I haven't seen the issue yet, but this is wonderful!

Yippy!

Merry Christmas to us!

Thank you very much, guys. I'm really excited about the column.

I've been fortunate to be surrounded by some very intelligent people for several years now, and I plan to steal from them as much as possible. ;)

Really, it's great to have a venue for sharing my experiences and offering thanks to all those who have helped me along the way. Writing the column has been a lot of fun. I've written three installments so far, and I hope to keep it going for a long, long time.

Read the first installment this weekend, you're off to a great start.

Just got the new issue yesterday. I was already looking forward to Stephen M's 'The Entry Level,' but got more than I expected.

There is a level of emotional honesty there that's worth paying attention to - what is it about many of us where we end up alone on a couch or in a chair, trying to connect to the rest of the world through our puny, wholly inadequate tools? And isn't it a miracle we do so often?

That's just part of the column. A very good start, because in S.'s hands,'the entry level' means more than just cheap gear.

Scott A.

Nice column , now you need some Hi end stuff in there , there are people that start out with a big budget . Have a musical xmass .

Yeah... just read the column and it is a refreshing point of view for the magazine... now... I will listen to Pixies "Surfer Rosa" to be in mood... ;-)... Great work Stephen...

Visualizing your apartment and your room development was cool, and I pictured the process very well. I picture listening with the topless Surfer Rosa on my couch while I sigh in her arms... Ah.

I would have liked an equipment review! Merry Xmas man!

Thanks very much!

Glotz wrote:

I would have liked an equipment review! Merry Xmas man!

In this first installment, I figured I should offer an introduction and set some expectations. I didn't want to get straight into reviews. There'll be lots of time for that, I hope.

Belated kudos to Stephen and Stereophile for advancing the state of the journalism art. I always enloy Stephen's writing because it is like a very clear window into an old, wise soul- through the eyes of a very young hip dude.

...by listing all the previously used cliches and consolidating them into a sort of "Beacon's Handbook" for reference. On second thought, you're painful honesty will probably make it unnecessary. Nevermind...

Oh, wait, there is one in particularly that will forever be reserved for being used only once. CG "That'll really make your monkey bone stand up and dance."