In response to Jax2, I agree that you can "read between the lines" - but I shouldn't have to! I appreciate the ability of a magazine like Hi-Fi Choice to give many of it's reviews only a 3 out of 5 star rating, and not be shy about voicing complaints. That is what I pay a subscription for.
And for every single piece of gear that Stereophile reviews, they should stop telling me:
"unheard of at the price"
"offers extraordinary value for money"
"a much lower price than you'd expect to pay for a similar design"
"hard to fault within its price range"
"is a bargain at $XXXX"
"better than anything I've heard that's cheaper, and cheaper than anything I've heard that's better"
"I've never heard anything near this price and size"
I mean C'mon already! If EVERYTHING is a bargain, then nothing is. It is all then simply fairly priced. If Stereophile ever finds an issue with an aspect of a product, then they always sugar-coat it with "but great for the price". They are insulting our intelligence already. ( But I guess the subscription and advertising dollars show that insulting the reader's intelligence pays)
And for every single piece of gear that Stereophile reviews, they should stop telling me:
"unheard of at the price"
"offers extraordinary value for money"
"a much lower price than you'd expect to pay for a similar design"
"hard to fault within its price range"
"is a bargain at $XXXX"
"better than anything I've heard that's cheaper, and cheaper than anything I've heard that's better"
"I've never heard anything near this price and size"
I mean C'mon already! If EVERYTHING is a bargain, then nothing is. It is all then simply fairly priced. If Stereophile ever finds an issue with an aspect of a product, then they always sugar-coat it with "but great for the price". They are insulting our intelligence already. ( But I guess the subscription and advertising dollars show that insulting the reader's intelligence pays)