Critic's Corner

Posted by Myles B. Astor (R) on February 02, 2008 at 19:17:15

In Reply to: RE: Harry Pearson and new course of TAS... posted by hahax@verizon.net on February 01, 2008 at 20:49:11

HP and JGH had a passion for the equipment and music that is sadly lacking, save for a few writers, in todays high end audio magazines. For instance, like Michael Fremer or not, there's no disputing his passion for high-end audio!

Audio publishing is today unfortunately no longer a hobby but a business. It's all about trying to get a scoop on a product that the other mag can't get, and how fast can the review be published, not the quality of the review, that is the rule now, rather than the exception. Many of todays reviews don't hold a candle to the work done in the golden years of TAS where components were reviewed by several staff members (and the growing number of magazines competing for piece of equipment and the manufacturers ability to send out multiple piece of equipment for a year for review just about makes such a review impossible today)--or when HP undertook reviews where he compared several amps or cartridges in one article (IMHO, some of his best work). A lot of work goes into such a review (not to mention most reviewers hold down a full time job, plus support a family), but the ends really justified the means here. In addition, there's a lot of questions as to just what and how much equipment a reviewer has actually heard before they review. In the old day, a reviewer cut their teeth on lesser gear and gradually moved up. Nowadays, everyone wants to review the cost no object stuff--and what have they actually heard by comparison that's out there (not of course counting live music).

Myles Astor
Myles B. Astor

Edits: 02/02/08

• "Where components were reviewed by several staff members." Dude! That was 35 years ago! - clarkjohnsen 00:38:20 02/04/08 (4)
  In Reply to: RE: Harry Pearson and new course of TAS... posted by Myles B. Astor on February 02, 2008 at 19:17:15

  Except maybe for the elaborate cable roundtable once published by Sounds Like...
  
  And which of those cables is available today? Which was available even two years after the reviews? Or a year?
  
  clark
  
  

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  • Clearly I was responding to Myles' "the work done in the golden years of TAS." - clarkjohnsen 11:57:56 02/04/08 (0)
    In Reply to: RE: "Where components were reviewed by several staff members." Dude! That was 35 years ago! posted by clarkjohnsen on February 04, 2008 at 00:38:20

    Not, however, to denigrate Listener.
    
    clark
    
    

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  • Dude! That was 5 years ago! - Rob Doorack 05:37:48 02/04/08 (2)
    In Reply to: RE: "Where components were reviewed by several staff members." Dude! That was 35 years ago! posted by clarkjohnsen on February 04, 2008 at 00:38:20

    We did multi - reviewer surveys of groups of similar components at Listener all the time. They were very well received by the readers.
    
    
    

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    • RE: Dude! That is NOW! - jdarby 17:34:07 02/12/08 (0)
      In Reply to: RE: Dude! That was 5 years ago! posted by Rob Doorack on February 04, 2008 at 05:37:48

      We do and have done many reviews by multiple reviewers and even came up with a new format for cable reviews. We also have done blind shootouts.
      
      We are in the process of working with a large Audio Society to expand our ideal of multiple reviewers, rooms, and systems for one product. It can be done. Just takes some hard work and that passion for audio that some think does not exist these days.
      
      
      James Darby
      Publisher, Stereomojo.com
      
      

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    • Or maybe 7 tops... - mkuller 09:58:22 02/04/08 (0)
      In Reply to: RE: Dude! That was 5 years ago! posted by Rob Doorack on February 04, 2008 at 05:37:48

      ...the last equipment review I wrote for TAS was a comment on REG's Thiel 7.2 loudspeaker review in 2000.
      
      Another writer (Tom Miiller?) also wrote a comment on that review.
      
      

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