couple of years was Elbow and it's a cracking album too. No more Genesis retrospectives please (there's only been one but that was enough).

Oh and I want the moon on a stick too, and all for around 2.50 so I can get a drink on the way home as well.

 

Roy is by far the worst writer I have ever read, and that includes Dan Brown. Having said that, Dan Brown writes ludicrous and implausible fiction, whereas Roy's famous Nordost reviews could always be relied upon to be totally impartial and trustworthy.

 

Scott - 100% agree with you.

Come on Alan.. make it so!

 

I like the look of the cover, the content is good and the font is better. I also like any free CDs

However, you NEED Simon Marsh to do the photography again. All the photos are quite poor by the usual Hi-Fi + standard. Where are the lovely full page close up crops, interesting angels, and good lighting? The photography really made Hi-Fi + and now it is just average.

 

AH Mr Devil.
Some of Roys Speaker and T/T REVIEWS ARE quite out of this world so to speak as for Nordost i have only one of their cables a phono purchased on Roys advice.He may have just came back from the US but he will still be a Vinyl man right down to his last Cartridge Noel W.

 

Up in heaven, where they live.

 

Ahhh shuuup

 

loving No 14 Feng Zi Cun: Jolly meeting ! great free CD

 

I have to admit I don't like the new look at all. Hifi+ used to look different and classy, it now looks ordinary. I really miss the big, wonderful photos. I now have difficulty seperating content from advertisement: they used to look quite different, but less so in the new style. I don't really think Hifi+ needed a change. It was the best looking hifi mag in my opinion, but has now lost that advantage. I don't think change is necessary from time to time, as Alan says in the editorial. If something is fine, why change it?

I also don't agree it is easier to read. I especially dislike the columns with different width. One is too wide, the other too narrow. Even the paper feels thinner and cheaper.

Content-wise no complaints, btw. Less mention of the 'N' word is fine with me!

Maarten

 

A lot of people like the new look. A lot are ambivalent and a lot dislike the new look. That's what happens when you redesign a magazine.

As to the photography, that's what happens when you redesign a magazine in the midst of a deep recession. It's unfortunate - especially as Simon Marsh was so good at his job - but inevitable. My hope is that people want to read the contents as much as they wanted to look at the pretty pictures.

 

Content is allright. Lets see what comes up in the next few issues..
Visually its another matter. Very disappointing! The magazine now looks like everything else.
I really liked the full page - pictures and I very much preferred the smaller size. Im not happy about the changes..

 

> My hope is that people want to read the contents as much
> as they wanted to look at the pretty pictures.

Well, we males are well known for preferring content over nice pictures, of course...

But seriously, I think you cannot completely separate the two. Hifi journalism is as much about entertainment as it is about information, and nice pictures are part of that. After all, we would like the equipment to look good in our living rooms too, wouldn't we? Certainly at the cost of the stuff that Hifi+ usually reviews.

I know I should just read Hifi+ for the information content, but if I'm honest, I'm simply enjoying it more when there are nice photos too. If I want to read factual information, I think HifiCritic is better at that. In the end each magazine has it's own niche, and you could just have vacated yours.

Maarten

 

Photography and design will improve as we get used to the new format and get feedback on the design. The size will remain - it's already proving a success on newsstand.

However, this must be tempered against the sheer costs involved in making a magazine today. I am more than aware of what happened to Audiophile; its production values were higher than all other magazines at the time and it was one of the first casualties of the last recession because it went from being a flagship to desperately uneconomic in a matter of months.

 

I dont mind the changes as my sub is just about due and it costs a lot down here postage being the killer but i will go another year must have something to read in bed at night to old for anything else ah but my mate Roy will put me in slumber land with a speaker review par excellence Noel W.