Hi-Fi News versus Hi-Fi World. Just a thought, but possibly a helpful one? [Archive]

Neil McCauley

08-03-2011, 16:10

Because I’m a retailer I get both of these mags every month. The prices are going up. If there is interest then I’m happy to review both publications on a month by month basis. If money is tight, then it may help.

My view will be my own. Purely subjective.

I’ll not confuse opinion with facts.

This is NOT an invitation to bang on about how useless the mags are, what idiots the reviewers are or debate the possibility of backhanders. That’s not what I’m about re this posting and suggestion.

I can’t be bothered with the superficiality of Hi-Fi Choice nor the unreality of Hi-Fi Plus. The point being that even though the two chosen mags have tiny circulations compared to the 1980s they do represent probably the last bastion of support for decent quality equipment playing uncompressed media.

Once they're gone, they're gone. So on the assumption that there is some interest then I’ll commit the time.

Finally, what comparative aspects between the publications would the AOS members like me to comment on? Naturally, silly suggestions will be ignored. Thanks. HP

Techno Commander

08-03-2011, 16:21

I havent read a hi fi mag for ages. I did particularly like Hi Fi World for their acknowledgement of DIY and their efforts to actively support DIY and marketing of kit built amplifiers. I dont know if this is still the case or not, but I believe that any magazine prepared to support DIY as well as "unearthing old classics" for sensible money would be worthy of support and a little respect.

colinB

08-03-2011, 16:29

I would welcome more debate on the publications you have mentioned.
I missed the golden age of hi fi so all of the backround info i needed to buy my first kit came from them. Plus they are a good read so i like to support them.
Im just reading hi fi news now and have learned that in Scotland they are replacing freeview radio with a bbc Gaelic channel:eek: I use freeview radio regularly so im reeling from this and i would never have heard about it had it not been for said magazine.

MartinT

08-03-2011, 16:32

Possibly an assessment of the balance and comprehensiveness of their reviews. They each take a different slant, neither perfectly fitting my preference and one or the other occasionally jarring horribly.

It would be fun to build a table of all the common reviewers, their normal systems and what equipment they tend to favour. Not an easy task, but it would render their reviews more useful in context.

Marco

08-03-2011, 17:01

Hi Howard,

HFW and HFN are my two preferred hi-fi mags, finding HFC somewhat 'no man's land' and thus irrelevant (also no coverage of vintage gear, which displeases me), Hi-Fi Plush too full of what I refer to as 'badge-fi' for those who covet the 'prestige value' of owning a particular 'badge', be it Linn, SME, or whatever, and ridiculously priced cables for 'key jangler' types, Stereophile too full of modern hi-end American kit, although understandably so, which I have little interest in (the pro-measurement approach doesn't exactly fit with my sensibilities either), and I find ‘What Hi-fi?’ of zero value other than as an alternative 'arse wipe' to Andrex! ;)

Between HFW and HFN (I buy both every month), KK aside, I prefer the writing style and viewpoints of the former, although the latter is starting to edge it in the vintage hi-fi stakes, with ever more interesting articles featuring equipment from respected British and American companies of a bygone era (which I love), along with the featured readers systems, and the music reviews are better, although I enjoy the vastly superior letters page of HFW.

Martin makes an interesting suggestion, but what you could attempt to ascertain is why HFN have an obsession with Musical Fidelity (a brand I dislike immensely for a number of reasons) and why Noel Keywood has a similar obsession with Ortofon and such a pathological dislike of the venerable old DL-103! :eyebrows: :)

Marco.

John

08-03-2011, 17:02

For me HiFi world is at its best when its looking in depth at classic systems which it has not done for awhile. I think HiFi News has improved in the last year to the point that I now usually buy it, the rest I long given up on.
I think the golden age has long gone, to be honest I doubt it will come back. In a way I think forums have filled a void
I agree with Howard I think its important to help them if we can. They still provide a wide breath of knowledge for most people

Mr Pig

08-03-2011, 17:23

So you're offering an opinion of an opinion of a product?

Neil McCauley

08-03-2011, 17:37

Well …… thank you to everyone. Food for thought indeed. Okay, I’ll do the best I can. Thank you for the stimulus.

Also good to hear from John (Purveyor of tunes & Music Room Mod) who is without doubt one of the most decent people I've met in any walk of life. He knows I think of him this way. And then he blushes.

Incidentally, I’d totally forgotten about Stereophile. Which brings me to a couple of points regarding their reviewing style that you might not be aware of. And which I do believe are relevant.

First, by and large the reviewers there get literally months to live with the equipment. I can assure you that with HFW and Hi-Fi News it’s literally just days and sometimes only 3 of those.

Secondly, very tight sub-editing in the 2 UK mags means that the length of a review is precise to plus or minus 20 words. On the one hand this forces a brevity and produces a punchier style. However in my view this can lead to superficiality from time to time. The rationale is that advertisers generate revenue and editorial doesn’t. Thus a late-added quarter page in a UK audio mag cuts the review editorial by a similar amount of space. They do their best, but money wins - every time.

In contrast, the Stereophile reviewers are under no such constraint. So, I try and take a balanced view via all 3 publications. With HFW and Hi-Fi News I observe banality, vacuity and fine writing in both. Not necessarily in equal measures but all three characteristics are for me, apparent. With Stereophile, I find little banality or vacuity but I do find a greater proportion of content that is irrelevant to me than in the other two. Anyway, I’ll start on this comparative review this weekend. Thanks again. H

John

08-03-2011, 17:45

:sofa:;)

MartinT

08-03-2011, 17:47

I like Stereophile, which is always a good read even if the equipment is not available in the UK market. Their articles are well written and the time they take over reviews does show.

Michael Fremer has single-handedly done more for promoting vinyl than all the other journos put together.

hifi_dave

08-03-2011, 18:00

IMO, Stereophile is the most professional of the English speaking mags, offering in depth subjective reviews with a fair amount of objective measurements and accurate, useful descriptions of the product and it's construction.

My criticism is that it concentrates on Megabuck gear which is double Megabuck by the time it reaches these shores. It also suffers from the same ill that plagues our mags in only printing favourable reviews.

Neil McCauley

08-03-2011, 18:12

Martin makes an interesting suggestion, but what you could attempt to ascertain is why HFN have an obsession with Musical Fidelity (a brand I dislike immensely for a number of reasons) and why Noel Keywood has a similar obsession with Ortofon and such a pathological dislike of the venerable old DL-103! :eyebrows: :)

Marco.

Hello Marco.

Hmm. Well, I wonder what I can tell you about this without breaking confidences?

First, the reviewers and editors are very concerned about perceived prejudice. And please remember that prejudice against a brand is the other side of the coin of prejudice for a brand. And yes, you are in the main correct in that’s it’s brand-prejudice rather than model prejudice.

If these people are concerned, then in my opinion the Editors are truly paranoid about it. The Hi-Fi Plus / Nordost debacle is not something that’s gonna go away in a hurry – and they know it!

You should be aware that while I like to think of myself as both rational and objective, I am (initially at least) more inclined to believe an audio conspiracy that not. And I say this having experienced many. But try as I may, and from what I’m told and what has been corroborated by others, the situations you mention are devoid of conspiracy. There are reasons, and they are in my view generally banal. In every instance mentioned, it seems to me, that the cause is merely a function of the differing levels of personal charisma and sheer mental horsepower between supplier and reviewer. Sometimes massively so. Nothing more than this.

Now being fairly long in tooth, none of this is a surprise to me. I was there, and in a small way taking part in the 1970s/19080s ‘turntable wars.’ In those days, the BOS (barnacle on scrotum) grip that a couple of makers had on virtually the entire UK audiophile press was disgusting. Intimidation is too light a word.

In comparison, what you are witnessing today, and it’s not perfect, is more innocent, more benign and less threatening than previously.

markf

09-03-2011, 03:48

Hi-Fi + makes for a good product reference .The products reviewed may be expensive when the issue is current,
but let 5 yrs go by and you can start looking at buying these
products second hand ( most of the people who buy these items new look after them very well) .

HFN and HFW always seem to be reviewing 5 British integrated amps , I don’t buy them both
regularly and find it hard sometimes to differentiate between the two.

(I have subscriptions for Stereophile,TAS and Hi-Fi +)

John

09-03-2011, 08:41

Interesting the view across the seas. I think HiFI World and News have become a lot more similar, and I perfer Hifi World how was say 3 to 4 years ago when it had a bit more DIY and did those in depth studies on classic gear
Like many hear I find Hifi plus to much about equiopment I can never even dream of having and HIfi Choice I find rarely interests me

Gerry

09-03-2011, 09:05

I subscribe to all 3 (Stereophile, HFW & HFN).
I do think NFN has edged ahead of HFW. Marco's observation about perceived bias / prejudice is interesting...certainly in HFW if Icon Audio have an item to be reviewed it is 5*, like wise they don't like DL103 (though Adam Smith recently remarked that he may have finally heard one when he listened to his vintage studio TT..can't remember the name). They also seem very fond of MF....certainly I'm more aware of MF in HFW than HFN

HFN, I haven't been reading long enough (about 15 months) to really notice any bias yet. I have always like KK, so that is probably my bias. I do think their music reviews and vintage articles are the best at the moment.

I do wish that both could have longer articles on some of the equipment...you do feel sometimes that it gets cut short...as explained by Howard.

I love Stereophile, in particular Art Dudley.
I sum them up as:
HFW - one nights reading
HFN - entertains me pretty much for the all the month I dip in and out.
Sterophile - As above...the whole month.

keiths

09-03-2011, 10:51

I've not really bothered with the magazines for a few years now, but still enjoy reading Stereophile whenever I get the chance - especially Michael Fremer and Sam Tellig/Tom Gillet.

I used to avidly read all the UK mags (as I then had a 1 hour+ daily commute by train to fill). In those days I used to read HFN/HFW/Choice etc for reviews on gear that I might want to buy, but treated Stereophile and Hi-Fi+ more as something just to read and enjoy even though the gear had less relevance.

MCRU

09-03-2011, 12:49

Howard,
I would appreciate your reviews of the mags in question. I buy Choice, Plus, World and News and tried Critic for a month, boring. You seem to have quite a good command of the written word so please submit your findings, I for one would be happy to read what you write. The human brain can only retain a certain amount of information anyway so when one spends £4.00 or so on a magazine one tends to forget what one has read 24 hours later! I would probably prefer to read your scribings on the AOS anyway.

Spectral Morn

09-03-2011, 13:09

Howard has indeed an excellent way with words and I very much enjoyed his time on HiFi News as a reviewer, which is one of the reasons why I asked him to contribute to Adventures in High Fidelity Audio. You will find a number of reviews there by him, which he kindly allowed me to republish from his original blog.

http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/15/09/2010/is-there-a-major-disconnect-between-the-audiophile-magazines-and-their-readers/

http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/15/09/2010/hps-vintage-test-quad-44-all-you-want-to-know-and-possibly-more-than-you-need-to-know/

http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/22/09/2010/hps-vintage-review-2-bosendorfer-vc-7-loudspeakers/

http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/14/10/2010/hps-vintage-review-3-the-nakamichi-ca-5eiipa-5e-and-the-st-7-fm-tuner-in-passing/

Regards D S D L

Bazil

10-03-2011, 21:20

HFN has an excellent music section especially their feature classic album. If I've got it I play it, if I haven't I usually buy it.

jbloggs

11-03-2011, 12:05

I bought a year's subscription to Stereophile a few months ago (only cost me a few £s), I do like the style of their reviews, although (as already mentioned) they are often on equipment that is out of my price bracket, but I do enjoy my peruse of it each month...

Not bothered with Hi Fi News/World so can't really comment on them...

AmpCity

11-03-2011, 15:38

I personally find the magazines of decreasing value when looking at particular equipment; I usually use it to get an overview of an item and then go hunting online for more varied user reviews and real-life experiences.

Nowadays I read more for the entertainment and engaging writing (of which very few seem to possess) as opposed to convincing me towards a particular product. A review will inherently be contrived or artificial in manner (being a glimpse/snapshot of a product that is only temporary in a system and soon replaced) - that is the point after all - and so in this regard Stereophile is better in conducting longer term reviews. Still the opinions of a larger pool of real-life experience tend to hold greater comparative value for me, even if those users don't necessarily convey the particulars of a piece of equipment in the same engaging manner in which a professional reviewer can.

Thats not to say that they do not have much worth - still deserves a place on the shelves and we shouldn't let them die out. Also a decent way of new products to gain some exposure though it can be quite hard to secure a review slot being a new entry to the market.

In any case, I definitely look forward to your opinions on the mags :popcorn:
In any case, I look forward to meeting some of you guys there! I'll keep the thread updated with new info as I get it.

Zain

Pete The Cat

12-03-2011, 22:11

MartinT

12-03-2011, 22:27

That was a good read until the Linn/Naim axis started polluting it. Chris Frankland seemed to be at the centre of it.

BTH K10A

12-03-2011, 22:51

I only occasionally buy hifi mags now.

I used to like HFW up to about ten years ago whe they stopped the diy supplements and prior to that enjoyed reading Hi Fi Answers.

In recent years HFN had lost it's way. A conversation with the current editor at Tonbridge audiojumble was enlightening but I don't see much improvement after the recent revamp. I'm not a fan of KK either.

I don't know in anyone else remembers AQ but it was a mag launched in Feb 98 that I thought was really promising. Sadly it promptly dissapeared. The writing was good, seemed unbiased and I found it a thoroughly good read.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/emttsd15/IMG_0847.jpg

Spectral Morn

12-03-2011, 22:56

Spectral Morn

12-03-2011, 22:59

I'm an avid reader of Hi-Fi Answers, currently devouring the September 1983 edition and have a box of others covering several years to go at. Something tells me that by the time I get to 1991 I'm going to become disappointed...

Pete

When I dumped some of my magazines 15 years ago I decided to keep all the HiFi Answers as it was a very good magazine imho. New HiFi Sound went in the bin along side some issues of Audiophile (I regret doing that though)

I kept all my Tas/Stereophile and HiFi News.

Regards D S D L

BTH K10A

12-03-2011, 23:12

That was a good read until the Linn/Naim axis started polluting it. Chris Frankland seemed to be at the centre of it.

Totally agree.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/emttsd15/00130_flat-earth.jpg

BTH K10A

12-03-2011, 23:31

I have a few of those. It was a precursor for Hi-Fi + similar writers, illustrations etc. Only got to a few issues though before the plug was pulled on it.

Regards D S D L

It's a shame it wasn't succesful. Hi-Fi+ moved too far towards the ultra high end. I suspect most readers just ogle the featured kit, a bit like HiFi porn.:stalks:

Clever concept to raise circulation though.:hmm:

Andy

Mr Pig

12-03-2011, 23:59

I find reading other people's opinions on most things increasingly pointless as they so seldom correspond with my own. And near the top of the list of pointless opinions has to be those on Hi-Fi.

Such is the diversity of possible sonic signatures and quality variations that tight definitions and accurate descriptions seem utterly impossible. I am sick, bored and weary of glowing descriptions of equipment that turns out to be the antithesis of my taste. The fact that it is to someone else's taste is of no relevance to my life whatsoever. Similarly, I couldn't care less about the fact that other people dislike the equipment I use.

MartinT

13-03-2011, 00:02

I find reading other people's opinions on most things increasingly pointless.

Begs the question, then, why are you here?

Jonboy

13-03-2011, 00:14

DSJR

13-03-2011, 09:44

Years ago, I read all the mags from cover to cover and very much looked forward to visiting Jimmy Hughes on a regular basis (every couple of months). But later on, when i reached the end of my audio journey, I started to find all the double-meanings in Martin Colloms' reviews (ALWAYS read between the lines), the fanbois bias in Messenger and Steward (especially the latter), the two faced persona of Kessler (where audio is concerned) and the downright ignorance in most others, including the HFW crowd in earlier times, really got to me I'm afraid.

I started to look at HFW again, but their useless ramblings on vintage kit I once sold and knew very well rather put me off I'm afraid. It does indeed look as though HFN are getting back on track after years of wilderness ramblings, but their circulation is now so low and many of their traditional readers have either moved on or passed on, I doubt they'll ever get back where they were.

The reviews in Stereophile I've seen on gear I know, seem quite good to me. Unlike Marco, I do enjoy the objective measurements at the end, as these days, the way an item behaves audibly can be objectively explained to a large degree I think.

The "Golden age" of HiFi was almost certainly in the 50's and 60's I reckon, where new techniques and huge advances were being made. The golden "commercial" age possibly in the 70's. The 80's and early 90's to me were the dark ages, at least in the UK and so much good and innovative gear was all but ignored by many mags and the dealers that fed off them. I can think of a dealer or two out of London where this blind and arrogant ignorance still exists, the rest have either gone out of business or moved on and up...

Mr Pig

13-03-2011, 09:57

It's not necessarily the equipment that is the issue.

It's always the equipment that's the issue, Hi-Fi is nothing else. It is a machine. My point is simply that it's impossible to tell what a Hi-Fi machine does without actually experiencing it, any more than it's possible to explain the aesthetic impact of a painting in words. What is beauty to one is a sullen woman to another.

But of course people try. I'm sure the world is full of books about that one painting alone. But how much of that print is worth having? Do you have to be taught how to find a flower beautiful? How many pages of print are sheer masturbation?

Please remind me of your kit

Why does that matter? Is it so that you can put me in a convenient box and push it to one side? Does my record player define who I am?

why are you here?

Well, in the first instance, because someone asked me to be. But it seems like a nice enough place. Fairly friendly atmosphere going on, not too much activity, but I guess you can see why I'm here from my posts?

jandl100

13-03-2011, 10:13

Do you have to be taught how to find a flower beautiful?

Well, no.

But there are so many audio flowers out there, no-one can be familiar with all but a tiny fraction of what is available. It can be useful and enlightening to learn about other people's experience of them. And maybe that will help guide your own explorations.

Marco

13-03-2011, 11:05

Hi Dave,

Unlike Marco, I do enjoy the objective measurements at the end, as these days, the way an item behaves audibly can be objectively explained to a large degree I think.

That's cool if you can understand and relate to it. I would simply not buy a hi-fi magazine whose reviews were heavily measurement/objectivist led. It would be pointless and akin to a non-speaker buying a book written in Swahili.

For me, measurements are just meaningless gobbledygook, so as soon as I see graphs, paragraphs of technical data, or whatever, my eyes just glaze over and yawnsville sets in......! :rolleyes:

That's what I disliked about the reviews of kit in mags in the 70s (and to a degree, the 80s) - good examples of this are the samples you sometimes scan and post here, no offence. There's virtually no description of how the item in question sounds, and therefore for me, the article is next to meaningless. I understand and accept that measurements and technical data are valid, of course they are, but the fact is for the average reader these days, they hold little or no interest.

It was different in the days when people used to build their own gear from kits (as that's all most folk could afford), and so they had to have an understanding of the technical procedure involved, but all most people are interested in now is how the kits sounds and what it looks like - and whether they can afford to buy it. Hi-fi magazines are a business, just like any other, so they have to satisfy the demands of their target audience.

What I find useful with hi-fi reviews in magazines, is relating to a particular reviewer's subjective writing style and/or finding one who's views in audio align with my own - i.e. just like on forums, it's about finding someone who's ears you can trust, or in terms of magazine content, at least as far as possible within the restrictions of any commercial bias.

There are people here who's ears I would trust when making a recommendation on equipment enough to try whatever they were recommending myself, based on what they've written, and knowing their preferences (presuming of course I was interested in the product in the first place), and very rarely are measurements mentioned in their reviews, or indeed any technical data.

Whilst remaining as modest as possible, I'm sure that my eulogising of the modified SL-1200 has been responsible for quite a few people going that route themselves, and that has occurred purely as a result of me expressing my views here, which with my passion for the product and also through my writing style, people have been able to relate to. *That* for me is what it's all about.

Audio enthusiasts expressing their views on Internet forums of equipment they use or have discovered is I believe how information both is and will be sought by enthusiasts in the future, and forums such as AoS will play a big part in that. The printed magazine format, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your viewpoint) will become extinct sooner rather than later.

Marco.

MartinT

13-03-2011, 12:16

There are people here who's ears I would trust when making a recommendation on equipment enough to try whatever they were recommending myself

That's exactly it for me, whether it be magazine reviewers I trust, dealers (yes, I know a few people who talk a great deal of sense), or forum members here.

Mr Pig

13-03-2011, 13:35

no-one can be familiar with all but a tiny fraction of what is available. It can be useful and enlightening to learn about other people's experience of them.

That is true but I feel that so little of other people's experience relates to where I am that it's rarely worth reading them. Opinions are so diverse, coloured and corrupted as to be of little worth in the real world.

I think I've mentioned this before but recently I visited a guy's house to hear his hi-end system, huge turntable, huge valve amp, mega-bucks cables, the fool moo. From past experience I typically don't like such systems but he was adamant his was different. He spoke of it in familiar and welcome language, his system did 'prat' and all the other things I value.

From my perspective of what a good Hi-Fi system should be his was truly awful, pretty much exactly as I've come to expect from 'round earth' kit. Absolutely nothing that was played on it sounded good. All music was flat and devoid of all passion, soul and excitement. The life had been refined right out of it.

The point being that it was impossible to know this from the way it had been described. The terms used to describe the sound of Hi-Fi systems are almost all relative and can mean very different things to different people.

There's virtually no description of how the item in question sounds, and therefore for me, the article is next to meaningless.

I agree but would go further in that from my experience many people who place importance on measured performance often place more faith in those charts than they do in their own ears.

DSJR

13-03-2011, 13:52

Hi Dave,

That's cool if you can understand and relate to it. For me, measurements are just meaningless gobbledygook, so as soon as I see graphs, paragraphs of technical data, or whatever, my eyes just glaze over and yawnsville sets in......! :rolleyes:

That's what I disliked about the reviews of kit in mags in the 70s (and to a degree, the 80s) - good examples of this are the samples you sometimes scan and post here, no offence. There's virtually no description of how the item in question sounds, and therefore for me, the article is next to meaningless. I understand and accept that measurements and technical data are valid, of course they are, but the fact is for the average reader these days, they hold little or no interest.

It was different in the days when people used to build their own gear from kits (as that's all most folk could afford), and so they had to have an understanding of the technical procedure involved, but all most people are interested in now is how the kits sounds and what it looks like - and whether they can afford to buy it. Hi-fi magazines are a business, just like any other, so they have to satisfy the demands of their target audience.

What I find useful with hi-fi reviews in magazines, is relating to a particular reviewer's subjective writing style and/or finding one who's views in audio align with my own - i.e. just like on forums, it's about finding someone who's ears you can trust, or in terms of magazine content, at least as far as possible within the restrictions of any commercial bias.

There are people here who's ears I would trust when making a recommendation on equipment enough to try whatever they were recommending myself, based on what they've written and knowing their preferences (presuming of course I was interested in the product in the first place), and very rarely are measurements mentioned in their reviews, or any technical data.

Whilst remaining as modest as possible, I'm sure that my eulogising of the modified SL-1200 has been responsible for quite a few people going that route themselves, and that has occurred purely as a result of expressing my views here, which with my passion for the product and also through my writing style, people could relate to. *That* for me is what it's all about.

Audio enthusiasts expressing their views on the Internet of equipment they use is I believe how information both in audio is now and will be sought by enthusiasts in the future, and forums such as AoS will play a big part in that. The printed magazine format, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your viewpoint) will become extinct sooner rather than later.

Marco.

I can go with that :) Do please remember that I come from the later 60's where audio is concerned and HiFi Sound magazine from this era in particular - VERY objectively based, although to be fair, many of the reviewers, then in their mid to late fifties I think, did acknowledge the sonics and to a degree, the emotional relationship we tend to have with our gear. What they didn't tolerate was inept design, which was often rife at the time I remember.

I still look at the odd mag on my rare ventures into WHSmug, but don't seem to get turned on by new bits of (usually) over-priced bling on the covers and in the reviews. the last mag I bought was a fairly recent HFW 'cos they reviewed the NAS Hyperspace, but WHY they chose to fit the SME tonearm instead of the better (on this deck and in my opinion) AceSpace I just don't know.......

MartinT

13-03-2011, 15:12

Is that when Jimmy was still using the Impulse H1s?

Mr Pig

13-03-2011, 17:32

Oh dear, our opinions are worthless.

Well, I don't know you so yours certainly is.

The speakers were reversed to bounce the sound off the rear wall.

If he's still living in the flat above the underground station it was actually a big window he was 'bouncing' the sound off, or the blinds to be more exact.

Neil McCauley

13-03-2011, 17:57

Is that when Jimmy was still using the Impulse H1s?

JMH still uses those speakers. I've sat in his place and yes, he achives a very enjoyable sound, partly aided by the unusal architecture of his flat and that baring his massive windows and ceilings there are no, and I do mean no reflective surfaces. This is a consequence of having over 15k albums stored on wall units floor to ceiling.

DSJR

13-03-2011, 18:57

I stopped seeing him around the time he turned his Impulse speakers away from the listener and towards the wall. To my ears, the sound was truly horrid and nothing at all like "real life," made even more so because that day we went to the barbican round the corner to hear a live jazz band in the foyer (Humphrey Littleton & band as I recall). At that time, I had the big ATC actives and one thing they did well was jazz at "live" levels... In any event, I met the lady who became my wife shortly after and everything went to the dogs after that ;)

Neil McCauley

13-03-2011, 23:24

The comparative review between "News" & "World" April 2011 editions can be seen here > http://not-boring-honestly.blogspot.com/2011/03/april-2011-hfw-hi-fi-news-compared_13.html

Alex_UK

13-03-2011, 23:41

MartinT

13-03-2011, 23:42

A great read and thanks, Howard. I agree with you that HFN is the better read and improving by the month.

P.S. agree with Alex about the typos, they need cleaning up.

Neil McCauley

13-03-2011, 23:44

I enjoyed it very much Howard - thanks. (You've got quite a few typos in the blog, though - (not meaning to be critical, just trying to help) - maybe the Gaymers wan't such a good idea? ;))

Reflects my very inexperienced view that News is the more interesting read, based only on recent issues.

Yes, agreed. I'll tidy up tomorrow. Thanks for pointing this out. As for the Gaymers? Well, possibly, probably, unlikely. Err ...... dunno and ........ burp.

Beobloke

14-03-2011, 08:25

"Dan Smith"? Who he? ;)

Neil McCauley

14-03-2011, 11:24

"Dan Smith"? Who he? ;)

Oops. I should have said Adam Smith. Sorry 'bout that. Contact number is 01672 811882.

Marco

14-03-2011, 12:41

Hi Colin,

Well, I don't know you so yours certainly is.

That's harsh. I think we have a slight personality clash here, borne through a lack of understanding on both sides.

Disagreeing with opinions is fine, belittling them isn't. I know you're better than that.

Problem is, you don't know Andy, granted, but others and I here do, and he is a very knowledgeable, experienced and valued contributor on AoS, so I would be obliged if you retracted your above remark and continued the debate on a more constructive note.

Cheers! :cool:

Marco.

Neil McCauley

14-03-2011, 13:46

Hey Marco. A very well put and kindly piece of moderation there. Respect!

Sincerely

Howard

Gerry

14-03-2011, 16:11

Many thanks Howard. Good job and pretty much reflects my thoughts of the 2.

Interesting what you say about the Clearaudio Concept MC...I'd be interested to hear more when you've had a listen. I too am very tempted.

Many thanks again.

John

14-03-2011, 16:34

I think pretty fair reflection Howard
I still have a soft spot for HFW for me its has a more realistic take on HIFI but HIFI News has really improved in the last year
For me I do not really get how the precentage mark works in Hifi News, seems to make little sense. E.g. I do not understand why a editors choice recommendation gets less than 90% scoring and yet saying its the best equipment the reviewer has heard

Mr Pig

14-03-2011, 16:58

I think we have a slight personality clash here, I would be obliged if you retracted your above remark.

How can it be a personality clash when I don't even know the guy? And it's not a remark, it's a statement of fact.

I know zero about the guy, nothing. In fact this is the first post of his that I am conscience of reading. His opinion doesn't mean anything to me and for the same reasons none of the other opinions voiced on this forum do either. To say anything else would be a lie.

Marco

14-03-2011, 18:01

Well, Colin, you might be surprised then to discover that Andy has left the forum due to your insensitive remarks...... Are you pleased about that?

His opinion doesn't mean anything to me and for the same reasons none of the other opinions voiced on this forum do either.

Does that also apply to my opinion, after all the years we've known each other?

TBH, I think what you said was harsh and you owe Andy an apology. Having known you for years, I'm rather disappointed in the lack of empathy you're showing in this instance.

Marco.

Clive

14-03-2011, 18:17

I have to say that Colin's comments come across as a poke in the eye coupled with a lack of caring about other people. I can well believe he's not really like that and it's simply his posting style which riles. Words written one way are so frequently read another way.

Mr Pig

14-03-2011, 19:02

Well, Colin, you might be surprised then to discover that Andy has left the forum due to your insensitive remarks...... Are you pleased about that?

Look, he was the one who tried to put words in my mouth by suggesting that I did not value the opinions of anyone on the forum. I gave him an honest answer, if he didn't like it too bad.

Does that also apply to my opinion.

I've never heard your system so I have no idea how your taste in Hi-Fi relates to mine. But I do know you better that I know Andy so I guess your opinion means more than his?

The 'round earth' system I mentioned earlier? I wouldn't ask the owners opinion on any aspect of Hi-Fi because if that's what he thinks is good it has no relevance to what I want. Until I know that someone is on the same page as me in terms of what they want a Hi-Fi to do then no, there opinion means absolutely nothing to me and I'm not apologising for saying that. It's the truth.

Marco

14-03-2011, 19:12

It's not *what* you said, Colin, but how you said it.... And it's no accident either that Clive reads the sitation the same as I do.

No-one is saying not to be honest, but if you can't see that your remarks to Andy were insensitive, and seem happy that you've driven a valuable member away from the forum, then you're not the person I thought you were.

Therefore, we'll have to have a chat regarding your future status here.

A PM is on its way!

Marco.

Barry

14-03-2011, 19:42

I'm with Clive and Marco on this one - I too was surprised by the unconciliatory nature and rudness of Mr Pig's remarks. And if because of it, Andy has felt he no longer wants to be part of this tolerant forum, I am very sad and angry that we have lost such an interesting and knowledgable member. It may not have been post hoc ergo propter hoc, but I suspect it was!

Mr Pig

14-03-2011, 19:45

Therefore, we'll have to have a chat regarding your future status here.

This is ridiculous! There's no need for a chat about anything, I have no need to be here so I'll just leave. It was you you talked me into joining in the first place and you reckon I'm worried about not being here!

All the best with the forum, I'm sure it'll continue to do well.

Marco

14-03-2011, 19:50

Fair enough, Colin - you're decision. Obviously you're too pig-headed (pun intended) to realise that you were out of order... :rolleyes:

I asked you to join AoS because the Mr Pig I knew was interesting, often thought-provoking, sometimes funny, but always a considerate contributor. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, you appear to have lost arguably the most valuable of those traits.

You've really disappointed me on this.

Marco.

Welder

14-03-2011, 20:06

Probably an unwelcome interjection but I’m afraid Colin is right, opinions on an internet forum, no matter who’s they are just that.
Colin may have been a bit blunt in his reply but that from what I’ve gathered that’s Colin and I’m sure he didn’t set out to be offensive.
Now of course it’s an issue......

Marco

14-03-2011, 20:14

Yes, John, but the point is that Colin's behaviour, right or wrong, caused a much liked and valued member of AoS to leave. *That* is what matters most here.

Therefore, faced with that fact, I would've expected a reasonable person to have shown concern and swallowed their pride, whether they thought they were right or not, and tried to make amends, not stubbornly stick two fingers up at those principles and rudely carry on regardless!!!

Also, when I make it blatantly obvious to someone that they're out of order, trust me, it's for a very good reason, and so the reaction I expect is for them to comply with my wishes.

'Yeah buts' and/or back-chat are not acceptable. If people can't respect the way we do things here, then they have no place in our community - it's as simple as that.

Now, I must insist that this is an end to the matter, so please, let's have no more comment. My focus now is on getting Andy back.

Cheers!

Marco.