"Long-Term Equipment Loans: A Win-Win for Everyone" by Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound

[Audire]

A couple of glasses of red with horns and SET and good music… the secret for the suspension of disbelief… the drink is apparently every bit as effective as room treatments or good power

Too much though and even Bose sounds good. So a man gotta know his limitations.

 

[Ovenmitt]

I use to get spun up over this topic. I wrote Robert directly about this topic and he responded in print naming me twice.
As I have aged I have come to view magazine as entertainment, little more. Story Tellers. I get some technical knowledge from periodicals such as Popular Woodworking or Milk Street. All the audio, car, boat, home magazines to me are fancy adds packaged with multi page editorial adds. So I really could care less how the author got a hold of the product. I am much more bothered by my entertainment being dominated by a select few named brands with only a small peppering of something new. Even forums have found themselves slotted into the same sort of rail. Same old products day in and out.

Spot on and very well said.….

Speaking for myself (and I wish to stress that notion), my interest in reading the HiFi mags was mostly waned because I’m bored (i.e., not entertained) by reading about the latest products from the same batch of manufacturers. Honestly, I’d rather hear about Ked’s latest adventures with front loaded horns, lol .

Having said that, I desperately miss Art Dudley. I always found him both entertaining and informative.

 

[Ovenmitt]

and much more aesthetically pleasing. Cabernet for Mahler, rosé for Vivaldi.

…. And, champagne with everything!

 

[PeterA]

…. And, champagne with everything!

Sometimes, too much champagne gives me a hangover the next morning. I experienced the same sensation when I auditioned a very fancy power cord in my old system.

 

[Another Johnson]

There are plenty of components and performers out there that require hard liquor to sound good. Back in the ‘80s Keith Richards’ band moved up in SQ with every Manhattan or Martini. At least until you were as buzzed as he had been in the session.

 

[godofwealth]

Spot on and very well said.….

Speaking for myself (and I wish to stress that notion), my interest in reading the HiFi mags was mostly waned because I’m bored (i.e., not entertained) by reading about the latest products from the same batch of manufacturers. Honestly, I’d rather hear about Ked’s latest adventures with front loaded horns, lol .

Having said that, I desperately miss Art Dudley. I always found him both entertaining and informative.

Amen to that. I have given up reading hifi rags. I find WBF far more informative and useful. I’d argue that in 2023 and beyond, forums like this one is the model for high end audio. Plenty of manufacturers advertise their wares here. Owners provide reviews. Lots of topics and opinions are presented. At this point, TAS and Stereophile are largely anachronisms of the 20th century prior to the web. In the 1980s, TAS was a very different institution and one could argue it played a useful role then when disseminating information was much more difficult. To make an analogy, TAS and Stereophile are like the equivalent of Blu Ray discs in a universe dominated with streaming channels with an infinitely more interesting repertoire of content.

 

[andromedaaudio]

A couple of glasses of red with horns and SET and good music… the secret for the suspension of disbelief… the drink is apparently every bit as effective as room treatments or good power

For me to enjoy Sets with Horns requires at least a bottle of wodka / whisky straight before hand, same goes for reading Hifimags.

Okay 1 exception then for the Sibatone/ western Electric and AV G3

 

[Lee]

There are plenty of components and performers out there that require hard liquor to sound good. Back in the ‘80s Keith Richards’ band moved up in SQ with every Manhattan or Martini. At least until you were as buzzed as he had been in the session.

In the 90s we were doing a session at the then named Kaufmann Astoria Studios with Livingston Taylor. When we first got there, one side of the board was exposed to the wires. Bill Allen, the studio manager helping us, said Keith and the Stones had been there recording an album and Keith knocked over a bottle of Jack Daniels.

 

[Lee]

Amen to that. I have given up reading hifi rags. I find WBF far more informative and useful. I’d argue that in 2023 and beyond, forums like this one is the model for high end audio. Plenty of manufacturers advertise their wares here. Owners provide reviews. Lots of topics and opinions are presented. At this point, TAS and Stereophile are largely anachronisms of the 20th century prior to the web. In the 1980s, TAS was a very different institution and one could argue it played a useful role then when disseminating information was much more difficult. To make an analogy, TAS and Stereophile are like the equivalent of Blu Ray discs in a universe dominated with streaming channels with an infinitely more interesting repertoire of content.

You must not know TAS very well. A year ago it started a YouTube channel based on a strategy Tom Martin and I came up with. It’s been very successful and has reached 13K subscribers in less than a year, much faster than many audio influencers have done. Same with the sister channel Tracking Angle approaching 15K subscribers.

TAS’s parent has a car channel called Winding Road with 1.2 million subscribers.

I confess that it can be frustrating for me to read posts like this given all the hard work we put into this.

Print+Digital subscribers have tripled in number the past three years at TAS so why give that business up?

 

[Another Johnson]

In the 90s we were doing a session at the then named Kaufmann Astoria Studios with Livingston Taylor. When we first got there, one side of the board was exposed to the wires. Bill Allen, the studio manager helping us, said Keith and the Stones had been there recording an album and Keith knocked over a bottle of Jack Daniels.

I think you mentioned you had worked with Chesky. The David Hazeltine Trio’s “The Joabim Song Book in New York” is one of my most favorite recordings.

 

[Lee]

I think you mentioned you had worked with Chesky. The David Hazeltine Trio’s “The Joabim Song Book in New York” is one of my most favorite recordings.

I did not work on that one but it’s a great recording!

 

[Kingrex]

Spot on and very well said.….

Speaking for myself (and I wish to stress that notion), my interest in reading the HiFi mags was mostly waned because I’m bored (i.e., not entertained) by reading about the latest products from the same batch of manufacturers. Honestly, I’d rather hear about Ked’s latest adventures with front loaded horns, lol .

Having said that, I desperately miss Art Dudley. I always found him both entertaining and informative.

I hear you. I like the new and unknown. BACCH. Horn Speakers. IO speaker. Something new. I don't want to read more Magico/Wilson love. That gear may be great. Fine. The last 3 TAS have sat next to my toilet and are hardly touched. I reach for Popular Woodworking, Boat or even Martha Stewart before the audio rags. They have really just sat there unread.

 

[Lee]

I hear you. I like the new and unknown. BACCH. Horn Speakers. IO speaker. Something new. I don't want to read more Magico/Wilson love. That gear may be great. Fine. The last 3 TAS have sat next to my toilet and are hardly touched. I reach for Popular Woodworking, Boat or even Martha Stewart before the audio rags. They have really just sat there unread.

And yet Andy Quint has written extensively on BACCH...

 

[gleeds]

Not everyone needs to Francisco… when it comes to recall some people are better at read and recall while others are better at listening and recalling. So some of us are better (and so enjoy) reading more and others are better at listening and so instruction from video can be preferred by some. When it comes to visual perception (graphics, symbols, diagrams etc) some people like to watch… but that is a story for a different day lol.

My read/write modality simply isn’t as strong as my listening and visual perception skills… even my kinaesthetic learning is generally less challenged than my read/write function. I’ve spent my whole life trying to get better at read/write but it’s an uphill battle.

None of these modes are necessarily an inherently better way of perception but they are just different modes of perceiving and most of us have a different mix of perceptual strengths and weaknesses. So a publisher who uses both written and video communication is making their content more successfully accessible to a greater number of people.

Reading the way some people write very complex sentences can feel for me more like (assumption) giving birth to a watermelon… without the anaesthetic .

Give me a good orator over a good writer any day. But better still it’s great to have access to both.

 

[gleeds]

We are at an interesting time with online magazines too many to mention; YouTubers and the large established magazines, aka Stereophile and TAS. The latter are often the subject of discussion about conflicts of interest and the value of the information presented due to commercial conflicts. I would argue all media has the same potential for conflict and that many writers there have a level of experience over a greater period of time than many smaller publications.

I read automobil and bespoke wristwatch publications but rarely ascribe much to the reviews, not because they don't have something valuable something to say, but because after years of immersion in those areas I mostly know what will or will not interest me. That said, they are an invaluable source of information and often times fun to read. In the end, isn't that what it's all about?

Thought: One reviewer whose ear I trust from following him for years is Jason Kennedy of The Ear Magazine. Get to know a reviewers' preferences, follow the ones whose observations somewhat track with your own, and then as has been said many, many times before LISTEN

To all the Dads out there Happy Father's day!

 

[godofwealth]

You must not know TAS very well. A year ago it started a YouTube channel based on a strategy Tom Martin and I came up with. It’s been very successful and has reached 13K subscribers in less than a year, much faster than many audio influencers have done. Same with the sister channel Tracking Angle approaching 15K subscribers.

TAS’s parent has a car channel called Winding Road with 1.2 million subscribers.

I confess that it can be frustrating for me to read posts like this given all the hard work we put into this.

Print+Digital subscribers have tripled in number the past three years at TAS so why give that business up?

I’m glad to hear TAS is adapting with the times. I confess that I personally find TAS too monochromatic for my tastes compared to WBF. I used to greatly enjoy reading it in the 1980s. I did subscribe to the digital edition for a while but although it’s considerably more flashy than the old mostly B&W print edition, TAS under HP was considerably more fun to read.

 

[gleeds]

I’m glad to hear TAS is adapting with the times. I confess that I personally find TAS too monochromatic for my tastes compared to WBF. I used to greatly enjoy reading it in the 1980s. I did subscribe to the digital edition for a while but although it’s considerably more flashy than the old mostly B&W print edition, TAS under HP was considerably more fun to read.

 

[gleeds]

The reference to YouTubers was not about TAS's efforts, although in rereading my post I can see how you may have seen it that way. I became familiar with Tom’s YouTube work just last week and watched Tom's recent Alta Audio, Hesta review. To my mind the video was a model for professionalism for audio reviews online. Tom acknowledging he was unable to perform the review in his dedicated downstairs room presented certain challenges. It is that sort of nuanced disclosure build trust and credibility - well done Tom! I still need to find out Tom's preference and review style, but this was a terrific start.

I do know Robert Harley, Paul Seydor, Anthony Cordesman, Michael Fremer, and Wayne Garcia’s work, all of whom are reviewers I have followed for decades. TAS Issue #1 has been a part of my ongoing study of high-end audio since my earliest days under Mike Kaye's tutelage at Lyric HiFi in NYC!

In my mind WBF stands alone insofar as forums go, having made many friends and also the privilege of sharing information on lesser known products I represent. That being said, the industry needs a publication with the heritage, talent, resources, and exposure TAS priveds so I congratulate you on your continued efforts and always welcome the chance to make our industry a more vibrant and sustainable endeavor.

Gary

 

[Lee]

The reference to YouTubers was not about TAS's efforts, although in rereading my post I can see how you may have seen it that way. I became familiar with Tom’s YouTube work just last week and watched Tom's recent Alta Audio, Hesta review. To my mind the video was a model for professionalism for audio reviews online. Tom acknowledging he was unable to perform the review in his dedicated downstairs room presented certain challenges. It is that sort of nuanced disclosure build trust and credibility - well done Tom! I still need to find out Tom's preference and review style, but this was a terrific start.

I do know Robert Harley, Paul Seydor, Anthony Cordesman, Michael Fremer, and Wayne Garcia’s work, all of whom are reviewers I have followed for decades. TAS Issue #1 has been a part of my ongoing study of high-end audio since my earliest days under Mike Kaye's tutelage at Lyric HiFi in NYC!

In my mind WBF stands alone insofar as forums go, having made many friends and also the privilege of sharing information on lesser known products I represent. That being said, the industry needs a publication with the heritage, talent, resources, and exposure TAS priveds so I congratulate you on your continued efforts and always welcome the chance to make our industry a more vibrant and sustainable endeavor.

Gary

Gary, that Alta Audio review was by me but thanks for the kind words. My audio journey also started with Mike Kay in 1990.

 

[Lee]

We are at an interesting time with online magazines too many to mention; YouTubers and the large established magazines, aka Stereophile and TAS. The latter are often the subject of discussion about conflicts of interest and the value of the information presented due to commercial conflicts. I would argue all media has the same potential for conflict and that many writers there have a level of experience over a greater period of time than many smaller publications.

I read automobil and bespoke wristwatch publications but rarely ascribe much to the reviews, not because they don't have something valuable something to say, but because after years of immersion in those areas I mostly know what will or will not interest me. That said, they are an invaluable source of information and often times fun to read. In the end, isn't that what it's all about?

Thought: One reviewer whose ear I trust from following him for years is Jason Kennedy of The Ear Magazine. Get to know a reviewers' preferences, follow the ones whose observations somewhat track with your own, and then as has been said many, many times before LISTEN

To all the Dads out there Happy Father's day!

Many YouTubers have conflicts of interests too. Several are dealers, for instance.

It’s best to find several reviewers whose preferences you line up with. But we shouldn’t pretend any category of reviewer is more objective.