I like Paul Rigby and his on-line reviews , perhaps a little long when compared to an audio review in a magazine , but very useful and he comes over as having a sense of humour
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Noel Keywood (not Keyword thank you autocorrect!) was a big part of my early education in this subject, I think I have issue 1, or 2, of HiFi World somewhere. Havenāt bought a magazine in years, but certainly had most of their early issues. I think a grounding in the technical side of things can inform buying and upgrade decisions, alongside auditioning. Not that I remember much of the technical side these days!
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I found a nice little autobiography of Paul here - an interesting and varied career!
ā¦Iāve never read HiFi critic, but I notice the NAP500DR is in their āfree to tryā sample issue, so Iāll give it a go. One of its selling points is āno advertisementsā - I quite like the adverts in HFN to be honest - as partial to a nice photograph of American exotica!
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Ah - I had no idea - I always felt there was a very interesting story to tell in Apogee, a book worth writing perhaps! ā¦felt like the boundaries were well and truly pushed by a small group of people who wouldnāt be told āthat canāt be done!ā
That iconic review by KK in 1985 (ā¦the cover shot 
) really made the speakers sound like the second coming. But a second coming of something so difficult and challenging to get the best out of (if I recall correctly you basically needed a power station to drive them) and at a price so high - that they were almost mythical.
The fact you still have a pair in your listening room is testament to their real qualities I guess!
Iād love to see a picture or two sometime.
There you go - utter fanaticism to get the best sound possible! ā¦commendable!
Interesting thread.
Didnāt realise how much reviews and audio magazines are read. I thought this was a niche thing.
I happen to read a couple of reviews when in the process of buying new gear, but thatās really all.
Am I the only one not reading audio magazines or reviews?
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I read reviews voraciously. Always have. But like you, more now when Iām in a purchasing state of mind. Forums like this fill the void for much of the rest of the time.
But once I read them cover to cover - learning all the time. It really was the only way to do so.
I suppose it dates back to when I got into Hifi - the 80s brought so many changes in the industry, and much like politics there were utterly opposed philosophies around, which all played out in the magazines (which in turn had their own philosophical leanings - being cheerleaders for some ways, and mockers of others!) and it was fascinating to see that. In the absence of any other place for that kind of conversation to happen, magazines were king and industry celebrities were born.
I can look at a product and tell you what (for example) Ken Kessler will think about it - but thatās only part of it - itās not all just travelling to a āmarks out of tenā rating in the bottom right hand corner - there is technical description, functional assessment, characters, stories. At their best they not only provide an assessment of the product - but they provide a whole story thatās intersting and engaging whether Iām remotely considering the product or not.
For example HFN&RR have a thing about laser styluses. Interesting? ā¦oh yesā¦ Going to buy one? ā¦nopeā¦just canāt see itā¦although I can well imagine Linn are having a good old look at them.
ā¦fascinating stuff at the cutting edge.
I think generally reviews now are more relevant than ever - and everybody is a reviewer (we all look at Amazon product reviews donāt we? ā¦eBay feedback?) and technology journalism is wider than its ever been - its BBC front page news whenever Apple do a product event for example. Gadget Mags (Stuff, T3) hit the mid ground and offer fluffy reviews across a wide range. But there is very much still a place for true expert reviews. You still see it in Hifi, Photography, Automotive - loads of areas. Making people pay for it is the biggest challenge I guess.
I think itās also fair to say that committing to Naim as a product has abated my interest somewhat - I used to tell people that choosing Naim āendedā my interest in Hifi, because Iād kind of completed the journey - actually the opposite it true, and itās a gift that keeps on giving.
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Yes, that is my feeling as well - they donāt recognise the limitations of their measurements, both in terms of the choice of measurements and their sensitivity/resolution, basing conclusions solely on the range of measurements they have conducted, which though sometimes interesting can be over-simplistic.
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No, or only when someone, perhaps on this forum, references one in relation to something of interest. My approach is generally much same as yours!
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Your latter comments resonate as, I too, while not reading the various hi-fi mags voraciously, I have used them as filters when considering new kit, especially speakers.
A few points/thoughts:
1- from starting off low down the hi-fi totem pole with budget kit (although budget to some is expensive and cheap to others) e.g. Dual CS505, NAD 3020, bookshelf speakers, one then starts to get hooked and serious, which is when āthe madnessā starts!
2- Dealers only carry a very limited range of kit compared to market and what you read about in the mags, and the ability to dem the (supposed) better quality kit is often constrained.
3- While spending on hi-fi offers a form of retail-therapy for more toys, the hunt (per 2 above) can often be long & arduous and beset with negative responses, the unavailability of dem-kit and the inability of oneās ears to determine which is different/better, the latter determined on what your musical tastes are, your listening room, amongst a list of subjective personal evaluation factors.
Simply put, realistically, we all can only access a fraction of the products on the market, a gap which the mags fill but only to a limited extent - and after a while, oneās level of circumspection around the accuracy and validity of reviews increases, given how many products are āthe greatest thing since sliced breadā.
If you go the way of the mags, one might end up a perennial box-swapper, at not insignificant cost, always chasing that last āfixāā¦and that really is madness IMV.
This is where the Naim offering plays well. Widely represented, clear(ish) upgrade paths, excellent longevity, with strong residuals to ease the financial pain - plus many of the journos use Naim kit, especially at the 300/500DR level.
But - not everybody likes the Naim sound (e.g. not enough detail, no soundstage, all those interconnects), the kit doesnāt marry well with other brands, and think Naimites are blinkered sheep. So what - I have what I like and like what I have.
Having listened to some of the kit highly recommended by the mags/reviewers, itās very clear there is huge subjectivity in play and thatās before things like listening rooms and other variables are introduced. Itās also clear that cost isnāt often a good proxy for quality.
Re KK, I recollect when he had his dedicated listening room built (golden dimensions, concrete blocks et al), he had 3 wiring looms installed, one ordinary copper, one Kimber and a.n.other IIRC. When auditioned to a Naimite friend (back in the days of 52/135s here), their preference was the standard copper.
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But is there another retail experience like it? ā¦I donāt know of one, where my wife and I can just rock up on a Saturday afternoon, drink tea, eat biscuits and listen to something new that we may not have even heard of or considered, and then go home having not bought anything. And do it again a few weeks later without eye rolls.
I worked for a luxury department store on London (Mayfair, not Knightsbridge 
) for a good while - and only they come close - with their āpersonal shoppingā rooms where people spend hours and have staff going to get things and then bringing them to their homes.
It amazes me that Apple Stores are held up as the gold standard for retail - nothing could be further from the truth. Awful experience - cattle like - disdainful service from people who are termed āgeniusesā - anyway - going off topic, but itās a hobby horse of mine!
He wonāt have been invited back! 
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Funnily enough it was a magazine review which featured the system you mention in point 1 that originally got me into hi-fi in the first place (Dual, Nad + Wharfedale Diamonds). I think it was a mid 1980s special edition of Hi-Fi Review which featured several systems starting with the Nad and ending with a Naim 6 pack.
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And they were always printed up as packaged systems in multi page adverts from SuperFi and the like. That System was ubiquitous.
The next level up was probably Thorens/Cyrus/Mission speakers - again - available as a package system.
All with QED 32 strand speaker cable obviously.
And later a Sony or a Philips (orā¦ooooohā¦Meridian) CD player. To listen to āWelcome to the Pleasuredomeā āGracelandā and āBrothers in Armsā - which had possibly been smeared in Jam - but still produced clear perfect sound forever.
This is absolutely true - and itās where knowing the journalist comes into play - itās kind of a pre-qualification.
I remember reading a hugely positive review of a Robertson Audio power amp (never heard of them since) and asking Image Hifi in Leeds if they had it - they said no - but theyād get it in. The dem - with Kef 104/2 (great speakers) - lasted all of 5 minutes - dreadful, dry and characterless - both myself and Steve Goulding of image thought so.
They stuck on a Bill Beard valve pre-power (again - not sure what happened to them) and all was well again. I went back and reread the review - I couldnāt make sense of it at all.
Maybe I should revisit valves one day!
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It can be a great retail experience but (IMHO) the dem-rooms of many serious dealers I know of and been to remain severely limited for the value of kit they are trying to sell, this often down to real estate challenges.
Itās great to see how the out of town retail environment has developed for some as, clearly, needing a (close) to high street presence is passĆ© and far more expensive in most cases.
Back in the late-1990s I knew someone who was getting dem kit (Chord amps and CD players) from KJās in London, such that after c.6mās, they suggested it was about time he made up his mind - which he did. Personally, given work commitments, I just couldnāt tolerate such an extensive review period.
My way of doing reviews, was try to get say 3 speakers at roughly the same time - several didnāt survive beyond a few minutes.
Ed Selley and Paul Rigby are the two I seem to come across these days. Some of the older names are still there, like Steve Guttenberg.
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Yes - I think this has really taken things on a level. HiFi Lounge is where we go - amazing facilities and knowledge - vast product range - great tea - free eggs from the chickens. Whatās not to like.
I started out on the Naim path with 72/140, which I demāed against MF A300 integrated and a.n.other having, at the time, an elderly MF pre/power combo.
The dealerās A300 was ānewā and the 72/140 destroyed it - not even close. Turns out, many report the A300 needed >100 hours on it to open out (clearly the dealer didnāt know this).
I formed my opinion of the HiFi press back in 1982 when I was looking to buy my first real HiFi. At the time the only high end turntable truly recommended was the Sondek but after a few side by side auditions it turned out that I liked another better and went that way. The next time I looked into the mags was in the late 90s when one reviewer hailed a mainstream DVD (the then brand new format) as a true high end device trashing other high end CD players of the time; whereas every other mag reviewed them as being awful as music replay devices.
We decided rather than reading well intentioned opinions of others that we would trust our own ears when we were looking for a big upgrade so took off to a few HiFi shows and listened to what was on offer to shortlist potential items rather than form the list from reviews. Fortunately at one we visited the Naim demo against all advice and the decision was made there and then.
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Both excellent. Ed Selley lives not too far from me. Posts on his Instagram are 50% Hifi and 50% homemade soup. Heās trying to lose some timber I think!
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