Stereophile, no more bench tests????!!!!
Looks like Stereophile may be cutting back on expenses, no more bench testing for measurements and specs to keep the manufacturers and reviewers honest, it'll make you think twice on what to believe now, without the proof to back it up.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no534-power-amplifier
https://www.stereophile.com/content/music-round-91-parasound-halo-52
Cheers George
@jmcgrogan2 I read the digital version of Stereophile on Zinio. Many magazines has a digital version that cost much less than the print version. I think it's in all our benefit if theese kind of magazines survives and can afford to pay reviewers to spend weeks or months listening to equipment and report their findings. |
@almarg great summary of the usefulness of measurements! I decided a Long time Ago that I would choose stereo items based on how they sound, or based on other people's descriptions of the sound, not in measurements. Unfortunately I haven't been able to afford many upgrades but the ones I have made has made me happy. |
You get so many (well meaning) here, recommending x amp for someone with x speakers. Without knowing if that amp can drive the impedance/-phase of that speaker. This is where it’s very good to be able to see and understand the measurements and the graphs of all equipment before any (crossed finger’d) recommendations are made to anyone. Because if you do your just ******* against the wind. http://chakranutmusings.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/8/7/11875364/pissing-in-the-wind-image_orig.jpg Cheers George |
I think readers should also take into account the hobby of RTA is a hobby all on it's own. Whether it plays a big part in the hobby of listening to a soundstage or not sometimes is irrelevant. Keep in mind that a lot of guys who are in the RTA hobby challenge if soundstages are even real. Your not going to run out of RTA type forums and on-line presence just because Stereophile makes a publication decision. The more discrete HEA shrinks (finding it's new identity), the more you are going to see parts of HEA go back to their original clans. Hopefully Stereophile can ease it's way back into the mainstream. For me, it's fun to watch it all happen in "real time". Michael Green www.michaelgreenaudio.net |
I agree that The Absolute Sound is a much better publication. As an editor I can see that Stereophile suffers from poor layout and indexing of information. This is a sign of a failing publication. It lives for the adds. Anyway any buyer should consult multiple sources before purchasing a major product. Buyer reviews are very helpful. I wish Audiogon had more of them. I plan to post several this week. |
