Is the Absolute Sound still alive?

[Andre Marc]

I have received three Streophile issues since I received my last TAS issue.

The Avguide website is updated maybe twice a month, and its layout is amateurish at best.

Stereophile updates their website daily with an active forum.

What gives?

 

[Bill Hart]

That's sad. I remember both from the early days and while both had their ups and downs, the last few issues of TAS that I bought at the newstand really seemed to be lackluster. And though I found HP's prose to be a bit much sometimes, I always enjoyed reading him. I really like HiFi+, which got merged into the TAS empire a few years ago. I liked reading Roy Gregory quite a bit. Stereophile, on the other hand, seems more vibrant these days, and I look forward to reading Fremer, perhaps because of the analog focus.
What other print hi-fi magazines are still viable? I read Hi Fi News and Record Review when I can, but the rest are all online these days: DaGoGo, Tone, Positive Feedback and a few others. I don't bother much with the 'foreign language' ones, since I can't read Japanese or German, and my French is barely better than menu french.
I still have all of my old Absolute Sounds up to a point. It would be interesting to go back and re-read some of them.
FWIW, and this may simply be a reflection of the state of the print business generally (combined with the value of Manhattan real estate), there used to be extremely good 'magazine stores' in various parts of the city- tons of publications, some of them quite expensive, from all over the world. Those stores seem to have vanished in the last few years.

 

[ack]

Remember, they publish 10 issues a year, thus you get combined May/June and July/August issues. What's the last issue you received? Mine are arriving promptly. There is not much traffic on the TAS forums anymore, partly, I suspect, because there are so hard to read and there are so many alternatives nowadays, plus the web site is really ugly.

 

[MylesBAstor]

That's sad. I remember both from the early days and while both had their ups and downs, the last few issues of TAS that I bought at the newstand really seemed to be lackluster. And though I found HP's prose to be a bit much sometimes, I always enjoyed reading him. I really like HiFi+, which got merged into the TAS empire a few years ago. I liked reading Roy Gregory quite a bit. Stereophile, on the other hand, seems more vibrant these days, and I look forward to reading Fremer, perhaps because of the analog focus.
What other print hi-fi magazines are still viable? I read Hi Fi News and Record Review when I can, but the rest are all online these days: DaGoGo, Tone, Positive Feedback and a few others. I don't bother much with the 'foreign language' ones, since I can't read Japanese or German, and my French is barely better than menu french.
I still have all of my old Absolute Sounds up to a point. It would be interesting to go back and re-read some of them.
FWIW, and this may simply be a reflection of the state of the print business generally (combined with the value of Manhattan real estate), there used to be extremely good 'magazine stores' in various parts of the city- tons of publications, some of them quite expensive, from all over the world. Those stores seem to have vanished in the last few years.

Yes Barnes and Noble killed them just like Tower killed many of the mom and pop record stores

Two years ago, filled out my TAS collection buying issues 1 to 17. Quite interesting reading and give one a little different perspective on where the magazine started and where it is now.

 

[Andre Marc]

Remember, they publish 10 issues a year, thus you get combined May/June and July/August issues. What's the last issue you received? Mine are arriving promptly. There is not much traffic on the TAS forums anymore, partly, I suspect, because there are so hard to read and there are so many alternatives nowadays, plus the web site is really ugly.

True, ten issues a year. And really no reason for it. Why is there two double month issues?

The web site is really ugly indeed, and the forum is a joke. They must be operating on a shoe string budget.

 

[Andre Marc]

That's sad. I remember both from the early days and while both had their ups and downs, the last few issues of TAS that I bought at the newstand really seemed to be lackluster. And though I found HP's prose to be a bit much sometimes, I always enjoyed reading him. I really like HiFi+, which got merged into the TAS empire a few years ago. I liked reading Roy Gregory quite a bit. Stereophile, on the other hand, seems more vibrant these days, and I look forward to reading Fremer, perhaps because of the analog focus.
What other print hi-fi magazines are still viable? I read Hi Fi News and Record Review when I can, but the rest are all online these days: DaGoGo, Tone, Positive Feedback and a few others. I don't bother much with the 'foreign language' ones, since I can't read Japanese or German, and my French is barely better than menu french.
I still have all of my old Absolute Sounds up to a point. It would be interesting to go back and re-read some of them.
FWIW, and this may simply be a reflection of the state of the print business generally (combined with the value of Manhattan real estate), there used to be extremely good 'magazine stores' in various parts of the city- tons of publications, some of them quite expensive, from all over the world. Those stores seem to have vanished in the last few years.

Interesting observations.

I know for sure there are still those mega magazine stand type stores in New York. Maybe not as many.

I see them here at the malls.

I

 

[MylesBAstor]

True, ten issues a year. And really no reason for it. Why is there two double month issues?

Perhaps it has something to do with the summertime being the three or four worst months to get advertising? Every magazine has a certain ratio of advertising to editorial pages in order to pay for the publishing costs. Which by the way are quite substantial. When I published my magazine, just the publishing cost for printing 20K copies ran over $40K. Subs certainly don't pay for that! So maybe it doesn't make sense economically, rather than being on a shoestring to do 12 issues a year?

 

[mep]

Two years ago, filled out my TAS collection buying issues 1 to 17. Quite interesting reading and give one a little different perspective on where the magazine started and where it is now.

The changes in TAS over the years have been profound. Beautiful artwork on the front, beautiful pictures on the back cover, no advertising, and some of the best audio writers ever assembled in one place. David Wilson used to review for TAS and I thought he was a brilliant writer. Back in those days, HP was King Kong and ruled the audio jungle with an iron fist (and mouth). After HP failed to keep TAS on sound financial footing for the umpteenth dozen time and TAS was sold, King Kong was neutered and confined to a cage where he could no longer menace manufacturers and subscribers that dared to speak up (or back) to ole Kong.

 

[Andre Marc]

Perhaps it has something to do with the summertime being the three or four worst months to get advertising? Every magazine has a certain ratio of advertising to editorial pages in order to pay for the publishing costs. Which by the way are quite substantial. When I published my magazine, just the publishing cost for printing 20K copies ran over $40K. Subs certainly don't pay for that! So maybe it doesn't make sense economically, rather than being on a shoestring to do 12 issues a year?

That very well may be. But it seems to make sense for Stereophile.

 

[GaryProtein]

I remember the very early publications of the Absolute Sound, when they were nothing more than mimeographed typewritten pages stapled together.

 

[rbbert]

IMO the biggest current problem with TAS (which I admit I have posted about frequently) is tangentially referred to above: poor editorial direction. Harley and Valin are no match for John Atkinson, either in editorial ability or technical expertise. Plus Stereophile has Fremer (about whom I couldn't care less, but he is popular), Dudley, Marks and Tellig (Gillette), generally more interesting reading than their counterparts at TAS (if in fact there are any).

JMO of course.

 

[MylesBAstor]

That very well may be. But it seems to make sense for Stereophile.

Stereophile also has a much bigger publishing group that owns them.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I remember the very early publications of the Absolute Sound, when they were nothing more than mimeographed typewritten pages stapled together.

Yep Publishing has come a long way!

 

[Bill Hart]

I remember the very early publications of the Absolute Sound, when they were nothing more than mimeographed typewritten pages stapled together.

Sort of in keeping with the 'underground' ethos. They paid extra for crappy paper and bad printing.

 

[Bill Hart]

I remember the very early publications of the Absolute Sound, when they were nothing more than mimeographed typewritten pages stapled together.

Dude. Welcome. I recognize you from that 'other' forum.

 

[GaryProtein]

Dude. Welcome. I recognize you from that 'other' forum.

I recognize you too. How's it going? There are a few of us, at least one with different names.

 

[caesar]

I don't think HP has written anything at all this year. At the end of last year, he wrote a teaser article about discovering some great sounding gear, but unfortunately he has been mum. Anyone know if he is OK? Or maybe he is rebelling against the fact that management has renamed his magazine the Magico Standard.

 

[Andre Marc]

I don't think HP has written anything at all this year. At the end of last year, he wrote a teaser article about discovering some great sounding gear, but unfortunately he has been mum. Anyone know if he is OK? Or maybe he is rebelling against the fact that management has renamed his magazine the Magico Standard.

Magico..oh boy..Don't go there!!!!!!!!!!

 

[caesar]

Magico..oh boy..Don't go there!!!!!!!!!!

The cover says Absolute Sound. You flip it and it says Magico, and it's all about Magico from there...

 

[KeithR]

I don't think HP has written anything at all this year. At the end of last year, he wrote a teaser article about discovering some great sounding gear, but unfortunately he has been mum. Anyone know if he is OK? Or maybe he is rebelling against the fact that management has renamed his magazine the Magico Standard.

Just like Sphile is the Wilson Audio Standard?