UK Hi-Fi magazines in terminal decline?

[David Price]

It's almost impossible for a hi-fi publication to be completely objective when testing, the writers have generally been in the hi-fi game for years and years and consequently have expectations and experience of what manufacturers offer. This has to influence their opinion either negatively or positively as their test then becomes subjective, however subjectivity from memory is tricky as if one recalls something that was very good from a while ago, the mind tends to hold it in exceptional light if the current point of comparison is not as impressive. This leads to an inner monologue along the lines of "well, it's not as good as X, and it's certainly nowhere near as good as Y" etc etc. Of course a strict A/B comparison may yield more accurate results but publications inevitably don't have the time.

As for Howard's original question, there is a notable decline in magazines of every genre, except maybe computer related magazines, and that's the crux of the reason; when one is looking for information on anything the first port of call is usually Google.

It's always helpful not to go in with a fixed idea of how it's going to sound, but if the product is built like a dog's dinner it does tend to put you off, I suppose. Still, I try to suspend my (dis)belief about anything until I've put it against my particular price reference - having something consistent to put everything you review against is invaluable. In truth though, I think the biggest challenge for reviewers is finding sympathetic ancillaries for the review task in hand; for example you don't want to be using a single-ended triode tube amp to review the new Rogers LS3/5as with their 82dB/1W sensitivity! Getting the kit to give of its best in your system can be a right pain, but is essential for a fair review. Also, getting particular speakers to work in particular rooms, but that deserves a strand of its own!

Yes - the UK hi-fi mag circulation is down a good few percentage points, depending on the title, year on year. There are a number of factors explaining this, not least the credit crunch and the downturn in hardware sales. I'm not convinced, unlike Howard perhaps, that it's curtains for the mags, but I suspect they'll be migrating to fully electronic forms at some time or another, with the option to buy a print issue (or even print your own). Actually, this model suits independent mags like Hi-Fi World, as we struggle with the logistics of shifting tens of thousands of mags to newsagents much more than the 'majors', let alone persuading WH Smith etc. to actually put the things on shelves. I still think many will stick with print though, and I suspect that as most move to online there will actually be a move back to print for some titles, simply to because well designed mags are lovely artefacts.

[Mick Parry]

Chaps

There will always be magazines but thanks to fora such as this, there will be less of them.

Basically the internet is changing everything and that includes leisure mags.

Regards

Mick

[sastusbulbas]

Hi all,

I thought magazines have been within a steady decline of quality content and explanation for years!

Since the early 90's people wrote in to magazines after certain reviews asking for explanation on products like cable and racks and the supposed benefit of mains, they never got satisfactory replies to why such massive improvements could be had with such items which had no clear technical merit measurable at home.

That is when the rot started!

And I am sure everyone is quite aware of the advert years and trends, where every year or so certain well advertised brands seem to get the best reviews?

And of course many probably felt that reviewers views were nothing more than personal opinion after a point, after all it is how many product reviews started to read, with many reviewers systems themselves under constant development it was a little apparent that many reviews were getting no better than any old opinion offered by anyone who had taken an item on home dem and discussed it on a forum.

Another example is HiFi Choice! This months magazine showed exactly the mentality which has brought them down. A reader wrote in asking about reviewing servers against each other, and one of the reviewers dismissed the idea as being pointless due to the different codecs, software and such!

What a stupid response! Akin to saying we cannot do conclusive reviews of CD players as they use different transport mechanisms, DAC chips, and processing software with different analogue output circuits!

Magazines have lost their use in audio, because the world has became aware that these self appointed "experts" are a dime a dozen on internet fora. They offer more adds than ever, and offer inconsistent single page reviews of product which little apparent merit or technical debate any more And just about every product scores highly, regardless of how thorough the review.
Cambridge Audio Dacmagic. One review, pretty basic reading, product of the year! In the same issue!
Magazines have became pathetic value for money with no real effort being put into them.

HiFi+ started off good, but as they got their freebies and the money came in, so did their egos and opinions seem to change, HiFi+ now have heir heads pretty much in the clouds. My interest was lost, it was practically the same text with model numbers cut n pasted. My subscription was left to die.

HiFi news became like HiFi choice but with poorer quality paper, another subscription that was ignored until it went away.

Hi Fi choice, quite a lot of those have never even been opened, I may have to get pro active and actually cancel that.

Hi Fi World, well it's always had it's highs and lows, sadly though no shops near me sell it any more. And they offer no enticing offers to temp subscribing. Shame because it is enjoyable if a little vague at times.

[griffo104]

Well HiFi+ have just done two old-fashioned "over the top" rave reviews of the ( technically extremely interesting ) Berning Quadrature amplifier and the Magico V3 speakers - let's see if they stand the test of time or , in the case of the Magicos, if it's going the way of the Scintillas ( remember the rave reviews of those ? )

I don't see the harm in that. First, Alan sircom reviewed the Magicos. I like the way he writes, he's enthusiastic and he mentions in the review thatthere are speakers that do certain things better but his enthusiasm for the way these speakers make music put a smile on my face. Why shouldn't a reviewer getting his hands on a new brand of speaker go a little OTT if he's enjoyed them ? That's what the hobby is all about.

As for the berning, I've chatted to a few people who own these amps, although not the particular model reviewed. these guys enthuse in much the same way as the original reviewer, and sunbsequently the editor. They say the same things so I do put a bit more trut in the review.

This hobby is about equipment making you enjoy music, if reviewers get carried away then what's wrong with that. Read the tone of Sircom's Magico review, it made me want to go and slap a record on the deck.

I'll never own a pair of Magicos. I simply don't earn enough but why can't I enjoy reading someone's opinion of them ?

there is just as much, if not more, bullshit coming from people on forums then there biased reviews from reviewers.

What this hobby needs is for people to remember it's supposed to be fun, hif+ still does it for me, where else will I read reviews of amplifiers such as Belles and carts by Air Tight as well as a phono review where they decided the cheapest was the most fun to listen to.

Magazines serve a purpose, if it wasn't for Hifi World I would never have gotten in to turntables, it was there enthusiasm while all others were barking on about the latest sounds the same cd player that made me WANT to go out and listen to one.

The forums are good the chat and you soon pick up on the people who are muppets with no clue what's going on, just as you do with reviewers.

Would you trust a bloke in a pub to tell you how to spend £5k on a cd player ? No of course not but some people's attitudes are that if someone on a forum does then they must be right.

[Marco]

And there was me thinking that you rated my opinion, Griffo! I'm deeply hurt, dahling... Hehe



Marco.

[griffo104]

And there was me thinking that you rated my opinion, Griffo! I'm deeply hurt, dahling... Hehe



Marco.

It's a good point though

How many people will tell you the DL103 is a great cart and a bargain? How many people have actually been there and found what you have ? If I went on some forums it may be a bog standard reply to a query, few if any will come out and say that the DL103 is a serious mismatch with a Rega arm. I'm not stating you are a genius but you talk from actual experience and not forum hearsay.

If someone asks for an amp recommendation, I will very rarely recommend my own amps but if some one asks about going active or Linn amps then my opinion becomes much more valid. I see you points valid in a similar way.

there are too many trends on forums and too many people recommending their own gear. this isn't always suitable for the person asking the query but it's all the person thinks he knows best and this is what he bought. Reviewers don't do that. They get a much wider view of the equipment ut there and, yes, they will have favourites and personal choices but some times it just isn't for them. A review of the AA Maestro ii in Hifi+ was like that. the reviewer wasn't too keen but described the sound it appealed to me. I ended up buying one second hand and being very happy with it. For a review it was quite negative but the reviewer did his job, he expleined what it sounded like and that it wasn't for him but it tweaked my curiosity.

This is what a review should be, imo.

[Marco]

Griffo,

Sorry for my delay in replying. I got caught up yesterday in a discussion with Tim on another thread!

How many people will tell you the DL103 is a great cart and a bargain? How many people have actually been there and found what you have ?

Only a few that I know of, and they only done so after me banging on about how good it was (when partnered and set-up properly) here and elsewhere over the years.

If I went on some forums it may be a bog standard reply to a query, few if any will come out and say that the DL103 is a serious mismatch with a Rega arm. I'm not stating you are a genius but you talk from actual experience and not forum hearsay.

And so it will always be. It's also something we insist from our members on AOS. It's quite obvious when people are 'talking through a hole in their arse' and have no practical experience of what they're discussing. When this is detected here it is challenged accordingly, but it happens very rarely simply because the standard of contributions from our members is particularly high. This is one of the things I feel makes us different from other audio forums. The amount of bullshit that's allowed to go unchallenged sometimes elsewhere is incredible. We want AOS to be a valuable information resource so the quality of its content must subsequently be of a high standard.

Incidentally, I wouldn't say that a 103 is a "serious mismatch" with a Rega arm, merely that it's not ideally suitable.

Because the hi-fi section of the forum is 'serious' and tightly controlled we tend to attract knowledgeable and experienced individuals who are able to express themselves eloquently, and that's one of the main reasons why the forum has a different 'feel' to others and why we're successful even in the face of such a variety of competition. AOS will never be a playground for 'willy-waving' and inane circular arguments due to brand loyalty disputes and defensive reactions towards such being taken to ludicrous levels. The amount of bullshit threads elsewhere started about Naim for example is ridiculous but I know the guys at Salisbury HQ find it all rather amusing!!

If someone asks for an amp recommendation, I will very rarely recommend my own amps but if some one asks about going active or Linn amps then my opinion becomes much more valid. I see you points valid in a similar way.

Indeed, and that's the way it should always be. You can only recommend something from a position of practical experience. I will also only recommend equipment I use to someone else if it is relevant to do so. I will not simply say 'buy a DL-103' if I don't think it'll work properly in someone's system or they're liable not to like its sonic effect. You have to ask the right questions to properly understand the nature of an enquiry and then subsequently you'll be in a position to give good advice.

there are too many trends on forums and too many people recommending their own gear. this isn't always suitable for the person asking the query but it's all the person thinks he knows best and this is what he bought. Reviewers don't do that. They get a much wider view of the equipment ut there and, yes, they will have favourites and personal choices but some times it just isn't for them. A review of the AA Maestro ii in Hifi+ was like that. the reviewer wasn't too keen but described the sound it appealed to me. I ended up buying one second hand and being very happy with it. For a review it was quite negative but the reviewer did his job, he expleined what it sounded like and that it wasn't for him but it tweaked my curiosity.

This is what a review should be, imo.

I completely agree, and like you say, hi-fi magazines run under the right principles can be a useful tool for piquing one's interest in a particular component which wouldn't normally have entered our radar. Hi-fi World is a bit like that for me

Marco.