Stereophile's 2021 products of the year
There is definite value in the stereophile reviews but you have to be careful with matching components for compatability and synergy. this is why they list the associsted components which i like.Another good point, as then the reader, if able and can take in the mesurments. Can then also look up the measurements on those associated components to see if they were compatible, and if what the reviewer is saying could be attributed to it. Cheers George |
Like I said they go hand in hand, the measurements/tests keep the reviewers honest, not the other way around. Oh and I like the Aegir, if you search I recommend it quite a lot, especially in bi-amped systems with the Vidar and Sys (to equalize the gains) on the bass And if you want to believe elsewise that’s up to you. |
Or do do you believe in absolutes? I would never buy an amp that measures like ****, and yet a reviewer says it sounds fantastic. I need an amp to measure well for the purpose I intend to use it for, and if the reviewer say it sounds good driving similar speakers to mine as well that's a bonus. Like I said You need to understand the measurements also, that way you can form a judgement if the reviewer is full of it or not. Cheers George |
But George, what about the fact that every year there are at least a decent handful of components that don’t measure very well but are subjectively loved by the reviewer and they get put into the class A category? What are we to That's why I said way back "And measurements will tell you far more than "just the review", and "could" show you if the reviewers full of it also." Cheers George |
lonemountain 👍 https://www.stereophile.com/content/atv-scm7-v3-loudspeaker https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/atc_scm_11_loudspeaker/index.html Cheers George |
@georgehifi - the measurements can be useful and I’m glad that Stereophile takes the time to do them, but they don’t tell the whole story. That’s why subjective reviews exist and are generally useful. They actually tell more than 50% of the story. And "if" the reviewer "was truthful", the measurements "can" explain why he may say EG: say the bass sounded a little thick and uncontrolled, measurements may show poor damping factor (high output impedance) poor current ability. Or the highs of an amp sound distant and recessed, measurement could show early rolloff in the HF because of poor HF bandwidth extension even phase shift, or inability to handle low impedances creating it to become a tone control, like the bass problem above. So many things can be read into an amps potential performance by looking at the measurements. After all, every amp ever made was designed and made primary by using measurements and the laws of electronics, if you find one that wasn’t, then your looking at a piece of unreliable junk. There is no "snake oil" or "voodoo" in the design of high end audio, or even low end mp3 players. Cheers George |
I find it very sad that most of the Stereophile basher’s here, are also too technically inept to understand the measurements. I just did a search and beside me, the only ones that mention Stereophile measurements are two that admit they don’t look at them!!! And measurements will tell you far more than "just the review", and "could" show you if the reviewers full of it also. Cheers George |
I've read Stereophile and TAS for decades. One criticism I hear is that there are no longer any bad reviews. Stereophile has directly addressed this.Stereophile leaves it up to the reader to make sense of the measurements, so he/she can make their own decision (less liable) if it's junk or not for his or her use. Measurements don't lie or do poetic licence. Cheers George |
Stereophile was great when I first got it back in the mid-80s it was the size of a Reader’s Digest and this was the first time I read in a magazine or they were reviewing a very expensive piece of equipment and they actually said it was a piece of junk and don’t buy it "they actually said it was a piece of junk and don’t buy it" They basically still "say it", but with measurements (far less liable) with this new VAC Sigma 170i IQ integrated amplifier review. But "say it" with the measurements instead, if readers can understand them, which to me is even better. Because if you just "say it" your just taking the reviewers word for it like Absolute Sounds. Cheers George |
New Stereophile review of the
VAC Sigma 170i IQ integrated amplifier https://www.stereophile.com/images/321VAC170fig01.jpg See this is a bit of a dud, as the measurements show, severe tone tone control mimic, on the 8ohm tap 6.5db variation from flat!!! with simple Kantor simulated speaker loading, and only gives 11.5w tested, and the lower taps will be even far less wattage. Bet Absolute Sounds would wax lyrical over this, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but Klipsch-Horn owners. Cheers George |
Sad to see so much hate on the site coming from consumers who think that the first qualifier into their world is price paid!True, it’s the mag that gives the full gamut of measurements for "those can can understand" them, that "can" backup the reviewers listening comments. And those measurements can be linked to, to show the non technical here what their problems are when they ask for help.. And it’s usually this magazine’s "hateful ones" that have no idea about measurements and usually believe in "snake oil" and voodoo to fix their problems. If not your left with just what the reviewer heard and listen to him waxing lyrical with his poetic licence like in the Absolute Sounds do, and asked to believe it. Cheers George |
George, this is where your link takes me:This is the new one as I ball’s up the date and put in 2012 instead of 2021, they couldn’t change it, only remove the whole thread. There’s another wrong link link to this in the https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/why-would-anyone-want-class-ab-amp-when-class-a-always-sounds... Class-A amp thread of inna thread also. I’ll fix that now Cheers George. |
