Sneak Preview of TAS Features and Reviews
Sneak Preview of Upcoming TAS Features and Reviews
Robert Harley
Although it’s mid-April (and snowing in New Mexico as I write this!), I have on the drawing board issue plans for The Absolute Sound through the October issue. I thought I’d share with readers some of what we have in store.
The June/July issue (Issue 193) mails to readers on April 28 and includes perhaps my favorite feature of the year—the annual Golden Ear Awards. This is where each writer names two products he or she feels is special and outstanding. Unlike our Product of the Year Awards which are reached by consensus of the senior editorial staff and confined to products reviewed in the previous year, the Golden Ear Awards reflect the individual tastes of each reviewer. Moreover, Golden Ear Awards are often given to recognize a product that has withstood the test of time and just might become a classic. The 2009 Golden Ear Awards contain some interesting choices—along with a few surprises. The writers contributing to this year’s awards are Anthony H. Cordesman, Neil Gader, Wayne Garcia, Robert E. Greene, Robert Harley, Jim Hannon, Jacob Heilbrunn, Sue Kraft, Chris Martens, Dick Olsher, Steven Stone, Paul Seydor, Alan Taffel, and Jonathan Valin. HP gives his own Golden Ear Awards in a special extended HP’s Workshop. Feel free to speculate in replies to this blog on which products you think each writer chose for a 2009 Golden Ear Award. I’ll give you a hint; one of my choices was a high-resolution DAC.
The June/July issue also contains a whopping 21 product reviews, ranging from a Primare all-in-one CD/DVD-Receiver to the mighty $180,000 Focal Grande Utopia EM loudspeaker. The Focal employs an electromagnetically driven woofer, among other design innovations. You won’t want to miss the description of how Focal was able to make the Grande Utopia’s massive enclosure pivot like a giant accordion. Other highlights of the issue include a high-res music server for under $2k, a killer new affordable integrated amplifier, Dick Olsher on Conrad-Johnson’s entry-level tubed preamp and amplifier, Anthony Cordesman on a most unusual loudspeaker, and Neil Gader on Krell’s new $2500 integrated amplifier. Steven Stone also listens to two new Class-D switching amplifiers and reports on whether this technology is ready for the high-end. Paul Seydor conducts a fascinating interview with Harbeth’s Alan Shaw on the LS 3/5a and how it has evolved over the years, along with Shaw’s design approach.
The following issue (August) has a digital focus, with reviews of eight DACs (many with USB connectivity) priced from $80 to $35k. Yes, it’s possible to buy an $80 USB DAC that actually sounds good—Steven Stone has a full report. The issue also includes a groundbreaking feature article by Alan Taffel on USB connection—how it sounds, whether there are differences in USB cables, and how USB compares to SPDIF and FireWire. I’ve seen a preview of this piece and can tell you that it will be as controversial as it is important. In keeping with the digital theme, Sue Kraft reviews Meridian’s DSP7200 active digital loudspeaker and 808.2 CD player, with an extended comment by me on the 808.2. This player uses a new custom digital filter that could go a long way toward making CDs sound more musically involving—at least that was my experience upon hearing the 808.2 at the CES. I’m looking forward living with the 808.2 in my reference system and contributing my listening impressions. To round out our Meridian coverage, I’ll have an exclusive interview with Meridian co-founder Bob Stuart. As the designer of the first audiophile CD player (a modified Philips machine back in 1983), Stuart has been at the forefront of advancing digital-audio technology for more than 25 years. He’s also the only designer I know working in high-end audio who approaches product design from the fundamental starting point of human hearing. Bob Stuart has some fascinating insights into music reproduction, and I’m thrilled to bring those insights to TAS readers.
Although the August issue has a digital theme, there are lots of other interesting product reviews. Wayne Garcia will report on two affordable integrated amplifiers from Dussen, the Chinese company I visited in late 2007. Wayne also reviews Naim’s new SuperLine phonostage. We have reviews of two other Chinese-made tubed integrated amplifiers, one from Vincent and one from Audio Space. Jim Hannon stretches out with Vienna Acoustics’ $25,000 “The Music” loudspeaker that floored everyone who heard it at CES. I’ll have a full report on Classé Audio’s remarkable SSP-800 multichannel controller. Finally, Jacob Heilbrunn brings you the first full review of the highly anticipated Wilson Audio MAXX 3 loudspeaker. The MAXX 3 is more like a scaled down Alexandria X-2 than a scaled-up MAXX, and it sounded that way at CES. When driven by two very different sets of electronics (Boulder and LAMM) at CES, the MAXX 3 was staggeringly great—and sounded very much like the sound I’ve been enjoying from the X-2 in my listening room. Could the MAXX 3 be a half-the-price X-2 that gives up only a little bass extension? Stay tuned.
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Comments
Hi Robert,
Sounds like an exciting year for TAS, looking forward to read them all.
Cheers
-Peder Beckman-
Electrocompaniet Inc.
I’ll give you a hint; one of my choices was a high-resolution DAC.
Berkley DAC ?
Looking forward to the issues.
This is not to offend anyone, but something that I have noticed. I have been shopping around/auditioning Audio equipment for the last 4 months. Every dealer I go to always keep putting others/other brands and specially the writers of TAS or Stereophile down. Almost every dealer has told me that don't trust the writers, they say things to make a living, or they promote a product because someone took them out on a nice steak dinner at Mortons, or sent them expensive wine and what not. Is it really like that? The only reason why I even entered the dealers store was the reviews I read in TAS and Stereophile. Why are so many dealers saying that about Audio reviewers. And they are not saying that about just anyone but even those who have been around for years and considered high up there as experts in Audio. Is the Berkeley DAC really similar to a 17K specteral player? or is Grand Veena 3A that Harry Pearson raves really equal to an 80K speaker? Do individual products sound that great because they are set up with up to $100k each of associated equipment? Building an audio system is hard, and to audition equipment specifically for the system you are trying to build up is even harder. Because most dealers are out of state/town, the stuff we select is not at the same dealers for us to test and try. A lot of it is just blind faith by testing a product of interest with random components that the same dealer holds in their shop. Once you purchase its an expensive committment. Looking/purchasing high end audio is time consuming and Hard. Golden ear, product of year are great hints to individual product reviews but how will each one sound together or in different combinations or in a specific system........thats a challange to Audition and try out.
First, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I have met more dealers I respect than not, but none of them I would count as objective. It's not necessarily that they bs to sell their wares, but in addition to self-interest they are heavily invested emotionally in the product lines they have chosen, or managed, to represent. I have known dealers to praise a product they don't sell, but when a dealer says he doesn't care for a product it can simply mean he is fed up with the company, for the way it treats him rather than for the quality of its products.
Turning to the reviewers, I would say that by and large I have been satisfied by the sincerity of Stereophile and the UK's HiFi News. I have not yet found any reason to be displeased with TAS, but I have not had so much opportunity to compare itsreviews with my own impressions. For all three I would say that their reviews point in the right direction but tend to give a more spectacular impression than what I, and no doubt others, experience in a real-life setting. For example, I bought my pair of Thiel 7.2s purely on the strength of hifi reviews, since I had no chance to audition them (I bought them second-hand from another country on Audiogon). I have never regretted the purchase, I think the speakers fully justify the huge praise reviewers have given them and I am still a long way from wanting anything better, but I can't say I have ever been able to re-create in my room some of the more dramatic listening experiences described in the reviews - no, I can't count the number of players in the band at Judy Garland's 1961 New York concert.
Yes, it is obvious that nearly every product reviewed, especially in Stereophile and TAS, is given high praise, but (a) that is not always the case (b) sometimes the technical review or a follow-up review will disagree with the first reviewer (c) I have the impression that, rather than giving a falsely positive review of a product, the magazine will simply not publish review it if they think it's a dud but are afraid of losing a big advertiser. If I am right, however, this leaves people like me wondering "if no one has reviewed this thing yet, does that mean it's a lemon?"
If I am right, however, this leaves people like me wondering "if no one has reviewed this thing yet, does that mean it's a lemon?"
Not really. I think there are too many products out there for the magazines to review and the fact that a product is not reviewed may be attributed to not enough time, not enough pages, or perhaps the manufacturer does not provide review samples.
Most magazines have clearly stated that they basically select what they think are good products for review. This argument does make sense. It would take quite a mean reviewer to chose a product he/she thinks is lousy just so he/she can vent off some steam in a review. Therefore it does stand to reason that reviewers will pick products that they have liked or are genuinely interested in, and this pre-selection process weeds out most of the duds out there - which is why I think that most reviews tend to be postitive. Most serious magazines will publish candid negative reviews if the product fails to perform according to their expectations, and a few products have received a fair drubbing,
I would agree that many of the descriptions are exaggerated in reviews, but there again, I think we all do the same thing when trying to convey to someone the effect of a new addition or change in our system. Being a bit liberal with our prose helps convey the message - one has to read a bit between the lines. Reviewer biases are also there and one needs to take a bit of time to understand them and see how they fit with one's own biases.
Finally, we should remember that if our experience disagrees with a reviewer's, it does not necessarily mean that the reviewer is deaf or is in bed/at war with the manufacturer. Our own preferences vary, the system varies, the room varies, the setup varies. Some reviewers have highly tuned systems (cabling, power, room treatment, etc..) and their experience of a product may be very different than mine or yours.
"Not really. I think there are too many products out there for the magazines to review and the fact that a product is not reviewed may be attributed to not enough time, not enough pages, or perhaps the manufacturer does not provide review samples."
Could this be any more BS. The fact of the matter which it always has been is that they review products based off of advertising or potential advertising clients. There is a reason why you always see the same Totem products reviewed year after year. If you open up an Absolute Sound magazine you will see an ad in the first few pages every month.
I can understand this thinking to a point but at the same time it does not let Audiophiles get to read about the many other great audio products on the market. So to answer your question: "if no one has reviewed this thing yet, does that mean it's a lemon?" No not in any way! There are many thousands of audio products out there and you would be surprised at the performance some of them offer. When I traveled to Europe I had the opertunity to listen to many great new products and I could not understand why they have not been writen about in the US. Perfect examples:
6moons is writing about an incredable speaker company called ESA from Poland. I have heard these speakers before and even thou they are not that great looking they sound amazing.
6moons is also writing about the Aaron No.1 a from Germany. This is another amazing product that has many dealers in the US but again not reviewed by any of the major magazines. It took the front cover of High Fedelity magazine in Poland and got a great review in Greece. Enjoy the Music in the US gave it a rave review also.
There is a distribution company in Canada that does not send out any of there products for review and makes the customer listen for themselves. I have heard some of them and they are very good.
My system is made up of many less known products on the market but it is one of the best I have ever heard.
So, When is the June/July Issue 193 being mailed? Its May 5th, Still havn't seen mine yet in the mail or at a store. Will it be mailed this month May the 28th or was it suppose to be April 28th as Robert mentions in his post?