Stephen Meijas vs Grumpy Old Audiophiles

Naptown Rob said:
I do wish Stereophile would review exponentially more gear that retails at real world price points. How many of us are really going to buy $14,000 phono stages or $60,000 amps?
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But they are STEREOPHILE, not Stereo Review, Sound and Vision, Home Theater, Consumer Reports, etc.
They cater to the high-end, which brings the high prices.
High prices that are being paid, despite all the letters to the editor that state otherwise.

Wanna' see some high prices? Pick up a copy of Watch Time, or check out their database of 24,000 watches, many of which cost more than $4K (and MANY that go for more than $20K).

I wonder how many letters they get complaining that they review watches that are too expensive...
 
I enjoyed the article. There are so many self-aggrandizing and self-proclaimed audiophile experts out there that I didn't mind seeing one of them put in their place. There is more than one route to audio nirvana and I suspect each person's is a bit different and frankly that's just fine with me.

It's also nice to see someone reviewing $400 speakers and $150 headphones in the same issue as a $42,000 preamp. High fidelity needn't be exclusionary. I've got thousands in my main system(s) but as I type this I am listening to 192kb Stones on my Mac through my Peachtree Decco and an old pair of Snell Type Js. Whatever floats your boat. I don't see how putting down someone else's personal preferences is beneficial to either party.
 
CarnahanBB said:
...There is more than one route to audio nirvana and I suspect each person's is a bit different and frankly that's just fine with me....High fidelity needn't be exclusionary.....
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Indeed.

CarnahanBB said:
...as I type this I am listening to 192kb Stones on my Mac through my Peachtree Decco and an old pair of Snell Type Js. Whatever floats your boat. I don't see how putting down someone else's personal preferences is beneficial to either party.
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I keep window shopping for a simpler bedroom system. The Peachtree looks like a.... peach, to me.
 
thedelihaus said:
Indeed.



I keep window shopping for a simpler bedroom system. The Peachtree looks like a.... peach, to me.
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What can I say, I really like the Peachtree. It's a Decco 2 and works wonders with my Mac and the Snells in a small/medium size room. It's simple, stylish and just sounds good. Some guys might say, 'hey separates are better' and given the right equipment they would be right but there is something to be said for simplicity and easy of use. I appreciate not having to have a separate amp, preamp and dac (not to mention all the cables) cluttering up my computer desk. I got this Decco from an AK member used for a song and I couldn't be happier!

I hope I didn't derail this thread! Back to Stereophile!
 
I like SM and Sam Tellig. Both have a sense of humor about what they do. Reminds me a little bit of Car and Driver after David E. Davis took over years ago.
 
Tim64 said:
In some of Stephens articles he refers to two friends Natalie and Nicole quite a bit. I've always wondered if they are real people, anyone know for sure?
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Who cares. Those references are always distracting and come off as very phony. I think Mejias tries too hard with his writing style, like the awkward kid who shows up at the party in hip clothes, snapping his fingers and saying 'how *you* doin'' to all the ladies.

Frankly I don't think Mejias' posts actually appeal to young people, I think they appeal to older audiophiles who think that's what would appeal to young people.

He is particularly awful at getting to the point of the review - he just wastes word count with a lot of loose filler that really add nothing to the piece. He is also terrible at actually describing the product's performance. Given that he is covering more 'affordable' products, you'd think there would be greater effort spent on that. It's almost like he's more concerned about the 'context' of how the item would be used (at a party with Natalie and the gang! Chillaxin' in the A.P.T?) than the item's value in the greater audio world. I just end up skipping his reviews and look to see if John has done any measurements on the item. I'm surprised his articles don't end with a fist bump and called sterebrophile.

Actually maybe that's what his columns really need.
 
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wushuliu said:
Who cares. Those references are always distracting and come off as very phony. I think Mejias tries too hard with his writing style, like the awkward kid who shows up at the party in hip clothes, snapping his fingers and saying 'how *you* doin'' to all the ladies.

Frankly I don't think Mejias' posts actually appeal to young people, I think they appeal to older audiophiles who think that's what would appeal to young people.

He is particularly awful at getting to the point of the review - he just wastes word count with a lot of loose filler that really add nothing to the piece. He is also terrible at actually describing the product's performance. Given that he is covering more 'affordable' products, you'd think there would be greater effort spent on that. It's almost like he's more concerned about the 'context' of how the item would be used (at a party with Natalie and the gang! Chillaxin' in the A.P.T?) than the item's value in the greater audio world. I just end up skipping his reviews and look to see if John has done any measurements on the item.
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Its as if you went into my head and read every thought I have had about Mejias.

I think he's a terrible writer. And now, I don't want anybody more serious I want somebody who is witty and intelligent, somebody who doesn't make me cringe at what a loser he's painting of the younger audiophile. The eternal dork. I can't stand his column and its one reason I let my subscription lapse, and I'm probably closer to the type of person they're attempting to attract with Mejias' writing than the people who already subscribe. Art Dudley is more interesting to me as at least a youthfully-minded audiophile, if not altogether that young anymore. Why? Because I think he's an interesting guy who can write.

I HATE when a publication is pandering to me. And Mejias is a symptom of an out of touch rag pandering to what they think the young people want to hear. Again, I don't want serious and I'm happy for a more lighthearted approach. But it should actually be contemporary and funny. Not desperate and pandering.
 
Art K. said:
I have enjoyed Stephen's "The Entry Level" until this month when I feel that he spent too much time and effort on the defensive. Instead of reacting to the naysayers I would have like to see him continue as is. I was disappointed that he stooped to their level (IMO). I do enjoy the fun he and Roy Hall appear to be having (usually at Stephen's expense) and I will continue to read his piece each month.:thmbsp:
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so long as it is a one-month long crusade, I'm good with it. SM has added a lot of youthful zip to those pages, IMHO.
 
n

I would love to know what actual younger(say sub 35 year old, even, to stretch the genre) feel about Stephen's approach, and style. I see the point about verbosity,but, as one reads his pieces they DO flow in a certain way. Yes, he goes light on the nuts and bolts "audiophile" descriptives, he is clearly about ENJOYING THE MUSIC, and might well be more typical of the populace as a whole. Remember, those bean counters in the finance dept at Stereophile want more readers, not just a different demographic. Thus, there may be a bit of wisdom that went into choosing him to write for them. On the other hand, Stephen M might just be some advisory board member's kid nephew........
 
JohnVF said:
Art Dudley is more interesting to me as at least a youthfully-minded audiophile, if not altogether that young anymore. Why? Because I think he's an interesting guy who can write.
.
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Yep. Some of the other staff may be older, but their individual passion for the hobby still comes through.

Mejias needs to find a better way to channel whatever his relationship to the hobby may be.

If his stuff qualifies as 'fun' and 'zip' then Stereophile has a ways to go before making any inroads with the younger generation.
 
When I think of young audiophiles I think of sites like head-fi, Audioholics, or even diyaudio or even PartsExpress Techtalk (sort of). NONE of those folks care for Stereophile. Most of their favorite gear is internet direct-based and spread via word of mouth until maybe a rag picks up on it (Schiit Audio, Oppo, etc).

I think we're almost to the point where something new will show up that will cater to that crowd and similar. It just won't be as ad-revenue based since most of those companies just don't have the budget for it. Which is a good thing.
 
wushuliu said:
Yep. Some of the other staff may be older, but their individual passion for the hobby still comes through.

Mejias needs to find a better way to channel whatever his relationship to the hobby may be.

If his stuff qualifies as 'fun' and 'zip' then Stereophile has a ways to go before making any inroads with the younger generation.
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That's just it. His humor reminds me of that Simpsons episode where the creators of the kids show (Itchy and Scratchy) bring in a new character called Poochie to make the show hip again. And it's the lamest, adults trying to pander to kids thing you ever saw. Even me making a Simpsons reference is lame to kids. But he's Poochie. It's so lame.

I like the UK magazines. The two big US ones are so bland. There's no point of view. If they didn't have covers you couldn't tell them apart.
 
I enjoy Steven's writing because is breathes life into a somewhat sterile magazine. Dudley's space is also great because it brings a human aspect to a very judgmental hobby and plays against the technical dribble that all of the charts, plots and technical crap that no one understands. Come on...treble decay readings...knock on the cabinet? whose there?

SV and AD get it. At some point, you have to get into the mainstream and find a niche despite a large listener base. Look at Sound and Vision. Latest issue under 72 pages , reformatted again, and do I really care what bobba bouy has to say? nope
 
Frank Sol said:
SM appeals to Metrosexual geeks...
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Anecdotal: My son (around 30yo) reads my issues of Stereophile when I'm finished. When SM began writing about his escapades with his two girlfriends my son commented one day, "He is just one of the girls" - However , I'm sure my son isnt the only one who thought that :scratch2:
 
wushuliu said:
Who cares. Those references are always distracting and come off as very phony. I think Mejias tries too hard with his writing style, like the awkward kid who shows up at the party in hip clothes, snapping his fingers and saying 'how *you* doin'' to all the ladies.
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I'm interested in the kind of stuff he reviews but I just wish he didn't keep constantly referring to his two female friends in the column, they are irrelevant and it makes him sound a bit tragic.
 
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