Anyone ever read the listener magazine

Yes, I've had a subscription to "Listener" for the past year, and do not plan to renew it. "Listener" is kind of hip and clever, and sometimes has review articles I find useful, but over the past year there has not been enough solid content to suit me. If you want a audio-oriented mag that is fun to read, "Listener" will fill the bill. If you want good equipment or music reviews, look elsewhere. The most telling remark I can offer is that I save my old issues of "Stereophile", "The Absolute Sound", and "The Sensible Sound", whereas I have thrown out all of the issues of "Listener" once I've read them.

I've read it. The reviews are very honest I believe--they seem to be less swayed by advertising dollars than many of the other magazines. But it is a "clicky" kind of a magazine. By that I mean they do gravitate to certain things, such as analog, tubes, and single driver speakers. Most of the things they review do not interest me with the exception of a few cartridge reviews they have done. The music review is also disappointing. Every now and then they have non-equipment review articles that are of genuine interest--like the one on Record cleaning. They printed about 20 methods (from various analog users).

excellent rag!

Not a bad sheet, all in all. But their fetish for all things tubed gets to me. Probably will not renew the subscription. If you want a look into a real strange mind, it's worth getting just to read Harvey "Gizmo" Rosenberg's column. I'm still trying to figure out what star system he hails from.

Level of writing is generally very good..... if you can accept their fixation on vinyl and tubes. I don't doubt their honesty; just don't share their world view.

It's good. Nice balance to overly slick 'phile and overly pompous TAS. I read them all anyway. Don't you listen to more than one radio station?

I agree (mostly) with the above comments. Harvey is great. I wont be renewing either. I think its better than Stereophile, though, and I am a big fan of TAS. It might come off as pompous, but the writing is superb and, for me, it probes the limits of the cutting edge. Way out there? Yeah, but what fun. And no, I can't afford that gear either, but I use the reviews to assist me in my own appreciation of musical reproduction.

I usually enjoy Listener, but I don't think I will renew my subscription because, frankly, I think these guys are just plain lazy. I expect a mag. that only comes out every 2 months to be chock full of goodies. I don't know what they are doing all that time, but this thing could be prepared in a week. The equip. reviews are no doubt honest, but they seem short and lacking in depth. I really want to like Gizmo,but, his stuff really is not that funny to me. I am definitely in the tube/analog camp, so I applaud their approach, but find the content lacking. Everyone liked the LP cleaning article, but it smelled like filler to me. Ditto the reviewers favorite cables article.

Ditto. Ditto. Ditto......

Good for a reasonable browsing, but not exactly my cup of tea. I do think that they have a pretty high "honesty level" compared to most other zines. It takes GUTS for a "high end" audio reviewer to say "I use the cables that come with the components" !!!

As to "goofball" ( oops, i mean "Gizmo" ), they would be better off without him or by drastically editing his content. Besides that, he has "screwed" more than a few people over on bad business deals. Not someone that i feel that i can trust nor do i appreciate his "zaniness". Sean
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I thoroughly enjoy "Listener". I read almost all the audio mags I can get ahold of and Listener especially seems to want to express and share the joy and pleasure of audio rather than be obsessive about technology or the sharpest cutting edge. I have learned about quite a few pieces of equipment there that I had not heard of anywhere else.

Art Dudley's been around since the days of the Hi-Fi Heretic, if anyone remembers that rag. I tire of his complaints on how everyone calls him for advice that he just can't give while he tries to run the mag. Perhaps if he expended a little more energy editing Gizmo, and a little less on his soapbox, that might be a good thing. Also, his Lowther fixation is over the top, one driver Cannot do 20/20 khZ, nor should one try. [Another Listener reviewer essentially agreed.] FWIW, his room is 8 by 10, I don't see how Any music could bloom in that shoebox. Perhaps his new abode offers a larger space.

The LP cleaning feature was invaluable, no filler there. Few 'philes play LPs these days, we should give him credit for maintaining an analogue voice in the digital forest. Remember, folks, it's just one man's opinion!