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Big speakers, fancy amps, fast cars, pretty girls: they are all "toys for boys." Get over it.

I think it's simple: A magazine contains editorial parts (which are the ones that make me buy the magazine) and advertizing parts. Now, without ads, magazines like Stereophile would cease to exist (or would anybody be wiling to pay, say, 100$ per issue?). Therefore, I don't mind at all if BMW pays to support the magazine I'm subscribing to. Frankly, I'm much more bothered by editorial space wasted on PC Sound Cards, Home Theater, and 300$ "budget-systems" !

Advertising helps keep the price of the magazine down low. Sure, one should not totally sell out, but, as a reader, its pretty easy to ignore the ads and move on.

Its a question of context and for a narrow focus publication such as a high profile (and quality) audio magazine I find unrelated ads out of place. I wouldn't buy FHM or any autocar magazine to find out about audio manufacturers' new products. I suspect that the readers of Stereophile know very well what magazines to buy to update themselfs on auto news. Maybe the same does not hold for lifestyle magazines, but I suspect this is more a question of choice rather than ommission or lack of research ability. Please don't turn our mag into a "cable $ rack" or a "stereogents' quarterly"

When I saw it, I certainly found it a bit odd. But no more so than a Bose ad in "Family Circle" magazine, I suppose. Well, if it's financially necessary, to continue publishing Stereophile, so be it.

welcome to the real world

New ads? Oh, you mean that stuff between the articles! Hadn't noticed, actually.

Let's face it, these adds keep subscription rates stable. As long as the ads aren't obnoxious, I'm in favor.

They do get any of my attention.

I love the BMW car ad... every time I see it, it reminds me of the great value to be had in highend audio. A few examples: CDs, interconnect & speaker cables, loudspeaker systems, phono certridges etc. Anyone can see that there is much more engineering and R&D ("bull....") involved in highend audio than in making one of the world's finest automobiles!

Well, an audio magazine should have audio related ads—which Stereophile does. However, audiophiles are also probably profiled as an audience with money to spend, and therefore highly desirable to marketers. Stereophile makes its money from ads, not subscription costs, and can provide a better magazine to us if the ad dollars come in easier. So diversifying into other somewhat related product territories can be justified. But please, keep the majority about audio components and keep the sexual trash marketing (eg, FHM) out of the magazine.

I am flattered that they think enough of my buying power to advertise in a favorite magazine of mine.

My subscription costs $1 an issue. Please keep taking someone elses money!

I don't really care. What ever keeps costs down. Nonetheless, it's sort of like seeing an add for a strip bar in a copy of The New York Times Magazine. It's really out of place and laughable. Since your periodical is not something like Flex. I do believe FHM will see no increase in sales of their product. They might want to stick with something like Maxim and it's reader Joe Six Pack You know, the man that gets a date maybe once every few years. That might be more their market. As for BMW I do like most of their vintage models, but their new stuff just looks cookie cutter boring. However, I will give them credit for the new Mini.

No naked or scantily clad women on the cover, please—my wife gets upset. Naked women inside the mag is fine though.

I would rather the advertisers pay the bill than increasing subscription rates.

Unfortunately, advertising is a fact of life. I could think of many worse things to advertise than cars, not to mention the ratio of content to ad copy is still very reasonable in Stereophile. Pick up an issue of any fashion or lifestyle magazine, whether women's or men's, to put things in perspective.

First of all, anything as meticulously prepared and well photographed as those BMW ads are a welcome sight. Ads like that present a sharp contrast to the consistently poorly photographed and composed component ads. Your electronics advertisers could learn a thing, or two, from the big fish. Second, if Bard-Alan Finlan is one of those who use BMW's ads as an impetus to whine, tell him and his ilk to take their insecurities and control neuroses and cram 'em in their collective woofer ports.

If it means more income and capital to further improve the magazine, I'm all for it! I also hope that this means "High-End Audio" is moving into the mainstream. If the industry is to stay alive it needs to expand its borders. The next step is for the high-end audio manufacturers to start advertising in Automobile Magazine and GQ. In fact, I've always wondered why most advertise exclusively in a magazine dedicated to their industry with readers who already know they exist. Let's get the word out and attract some NEW high-end converts!

That's two to four pages Stereophile could be using to advertise more glossy pictures of audiophile gear! I think the regular articles need to include more pictures as well (like faceplates, connections in the back, what's under the casing, how it looks in the reviewer's system, and different camera angles—take a few pointers from FHM!). If I want to look at a BMW, I'll read a car magazine. If I want sex, I'll put down my copy of Stereophile and crank up the Led Zeppelin (which is a proven aphrodisiac, along with chocolate and looking over precipices).

BMW is OK, but I'm less positive about the magazine (FHM) ad. Get Breitling ads (or other exiting technical devices) instead.

If this means that non-audio industry money is coming in—then all is good. And if the advert offends, turn the page rapidly.

IMHO it should not be necessary to accept ads from non-Audio sources. The ads are part of the "experience" and non-audio ads distract and IMO this does not benefit a specialty mag such as Stereophile. I would even vote for increasing the subscription price if that allows you to be more selective. The economics of the magazine are not transparent to me, but one would like to think that the "letter and spirit" of Stereophile are best served by the various players in the high-end audio industry to the exclusion of others.

The ads help to pay for the cost of publishing the magazine. I'd love to see more ads for non-electronic products if that meant the size of the magazine could be expanded or the subscription cost reduced.

I keep hoping to see speaker/receiver manufacturers advertise in Interior Design magazines. Please help me brainwash my wife too, misery loves company!

Next we will soon suffer through car and track reviews that will include recommendations and class ratings. There will also be a Cars to die for section. This is just the harbinger of where this once great magazine is headed. I have decided not to renew my subscription. I will continue my audio readings with Ultimate Audio.

Anyone who would cancel a subscription because oa a BMW ad needs to get a life ! Half of my "music time" is in the car. That's why I am looking to buy a Lexus with the Mark Levinson sound system.

Whatever pays the bills, within reason. The ads in question are well within reason.

The presence of such ads tells me that the magazine has successfully expanded its appeal to a larger audience, not just a narrow cross-section of special interest. The dismay of certain readers tells me that there are some who want an exclusive club that is unwelcome to "outsiders." I've been a subscriber for a long time; that first BMW ad was like a thunderbolt. I smiled when I saw it (I like BMW cars).

It's a distubing trend in cross-pollinating marketing. It doesn't further the audio hobby, so it shouldn't be in the magizine.