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I disagree

You wrote:

"Mostly just reviews and glossy photos of megabuck gear."

Perhaps this statement could be regarded as literally true, IF one were to assume that the word "megabuck" denoted anything costing more than one thousand dollars.

But I think that most fair readers would take your statement to mean that most of the equipment covered in Stereophile is beyond the economic reach of most of the readers. And I think that that is flat wrong. For every (meaning all of one) absuedly expensive amplifier that costs more than a waterfront house on Rhode Island's south shore, there are thirty or forty products covered that are affordable and good value for money.

Stereophile brought the Benchmark DAC to the attention of audiophiles, and awarded it the Editor's Choice award. That award went to a sub-$1,000 preamp/DAC, not the $300,000+ amplifier. My most recent column was dedicated to assembling a music lover's stereo system that a school music teacher could afford. Mr. Reina has for years covered sub-$1,000 loudspeakers. Art Dudley covers lots of affordable equipment.

True, Stereophile has not covered kits much at all. Perhaps Art Dudley will share information about his threatened winter project of building some new Lowther cabinets. If my head ever stops spinning a la Exorcist, I might even investigate a kit. But without question, from the Tivoli radio through the Benchmark DAC through sub-$2,000/pr speakers, a sizable chunk of Stereophile's page count each year is devoted to affordable gear.

I think your problem is one of perception rather than reality, although I can see how the occasional $300,000+ amplifier or $7,500 speaker cables could act as a red flag that sticks in the memory.

Cordially,

JM

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