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View Full Version : Resistence is futile...or change for change sake ?



Spectral Morn
16-07-2009, 18:26
Every month, around about this date, I make my way to a local sea side town to enjoy a walk by the sea and a trip into a newsagent that stocks Stereophile and Hi-Fi+. Today was that day and I picked up Sterophile and this months Hi-Fi+....except it wasn't Hi-Fi +.

For the last 10 years or so + has been different, now I know many of you don't like +, either for Roy Gregory's writing style or his links with Nordost(please leave that discussion out of your replies here), but for me it was a breath of fresh air among UK audio magazines and harked back to the days when magazines were full of editorial and not full of multi view photos of the kit being reviewed. I looked forward to each issue and the new and exciting products written about that other mags didn't look at. However over the last few months things have been a foot....the Borg have been at work, and assimilation as always is there goal.

With this months + the Hi-Fi + I have loved and looked forward to each month has died...an imposter sat on the shelf. One of the things that made + unique was its size and quality, harking back to the readers digest size Stereophile and Absolute Sounds of yester year. That uniqueness is now gone....the paper quality is the same but its now the same size as all the others on the newsagents shelf (will that attract new readers ? Not in my opinion). The mast head now reads The Absolute Sounds Hi-Fi+, and within...well it looks like the current style of that magazine. Absolute multimedia own Hi-Fi+ but do we really need two ASs, an American one and a European one ? I don't think so.

The page count has gone down from average 120 to 96 pages and the editorial content has shrunk too(though without counting words I am not sure by how much. This is a visual only observation). I like Alan Sircom, hes a good witty writer, who works hard (I have seen him working his way round shows with an entire photographic studio round his neck) and as the new Captain of + he has a hard job to do steeping into Roy's shoes, but I can't help feel that these changes have been sitting in the wings for quite awhile, as they have happened very quickly after Roy's stepping down from his position of editor. It takes months to plan a magazine and change its layout and format.

This change half way through the year is crazy. For one how will you store, in a binder two different sizes of magazine? No doubt + have quite a few binders of the old size and none of the new, but for me I liked the way they sat on my bookshelves, and from now on how will the two sizes sit on my shelf. The uniqueness is gone and it makes me sad. I could quote Alan's words from his editorial header page but I can't be bothered as they ring hollow..."visibility on the news stand"...who the heck complains about that? I have never had an issue with finding + or seeing it.

I hate the sort of "Cancel my subscription " comments you see in the letters pages of Stereophile, for one I don't subscribe to any magazine, and two do magazines really care about such threats actions. I may or may not continue with +, being short of money these days and with little chance of getting back into the audio retailing side of things (any time soon), I buy + and the like for pleasure and to keep myself informed, however i fear that Hi-Fi + is sliding away from what made it interesting and exciting to read and falling into the mediocrity of the other audio magazines.

Talking about the other mags, one interesting change (change for the right reasons IMHO) Hi-Fi News was reborn last month or to be exact Hi-Fi News got its Record Review back (about time). I have renewed hope for this title which was sliding down the toilet. For the first time in many, many years I enjoyed reading this title again. Still to many pictures and not enough writing but the balance is swinging back the right way....well done Hi-Fi News & Record Review.

No doubt many who read this wont care at all, or may like the new magazine, but for me I am in mourning an old much loved friend and companion has died.



Regards D S D L

Barry
16-07-2009, 19:07
I can't say that I am loyal to any hifi magazine; over the years I've tried the lot, with varying success. Of the magazines still current, I will probably buy Hi Fi News more often than not. I can't say that it has noticably improved since the slight change of title - the record reviews have for a very long time been poor, but better than the others. It is getting better and with luck will return to the standard set by the excellent Steve Harris. Certainly editor Miller has gone a long way to restoring the magazine after the disasterous editorship that ocurred after Harris stood down. The problem I have with HiFi News, of the last couple of years, is the inclusion of reviews of audio-visual gear. I'm just not interested in reading about multi-channel TV amps, or TV projectors, despite the technical excellence of the reviews

I will always look at, and occasionally buy, HiFi World Magazine, but am put off by the less than impartial views of the staff and the general low standard of the reviews. At least they are prepared to reappraise classic equipment.

Unlike HiFi + ! If an item doesn't cost thousands of pounds it doesn't really get a look in here. They appear to be disgracefully elitist. I have also come to mistrust the opinions of their writers. So I don't really care about the rebirth of HiFi +.

None of the above magazines have decent record reviews. For these I read MoJo, the BBC Music magazine and Gramaphone.

Sorry you feel you have lost a 'friend' - it may be early days, so give editor Sircom a chance to find his feet.

Regards

hifi_dave
16-07-2009, 19:50
Neil,
I feel sorry for your loss but personally, I couldn't give a toss for any of the mags and haven't done for years. I don't feel that any of them could be trusted for their views and I believe they have been largely responsible for the decline of the Hi-Fi hobby in this country.

Hi-Fi Plus did produce some wonderful pictures and I liked the quality of the paper but the reviews were pure drivel and they concentrated far too much on mega-buck equipment which just doesn't sell in this country and holds little interest for me.

I haven't bought a Hi-Fi mag since the 70's as I get them sent free but they invariably end up in the bin as they aren't accurate enough to be used for any sort of reference and aren't sufficiently interesting for anything other than a quick flick through. The only mag I keep is Hi-Fi News and that is just tradition as I have every issue since the first I bought in 1962 and I'm afraid the World might end if I stop collecting it.

Sometime during the late 80's the mags completely lost their way and became far too commercial with favourable reviews being exchanged for advertising revenue. They can't survive on sales alone and so need to attract and retain advertisers which means you rarely read any negative comments about product. What is the point of reading advertorial reviews ?

Sod em all, they have ruined this wonderful hobby of ours.:steam:

DSJR
16-07-2009, 19:54
Our WH Smug is one of the very few which stocks a good range of audio mags and Plush is one of them. I must admit to buying the odd mag - usually World and sometimes Choice, but the factual errors in the former (on old gear) and the flashiness in the latter has put me off to be honest.

You know, I get more info on forums such as this one than I've done from a mag in decades.....

Dave, I hope you still have those 1960's and early seventies HiFi Sound mags...

DaveK
16-07-2009, 20:17
Sometime during the late 80's the mags completely lost their way and became far too commercial with favourable reviews being exchanged for advertising revenue. They can't survive on sales alone and so need to attract and retain advertisers which means you rarely read any negative comments about product. What is the point of reading advertorial reviews ?

:steam:

I'm with you on this and it doesn't just apply to Hi-Fi mags but equally to all mags and publications that rely on advertising revenue rather than sales revenue, (even TV), and that must just about include every mag and poblication, IMHO.
Cheers,

Marco
16-07-2009, 20:46
Hi Neil,

Sorry to hear about your 'loss'. However, you probably know where I stand on this...

I like Alan Sircom. I think he's one of the 'good guys' in the industry, and I enjoy his intelligent and informative writing style. I notice that he posts quite regularly on pfm, so my intention is to invite him here.

Hi-fi+? I do read it sometimes, mainly for the excellent music reviews, but also to keep in touch with new products, same as I do with some other hi-fi magazines. Given my position here, it's important that I know what's happening in the industry (what is 'hot') in the areas that interest me most (analogue and loudspeakers), so that I can make informed recommendations to people where necessary.

However, the content of Hi-fi+ is largely the epitome of what I dislike in hi-fi - namely pandering to the false and (largely) fruitless world of 'badge' hi-fi. It's not all like that, but it doesn't promote classic hi-fi equipment which offers high SPPV in the way of my favourite hi-fi magazine, HFW. There's very little chance, for example, that Hi-fi+ would promote the modified SL-1200/1210 and Garrards or Lencos, as HFW have and do.

AOS is about helping people think laterally - outside of the box - and getting away from the relatively unrewarding world of 'mainstream' or 'badge' hi-fi, and HFW are the only UK hi-fi magazine to seriously identify with this system building methodology. Chucking huge amounts money at a hi-fi system, for example, unless knowing how to properly synergise the component parts, rarely produces long-term musical satisfaction. David Price is switched onto this way of thinking, loving high quality classic hi-fi, and that's why we get on well :cool:

Neil, what do you think of the other hi-fi magazines (except What Hi-fi?), particularly HFW? I'm curious to know your thoughts.

Marco.

markf
16-07-2009, 20:59
I have to agree with Neil, I enjoy HiFi + in it's old form,the only magazine that I've ever bothered to
actually buy the binders for. I have them up on the shelf as a kind of reference library.
There will be many products that I'm not particularly interested in at the time of reading ,but maybe
3-4 years down the line I'll go back and re-read the review
(I may have seen the item for sale used and want to get some details)
Anyway I've only just received issue 65 ,I don't have the latest yet so I don't know
how bad it is,I had a look on the website and it's not been updated for a while.

Joe
16-07-2009, 21:23
I'll reserve judgement about Plush till I see the issue in question, but I did get rather tired of reading yet another review of a conrad-johnson amp and/or Nordost's latest range of wanky wires.

Good news about HFN&RR though.

Spectral Morn
16-07-2009, 21:27
Hi guys

Well pretty much what I expected as a response and while I don't disagree with most of whats been written I do feel that + was one of the better ones. I have to disagree about the value of + reviews, quite often I heard what was described when I had an opportunity to hear items in my own system and this includes Roy's reviews(you might not like his writing style but I do, yes its wordy but IMHO it works at least for me. I am not saying I would nor do I write like that, but I like it :) And Roy can hear as well IMHO/E) I agree that mags lost there way, I would say about the early 90's, and yes its possible they did damage to the world of audio but to be honest the retailers did that mostly them selves, its to easy to blame the mags IMHO.

I will answer Marco's question about the other mags later or tomorrow...I am playing around tonight with a 1971 vintage reel to reel. I just threaded my first tape and wow music.:):):):)


Regards D S D L

NRG
16-07-2009, 21:56
I never bought 'plush' the content and over priced kit never appealed. HFW has been the most consistent and informative magazine for me over the last +15 years, although I find the lack of DIY and technical articles (Supplements etc) a negative...

Marco
16-07-2009, 22:03
I note that Alan Sircom has now joined us, so it will be interesting reading his comments. Welcome Alan :)

Marco.

Spectral Morn
16-07-2009, 23:36
I have to agree with Neil, I enjoy HiFi + in it's old form,the only magazine that I've ever bothered to
actually buy the binders for. I have them up on the shelf as a kind of reference library.
There will be many products that I'm not particularly interested in at the time of reading ,but maybe
3-4 years down the line I'll go back and re-read the review
(I may have seen the item for sale used and want to get some details)
Anyway I've only just received issue 65 ,I don't have the latest yet so I don't know
how bad it is,I had a look on the website and it's not been updated for a while.


Hi Markf

I agree with you about +, for me it is exactly the fact that the magazine reviewed the high end and odd ball new brands, that made it exciting. I for one am fed up with the same old same old new products doing the rounds of all the magazines. There is so much that never sees the light of day and + more than any other title did that, seeking out the new and radical. Did anyone see or read a review of Anthony Mathews Soul amplifiers elsewhere? Nope, just in Hi-Fi +.

There is room for an aspirational title still, not another What no hi-fi clone( I am not saying thats the case with this new +). My main gripe is the change in format/size the fact it is starting to look like The Absolute Sound, and sadly has started to do reviews of the other kit that the other mags have reviewed. Hi-fi plus always did review some of the same old same old but it was few and far between. I am concerned by seeing less editorial and fewer pages (perhaps just in this one issues case) with much bigger print. With bigger pages we could have more to read not less as it would appear is the case with issue 66.

The last issue 65 was a very good start, I liked it very much. A great mix of short, medium and long form reviews(my fave type..plenty of info) and I had high hopes for issue 66 based on this, but issue 66 for me is not + or not my idea of what+ is...its essence and uniqueness.

Sad or not pile o piss (some peoples but not my view of the magazine) or not, my collection of every issue from no1 up till 65 (Where will 66 go ?) and the Absolute Sound and Stereohile readers digest size below.

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/3rdofJuneOnedaytriptoScotland103.jpg

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124/3rdofJuneOnedaytriptoScotland104.jpg


Regards D S D L

Alan Sircom
17-07-2009, 00:09
Hello all,

I'm sorry if some are upset by the new look.

The design has been largely driven by economy, although the changes to the size are predicated on hard data. We have plotted the sales of the magazine when promoted in WH Smiths (which basically means we pay to put the magazine to the front of the rack in some stores instead of 'floating' around what's left of the hi-fi and music section) and the difference in visibility can add as much as a fifth to the overall sales.

Unfortunately high production values and 2009 economics do not sit comfortably together. The paper alone went from being "expensive but worth it" to being "are we printing on solid gold now?" at the start of the year... and then went up another 30% when the Pound and the Euro hit near-parity. Key fixed operational costs (printing, rent etc) have also increased significantly at the same time.

Were we to have retained the old style, we'd have been left with two choices:

- Raising the price of each issue to about £20, in order to cover costs
- Have a big farewell party

So, the decision was made some time ago to move production and design to the US and to move away from a coffee-table magazine. Photography is now largely limited to picking up those products that do not have press photos. You are correct in suspecting that this change was on the cards some time before I took over the magazine. However, I was aware that changes needed to be made, and that many of those changes were driven by more than simply needing to update a magazine.

The reduction in pagination is hopefully not a lasting thing. I am hoping it will not last past the current issue.

There has been absolutely no change to the number of words in each review. There will be one-page reviews in subsequent issues though. But these will be limited to the more left-field products. There will be more sharing of copy between the two magazines in future, but the magazine is not simply TAS-abroad, even if the design (and design team) is now similar.

My plan from the start was to make a magazine that was to be 'read' rather than simply 'looked at'.

Mike
17-07-2009, 00:24
Hi Alan,

Welcome to AoS! :)

I'd like to say more but I'm in the middle of work at the moment and have been since 8am. There's no chance of finishing till about 8am either, 24hrs!!!.... you could say it's 'a bad day'! :(

Bah! :steam:

markf
17-07-2009, 02:07
I've all the copies too, 1-65 fits into 8 binders with the last 3 issues left over.
(maybe I can get them to fit in )

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/markf_pfm/HiFi1.jpg

Mr. C
17-07-2009, 06:57
For me I really miss the 'plush smell' of quality

Marco
17-07-2009, 07:35
Yes, I get essence of melon with a hint of mulled raisins - you?

The quality of the photography is certainly second to none.

Marco.

Dave Cawley
17-07-2009, 07:44
I only ever read Hi Fi World and Hi Fi+ . Each covers mostly different ends of the spectrum, great!

But those who say magazines only get by on advertising must live in a dream world, where ever did that come from? Certainly not from what I pay Hi Fi World every month............. :kiss:

And those who say + only review expensive stuff, well things are changing, Alan asked for a SL-1200 and a SP-10 for review and in the early Autumn I will oblige. If you are polite and helpful to magazines it is mostly reciprocated.

This forum goes from strength to strength, with Tone Audio, Hi Fi World and now Hi Fi+ all being members and easily accessible, brilliant! Well done Marco!!

Regards

:bag:

Dave

Alan Sircom
17-07-2009, 08:15
But those who say magazines only get by on advertising must live in a dream world, where ever did that come from? Certainly not from what I pay Hi Fi World every month............. :kiss:


Dave

The UK rule of thumb was the money made by the sales of the magazine should just about cover the cost of getting the magazine into the shops, plus the cost of the paper that magazine is printed on.

That held until about mid-last year for HF+, when the cost of paper stock began to rise.

Everything else - from printing to paperclips - is paid for by other means.

Remember that we have to pay to distribute the magazine to vendors, then we have to pay the vendors to allow them to make a healthy profit selling the magazine in the process.

Haselsh1
17-07-2009, 08:20
You know, I can't help but think that quite often there is more than a hint of corporateness about such changes in business, business products and their tactics. Everyone has to answer to someone and in keeping that someone happy, changes have to be made. Most if not all of those changes are made for one goal and one aim... profit. People are in business to make a profit otherwise it would be a charity and we all know where that begins.

Yeah, I understand that these changes really piss people off. None of us like change if it directly affects us. We're all OK if it doesn't, that's fine but in the World of business, profit rules. Ultimately I guess, it once again comes down to shareholders and overheads. Let's sack the workers but keep all of the management. We'll get nothing done but at least we'll be happy and we get to keep the flash car.

Cynical...???

Marco
17-07-2009, 08:20
Hi Alan,

You have a PM :)

Marco.

Alan Sircom
17-07-2009, 08:50
You know, I can't help but think that quite often there is more than a hint of corporateness about such changes in business, business products and their tactics. Everyone has to answer to someone and in keeping that someone happy, changes have to be made. Most if not all of those changes are made for one goal and one aim... profit. People are in business to make a profit otherwise it would be a charity and we all know where that begins.

Yeah, I understand that these changes really piss people off. None of us like change if it directly affects us. We're all OK if it doesn't, that's fine but in the World of business, profit rules. Ultimately I guess, it once again comes down to shareholders and overheads. Let's sack the workers but keep all of the management. We'll get nothing done but at least we'll be happy and we get to keep the flash car.

Cynical...???

Yes, I would call that cynical.

Let's put it this way. Profit would be nice. Call it a long-term goal of the changes made to the magazine. Right now, I don't think I'd call the magazine a charity yet. I'd call it a money-pit; a gaping hole that our American owner periodically papers over with his own cash.

"Let's sack the workers but keep all the management." There were three of us in the UK arm of the company five years ago. There are three in the UK arm of the company today. Management - as it stands - consists of me ticking me off for not getting the work done on time. We have ended some freelance contracts recently because to continue them would have threatened the continued survival of the magazine.

And as to a flash car... it's a 2006 Honda Jazz - and it's my wife's. Right now, I don't even claim for the internet connection or my phone bill.

Spectral Morn
17-07-2009, 09:13
Welcome to the Art of Sound Alan.

Thanks for your comments regarding the changes to +, I am well aware of many aspects of what you have outlined (not the increase in paper costs). I don't like change when it threatens uniqueness and I do feel that +'s uniqueness and individuality in the audio magazine market is in danger if not already gone. I always knew that the American owners would (once Roy was gone) assimilate the title and sadly that has now happened (at least in terms of visual identity), lets hope that the content retains its uniqueness and strengths but with writers having been let go I do fear for that now too.

Its a tough world in any arena of business and the world of magazines is very much so, especially with the current economic realities, but if a title begins to loose its identity, ultimately will it survive...if it becomes a clone of all the others on the newsagents shelf.

When I lost my job last year, having been made redundant from the Hi-Fi trade I decided that unlike the last time back in 1995 I would still continue to buy some of the magazines that I had regularly got while in the trade(I bought all my magazines from Newsagents and one distributor...no freebies for me). However I had to let go one title which since its change from readers digest size I had struggled with i.e The Absolute Sound (sorry Mike of Moth). I found its shift from in depth multi opinion reviews to shallow one to two page reviews and multiple photos (oh how I hate to many photos)to much. I kept getting + because of its unique position and a few of the others for the bread and butter products....I really don't want + to become part of the chattering others. Its unique voice should be preserved(and I know some hate +, unfairly IMHO).

I wish you well Alan in your current role and I hope you can retain some of what made + unique and loved by me. I will be watching with interest and hopefully no more sadness.


Regards D S D L

Alan Sircom
17-07-2009, 09:29
No writers have been 'let go', although the move to US record reviews does draw into question whether those reviewers will be working for us again. I am playing a watching brief on this section - if we receive complaints about this move, UK-based music reviews will return.

jandl100
17-07-2009, 10:03
Welcome to AoS, Alan. :)

Surely we must all appreciate that the first priority is to keep the magazine afloat and financially viable - at least as far as the new Lords and Masters in the US at Absolute Multimedia are concerned. I am sure they will not be willing to subsidise the mag indefinitely and will have required a business plan which defines a plausible agenda for financial viability.

If something as "trivial" as the change to a standard A4 format helps to do that by increasing sales, then I think you have to be in a bit of a grumpy mood to have a serious whinge about that. I do appreciate the inconvenience if you have binders for past issues, though.

I must confess that I had a subscription from Issue 1 - but I let it lapse a few months back as I was growing tired of RG's various obsessions. I have always felt, though, that of all the mags, '+' had reviews that most closely tied in with my own thoughts on kit that I had experience of. As an early example, the review of the Pass Aleph 3 was the only review I ever saw that even mentioned the merely moderate resolution available from that amp. Other examples abound, although in the last few years the mag's obsession with Focal and Nordost, among other makes, as well as so much emphasis on equipment that surely can only be afforded by millionaires, left me cold.

I shall buy a shop copy of the new mag and may well subscribe again. :)

bigmoog
17-07-2009, 15:13
for me its like this


The good (printed mags) imho:


Absolute sound (original digest size)
Stereophile until Jonathan Scull left....
Listener
Sound Practices
Glass Audio
HFN&RR until four or five years ago, its getting good again
Hifiworld when its nicely fettled
HiFi+ for the lovely paper and photography...its lost to history now but I hope it gets good again after all that cable nonsense
german and japanese hifi mags

The bad

anything remotely flat earth
flat response
hifi review and their ilk




and I refuse to read anything by malcolm steward, sorry linnnaim fans

Barry
17-07-2009, 17:43
What music magazines do members read?

Perhaps we should do a 'Reviewing the Reviewers' thread - but there again better not, it could become libelous.

bigmoog
17-07-2009, 18:22
at the moment I read the following music mags regularly


Record Collector
Mojo
Classic Rock and its spin offs
The Wire
NME (a shadow of a shadow of its former self)
BBC Music
Gramophone


and many others depending on my mood

Spectral Morn
17-07-2009, 18:51
What music magazines do members read?
None regularly.

Used to read The Wire, Kerrang when I was a teenager until thrash and death speed metal took over the content,Sounds at about the same time, Classic Rock, but its pretty poor with crap writing IMHO. Mojo some times and thats it.


Perhaps we should do a 'Reviewing the Reviewers' thread - but there again better not, it could become libelous.
No, best not, it would no doubt descend into a lot of moderating and editing.....

Regards D S D L

break-3
17-07-2009, 20:05
No writers have been 'let go', although the move to US record reviews does draw into question whether those reviewers will be working for us again. I am playing a watching brief on this section - if we receive complaints about this move, UK-based music reviews will return.

Hello, Mr Sircom, sir!

How the devil are things? Not had a chance to peruse the new +, but I'll go in search when I get the chance. Sounds like things are very much a work in progress, but no one ever claimed a redesign/restructure was easy.

I can concur on the cost of paper and distribution - what a bloody rip-off! The magazine market is taking it from both ends (if you'll excuse the expression), with production costs rising and advertising revenue falling because every bugger's pulling their marketing budgets.

Sadly, if readers walk away because of a (sometimes perceived) drop in production values, it's only going to compound the problem and we'll end up with no good mags left.

People always say a recession is a great chance for opportunistic brands to grow stronger, but that's only if you can get the investment.

What a crap time to be in publishing, eh?

Mr OW

Joe
17-07-2009, 20:57
No writers have been 'let go', although the move to US record reviews does draw into question whether those reviewers will be working for us again. I am playing a watching brief on this section - if we receive complaints about this move, UK-based music reviews will return.

Commission a major Half Man Half Biscuit retrospective, you know it makes sense!

Joe
17-07-2009, 21:01
What music magazines do members read?

.

Anything with a decent free CD on the cover - though I usually don't bother reading the mags themselves, which are mostly re-treads of old NME articles.

Alan Sircom
17-07-2009, 21:31
Hello, Mr Sircom, sir!

How the devil are things? Not had a chance to peruse the new +, but I'll go in search when I get the chance. Sounds like things are very much a work in progress, but no one ever claimed a redesign/restructure was easy.

I can concur on the cost of paper and distribution - what a bloody rip-off! The magazine market is taking it from both ends (if you'll excuse the expression), with production costs rising and advertising revenue falling because every bugger's pulling their marketing budgets.

Sadly, if readers walk away because of a (sometimes perceived) drop in production values, it's only going to compound the problem and we'll end up with no good mags left.

People always say a recession is a great chance for opportunistic brands to grow stronger, but that's only if you can get the investment.

What a crap time to be in publishing, eh?

Mr OW

Hi Simon,

There have been better times to be in publishing, yes. I'd have liked a piece of that Felix Dennis Kung Fu Monthly lark back in the 70s, for example. Make a magazine for £20 (well, £20 plus a £1,000-per-week bill on Vicks Sinex or some similar nasal passage cleansing product) and sell them by the truckload.

Working on a redesign where the design team is an eleven-hour flight and several time zones behind us is an interesting exercise too. Especially when your copy of InDesign isn't working and you have to resort to a list of text change instructions on emails. Little wonder the current issue is typo central and is missing a couple of pages that disappeared down the back of a sofa somewhere.

Hope Haymarketland still serves you right!

Best

A

Alan Sircom
17-07-2009, 21:39
Commission a major Half Man Half Biscuit retrospective, you know it makes sense!

Now that is a brilliant idea!

I tried to smuggle Achtung Bono into this year's CES. If only because I seriously wanted to watch a slick US salesman try and keep the audiophile smile pasted-on while playing 'Joy Division Oven Gloves'. Unfortunately Homeland Security prevented such flagrant disregard of specialty audio.

I might make this a forthcoming 'Every Home Should Have One' feature. Or maybe Trouble Over Bridgewater, which also gets my vote as the best named album in the history of ever.

Joe
18-07-2009, 08:46
Now that is a brilliant idea!

I tried to smuggle Achtung Bono into this year's CES. If only because I seriously wanted to watch a slick US salesman try and keep the audiophile smile pasted-on while playing 'Joy Division Oven Gloves'. Unfortunately Homeland Security prevented such flagrant disregard of specialty audio.

I might make this a forthcoming 'Every Home Should Have One' feature. Or maybe Trouble Over Bridgewater, which also gets my vote as the best named album in the history of ever.

Excellent!! I guess the trouble is that HMHB albums have never been released as 45rpm 180g audiophile re-pressings. If they had, RSF or DDD would be wetting themselves.

Trouble Over Bridgewater also has the best opening song ever:

'Give me Love, give me Can, give me Meatloaf
Give me Rush, give me Marquee Moon
Michael Ball, or The Fall
I could listen to them all
In the twilight or the afternoon

Irk the purists
Irk the purists
Irk the purists
It’s a right good laugh

Irk the purists
Irk the purists
Irk the purists at the back

Hall & Oates, random Goth, Miles Davis
Patti Smith, Simply Red, Sly Stone
Be they false or for real, I don’t care and nor does Neil
So long as we can hear their song

Irk the purists
Irk the purists
it could well be an Olympic sport

Irk the purists
Irk the purists
If you’ve never, then you ought

Husker Du-Du-Du
Captain Beefheart, ELO
Chris de Burgh
Sun Ra
Del Amitri
John Coltrane

Irk the purists
Irk the purists
Come on now boy, you know it feels so right

Irk the purists
Irk the purists
Irk the purists tonight'

Joe
18-07-2009, 11:18
Well, I just bought the new style Plush.

Lessee:

Avalon loudspeaker review by Roy Gregory? Check

Interview with obscure classical musician by AKB? Check

Insanely expensive wanky wire, sorry, cable loom reviews? Check

Turntable review by Jimmy Hughes? Check

Speaker review by Paul Messenger? Check

Review of audiophile pressing of Jennifer Warnes album? Check

La hifi plus ca change, la hifi plus c'est le meme chose as far as I can see.

However, Alan Sircom seems to have had a Damascean conversion to the merits of hi-end cables. Cardas interconnect at £1,690 a 1m pair? Suits you, sir!

Alan Sircom
18-07-2009, 14:32
Well, I just bought the new style Plush.

Lessee:

Avalon loudspeaker review by Roy Gregory? Check

Interview with obscure classical musician by AKB? Check

Insanely expensive wanky wire, sorry, cable loom reviews? Check

Turntable review by Jimmy Hughes? Check

Speaker review by Paul Messenger? Check

Review of audiophile pressing of Jennifer Warnes album? Check

La hifi plus ca change, la hifi plus c'est le meme chose as far as I can see.

However, Alan Sircom seems to have had a Damascean conversion to the merits of hi-end cables. Cardas interconnect at £1,690 a 1m pair? Suits you, sir!

Well, what do you expect? We've just done the most radical change to the magazine since its first issue. That alone will cause a lot of upset in the readership. If we changed the editorial direction radically at the same time, I'd get death threats.

As to cables, I've never been anti-cable, just agreed with KK that I wanted nothing whatsoever to do with them. The last time I reviewed cables was more than a decade ago, when I was one of the listeners at a blind test of almost 150 of the things - that's enough to put anyone off. Now I run the most cable-centric magazine on the face of the planet, I don't have that luxury anymore.

I also want to show people that there are expensive cables that aren't named after Norse gods, so for at least a few issues, there will be plenty of that kind of thing.

Marco
18-07-2009, 14:56
Hi Neil,


I will answer Marco's question about the other mags later or tomorrow...


Still waiting ;)

Marco.

Spectral Morn
18-07-2009, 19:31
Hi Neil,



Still waiting ;)

Marco.


And waiting and waiting and waiting....;) I think if I shared I might have to exterminate a few people ;):lol::lol::lol:.

Later.......


Regards D S D L

Marco
18-07-2009, 19:47
You're such a tease, Daphne! :ner:

Marco.

Spectral Morn
18-07-2009, 20:51
You're such a tease, Daphne! :ner:

Marco.

And don't you just love it Matilda ? ;):lol::lol::lol:



Regards D S D L

MartinT
18-07-2009, 21:45
I have subscriptions to Stereophile, Hi-Fi News and Hi-Fi Critic. I occasionally buy Hi-Fi World and very occasionally Hi-Fi Plus. The latter used to irritate me because of the number of typos and grammatical errors included, some of which were howlers. I always thought Plus would benefit from some actual proof-reading.

These magazines give different viewpoints and I value the insight into the American market which Stereophile provides since I frequently travel there. Not for classical music, though, which is far better served in the UK.

I'll ocassionally purchase Absolute Sounds in the USA, although I think they're rather left-field despite writing a rave review of my speakers recently.

The less said about What Hi-Fi the better.

bigmoog
19-07-2009, 17:52
bought issue 66 of plush today, still smells nice,


the good:

strong identity on WHS shelf, it stood out...the brand remains solid imho
nice cd



the bad: cable reviews zzzzzzzz

malcolm steward zzzzzzzzzzzzz (sorry, just my opinion)

missing pages

more pages of content in future please



overall it looks good for the future I think.....

mikeg
29-07-2009, 16:36
Like many on here I tend to buy HFW and HF+ regurlarly and the rest only if there is something of particular interest.

My current griupe with HF+ is the difficulty in getting hold of it. Yes you need to control costs but if your sales are not maximised then cost cutting alone will not work. Although living in a major city I have to take a 30min drive to find a copy


Mike

Spectral Morn
29-07-2009, 17:35
Like many on here I tend to buy HFW and HF+ regurlarly and the rest only if there is something of particular interest.

My current griupe with HF+ is the difficulty in getting hold of it. Yes you need to control costs but if your sales are not maximised then cost cutting alone will not work. Although living in a major city I have to take a 30min drive to find a copy


Mike


Hi Mike

Welcome to AoS.

Would you mind popping into the welcome section of the forum and saying hello. You can tell us a wee bit about yourself, system you have and music you like.


Regards D S D L