Anyone remember AudioMart?
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soundmotor
super modified
You bet!
I was a subscriber from ~88 - mid 90's.
It both fed & supported my audio hobby.
I was a subscriber from ~88 - mid 90's.
It both fed & supported my audio hobby.
soundmotor
super modified
As much in common w/ Audiomart as Stereophile's Audio Mart was.
Audiomart was a monthly buying/selling/trading 'zine that you got a subscription for by being recommended.
It was run with an iron hand by Walt Bender who's collection of vintage audio gear (Western Electric, ERPI, and so on) was likely without peer in the US.
Ooops. I should have got a clue from the word "subscriber". First day on the job, you know... :stupid:
soundmotor
super modified
I'll have to dig up the couple issues I saved. I had a sub for a long time and don't remember any columns in it when I was a subscriber, just ads. Once in awhile a chastisement from Walt to the subscribers about not being able to read their faxed in ads but that was about it. Walt may have added columns after the internet started squeezing to keep subscribers though. Same on the recommendations too. It took me a awhile to find someone I knew who subscribed to get me "in". After I had it, I then noticed all the people I knew who never talked about it. The reason why is you truly had access to stuff nationally that no one else did. Prices were from great to stratospheric but there were things you'd never see anywhere else.
On the week Audiomart was supposed to mail, I'd hold on lunch & wait until my mail was delivered just to be able to get it & persue ASAP. Then I'd fast scan and place any calls to be first on something I wanted. As I usually sold too, when I'd get home at night there would sometimes be as many as 30-40 messages awaiting or the answering machine cassette completely full. If it was a hot item, it was usually sold on the first call too. Audiomart absolutely quieted my wife on the topic of me having too much audio crap around as she saw the dollars coming in. She also saw the dollars going out but that didn't bother her as she began to understand the upgrade nature of the hobby. Sometimes the dollars going out shock me in retrospect. I am actually surprised she kept silent.
I'd also swear that if Walt liked you, once in awhile you'd get your issue a day ahead of others. A few times I faxed in my ad and there would be some odd duck piece of Western Electric gear. I'd get a call back immediately from Walt and he'd pay whatever my price was. I noticed after those events that it seemed like I had my issue of Audiomart before my peers too. I am sure I wasn't the only one that had that happen but it could have just been coincidence too.
Audiomart was a heap of fun while it lasted.
Hmm... maybe I subscribed to something else. The thing I got usually had a colored paper outer cover and the whole thing was either xeroxed or dot matrix printed, and my memory is that there was column called Yankee Audio (until some company with the same name sued them) by Peter Mitchell(?). Good selection of ads and interesting info. But maybe not audiomart.
See my thread about Walt and Audiomart here:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=187470&highlight=bender
RIP Walt Bender.
Bart
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=187470&highlight=bender
RIP Walt Bender.
Bart
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