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Stereophile subscription

homebrew

homebrew

Super Member
Going to let mine lapse. Been a subscriber on and off for many years but it's time to let it go. Can't get behind reviews for $150,000+ speaker systems, $50, 000 turntables, and $1500 phono cartridges. Virtually nothing in the mag for us of more pedestrian means. Further indication of the decline and eventual demise of print publications, (although I still have my Wine and Whisky Spectator subscriptions.)
 
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I used to subscribe regularly but let it lapse a few years back. I like to be informed as to what is out there to strive for, if never too meet. Stereophile helped me decide what direction to go a few times. Reviews of top tier gear allows decisions on entry level gear from same MFG.

My biggest problem with Reviews (Reviewers) and Shows is that they rarely listen to music I listen to so it is hard to get a feel for the gear. Too many Mega Bucks systems are demo'd with a single instrument, or just a vocalist so you get no idea how it does with complex and multi layered music.
 
Hyfi said:
I used to subscribe regularly but let it lapse a few years back. I like to be informed as to what is out there to strive for, if never too meet. Stereophile helped me decide what direction to go a few times. Reviews of top tier gear allows decisions on entry level gear from same MFG.

My biggest problem with Reviews (Reviewers) and Shows is that they rarely listen to music I listen to so it is hard to get a feel for the gear. Too many Mega Bucks systems are demo'd with a single instrument, or just a vocalist so you get no idea how it does with complex and multi layered music.
Click to expand...

I feel I was in a very similar boat to you, and your take on the topic.

I've been to a couple audio shows in the past, and while there was eye candy, like you say most was not "ear candy". I used to have way more fun, and learned much more in all the Audio Stores in the 70's,

One shortcoming, was certain interests of not so much hearing a "system" they assembled, but a specific component within a system. A CD Player, or a pair of Speakers.

I once wanted to really "hear" a pair of Repro JBL Hartsfield Speakers, and the two gents would not raise the volume over Doctor's Office Levels because of the two little old grandmas in the room eating all the free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Palmer House Hotel-Chicago) Didn't want to ruffle any feathers.

At $14K or so a pair at the time, heck, I'd like to hear them!? They might as well been a Bose Wave Radio from what I heard. J&rkoffs that bring this sort of gear, and then won't play it.

At least with Stereophile, "one" component gets reviewed, and that was what held my attention to the magazine for probably 20 years. And yeah, I usually read through everything, test specs, comments on build quality, sonics.
 
Just to agree on a couple of good points made, I find the music played at hi-fi shows to be extremely annoying in many (although not all) cases as it is very limited in what can be ascertained, frequency wise especially. Some folks seem to think the female voice, for example, is how to evaluate a system...not for me at all..I cant stand the precious female voice pap they play...also slow boring orchestral music or super antiquated white bread jazz on some audiophile label...can't stand this stuff and cant tell anything about a system from it.

Just to stay on topic, that has always been a problem with Stereophile...they too often use endless classical music chestnuts and very corny, very pasteurized music to review equipment. I have 12,000 LPs in every possible genre, even classical, but they just manage to most often pick music I have no interest in which is hard to do with me. The problem then is there is no way to reference the reviews to my audio goals. Not to sound like a Luddite, but when was the last time you heard a Stereophile reviewer use Zep 1 or 2 in their review...or for that matter a Francis Bebey African record or perhaps King Crimson or something new like Waaju. There may be exceptions I admit, but the preponderance of music used in the reviews is not too relevant to my taste. Again, not in all cases, but in too many.

I let my subs to Stereophile and the Absolute Sound lapse a few years ago and have hardly noticed...I don't think they are really relevant to me anymore as an audiophile.
 
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I like the music review section in the back. But I shake my head at the $150K amps and $100K speakers. It's just ridiculous. I'll probably let it lapse next time around.
 
I still subscribe to Stereophile and The Absolute Sound.
I try to get a discount when I renew, I have used the insert cards a few times which are cheaper than their renewal offers (The Absolute Sound). If a multi year offer is a good deal I'll do that.
Seems like now days I'm reading less of most issues, mostly because I have no interest in streamers, DAC's, or headphone amps.
If I had to pick only one of those to subscribe to, it might be Stereophile. I enjoy their lab tests in addition to the reviewers' listening opinions.
The Absolute Sound seems to be more about beautiful verbiage than measurements. While numbers aren't everything, and some seem to be suggestions (speaker power ratings for example) I just feel TAS somehow delivers less meat than Stereophile.
 
I'm retired - had some time today to do some data mining.

I took the Stereophile 2021 October issue for their Recommended Components and did a cost breakdown analysis.

Here are the results

Table 1 is the total count of components by cost bracket (I made these up)
StPhile-2021-Cost-Counts.JPG


Table 2 is percentages of the counts by cost bracket
StPhile-2021-Cost-Percentage.JPG

Just for grins I did a count and percentage breakout for 2 cost brackets; 0-$5k, $5K and up.
StPhile-2021-Both-5k-and-Up.JPG

While there are some biases for higher priced components, I don't think Stereophile is guilty of only doing exotic priced gear.
 
Erik Tracy said:
I'm retired - had some time today to do some data mining.

I took the Stereophile 2021 October issue for their Recommended Components and did a cost breakdown analysis.

Here are the results

Table 1 is the total count of components by cost bracket (I made these up)
View attachment 2427731


Table 2 is percentages of the counts by cost bracket
View attachment 2427725

Just for grins I did a count and percentage breakout for 2 cost brackets; 0-$5k, $5K and up.
View attachment 2427728

While there are some biases for higher priced components, I don't think Stereophile is guilty of only doing exotic priced gear.
Click to expand...

Cheers for doing that. I didn't think the amp/preamp selection would be so biased to big bucks. The integrated amps seem pretty well distributed amoungst most price brackets.

I haven't read Stereophile for 15 years. Reading magazines just feeds my discontent.
 
A different problem here. I love to read about gear, even stuff I can't afford.
I subscribed to Stereophile back on Oct. 12 through their official website.
I've been going back and forth with them for several weeks trying to cut through the BS and actually receive my first issue.
What a hassle.
 
I stopped subscribing to my audio magazines years ago when they were still in print versions. My main reason was that the reviews sounded more a description of a gourmet meal or a fine wine. They used words to describe sound that I could not relate to.
 
Like some others have said in many threads I have read, I wish their reviews would slant more toward moderately priced gear. Of course, my definition of moderately priced may be different than others'. I miss Robert Reina's (RIP) comparisons of products, especially in the lower priced bracket. I used to read a lot of car magazines, and while they reviewed plenty of exotic cars, they also did lots of reviews and comparison reviews of cars that people with normal incomes can afford. Audio magazines are limited by their inability to buy the products they review. They have to review the products the manufacturers want reviewed. Also, I suspect many reviewers just want to experience the best. I notice one of the Absolute Sound reviewers never reviews an amp that retails for less than the price of a new car. Or, at least, it sure seems like it. I guess some, maybe most, reviewers don't need the income from the magazine and just refuse to review lower priced items.

I have kept my Stereophile Kindle subscription and dropped the Absolute Sound subscription. Ultimately, I became bored reading about $50k amplifiers. What's the point? At that price they're all great. I want to know the differences in $2k amplifiers.
 
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