Whart you and I have been around this hobby for awhile. I remember when tas went under. hp was writing articles for another magazine. When he got back on his feet he made a lot of newcomers famous. IMO there were some who wanted him to "stay down." At this point I believe tas can provide more eyes than hpsoundings. Let's hope you're right and it's much ado about nothing.
hp soundings
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-- Now with the high proliferation of the Internet I believe that the reviewers/writers of the physical audio/video mags (paper with words, pictures, and lots of advertising) are adjusting to this new world, and the mags themselves are going the way of the dodo.
Our favorite writers are not getting younger either with those sets of older ears; but the experience that they do have.
Man, what a world compared to just ten years ago! Some people they take these new techs with verve, but others keep fine-tuning the old world.
HP's been around fo sur.
Our favorite writers are not getting younger either with those sets of older ears; but the experience that they do have.
Man, what a world compared to just ten years ago! Some people they take these new techs with verve, but others keep fine-tuning the old world.
HP's been around fo sur.
If the physical mags, Stereophile and TAS are going away, how come that isn't reflected in their circ numbers? This is the same rehashed stuff that publishers heard at the dawn of the internet era. Oh and many BIG magazines, with circulations that DWARF any or all audio magazines combined, lost their shirts on their internet mags. Reason #1: there's no advertising dollars to be had on the internet. Oh yes, you'll see ads; what they pay is a pittance and despite all the fancy stats webmaster dream up, advertisers still are not convinced by the numbers.
You also neglect so many points in your oversimplistic analysis like how do you pay your writers, staff, webmaster etc? Show me ANY internet magazine that pays their writers even close to what Stereophile pays. And no matter what you think of the writers, their entitled to being compensated for their efforts. That is I guess unless you think getting paid $100 per piece for three months of work is fair.
Myles I usually agree with you. I was at CVS yesterday and they still have a large magazine rack. Several miles down the pike is a very large empty building which was once the hub of a large strip mall. That building has the name BORDERS on it. The Kindle et al sent it the way of the dinosaurs seemingly overnight. Physical media is still attractive to us old guys. But I ,think the clock is ticking.
Yea
mid-fi. How dare those bottom dwellers dare even post.
you must be proud with an attitude like this
by WBF standards my system is mid-fi, LOL. I was reacting to the innuendo in the other post. I have no animus towards AA, just as i wouldnt post comparisons of WBF vs AA on their site.
-- People are more knowledgeable nowadays, and that brings smartness with it.
Audio mags subscriptions are cheap because you pay to see the adds of advertisers; they should pay us instead!
As for the reviewers/writers, I got nothing against no one; they do their job and I do mine..
...So are the expert peoples on the Internet who give you free readings and advices, plus answering your questions directly.
That's what I'm referring to, and what you read from my previous post Myles is only your own interpretation, and is mostly not totally accurate.
It's not because the subscription's membership numbers are not going down or up that makes those mags and them readers more intelligently informed. It had/has some good moments, but there is still a lot of BS, excuse my word.
Audio mags subscriptions are cheap because you pay to see the adds of advertisers; they should pay us instead!
As for the reviewers/writers, I got nothing against no one; they do their job and I do mine..
...So are the expert peoples on the Internet who give you free readings and advices, plus answering your questions directly.
That's what I'm referring to, and what you read from my previous post Myles is only your own interpretation, and is mostly not totally accurate.
It's not because the subscription's membership numbers are not going down or up that makes those mags and them readers more intelligently informed. It had/has some good moments, but there is still a lot of BS, excuse my word.
I think the toughest nut to crack for HP is the amount of time it's going to take just to get bandwidth. He's a great writer and a very insightful guy, but he doesn't have a terribly big support staff and being online means generating a lot of decent content on a regular basis. I know when we started TONE eight years ago and just put out six issues a year, we didn't have anywhere near the traffic and interaction we do now - but I have almost 30 freelancers working for us now.
I'll be curious to see if he can keep up with the pace. He is in his mid 70's after all. It can get somewhat exhausting. Just between FB, Twitter, our site and publishing 9 issues a year, I'm pretty engaged 24/7.
I hope it goes well for him, he certainly was my inspiration.
I'll be curious to see if he can keep up with the pace. He is in his mid 70's after all. It can get somewhat exhausting. Just between FB, Twitter, our site and publishing 9 issues a year, I'm pretty engaged 24/7.
I hope it goes well for him, he certainly was my inspiration.
I think you are spot on. It will be a challenge for HP in today's 24/7 information age.
I don't pretend to know what HP's financial situation is but I doubt it depends on the success of his new website. I think at his age this is just something he enjoys doing and it keeps him busy. Since it's not likely he has to depend on the income from it he can do things differently.
Well, In my travels, I've rarely appreciated the sound of speakers which incorporated multiples of drivers. Some I do admit have proved decent, especially in terms of dynamic contrast, but they all end up sounding a bit too "grainy" and kinda indistinct in the midrange department. None I've heard have the lightness, grip, fluidity, quickness and clarity I covet from a speaker ... but ... perhaps it's simply not one of my so-called "preferences".
However ... go HP go ...
tb1
Actually, we come pretty close to what the print magazines pay. That's why we have the writers we do. Not to mention a staff cartoonist from The New Yorker.
And as for reason #1, we're not doing too bad there either. We've had pretty good loyalty from some of the best companies in the industry, we've even turned away a handful of them.
There is a lot of advertising $$ to be had on the internet... That's why we never became a print magazine in the first place. The ultimate undoing of the print magazines will be their inability to keep paying for the cost of the damn paper, printing and shipping. That's really where all of Stereophile and TAS's money goes. The 9 bucks you guys pay for a subscription doesn't even come close to covering the physical production.
Name a few magazines that "Lost their shirts" on the internet. Most of the majors are out there in one form or another and as bandwidth continues to grow, it's just going to become tougher and tougher to make the print thing make sense. Especially as tablets become more ubiquitous.
Life has changed tremendously since the dawn of the internet era.
-- I was in town earlier, and I bought three mags (among other things; BDs & CDs included):
1. Stereophile's December 2012 issue ($8.99 Canadian).
2. Stereophile Collector's Edition - Recommended Components' 2013 Annual issue ($8.99 Canadian).
3. Home Theater's December 2012 issue ($6.99 Canadian).
Total: $24.97 + $3.00 (12% tax*) = $27.97
* That tax is called HST tax, here in British Columbia, Canada.
____________________
Alright, for that money I could have a full year subscription for all three different audio reviews.
I used to, for many years, and a dozen or so subscriptions, from all over; USA, Canada, and Europe.
...In both languages; English and French (Quebec & France).
I got mags (strictly audio and video) at my place that fill an entire room!
...And some date back to the sixties.
In the last five to ten years I probably spent on average $300 a year just on audio/video mags.
...Sometimes more (quite a bit more), and rarely do I spend less.
Addicted? ...Yes if you want to situate yourself in that corner, but it is a very small addiction (fraction) from my perspective as compared to other stuff that I buy and also enjoy; like movies and music recordings.
I probably could live and survive well without doing what I'm doing; but that's who I am, and if others find me addicted, well, they don't have a clue of what truly addiction is all about! :b
The Internet? ...Ya baby! ...I probably save $5,000 a year!
1. Stereophile's December 2012 issue ($8.99 Canadian).
2. Stereophile Collector's Edition - Recommended Components' 2013 Annual issue ($8.99 Canadian).
3. Home Theater's December 2012 issue ($6.99 Canadian).
Total: $24.97 + $3.00 (12% tax*) = $27.97
* That tax is called HST tax, here in British Columbia, Canada.
____________________
Alright, for that money I could have a full year subscription for all three different audio reviews.
I used to, for many years, and a dozen or so subscriptions, from all over; USA, Canada, and Europe.
...In both languages; English and French (Quebec & France).
I got mags (strictly audio and video) at my place that fill an entire room!
...And some date back to the sixties.
In the last five to ten years I probably spent on average $300 a year just on audio/video mags.
...Sometimes more (quite a bit more), and rarely do I spend less.
Addicted? ...Yes if you want to situate yourself in that corner, but it is a very small addiction (fraction) from my perspective as compared to other stuff that I buy and also enjoy; like movies and music recordings.
I probably could live and survive well without doing what I'm doing; but that's who I am, and if others find me addicted, well, they don't have a clue of what truly addiction is all about!
:bThe Internet? ...Ya baby!
...I probably save $5,000 a year! Guilty as charged on dCS front, but not heading toward the dreaded "analytical" side. Quite the contrary.
I have to admit i did not know anything about tone , until i saw your post , personally i dont really give online mags any credibility, mostly out of lack of familiarity and no testing , i do look at the pics online and sometimes the ads , i do read 6moons , mostly i read stereophile (that testing /subjective thing) out of familiarity and do agree with you about the web being the future and the way to go..
since my last stereophile subscription expired, i have not renewed prefering to read their stuff online , plus I'm going full paperless on everything and attempting to familiarize myself with the internet rags and video channels ...
Maybe you guys should take on HP, instant credibility and a wealth of experience ..
HP soundings and Tone ...
I have to admit i did not know anything about tone , until i saw your post , personally i dont really give online mags any credibility, mostly out of lack of familiarity and no testing , i do look at the pics online and sometimes the ads , i do read 6moons , mostly i read stereophile (that testing /subjective thing) out of familiarity and do agree with you about the web being the future and the way to go..
since my last stereophile subscription expired, i have not renewed prefering to read their stuff online , plus I'm going full paperless on everything and attempting to familiarize myself with the internet rags and video channels ...
Maybe you guys should take on HP, instant credibility and a wealth of experience ..
HP soundings and Tone ...
I don't see HP as competition really. We're all different channels on the cable box. We've got a thousand times the audience he has and probably will have.
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