Stereophile (TEN) Sold to AVTech Media Ltd (UK)

[Miska]

I've been happy subscriber and reader of Stereophile for a long time.

 

I may not agree with all things written there, but I don't like to take opinions and work to personal level. I have nothing personal against JA or ML. I have not met JA, but I have met ML in real life couple of times and he is a nice person.

 

These kind of acquisitions happen, and sometimes they are for good. Sometimes they don't go as planned. But anyway I hope it is all for the better and I don't have a take on any possible personnel decisions.

 

I hope we can discuss about audio things without taking it to a personal level.

 

[Miska]

7 hours ago, Brinkman Ship said:

I'm also sorry to see Mike Lavorgna go. I don't know what's going to happen to the AudioStream site he ran but let's be honest about one thing: computer audio (and by that I mean downloading files) is going away. Streaming is taking over.

-Totally disagree about "computer audio"...but even IF streaming is the future..you still need a computer or a streamer and a DAC...hence..computer audio.

 

Yeah, "streamers" are computers, just single-purpose ones. And I don't think downloads are going anywhere either.

 

The fact that these old school magazines refuse to recognize computers, software and computer audio in general as growing part of HiFi scene is certainly one of their biggest losses. They try to behave like such thing doesn't exist and by behaving so hoping it'll go away. Stereophile to lesser extent than some others though. But probably they do it because "computer audio companies" don't advertise much on print press (*). And reviewing computer audio things is not as simple as reviewing a simple single box solution like an amplifier.

 

*) Advertising on print press is very expensive and reach if fairly limited, and for example I simply don't have money for such...

[Miska]

Let's put it this way. I like UK's HiFi-News (originally part of AVTech Media). And I've been subscriber of both for a long time. Paul Miller (editor of HFN) and John Atkinson (editor of Stereophile) seem to know each other pretty well. JA has been editor of HFN in the past. So I'm looking this from mostly positive perspective of these two nice publications hopefully becoming even better as a one bigger family.

 

At least I like to see this through positive glasses until proven otherwise.

 

Sure, there are short and midterm uncertainty on various details, but those will be sorted out / cleared over time. Maybe as whole there will be more, even if some earlier things are discontinued, maybe new things will appear too.