Tyll H. in HeadRoom ad, Stereophile, June 1994...

The Dec. 1995 issue was ~340 pages (Wilson Grand Slamm on the cover), and I thinks those were the "prime" years for the 'Phile, ... so why is JA all slicked up sellin' cheap CDs?

There were several ads in this 1994 issue with thematic eroticism/sexuality ... this Cello ad was one (I'll post more below) ... are audiophiles really tempted by this? I.e., is it art, clever marketing, etc?

I think this ad (and similar ads with sexual themes) got a few complaints in Letters to the Editor (JA may recall) ...

... what the offended may not have known was that Energy ran this same ad in Audio, Stereo Review, etc!

...more from Stereophile 1996 ...

...ahem, Michael, I don't see a Rev # or price next to ya ...

My near-20-year subscription to the 'phile expired mid-2011, so I don't know what the PRINT publication looks like these days.
Certainly, the 'Phile has evolved ... its online presence, with this forum (of course) to serve as feedback/watchdog, as well as ancillary sites like IF, AnalogPlanet, etc) are much more mature iterations/formats than the print version (IMO) ... some of that outdated old-stock is elucidated in this thread ... and that includes ads, of course. ...

It's an evolutionary process ... even Time and Life once had the Malboro Man to pay da billz ...