Detlof, the analysis I am suggesting, I believe, is a reliable method of making use of audio magazines to inquire into the spiritual (intellectual) currents of an institution (in this case, a long-established audio magazine), not of the intergrity of an individual journalist, as you say, except to the extent that that journalist embodies the systematic interests and principles of the institution for which he works. Such journalists are not unknown. I think we all know a few. In an age (and a country) in which both economic and intellectual production has been so thoroughly rationalized (as in America), it is the norm that audio magazines like Stereophile and the Absolute Sound work fairly systematically in comparison to underground publications. One sign of this is the way a publisher approaches individual reviewers with specific projects and sometimes very specific plans. Readers are making a great mistake when they see reviewers as mere gatekeepers or yes/no sayers, instead of as experts in a publishing policy who are intelligent enough to follow through on this policy rather systematically by drawing up plans (with or without their editors) for their articles before writing them. The audio press reading public is also wrong (as you say in your admirable post above) to set their idealism against a publisher's materialism, instead of treating their own ideas in such a way that the publisher will be tied to them for the sake of their material interests. What if a large number of audio enthusiasts started to think otherwise about audio technology than Stereophile and the Absolute Sound? I think that these magazines would be desperate to find out how their readers' ideas have changed to reestablish their customer base and market share. As far as Salvatore's critique is concerned, it is systematic to the extent that he outlines some of the principles and policies that reviewers obey when they write and he has even drawn up a chart showing the increasing number of advertisements in Stereophile and the increasing number of components on its "Recommended Components" list. This is an important aspect of a systematic critique which would also have to make use of sociological and financial data that Salvatore does not possess in order to further lay bare publishing policies. Such a critique would probably expose the conception of the audio magazine as an organized patronage/lottery system that I mention above as a common annd erroneous conception of publishing. Who should do this critique? It would probably be a perilous and thankless task. Look at some of the inflammatory reactions to Salvatore's website (not only the responses from journalists, but also from audiogon members). Perhaps it was even wrong of me in this thread to point to the political theological dimension of Salvatore's project (his similarity to Martin Luther) since such comparisons are easily parodied to his disadvantage. I still feel it would be illuminating to call for case-by-case opinions from audiogon members about Salvatore's own "Recommended Components" and "Supreme LP Recordings" and his own sense of fair play (the dispute between him and Fremer lies in Salvatore's site's negative assessment of the Rockport turntable and the Stereophile recommendation of it as an A+ analog component of the year, to a large extent) since Salvatore cannot be approached completely only on the basis of his 'Reviewing the Reviewers' page alone. Some audiogon members have already given a few case-by-case opinions about Salvatore's other pages (one member already indicated that Salvatore's recommendation of a Parasound CD player shows his analog bias, and so on). I would like to see more case-by-case opinions of Salvatore rather than general put downs. Personally, whenever I find I disagree with Salvatore on some component or LP recording, I cannot help but feel that he should nevertheless excercise more of a decisive influence on readers (especially young readers) than some of the big audio magazines.
Reviewing the Reviewers
Check out http://www.high-endaudio.com/index_ac.html and follow go to the "Audio Critique" page, and then to "Reviewing the Reviewers" page.
This site is run by a man named Arthur Salvatore. He has written much about all aspects of audio on his site...his recommended components, his recommended recordings, his store, etc. He writes like a lawyer, but it seems like he actually has integrity...he must not be a lawyer. :-) Seriously...anyone interested in a point by point analysis of modern audio reviews should check out this site. He's analyzed many reviews and developed his own list of "rules" that most reviews tend to follow (and he's dead-on)...usually because the writer doesn't want to say anything negative about any particular sponsor's (or buddy's) product.
He received an angry letter from Michael Fremer. The letter and his analysis are included on the site. It makes for a long read, but it can be fascinating. Besides...it's information than every audio joe (or jane) should be aware of when they read any review...especially when they're planning on pruchasing a product highlighted by a particular review.
If you want to see textbook examples of his "rules" put into practice, just check out any Soundstage review written by Marc Mickelson.
Enjoy...
This site is run by a man named Arthur Salvatore. He has written much about all aspects of audio on his site...his recommended components, his recommended recordings, his store, etc. He writes like a lawyer, but it seems like he actually has integrity...he must not be a lawyer. :-) Seriously...anyone interested in a point by point analysis of modern audio reviews should check out this site. He's analyzed many reviews and developed his own list of "rules" that most reviews tend to follow (and he's dead-on)...usually because the writer doesn't want to say anything negative about any particular sponsor's (or buddy's) product.
He received an angry letter from Michael Fremer. The letter and his analysis are included on the site. It makes for a long read, but it can be fascinating. Besides...it's information than every audio joe (or jane) should be aware of when they read any review...especially when they're planning on pruchasing a product highlighted by a particular review.
If you want to see textbook examples of his "rules" put into practice, just check out any Soundstage review written by Marc Mickelson.
Enjoy...
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- 52 posts total
- 52 posts total