The Audio Critic

Peter Aczel? he's basically a quack. I used to be a big fan of that rag, until I realized you can't listen to graphs. Graphs can't tell you how you will be moved (or not moved) by the music. He used to recommend decent stuff like Bryston, but now recommends cheap junk made in China. A lot of people have taken his mantra and ran with it. You see most of these types on you tube and other sites. But, then again, most of the big name audio journalists are quacks too.

A lot of people have taken his mantra and ran with it. You see most of these types on you tube and other sites.

That would be you, Rok2id. You have a belief too, whether you like it or not. Integrity or not, gold ol' Pete is still a quack. Again, you can't listen to graphs, and using a $250 Chinese made receiver to drive $10k speakers is ludicrous.

The last review of a power amp I recall seeing in TAC, was on the Parasound A-21. MSRP, $2500 USD. Hardly the cheapest out there. Does he own Parasound also??

He gave it a very positive review.

But not without the typical Aczel caveats and a jab at 'Stereophile';

"Yes, all well-engineered amplifiers sound the same"

"I know there are some of you out there who just cannot listen to low-priced mass-market audio components (Pioneer, yecch!) no matter how they sound. It goes against your grain and you don’t want to know about it. To you I heartily recommend the Parasound Halo A 21 because it will satisfy your high-end cravings without bankrupting you."

"Longtime readers of The Audio Critic know the drill that comes at this point: I repeat, for the nth time, that all amplifiers having high input impedance, low output impedance, flat frequency response, low distortion, and low noise floor sound exactly the same when operated at matched levels and not clipped. (Those who are unable to stomach this simple truth, proved over and over again in double-blind listening tests, should stick with Stereophile.)"

Now, if that isn't a mantra, I dunno what is...and the cult following of Aczel repeat that mantra...over and over and over again!

Exactly. And he's a hypocrite calling audiophiles "tweako cultists" when he is a cult leader himself. He's a god to die-hard objectivists who repeat his mantras over and over again. The whole thing is a sham. Then again, some subjectivist reviewers do go over the top calling $10k and up components as bargains. Compared to $50k components, but not in itself.