I stared reading The Absolute Sound with issue #1 in 1973. It was a wonderful addition to the hi-fi rags of the day as HP and his helpers introduced us to the sound of products well beyond the range of our local stores. Our locals were either poorly capitalized efforts by well meaning hobbyists or chains just interested in “shifting boxes.”
In addition to reading about brands like Magnepan, Dahlquist, GAS and ARC, we got direction on product categories we had never considered. Who knew speaker wires and interconnects really mattered?
What I especially enjoyed about early TAS is that I felt like we were in the same boat. HP was going to war for US. He was our advocate to get more pleasure out of the hobby. Some of the products were expensive, like Tympani speakers for $1100, or ARC separates for $600-900. But nothing they discussed early on was from NEVER NEVER land.
How things have changed!
I’m more than a little sad that today, TAS and Stereophile have turned into MOSTLY never never land. But I still enjoy reading up, so let’s take a look at issue 339, the 50th Anniversary issue.
For openers, I won’t complain about ads. Every company has the right to pitch what it wants. The guy paying the bill can try to sell you a $300k turntable or $750k speakers. But when it comes to the editorial nature of writing…
TAS talks about Axpona 2023.
What are the most SIGNIFICANT products?
* $3700 for tube phono preamp made in China. OK I guess. But if you hear a dead quiet tube phono preamp, you’ve got one on me. Much less, one made in China. I happily recommend the outstanding Hegel V10 phono preamp for $1650. It competes with anything out there.
* $27k for a streaming preamp with outboard supply and a 100×2 amp from Naim. That… is SIGNIFICANT?
* $10k for a 60×2 tube power amp is fancy money. I do respect BAT, but this is a very niche product I’d have a hard time calling SIGNIFICANT.
* $22k for a diamond cantilever/stylus creation. What could go wrong? Seriously? It is significant that this is now available?
* $7600 DAC with $38k preamp, $42k power amp. The DAC has the same Sabre DAC as our
Node X for $750, thank you very much.
* $54k table and $79k disc player are still SIGNIFICANT?! I’ll stack up the Marantz SACD30n head to head with their $79k significant disc player. When you’re blindfolded, you won’t be able to hear the diff.
* $20k table and arm run through an $80k phono pre, $80k line stage, and $150k of monoblocks, hitched up to $218k spks- are SIGNIFICANT?! Ya got $550k lying around? And that’s before buying a mains conditioner and some cables.
* $25-50k buys you a SIGNIFICANT streamer or DAC to go with the above. This system they’re talking about, as significant, will run ¾ of a million bucks.
What are the most AUSPICIOUS (sign of prosperous) DEBUTS?
* $35k Line stage preamp with 12 AX7s…. That…is gonna take off?
* $33k Per Pair of Hong Kong built monoblock amps from WestminsterLabs. Wanna buy stock in these puppies? Maybe the matching preamp for $25k will be the closer.
* $10k preamp and $10k, 150×2 amp from Mola Shmola. You can buy Bryston or Mac for thi$.
* $36k table with $9k cart and $15k phono pre- show much promise- so long as you run them through the $30k monoblocks and $155k speakers of course. Yup, another quarter mil for a portion of a system.
Best of Show
The editor has a tough time choosing best of show so it’s a tie among three systems.
Average price WELL OVER half a million bucks PER. Are we learning anything here?
I’m having a hard time understanding why he thinks spending untold hours evaluating systems for close to a million bucks does us readers any good.
He says his most SIGNIFICANT find is a speaker for $45k per pair. Hmm. Ya can’t find anything exciting for less? This, folks, is what happens when the guys writing for us have been back scratched by having literally millions of dollars of gear at their disposal to live with.
Speakers Under $30k
Yes, I’m not kidding- this… is a category. If you have to … fall below $30k per pair (you poor schlub) you can check this bargain basement gear. I thought this entry was especially interesting.
* $5k Per Pair Mission branded 8” 2-ways made in China by API, are called “uncontestably inexpensive.”
Ummm, I’m gonna contest. Please take a look at what Magnepan or Bryston offer in great speakers for $2-5k. These Missions are 8” 2-ways made in a Chinese speaker house that belches out dozens of brands. This is a blatant marketing attempt to cash in on the handful of old goats who value the name Mission. Since there are almost no audiophiles that fit this description, I’ll be shocked if this flies more than an initial production run. You’ll see them online for $3k by Christmas being closed out.
Summation
I really don’t know who these guys think they’re writing for any more. It’s one thing to have an over the top product review in a mag to tease the wealthy. That’s fine. Put one pie in the sky.
TAS and the other rags have become mostly fantasy land. These guys are attending Axpona to help us learn about new products and this bling is all they’re interested in. They do mention some affordable products along the way. But it’s a small portion of what they’re interested in. And as in the case of the Missions, they won’t help you discern what is special, compared to what is just another offering to nostalgia.
You Can Rely On Audio Emporium
We still deal with real people who have their sights set on value. How about THAT for a concept?! We actually put price tags on our gear in the store. Can you imagine?! It is 1000% logical that when you see ANY product, you’ll want to know what it costs. That’s because nobody reading this has an infinite money supply. We want to spend our money wisely and AE will help you make sense of the crowded audio world.
What is significant and auspicious?
How about the Bluesound Node X streamer for $750? It’s the most reliable streaming platform on the market and features just as fancy a DAC as the ostentatious DACs out there.
How about the Rogue Sphinx V3 integrated amp for $1700 with 100×2 of Hypex muscle and a pair of 12 AU7s tubes- made in the USA no less? Or perhaps consider the bigger brother, Rogue Pharaoh 2 (250×2) integrated with tubes built in Pennsylvania for $4k- THESE are significant products that will upgrade any system comprised of electronics from the east.
Or maybe you should consider any of the Bryston speakers that are made in Canada with a 20 year warranty. They’re all amazingly smooth and wield a big punch for their price tag. A3 for about $3k per pair will be a SIGNIFICANT upgrade from its Chinese competitors and still be under warranty in 19 years and 364 days. Its bigger brothers A2 and Middle T will stand toe to toe with the $20k on up speakers the mags have been GIVEN for review.
The Cover
The cover of this issue says it all. On the left we have the remarkable Magnepan MG 1.7i for $3k per pair. Audio Emporium proudly sells this! You can hear them right here at Audio Emporium.
To the right of the Mag are Estelon, MBL, Wilson and Magico- ALL of which cost hundreds of K$.
About 20% of the mag is appealing to those of us who care about our wallets. At Audio Emporium, we will be happy to help you, even if you actually work for a living!