From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!npois!houxm!houxa!houxi!whuxk!wjm Newsgroups: net.audio Title: audio mags Article-I.D.: whuxk.151 Posted: Thu Mar 3 16:56:48 1983 Received: Tue Mar 8 00:50:07 1983 There are three widely read audio magazines as Marty Shannon noted. They are "Audio", "High Fidelity", and "Stereo Review". At present, I subscribe to all 3, but will probably drop my "High Fidelity" subscription when it expires next year unless they improve it. Comments about each magazine: "Stereo Review" is the largest circulation audio magazine and for most peoples needs probably the best single magazine. They have the best record reviews (both classical and popular), excellent test reports (mostly on mid-priced equipment, with a bit of high end thrown in), and very good general audience articles on how to set up and maintain a high fi system. "Audio" is the most technical of the three and tends to be aimed at a more high end audience (their test reports tend to favor higher end equipment). They have the best classified ads, and tend to favor hardware (equipment,etc.) over software (recordings - they only review a few audiophile recordings each month). One especially useful feature of "Audio" is their annual equipment directory (in October for home equipment, and in the spring for car equipment) which lists all manufacturers goodies by category (receivers, amps, turntables, etc.) and gives comparative specs. (Keep in mind that these specs are supplied by the manufacturers and are not verified by "Audio" lab reports). "High Fidelity" is aimed for the same audience as "Stereo Review" but falls short of the mark. The issues tend to be much smaller (between 80 and 95 pages most months) and a sizeable portion is devoted to video (here a personal prejudice of mine appears - I'm not a videophile and would prefer to leave the video to video mags). They have excellent test reports (generally the same type of equipment as "Stereo Review" - in fact thats why I subscribed, to get a second opinion on equipment)., and are the most music oriented of the three. Their record reviews tend to be quite extensive (and quite good) but the price you pay is that very few recordings get reviews. One thing to keep in mind is that all of these magazines offer substantial discounts to subscribers - typically 50% off their "posted" subscription price (and about 65% off the newsstand price). Bill Mitchell Bell Labs - Whippany NJ (whuxk!wjm)