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Wrong direction?

The few "threads" back, a young man was inquiring about class "A" amp. And of course, most of the responses were in regard to class "A" amplifier, also understood by myself as such. Later, the same individual mentioned if able to "...find amp like that, he would further look for class "A" speakers!" Class A speakers? Well, i was wondering what could that be?...For a second i realized that he is referring to a Stereophile grading of the audio equipment! While i have and will be guilty of buying the audio products, unheard, i sure didn't base my decisions on one reviewer opinion or another! Stereophile sale doubles, and sometimes triples during the months of October, and April. "Recommended components" run those months. And the biggest offender, i think, is What HIFI, which reminds of audio "Swap Meet" periodical, with their little flags of "Best buy", or "component of choice" etc, etc...! Stereophile rates their components in class A, B, C and on.... Let see,... between class A and B, what was the determine factor to place the certain product to one or another? Room, cables...mood? So many variables, and controlled and uncontrolled events to "make or brake" one company, or sway one potential customer from buying the pre-amp, that he thought and felt was the ONE. But just changing his mind to purchase another, which was graded one STAR higher! I think, the magazines would be doing the consumer a favor, if those ratings and grading are eliminated. Let the consumer to decide! Especially audio components.
eldragon
trelja
3,215 posts
 
Amen, Garfish. ALWAYS trust your own ears. Just another reason that I lament the passing of the Annual Audio Equipment Guide. To me, at least as useful as the Stereophile ratings. As it let me know what was out there. I could then contact the company(via phone, mail, website, or e-mail), and find a dealer to go see and hear the product. The Stereophile guide, while necessary and quite informative, is incomplete. And I have a problem with the fact that generally the products reviewed by Stereophile are the ones advertised in the magazine. There is so much other great equipment out there. As stated above, the Class B components are often more interesting and engaging than those on the Class A list. Not to mention often more easy to build a long term system around, as they are generally more forgiving/less idiosyncratic.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Having just purchased the Adcom Stereophile "class A" preamp BASED ON CLASS A ALONE!! I want to respond. I NEVER was able to listen to the preamp anywhere within 50 miles and the dealer (a "Crazy Lenny" type... $999.95) had one in stock unopened, unavailable to even look at the item! Normally they didn't stock it but (I had asked if they could six mo's prior and 'no way'...) So I went for the thing. Now I would NEVER buy speakers that way... BUT! the Stereophile rating of class A for a $1000 preamp is very unusual, most are $3,000 plus.... So not all the components are rated by "low price can't be class A"... Also for those in remote locales... to audition a bunch of stuff is a major soul sucking undertaking needing a lot of time and cash, or a trust in a dealer to help choose... So ease up on the poor smucks who use the Stereophile ratings to help them learn what's out there... (vs daily drives hundreds of miles to audition dozens of things in different systems in different rooms etc.. or buying dozens of things to find the perfect one and selling the rest here!!) And I agree Stereophile is moving downhill, and Absolute Sound is on the rise again, But I remember when AS was the best and then fell like a meteor, and Stereophile became a real gem...
garfish
1,840 posts
 
Good post Elizabeth. I live out in the boondocks too, so I understand how difficult auditioning can be also. Another good example of a relatively low priced Stph. Class A product is Audible Illusions 3A pre-amp at about $2500. I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn't use Stereophile's rating system as a GUIDE. It has a lot of value to me, especially for putting together a "short list" of "stuff" to audition. As Trelja noted, I also miss Audio Mags. Annual Equipment Guide for this reason. Actually, with the possible exception of speakers, I have concluded that "in store auditions" are almost worthless to me. I need to audition the product in MY system in MY room. This opinion is not popular with retailers (brick and mortar), but it is a fact of life to many audio enthusiasts. I look for stores that will do home auditions via mail order. Progressive Audio in Columbus, Ohio has a good policy on this and they are good to deal with. Of course used equipment via i-net is the latest way of reasonably doing in-home auditions, and also saving a few bucks. I think the i-net is going to fundamentally change high end audio. Still, Eldragon's point is well taken. Cheers. Craig.
tubegroover
2,279 posts
 
So Elizabeth you went with the Class "A" Adcom. Tell us, what are your impressions? Is Stereophile right in giving this pre-amp its esteemed highest rating? Inquiring minds want to know!
dekay's avatar
dekay
2,959 posts
 
Off the thread: Garfish, I have had the same experience with store versus home demos. Curiously enough all of the electronics have sounded better at home (due to being properly set up with isolation feet and platforms) and only a few speakers have sounded worse (mismatch with my amp most likely). I also don't happen to have another 20 or so speakers positioned around our living room, to suck up the sound of the speakers that are being played. Anyway, I live in LA with plenty of shops to audition at (but not all brands are available by any means), and still need to home demo products as well. It's good to hear that there are other businesses around (other than Audio Advisor with a good but limited selection) that offer home demo service.
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