People still don't seem to "get it" do they?

I have been reading Stereophile since 1992. Back then I was a broke 17 year old high school student living at my family's apartment. Could I afford ANYTHING in the magazine? No. Not at all. Could I convince my mother to buy a $2,000 CD player? Never in a million years. Could I convince myself that I needed to own something like this when I grew older? OF COURSE!

I understand the need to review entry-level gear because truly musical systems can be assembled without breaking the bank. What I don't seem to understand is why readers want you to refrain from reviewing the ultra high end gear. Don't they ever have aspirations for owning something truly stellar? Don't they have the patience to wait until they can afford it? Don't they know that there are fantastic deals in used, demo, and discontinued gear? Our home hi fi rig is composed of mostly used and demo gear (except the speakers and cables) yet nobody cares once they hear the quality of the music. They are blown away when they hear a stereo that absolutely kills anything they've ever heard before.

Don't cease reviewing the high end gear. Let me know what miraculous pieces of equipment which exist and still cost more than a new car. I want to put together my "must have" list for the day I can afford it. I'm already the proud owner of what I considered a dream system only 5 years ago. Blow me away with what I know I'll be able to afford 5 years from now. I have the time. I can read. I can wait.

January 4, 2011 - 6:47pm

JIMV

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Joined: Jan 31 2008 - 1:46pm

I do not believe the issue is

I do not believe the issue is the review of absurdly expensive or cutting age gear, it is the perhaps the ratio of gear no one reading will ever own or hear to that which most can buy that offends...or the too frequent use of words like 'budget', 'affordable' and 'modest' to describe the price of stuff that gets normal folk a nice used car...

January 7, 2011 - 7:40am

tmsorosk

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Joined: Dec 5 2010 - 12:34pm

Hi Fi , Low Fi

Stereophile wants to attract newer younger readers , I have no problem with that , whatever keeps are beloved mag in print . I hope the powers that be, understand that most of these new , young readers won't be around in a few years , but us older, higher end farts are in it for life .

January 11, 2011 - 10:28am

John Atkinson

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Joined: Nov 7 2010 - 3:31pm

Re: I do not believe the issue is

"I do not believe the issue is the review of absurdly expensive or cutting age gear, it is the perhaps the ratio of gear no one reading will ever own or hear to that which most can buy that offends..."

The majority of emails I receive objecting to our reviews of very expensive equipment complain that the reviews exist at all. I do point out to such critics that we do review many affordable components and that those affordable components get just as much care taken in the review as the megabucks stuff. But the continuing complaint is not that we balance our review coverage but we shouldn't be covering products that each individual reader can't afford.

"or the too frequent use of words like 'budget', 'affordable' and 'modest' to describe the price of stuff that gets normal folk a nice used car..."

With respect, while perhaps such inapproriate usage mght occasionally have slipped through our editing net, Stereophile is not nearly as guilty of this kind of hyperbole as certian other publications.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

January 14, 2011 - 4:10pm

(Reply to #4) #5

soulful.terrain

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Joined: Nov 22 2010 - 12:15pm

Exotic gear - works of Art

I love the outrageously expensive gear and I don't know why. Much of it is the artisian craftsmanship that goes into these fine pieces. Or, maybe it is the fact that this stuff is out of my reach financially and it drives me to make decisions that would have Dave Ramsey go ballistic.

I know this may be taboo in some certain audio circles, but aesthetics mean very much to me when in reality it shouldn't.

Mark Evans

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