Hi if magazines

HIFICRITIC is a good magazine.

Hi-Fi News is always good - I've had a subscription for years now. Interesting reviews, good editorial and some interesting vintage kit reviews. 

I've recently re subscribed to Critic. Expensive but an excellent read. 

Not UK bases, but i have an online subscription to Stereophile, which i find an interesting read. 

James

hifi news or hificritic, seems more objective and honest.  I no longer read seriously what hifi. hifi plus, hifi world or hifi choice, more commercial and advertising.....

Dear all, 

As ever, helpful and prompt. I had a look at Stereophile. It was impressive but being American put me off to some extent

Regards

Paul

m.paul taylor posted:

Dear all, 

 

As ever, helpful and prompt. I had a look at Stereophile. It was impressive but being American put me off to some extent

 

Regards

 

Paul

stereophile and hificritic are my favorites.  Hificritic is expensive but sometimes i buy a number which interests me.

I like Michael Fremer and his reviewing style. He has penned a very good and comprehensive review of the Rega RP10 in the latest issue of Stereophile.

John.

J.N. posted:

I like Michael Fremer and his reviewing style. He has penned a very good and comprehensive review of the Rega RP10 in the latest issue of Stereophile.

John.

Agree on Michael Fremer, and don't overlook his turntable/vinyl oriented website: Analogplanet.

An on-line independent is Hi-pig, which was  recommended sometime ago by a dealer.

unfortuately many of the high street mags are governed by advertisers payments 

yes, i think it was my advise for hifi pig:  you can free online magazines, hifi or not....but they appear in disorder.    ( but i am not a dealer)

Martin Collins?  Ken Kessler? 

Seriously?

Mike1951 posted:

Martin Collins?  Ken Kessler? 

Seriously?

Colloms, Kessler, why not?    Paul Messenger , Jason Kennedy, Paul Miller, Michael Fremer....

Chris Thomas is a great writer, but hardly contributes to Hifi plus these days.

For Hi if - Nigel Farage is a good read.

I've been a fan of hi-fi+ for some time now,but for some reason distribution seems to have stopped here in the U.S. Does anyone know what happened?

wenger2015 posted:

An on-line independent is Hi-pig, which was  recommended sometime ago by a dealer.

Not one of my favourites, but it does fly the flag for some of the smaller manufacturers and which wouldn't get a look in via the usual outlets.

Agree with HiFi Critic way to wall to wall editorials day no advertisements. But you do play for the luxury of this. I take Hi-Fi News and Record review by subscription and also pick up Hi-Fi World from time to time-mainly for their vintage equipment reviews.

I used to buy HiFi+ religiously, which was quite a challenge in the early days. I think I stopped at about issue 50. I have checked it out since, but it seemed to be leaning more towards esoteric kit.

HiFi News and Record Review is always an entertaining read, but I'm more interested in the record reviews than the equipment.

That's funny Clive - I was about to post on this thread but you have said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. 

I too was an early subscriber to HF+ (anyone remember AQ?) and stopped somewhere around issue 50, mainly because we used to get most all of the mags sent in to the office anyway.   When I left working at Naim I subscribed to HFW and HFNRR.  I still have a sub to HFNRR - I subscribed for years and then stopped around the turn of the millennium, but I really liked the refurb around 8 years ago so took it up again. I mainly enjoy the great music features and the vintage kit reviews, but it also keeps me abreast of developments in electronics and speakers elsewhere. 

Otherwise, I buy HFW and HFC every now and then, and even the odd copy of WHF if it has something featured that I'm interested in possibly purchasing. 

J.N. posted:

I like Michael Fremer and his reviewing style. He has penned a very good and comprehensive review of the Rega RP10 in the latest issue of Stereophile.

John.

Ooo, OK, I can't resist so I will have to get it then to take a look.  I'd imagine that MF is no fan of Rega's lack of VTA adjustment and preferred Stevenson alignment though.  

However, my own review is much shorter;  Wow. It's a corker.

Richard Dane posted:

That's funny Clive - I was about to post on this thread but you have said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. 

I too was an early subscriber to HF+ (anyone remember AQ?) and stopped somewhere around issue 50, mainly because we used to get most all of the mags sent in to the office anyway.   When I left working at Naim I subscribed to HFW and HFNRR.  I still have a sub to HFNRR - I subscribed for years and then stopped around the turn of the millennium, but I really liked the refurb around 8 years ago so took it up again. I mainly enjoy the great music features and the vintage kit reviews, but it also keeps me abreast of developments in electronics and speakers elsewhere. 

Otherwise, I buy HFW and HFC every now and then, and even the odd copy of WHF if it has something featured that I'm interested in possibly purchasing. 

Richard Dane posted:

J.N. posted:

I like Michael Fremer and his reviewing style. He has penned a very good and comprehensive review of the Rega RP10 in the latest issue of Stereophile.

John.

Ooo, OK, I can't resist so I will have to get it then to take a look.  I'd imagine that MF is no fan of Rega's lack of VTA adjustment and preferred Stevenson alignment though.  

However, my own review is much shorter;  Wow. It's a corker.

Richard I thought HI -FI  + before they changed the format was superb especially the photography.To me they killed it when they changed the format everything seemed to suffer.I used to love the HI - Fi + logo on the spine as it was always a difearant colour every other month.

Really like Micheal Fremers writing and the stuff he posts on You Tube with his Analog Planet.Definatly worth checking out the one where he shows his review space - system.And tells you what he owns and  whats on loan etc.  Comes across as a very sincere guy.

HFN is always a good read especially Kessler reviewing the Absolute Sounds gear.

Don't buy many mags these days as everything seems to be online,but can't throw out my years of Hi -Fi News and Hi -FI + as its good refearance material

Coming from an arty background and collecting art journals (that are now very expensive if I wanted to replace them).  Early issues of Hifi plus was a very easy transition for me - what with gorgeous photography and somewhat sage and unorthodox writing on all things hifi. 

But with RGs departure as editor things have slipped big time, although the online 'The Audio Beat' is nice as way of occasional compensation.

Alba1320 posted:

Hi-Fi 'comics' are, by and large, a waste of time, IMO.

However, the much maligned (then and now) "Hi-Fi Review" was my favourite, and I see that Chris Frankland is back reviewing, now at Hi-Fi Crtiic, though, from what I've seen, he seems rather 'tame' compared to the good old days.  

Ah yes - great mag. Hi-Fi was so simple in those days (although a bit militant). One reviewer i do miss is Malcolm Steward. He's still on a very long road back to recovery after a stroke and car accident. His reviews had a great blend of technical insight and musical knowledge and were always a pleasure to read. I have to thank him for one of his reviews in Critic getting me interested in my present speakers. 

My latest HFN has arrived today, complete with a review of Superlumina speakers cables. Looking forward to reading that. 

I am so pleased that MS is on the mend. Loved his writing along with Ian Rankin back in the day. MS also pointed me in the direction of a life long love of SBLs...

Stu

I also subscribed to Hi-Fi plus from issue 1 and have kept them all but did not renew my subscription this year.

Richard

It also depends why the OP wants a magazine. I remember the days when there were practical articles, where I built and used speakers. Then there was the revelation of a writer who allegedly wrote reviews without un-boxing the equipment, or the manufacturer who allegedly hand built the item submitted for review. Those stories are countered by the magazine that identified a simple component change that improved an amplifier.

These days I buy magazines to find out what is going on, but most of all for the same reason I read the on line forums, and that is to identify new music to listen to.

Only by reading magazines can you find out if they are for you, learning the reviewers tastes and attitudes. Many of them have their own test facilities, but we know that measurements and specifications don't represent the listening experience in our own homes. I know one magazine where I would never buy a recommended item, another where there is one reviewer whose choice in music coincides with mine.

So try any, keep an open mind, but only trust yourself.

I miss the times when Hi Fi magazines carried audiophile cartoons. I guess that with the on going spiraling cost of audio gear there is no more room left for humor. I read Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, mainly for the music reviews.