Stereo Review, Remember it??

thesurfer

Now called sound and vision, I remember when it was stereo review, they reviewed everything audio, specialy the entry level stuff, Always had those glossy cool covers,, remember it??

steveinaz

Oh yeah, and "High fidelity" magazine.

mhardy6647

Yup. Best for me in Stereo Review in the 1970s and 80s were Steve Simels pop/rock music reviews. Said Mr. Simels of Warren Zevon's live Stand in the Fire, "It'll kill your house plants." He meant that in a good way, of course.

Simels also held that Tonio K's album Life in the Food Chain (that title, I always presumed, to be a play on the Eagles' Life in the Fast Lane) was the greatest musical achievement of Western Civilization. I've never heard it (not even a single track)... so I've always sort of wondered about that. :-P

The best massmarket hifi magazine in the olden days, though, to my standards and tastes, was Audio. Rather more technical than Stereo Review or High Fidelity.

The latter two magazines' equipment reviews were next to worthless. Towards the end of his long and illustrious career, reviewer Julian Hirsch (Hirsch-Houck Labs) was widely lampooned for the circumspection of his hardware reviews. The old quip has it that a typical reviewer's comment from Mr. Hirsch on an amplifier would sum up his feelings like this:

Of all of the amplifiers I've tested, this is certainly one of them.

:-)

disneyjoe7

Yup remember that.

steveinaz

There was also "Audio" magazine.

erniejade

Julian Hirsch, i always enjoyed his reviews!!

Polkie2009

Julian Hirsch was awesome, always looked forward to his reads every month. I went to Barnes and Noble a couple of days ago to pick up a few magazines on HT and other audio equipment. Get this, they had ZERO magazines like this and no longer stock them, guess they weren't big enough sellers.

BlueFox

Yes. I have been a subscriber since the early 70s. As you say, the name has changed, and its focus has evolved.

indyhawg

I subscribed to Stereo Review as well as Audio for several years back in the mid to late 80's. I preferred Audio, though. I really enjoyed reading Julian Hirsch's (RIP) reviews.

Does anyone know when these magazines ceased to exist?

Polkie2009

I think around 2000 Stereo Review changed it's name to Sound and Vision? I Used to see it all the time in B&N ,but I guess it's been awhile since I went there.

nclh7

I subscribed non-stop to Stereo Review from 1978 to about a year after becoming Sound and Vision.

Ahh, the good ol'days. And they were good.

FTGV

mhardy6647 wrote: »

The best massmarket hifi magazine in the olden days, though, to my standards and tastes, was Audio.

Agreed,as a budding DIY loudspeaker nut I enjoyed DB Keele's informative in depth speaker reviews.His measurements were IMO( along with those of Atkinson's at Stereophile) the best in print .

FTGV

indyhawg wrote: »

Does anyone know when these magazines ceased to exist?

Audio 1999 ish.

Danny Tse

I had letters/inquiries published in Audio magazine in back-to-back issues (one was about how long can a blank cassette last if left factory sealed....don't remember the other).

I miss all those magazines. I used to subscribe to Stereo Review and Audio, and I'd read High Fidelity at my local public library. No one has mentioned it yet, but I also enjoy those comics in Stereo Review poking fun at "audiophiles". LOL

BlueFox

Danny Tse wrote: »

No one has mentioned it yet, but I also enjoy those comics in Stereo Review poking fun at "audiophiles". LOL

Good point. They were by "Rodriquez". Every year they had a cartoon with no caption, and a contest amongst readers to create the caption. It must have been fixed since I never won.

http://www.angelfire.com/in3/hifijohn/rod.html

Danny Tse

BlueFox wrote: »

It must have been fixed since I never won.

Then your quote must have been funnier than the winning one. That was acknowledged by Stereo Review as one of the big complaints about its contest. LOL

[Deleted User]

Thanks for reminding me about Audio magazine, it prompted me to look at the back issues I have kept. Richard C. Heiser's speaker reviews, articles by ETC (Edward T. Canby), music reviews by Bert White (engineer for Everest Records). That was a great magazine!

thesurfer

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Thanks for reminding me about Audio magazine, it prompted me to look at the back issues I have kept. Richard C. Heiser's speaker reviews, articles by ETC (Edward T. Canby), music reviews by Bert White (engineer for Everest Records). That was a great magazine!

But what are your thoughts on Stereo Review,

[Deleted User]

Ah, sorry, I wandered off field there, didn't I. Well, I believe I learned the basics of good audio in the late 60's by reading Stereo Review and High Fidelity. I read every issue from cover to cover of both magazines and believed Julian Hirsch was the end all of audio reviewers. I could quote distortion figures on various gear with my audio buddies and got into lots of arguments about who was better (not much changes, does it?). This was while I was stationed on Okinawa and I had a part time job working for the Sony Company.
But then I started wanting to read something a little more technical, more "nuts-and-bolts". So I started reading Audio in the early 70's and then in the middle 70's started reading Audio Amateur and Stereophile. I had a chance to meet J. Gordon Holt when I modified his tonearm and my friend modified his Stereo 70. So, his equipment reviews became my guidepost.
I still keep a book of High Fidelity record reviews, from the 60's, as a guide to buying classical records.

halo71

I remember Stereo Review. When I was a kid I would read my Dad's....then when he wasn't home I "read" his Playboy's. :cool:

pietro944

BlueFox wrote: »

Good point. They were by "Rodriquez". Every year they had a cartoon with no caption, and a contest amongst readers to create the caption. It must have been fixed since I never won.

http://www.angelfire.com/in3/hifijohn/rod.html

Nice work,blue fox....enjoyed that.....really brings me back......WAY back to my father's giganatron Bozak speakers.

apphd

I think I still have some Stereo Review, and Audio packed away somewhere with my Rolling Stone issues. The good ol single days when 4 or 5 subscriptions to various mags was nothing. I guess it still would be nothing but with this new fangled internet thing who, needs them.:biggrin:

Reading Stereo Review and later Audio kept me pursuing the next step up and eating up lots of cash. Kind of like this place is for many.

FTGV

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

But then I started wanting to read something a little more technical, more "nuts-and-bolts". So I started reading Audio in the early 70's and then in the middle 70's started reading Audio Amateur ...

Ahh yes Audio Amateur and Speaker Builder with authors like Pass,Borbely,Jung and D'Apollito etc. contributed greatly to my practcal knowledge.I even had two of my early projects written up in Speaker Builder for which Mr. Dell was even kind enough to send me a cheque.

stuwee

I read them voraciously cover to cover until Julian Hirsch (R.I.P) started ranting about how all amplifiers sound the same :frown:. Even as a young man I knew he was wrong. I heard a difference and that was good enough for me. I still read the mag after that, I just didn't put much stock in what he said. Great music reviews tho!

[Deleted User]

Hey FTGV,
I read Audio Amateur and Glass Audio, not Speaker Builder unfortunately. I think I have every issue since they started. I had an article printed in AA and it ended up on the cover. It was something I'd always wanted to do, Mr. Dell was great to work with. I believe he has retired and now audioXpress is under new administration.
Cheers, Ken

FTGV

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hey FTGV,
I read Audio Amateur and Glass Audio, not Speaker Builder unfortunately. I think I have every issue since they started. I had an article printed in AA and it ended up on the cover. It was something I'd always wanted to do, Mr. Dell was great to work with. I believe he has retired and now audioXpress is under new administration.
Cheers, Ken

Cool what issue Ken?I have most issues back to 85 or so.I let my subscription laps after they combined them into AudioXpress buying the odd issue on the news stand afterwards.

SteveFord

Rodriguez' cartoons in National Lampoon were a bit more extreme.

TECHNOKID

BlueFox wrote: »

Good point. They were by "Rodriquez". Every year they had a cartoon with no caption, and a contest amongst readers to create the caption. It must have been fixed since I never won.

http://www.angelfire.com/in3/hifijohn/rod.html

The last bottom left cartoon... :eek:





















Didn't take long I got rid of the cat! I could fight the cat when he jumped in my face during my sleep , could tolerate when he climbed the curtains :frown:, but my speakers were defenceless when the cat jumped them :mad:! I sure hope he found a better home after my buddy took it away :cool:.

George Grand

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Ah, sorry, I wandered off field there, didn't I. Well, I believe I learned the basics of good audio in the late 60's by reading Stereo Review and High Fidelity. I read every issue from cover to cover of both magazines and believed Julian Hirsch was the end all of audio reviewers. I could quote distortion figures on various gear with my audio buddies and got into lots of arguments about who was better (not much changes, does it?). This was while I was stationed on Okinawa and I had a part time job working for the Sony Company.
But then I started wanting to read something a little more technical, more "nuts-and-bolts". So I started reading Audio in the early 70's and then in the middle 70's started reading Audio Amateur and Stereophile. I had a chance to meet J. Gordon Holt when I modified his tonearm and my friend modified his Stereo 70. So, his equipment reviews became my guidepost.
I still keep a book of High Fidelity record reviews, from the 60's, as a guide to buying classical records.

I still have a bunch of Stereo Review and Audio, maybe even a few Hi-Fidelity, all in zipped plastic bags by year, mostly from the 70's.

Before he passed away, I got to meet and talk to Julian Hirsch in 1994 at Grand Central Station. We discussed Acoustic Research products and how the original electronics (except for the legend AR-XA) had never garnered the following that the original line of speakers had. Except with me of course.

[Deleted User]

It appeared in 1998 second quarterly, I had to search around to find it. Lots of fun, heck I think I would have paid him to print it. It was really a cool experience.
I used to send lots of questions in letters to Stereo Review and always received polite, very understanding replies. In fact, I use that as an example whenever I respond to someone's question here at CP. I remember the patience and good will that was shown me and I try and respond the same way.
Cheers, Ken

TECHNOKID

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

It appeared in 1998 second quarterly, I had to search around to find it. Lots of fun, heck I think I would have paid him to print it. It was really a cool experience.
I used to send lots of questions in letters to Stereo Review and always received polite, very understanding replies. In fact, I use that as an example whenever I respond to someone's question here at CP. I remember the patience and good will that was shown me and I try and respond the same way.
Cheers, Ken

You sure learned the lesson extremely well!