I don't think for a single moment that forums are a substitute for professional mags.The two activities are not even rivals....print magazines in general are thriving (newspapers less so. )But have you read 'Plus' recently?How much honest criticism do you see?And one result of that is that truly fine products get reviews very similar to more dubious products.No one could make a fair assessment on the basis of this puffery.And Roy Gregory, in reviewing two metres of cable at £21,000, mentions , as usual, Nordost.What he has never mentioned is that in the USA, Nordost has been reported as offering excllusive dealers mark-ups of 85%.That means for every $100 dollars the punter spends, $85 dollars goes straight to the dealer. As far as I know, Nordost have never denied this incredible pricing.Is the Uk pricing similar?And what about the mark ups on rival cables?Car mags routinely reveal the pricing structure of new cars, so how come audio journalists are so coy in denying their readers info freely available in other consumer goods?
I mention Gregory because after years of praising Nordost, he went to work for them, and is now back as an audio journalist.All open and above board.All entirely legal, but how about some open and energetic journalism on the side of the reader, who pays the bills.And as a lifetime member of the NUJ,I want mags to thrive, but they will only survive by re-injecting some guts and integrity into the process.Whatever their many faults, UK newspapers have often shown real guts in getting information into the public domain.Magazines do not have the resources or traditions to do this, but they could show a bit of spine.Their readership would increase, manufacturers would know that reviews had real value.It is tough to take such a path, but the audio mag which does it will prosper, not die.
I mention Gregory because after years of praising Nordost, he went to work for them, and is now back as an audio journalist.All open and above board.All entirely legal, but how about some open and energetic journalism on the side of the reader, who pays the bills.And as a lifetime member of the NUJ,I want mags to thrive, but they will only survive by re-injecting some guts and integrity into the process.Whatever their many faults, UK newspapers have often shown real guts in getting information into the public domain.Magazines do not have the resources or traditions to do this, but they could show a bit of spine.Their readership would increase, manufacturers would know that reviews had real value.It is tough to take such a path, but the audio mag which does it will prosper, not die.