[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally posted by elnero You guys should check out a Canadian Hi-Fi Magazine called UHF or Ultra High Fidelity. They have three reference systems and do reviews in comparison to those. They also tend do reviews of amps one month, speakers another, etc... Giving comparisons to all under review as well as to the reference system. The listening is done as a panel of, if I remember correctly, four people. At the end each gives a brief summary of their feelings on the product. They also have some very informative articles and a kind of help desk as well. Check out their website Link Edit: And they sell neat stuff as well as some recordings on the website.

The problem is all those people there are like 85 years old and I'm not sure if I could assume what they hear is what I might hear, but then, that's the same with everything. Four different people, four different ways of hearing and preferences. That would be not much different from here.

It bothers me that Stereophile does not bother with follow-ups when something is about to "expire" and get dropped from the list. Why not ask the manufacturer for a loaner so they can determine if the product still ranks in it's specified class?

The RS-1 is probably the best dynamic headphone and it just gets dropped because nobody has listened to it for a while?

That's just plain stupid.

Same thing with the Sumiko Blue Point. It got upgraded with a new body several years ago and they just left the "old" rating there until it expired. The Mark II version was much better sounding.

If you can still buy these products and they can still compete with the others listed, then they should still be there.

Otherwise what is the point in a "Recommended Components" list anyway?

 

[grinch]

the rs-1 was on the last recommended list under the class that they "just hadn't reviewed it in a while" but it used to be class a.

markl: i'd sign your petition.

they did just do a review of the blockhead/hd-600 though.. so i really doubt they'll devout much time to it.

i'd love to see a stereophile review of the stax line, or something similar. probably a head-to-head with the hd600 and rs-1.

you never know, maybe (at the least) we could get them to do a portable article. they could review the ipod, ety 4p/s, and the headroom line of amps, that is until Team DIYHeadFI, Inc. gets started up and a commercial line of meta42s is around for stereophile.

 

[taipeileviathan]

heh, if those guys' ears are really that good, most portable rigs will probably sound like needles in their ears i'd imagine...

i do kinda agree with jopi in that it's reading pleasure. it's almost the same reason why i keep browsing these forums. i'm saving up for an amp, a portable source, and ety4ps (shopping list to be completed by the end of this academic year), and after those it'll be a few years before i'll spend the money to buy anything else (i'm not planning on shopping for any clothes this year, so i'd imagine my wardrobe/shoes will need a big boost next year). but i still love reading about w2002's and line conditioners and $150/m cables and stuff... it's pretty cool! hehe... i guess i'm a geek like that...

but i do definitely agree tho, that there is HUGE market niche for the suggestions u guys are talking about, but it's not a niche that stereophile is in the position to take on. someone has to do articles on gazillion dollar components (albeit less than someone should do comparison articles on bang for buck items), and stereophile has made it their mission to fill that niche, and to an extent i find it kinda respectable if not at least understandable.

i think the head-fier who reads this, decides to found an audio mag for budget audiophiles, and becomes a millionaire should treat me to dinner someday.

just my $0.02...

altho i must add, they should definitely review more hp stuff, cuz i'm sure orpheus systems and top-of-the-line stax stuff definitely deserves at least a listen... so i guess markl, count me in too!

 

[bifcake]

You know, if you think about it, a headphone system is by definition the best bang for the buck. You'd be hard pressed to find the fidelity of HD-600 in a speaker system costing less than $10k. You may find speakers that sound comparable for less, but they'll lack bass or they'll have exaggerated highs, or something else that will make them lesser sounding. The same holds true for other top notch headphone components. Even the Orpheus is a bargain at $14k. Try to find a pair of speakers, an amplifier and a D/A converter combo that will sound as good as the Orpheus for that kind of money! The only speakers that I've heard that sound as good as the Orpheus are Revel Salons at $18k (w/o amp) and JM Lab Utopias $30k. Add to that an a good amp like a Krell or Mark Levinson, and now you've added another $10k at the least.

Perhaps there is a separate magazine in all this dealing with headphones and budget components that are close in sound quality to the stratospherically priced components listed in Stereophile.

PS. Many of the stratospherically priced components sound like absolute crap!

 

[taipeileviathan]

revel salons and jm labs utopias... *drool*...

 

[jfalford]

Over many years of owning various good but not overly expensive pieces of equipment some of those have made it into the vaunted and rarified air of recommended components. I found that even when they were dropped from the list for any reason that they continued to sound the same and that my enjoyment of them did not depend on anyone else's assessment. Happy listening.

 

[duetta]

Quote:

Originally posted by jopi I really like Stereophile and I don't think they should review too much of the lower end stuff. For me it's reading pleasure and I'm not looking at the reviews for making a purchasing decision. I find it much more entertaining to read a review about a $29,000 phono preamp than a review about a $1,000 preamp although the $1,000 is the league I'm playing in. It's the same as with the sport car nuts: You like to read about the Ferraris, Lambourghinis etc. even if you know you can never afford one. If you'd like to find out about the gear you and I can afford, go on the web!

Actually, I was thinking the opposite just the other day. At some point that magazine is going to become completely useless, since the price point of the gear they are reviewing (with the exception of someone like Sam Tellig) is completely beyond the reach of any sane audiophile. Even I had the money to burn, I'd never burn it on a $15,000 amplifier or preamp, or anything in that price range -- especially when there is excellent gear in the $3,000-$4,000 range (which can be later purchased pre-owned for 50% of list, if not cheaper). I'm personally thinking that I'll not re-subscribe to the magazine once my current deal expires, since it's simply not relevant to my love of high-end audio. With companies like Musical Fidelity, Sonic Frontier, and even CJ putting out excellent gear in the $1,500-$5,000 range, why should I even care that spending $10,000 more for a unit may get me 2% closer to some audiophile ideal -- especially when there is no guarantee of a flagship model in a line being even vaguely representative of what another unit at a different price point will sound like.

 

[huy_ha]

While I will probably never be able to buy most of the stuff reviewed in Stereophile, I have learned a lot from them about the technology that goes into audio, i.e. what parts, pairings, etc. to look for when looking at audio equipment even at my price range. I read Stereophile also for the luxury factor, the same reason I would shell out 25 bucks to attend their show, or stop and look at vintage automatic watches, etc.

The recommended list should be looked at a rough consensus of a small group of ears. The Grado SR-125, for example, is lauded by one reviewer (BJR) as the best bang for the buck and "amazingly comfortable" while the SR-60 is noted as "Uncomfortable". The list is a measuring stick. You don't have to use it.

 

[bkelly]

Mark,

What is happening with leaning on Sterophille to do new comparative tests? IIm in if you need help.





Best
Brian

 

[markl]

As pennance for my sins, I've started a new thread (which will hopefully be moved to the "Member's Lounge"). I will gladly make myself useful in this matter and help co-ordinate our efforts to rectify this situation with Stereophile. Please see my thread here:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...903#post192903

Mark