Still buying Hi-Fi magazines?

[SCIDB]

The last magazine I bought was Hi-Fi Answers back in its oh so biased flat earth days. I just couldn't stand the bigotry that existed back then but reading here about magazines today, maybe little has changed.

Hi,

Was that when Paul Benson was the editor.

[Riislingen]

I stopped buying magazines regulary last year. Always bought Hi-Fi World except early 00's when John Marks turned it into a comic. Went of a Cliff since David and Adam left. Lacking experienced reviewers now so you can't realy rely on their conclusions. Only NK knows what he is talking about and you have any idea the sound he favours. One of their other main reviewers is a Record Collector reviewer and he hardly gives any pointer to SQ when covering music releases. How can one trust his ears with hi-fi then.

I think Hi-fi News is the best of the bunch now as it has the most thorough reviews and music coverage even if it features too many unafordable products. Probably worth it for Ken Kessler's column alone. Sadly Dave Price has not raised the standard of Choice significantly IMO and appears to be hamstrung by it's traditional format. I think this and World would benefit from a complete revamp at this stage.

Hi-Fi+ is still short on content and too high end. Again a competent editor hamstrung by his publishers who in this case have an eye towards the US market.

In the long run can only see News surviving not to mention What Hi-Fi, which I haven't mentioned because it's total crap aimed at the AV crowd. The later is guaranteed reasonable sales as it's the only one you can get in Tesco !

Great post Paul!

[AlfaGTV]

Well, this thread has at least spurred me to take out a digital subscription on HiFi News.
Seems to be reasonably balanced in gear cost, and they had quite a lot of music reviews!

Thanks for the tip!

Regards Mike

[bigmarty]

I only ever buy HIFI mags when I'm holiday + flying and cycling mags, a man has got to have his porn!

Marty

[Spectral Morn]

One less this month.

HiFi+ had nothing in it of much interest for me so I looked at the cover price and put it back on the shelf. It will be the first issue since the mag began that I have not bought but I can't justify it any more as + is a pale shadow of what it once was - in my view.

I like Alan's writing, but + this month at least is not worth the price of admission

So for me now its HiFi News, Stereophile and a subscription to TAS (but I only have that as its been a Christmas present last year and this year again) it too is not what it once was.

[Barry]

I only ever buy HIFI mags when I'm holiday + flying and cycling mags, a man has got to have his porn!

Marty

Oh, I still subscribe to my favourite magazine: 'Leather - clad Nuns Monthly'.

[Spectral Morn]

Oh, I still subscribe to my favourite magazine: 'Leather - clad Nuns Monthly'.

TMI Barry

[Barry]

Following on from this thread, I was thinking the other day of all the audio magazines once available, and how few there are now and even fewer that I buy.

From memory, at various times, we had on the newstand:

Hi-Fi News (and Record Review)
Hi-Fi Sound
Amateur Tape Recorder
Practical Hi-Fi and Audio
Practical Hi-Fi
Popular Hi-Fi
Hi-Fi for Pleasure
Hi-Fi Weekly (Yes - though it was short lived!)
Audiophile
Hi-Fi Answers
Hi-Fi World

and

What Hi-Fi. (I always think this title should have a question mark after it!)


Not forgetting the American mags:

Stereo Sound
Stereophile
Audio Amateur
The Absolute Sound.

Plus of course a couple of scurrilous little magazines, whose purpose was only to be used in emergency if one ran out of loo paper:

The Flat Response

and

Hi Fi Review.

I'm sure are some titles I have missed, but quite a change to the situation today.

[Beobloke]

My favourite of the old ones was always New Hi-Fi Sound, which I think was previously Popular Hi-Fi.

Their 'Rumble' pages, which took a silly look at the world of audio (and continually monitored the doings of the Shakitobitsi Corporation) were always very amusing!

[Haselsh1]

Hi,

Was that when Paul Benson was the editor.

Dean, it was indeed. Back in the days when the Janorhurst JBE trounced the Linn but the magazine flatly refused to do an audition. I remember it well.