The best hifi magazine?

I want info/opinion ... sub to SPhile and TAS, check out web sites, but mostly love reading about stuff ... don't need "ultimate" or "final" authority thoughts from reviewers, but do want to read their thoughts ... and MOST CERTAINLY hate the vitriolic meanderings of "loyal" readers who wish to cancel subscriptions ... etc ... barf, we're sliding toward a flat-lined existence. I FIND SOMETHING IN THE SEVERAL MAGS/SITES I READ ... IN ALL OF THEM. Terry Cain once told me not to waste a lot of dollars on cabling for his speakers and tube amp ... he was right, yet several cable sites worked hard to sell me what he KNEW ... I'd never need .... he was right, as it turned out.

I'm about to give up on audio ... though most of us who care would be very happy in Asia, both E and W Europe ...

A few thoughts on the subject of measurements in magazines. I wholeheartedly agree with Raquel measurements are more than just nice-to-have, sometimes even essential for judging whether the intended pairing of different gear looks promising or forbidden from the start. Yet we have probably all heard brilliant gear or combinations that looked impossible on paper. So, in the end we need to keep in mind measurements, no matter how extensive, don't tell the whole truth.

Take the example of two of the three most popular German magazines: Stereoplay and Audio. They are actually from the same publisher although they appear to have independent test facilities. Both run comparative tests and publish extensive measurement results. Sadly, the range of brands tested is very predictable and so are the winners. Whereas I find Stereoplay very good, nevertheless (I have actually been reading this mag for over 25 years), I've grown very sceptical of Audio recently, who, based also on their oh so objective measurements have become the new forum for the Nay-sayers. Not an issue without readers' letters congratulating them for "having the courage to uncover the voodoo nonsense about..." (you fill it in: cables, clean current, etc.)

Btw, to answer Audioangel's question, did I write to Audio with a dissenting opinion? Yes, I did. Did they bother to publish that? C'mon...

There is a matter of striking a balance such as can be found in the German magazines LP, Hifi & Records (another very good one I should have mentioned in my first post in respect of digital sources, since LP will not publish anything on those), and also Stereo. Then again, should I have to choose between measurements or the particular style of HiFi+, the only magazine I know that can convey a lively sense of what it is you will actually be hearing - the very reason why I put them in first place - I'll take the latter.

Your ears. They never lie. Your brain, which is loaded with propensities and reactions to the joy of music. Nothing else matters around opinion other than experience.

HiFi+ is a good read. I enjoy it because it is literate, an enjoyable read. I have some quibbles, it seems to favour some products, good ones that don't get a look in elsewhere, but it seems unbalanced in that respect. In particular, Karan, ARC, Conrad Johnson, Nordost, Tom Evans and Vertex. Now these are good companies with excellent, good value kit(perhaps excepting Nordost), but the imbalance, effects my view of it's impartiality. There is also a hint of papal infallability about the editors opinions, no criticism allowed. I also agree he does too much of the reviewing himself and most of the really high end kit.

For the American magazines, I still think TAS is the best, and am surprised to see it getting bashed so hard here. I think they are far better than Stereophile, though I do like Art Dudley. My approach to the magazines was to read as much as I could, trying to determine the individual reviewers sonic tastes, as Robert Harley suggests in his book. I did this for over a year before I actually bought anything, and found all of the reviews helpful. It was easier for me to determine the TAS reviewer's individual tastes more quickly than the Stereophile ones - Stereophile tends to be a little more into the technical than the musical side of things, and I preferred the TAS approach of being more descriptive of the sound. It is very helpful to read reviews written by people who have opposite tastes to yours, as well, as you may like something they don't. I also have emailed the TAS staff before with questions and got very quick, informative responses. Ultimately, I let my own ears be my guide, but I will say that I ended up, with one major exception, with a system that consists almost entirely of products that TAS gave their highest ratings to. I do enjoy HiFi+, however they mostly review stuff not available over here, so they are not of as much practical value for someone assembling a new system.