Roland68
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Stereophile/S&V/Analog Planet/Shutterbug Acquisition
- Thread starter amirm
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If Amir sells out and goes off to study earthworms in the woods instead, most of us will give up on ASR, I'd guess.
bargainguy
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The part of the title that got my attention was Shutterbug.
Back in the 80s and 90s, I considered their content superior to Modern Photography or Popular Photography.
Bought more than one item from their classified section. This was all pre-internet, of course.
This was one of my favorite mags. Alas, now it's all online and has lost much of its charm.
Back in the 80s and 90s, I considered their content superior to Modern Photography or Popular Photography.
Bought more than one item from their classified section. This was all pre-internet, of course.
This was one of my favorite mags. Alas, now it's all online and has lost much of its charm.
Paul7777x
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The witless, content free, semantically void gibberish of all press releases.
It needs context, so here it is vs the S&P 500. Even a tracker fund would have beaten the pants off it...
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We can only hope that under new ownership, pieces like this one will no longer be published:
"In the opinion of this hi-fi reviewer, the debate over the efficacy of audio-quality network switches should be over. As logic would dictate, when connections are made via a network switch, the quality of its inputs, outputs, oscillators (clocks), power supplies, and pathways affects the sound of everything downstream. It's clearly audible. Everything matters."
"Even with a DAC-streamer as superb as the dCS Varèse, the Nordost QNet7 network switch improves sound, apparently by lowering the near-vanishing noisefloor of music streamed through a supposedly quiet fiber-based streaming network. Go figure."
Does this "reviewer" comprehend how his streaming setup actually works?
"In the opinion of this hi-fi reviewer, the debate over the efficacy of audio-quality network switches should be over. As logic would dictate, when connections are made via a network switch, the quality of its inputs, outputs, oscillators (clocks), power supplies, and pathways affects the sound of everything downstream. It's clearly audible. Everything matters."
"Even with a DAC-streamer as superb as the dCS Varèse, the Nordost QNet7 network switch improves sound, apparently by lowering the near-vanishing noisefloor of music streamed through a supposedly quiet fiber-based streaming network. Go figure."
Does this "reviewer" comprehend how his streaming setup actually works?
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Ok can we get back to business now...I have to go pick up my answer machine , radio shack called and said it just needed a new cassette.
HalSF
Senior Member
“The acquisition ensures continuity…”
As an on-again off-again reader and subscriber of Stereophile, continuity is the last thing I want. I mean, sure, I want the magazine/website to survive, but I’d love to see a dramatic shakeup and a radical shift toward expanded coverage of hi-fi innovation and technically rigorous reviewing and, you know, audio science, and a move away from antiquarian vibes and audiophile wine-tasting and narrow high-end marketing and trade-publication ethics.
For example, I might try to hire a guy named Amir as a columnist…
As an on-again off-again reader and subscriber of Stereophile, continuity is the last thing I want. I mean, sure, I want the magazine/website to survive, but I’d love to see a dramatic shakeup and a radical shift toward expanded coverage of hi-fi innovation and technically rigorous reviewing and, you know, audio science, and a move away from antiquarian vibes and audiophile wine-tasting and narrow high-end marketing and trade-publication ethics.
For example, I might try to hire a guy named Amir as a columnist…
That would be bad, 'cause that Amir would have to sell stuff - at least that's what I understand a "Brand" does. Sell stuff... I don't think this particular Amir would like it.
DSJR
Master Contributor
My dealer pal has presented me with a pile of HiFi News mags dating from a small pile of ~2011 and a larger pile of ~2022 to present day, to show me the kind of beyond-unaffordable good-looking gear they review, in an attempt to show me that here in the UK, Rega is still good value, even their new pre-power combo at £14k!!! One or two reviews are fascinating, interesting even, but the rest of it is nausea-inducing, the way that price rules everything, often including their percentage ratings. I only look on the odd Stereophile review measurements, totally ignoring the subjective puff that precedes them... I need to look through them before deciding whether to recycle these HFN mags and to be honest, I'm stunned there's anyone left in the UK who can remotely afford the bling they review. One recent issue has Ken Kessler defending the high prices asked for the kind of gear they review, as he claimed there's far more millionaires around these days, if too few into expensive audio gear - I think I read it right...
Hello @John Atkinson and @Kal Rubinson , we’d value your comments.
If you boil this down, it just means the AV TechMedia assets are under new ownership and direction by Keith Pray, formerly the GM at AV TechMedia? Considering that and the ‘continuity’ note in the PR release, it doesn’t sound as though there will be much change in editorial direction or content. I am curious to see if there are significant changes to the writers and contributors that provide the publication’s content.
teched58
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Look at it this way: Things can only get better. (Can't get no worse).
In all seriousness, I don't think it's going to change much, except for continued tightening of resources expended on editorial content, which is due to continued contraction of vendor ad spending
Keith Pray, the guy who's buying it, apparently works/worked there as general manager (according to his bio and what you find via Google search.
Anyway, so as a retired electronics/computer trade magazine writer/editor myself, my take is that Keith is buying this not cause there's a huge (or any) monetary upside. He's buying it for love of the properties, and also if one can keep a website going these days, you're essentially keeping your own job going. Because if you can't do that and have to leave and go look for another editorial/publishing job.. . . there aren't any. (You would have to do the Fremer play -- start your own site.)
As for Paul Miller being technical editor, if you've followed his stuff, that's a good thing. Miller's competent at the technical stuff and his writing is functional and direct. He's not a blowhard. (We all love JA1's reviews, and especially his Pravda-like secret messages about how the equipment under review really performs, but as someone earlier mentioned, there's a generational difference between John and Paul. There's always a John and a Paul involved when it comes to music, eh?)
Anyway, those are my thoughts FWIW.
[EDIT: @mns3dhm says it better and more directly than I did. I agree with his sentiments completely.]
In all seriousness, I don't think it's going to change much, except for continued tightening of resources expended on editorial content, which is due to continued contraction of vendor ad spending
Keith Pray, the guy who's buying it, apparently works/worked there as general manager (according to his bio and what you find via Google search.
Anyway, so as a retired electronics/computer trade magazine writer/editor myself, my take is that Keith is buying this not cause there's a huge (or any) monetary upside. He's buying it for love of the properties, and also if one can keep a website going these days, you're essentially keeping your own job going. Because if you can't do that and have to leave and go look for another editorial/publishing job.. . . there aren't any. (You would have to do the Fremer play -- start your own site.)
As for Paul Miller being technical editor, if you've followed his stuff, that's a good thing. Miller's competent at the technical stuff and his writing is functional and direct. He's not a blowhard. (We all love JA1's reviews, and especially his Pravda-like secret messages about how the equipment under review really performs, but as someone earlier mentioned, there's a generational difference between John and Paul. There's always a John and a Paul involved when it comes to music, eh?)
Anyway, those are my thoughts FWIW.
[EDIT: @mns3dhm says it better and more directly than I did. I agree with his sentiments completely.]
HalSF
Senior Member
This is absolutely true in terms of Stereophile in its current continuity-centered preserved-in-amber form. I’m trying to imagine what a transformed version of the magazine might conceivably encompass.
Philbo King
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I was thinking along similar lines. A VC group playbook:
- Buy companies
- Use their equity to get huge loans
- Bankruptcy, causing the loaned money to vanish into yachts, offshore accounts and vacation condos
phoenixdogfan
Major Contributor
All I know is if they decide Stereophile is worth more in pieces, we need to make sure Kal is brought over to the ASR staff, b/c he's the one worthwhile part of the whole enterprise.
Replaced the guy whose name I forgot who replaced Larry Archibald.
“Pray Media Holdings” appears to be a purpose-built vehicle to enable his purchase of these various entities.
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