New Stereophile recommended list

AeW,
Re:
>>>"As for other publications 'Listener' is good read, but they have to keep the politics out of the pages."<<<

Could you expand on your point?I'm not sure I understand what you are saying in regards to "politics" and "Listener".
Thanks,
Ken

What I hate most abot Stereophile is that all the reviews seem to be glowing. Every component seems to be groundbreaking and highly recommended. I really miss the likes of HiFi News Record Review and HiFi Choice which have, at least sometimes, given deliciously scathing reviews of equipment.

That said, I must confess to heeding some of Stereophile's recommendations. I mean, if you're going to buy some new equipment, you can do worse than buy a piece that falls into Stereophile's recommended list. A case in point would be something like a pair of B&W Nautilus 805 Speakers. I picked them up new for about $1,800 a year and a half ago. Now, if I wanted to upgrade, I could probably offload the 805s for $1,500 or so on Audiogon. That's not a bad loss on investment, and I think the Stereophile review plays a large part in keeping the value up. I'm not excusing Streophile or anything, but just noting that my buying behavior is impacted somewhat by their reviews.

So from time to time you consider purchasing used/demo equipment on this site for say medium to serious money? Perhaps you want to purchase new and surf the sonic curve as it were? Why quibble about a magazine that costs next to nothing on a subscription basis; yet may well aid you in your decision making process?
There are all too few publications that grant us a glimpse of what is new and sometimes classic equipment. Though there are some that are unredeemingly pathetic, certainly TAS and Stereophile, to name a few, review and elaborate upon equipment that I enjoy learning a bit about. If one chooses to object about a plus or minus here or there in A, B or C category strikes me as as part of a game not unlike trading cards.
How dare they reduce the worth of my whatever because it's older, creased or worse not traded at all.
Read the reviews, articles and columns from these magazines. Make your own assessments and then go listen for yourself. To keep blaming editors, management, advertisers, etc is in some fashion to ignore what they do well and remove from you the ultimate responsibilty of listening and deciding for yourself. I truly enjoy these magazines. It grants me a glimpse of equipment I'll never be able to afford, excitement that I do want to listen to this or that and a sense of moving a chess piece in the never ending ploy to reach a satisfying goal. Do I disagree with these publications from time to time. Of course I do. Do I sulk? No I go and listen to music and relish the enjoyment this wonderfully expressive and exuberant medium grants me. And part of this experience is not only this great site, but publications such as TAS and Stereophile. If you don't agree, send me all those issues that make you so irritated.

Who gives a damn what any reviewer says about a product they are all sell outs.

I read and enjoy Stereophile even though they have gone "downhill" the last few years. Victor makes a compelling, well stated argument. At first, Stereophile just used the A+ rating for digital "stuff" which I could make a case for-- but the A+ class in turntables??? What's next? Still, many Agon members, including me, use STPH ratings as a baseline with which to compare competing products. I see it in Audiogon ads all the time, and have used their ratings myself to help sell equipment. Cheers. Craig.