Reviews (5)

Solid But Not the Best
HOME THEATER was once the earliest to devote themselves exclusively to home theater video gear. Unfortunately, the somewhat wacky, full-of-personality magazine was replaced with a much more boring corporate version when it was sold to a bigger publishing house.

It is a solid magazine but that may not be enough these days when TV and video systems range from a minimum of 4 figures to over 6 figures. Even if you're not planning on buying a $100k system, you want to know what is available in the highest end system so you can scale down and ultimately feel you are getting the best value for your money at your price point. (If you're not building an HD setup with surround, there's not that coverage anyway in any mag not just HOME THEATER).

You want knowledgeable testing so you know what you might be willing to trade in for buying something a few $k less ... and you want to feel confident that you've been presented all the choices and then you can decide what factors to trade off and in terms of costs.

Compared to PERFECT VISION magazine, HOME THEATER comes up way short. HOME THEATER mag does cover more topics (also published more often) so if are interested in seeing more photos and blurbs about lots of AV gear, it's a fine complement to PERFECT VISION magazine - just don't expect the depth or breadth in testing and knowledge about high-end video gear.

If you're just starting out in your decision process in HD sets and perhaps other home video electronics gear, then HOME THEATER is a solid place to start to learn the basics. Then you will want to add PERFECT VISION magazine. As I noted in that review, HOME THEATER is in the ballpark of PERFECT VISION but in the sense that PERFECT VISION is the star and HOME THEATER is a utility infielder - still useful, just not indespensible.

Excellent information
From a professional perspective, Home Theater magazine consistently provides me with cutting edge information. Highly recommended (and excellent editorials).

Fun read... and does not take itself too seriously
This magazine is great if you enjoy reading about new equipment and audio/video software, in a rather tongue-in-cheek style. You will probably be disappointed if you are the type who truly enjoys the in-depth articles of The Absolute Sound or the old Stereophile, or if you are very proud of your latest 12 watt SET amplifier that "only" cost you $8.000.

If the subject was wine, this magazine would not spend half a page discussing whether the berry bouquet is actually raspberry or blackberry. Rather it would try to determine which of the 5 wines reviewed would be best for your next BBQ (and while doing this, crack a few jokes about the French).

the best home theater magazine out there
Out of all the home theater and audio related magazines out there, I like this one the best. Most of the audio magazines are not suitable for home theater information because they concentrate on the audio only even though they sometimes have a few articles about HT products (e.g. Audiophile). Home Theater does not have much in the way of wacky "tweaks" like placing a quarter and a dime at the edge of your speaker either, just good solid advice and information. They cover the full range of products from inexpensive bookshelf systems to custom installs and everything in between. You are sure to find good information about whatever you are using or considering.

Eye candy
For those who enjoy reading about the latest and greatest components and toys, Home Theater is the perfect magazine for you. If you are looking to narrow your search for the perfect component to your home, this will provide you a sense of what your money will buy you in terms of features and quality. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

No Blind Test Makes Blind Ears.
I use to subscribe to this magazine, but I do not anymore as they refuse to do blind tests. What are they afraid of if they claim to be audiophiles and experts? They should have no trouble with blind tests when reading their didactic reviews which is often written in an annoyingly casual and nonchalant manner. (I suppose they write like that because they might be snobs).
Often times something won't sound up to par and they will send it back to the manufacturer who (it seems to me, wiggles a lug or a spade and then grins ear to ear) and sends it back, and automatically the reviewer can instantly detect the change in sound! What ears!! Why no blind test then??

I was also disturbed at the way they describe sound like the way they describe fine wines. Well, I don't drink sound. (BTW, it is interesting to note that they do blind test to rate wines).

I could get my old Stereophile and quote you many verses describing sound and their ability to detect change, that to me, are utterly ridiculous and laughable! The slightest, most dimunitive change in equipment will be detected (the odd think is they want to know what was done to it) and out will pour a plethora of wistful adjectives describing this horrendous change in sound. Makes you wonder if they are really listening or just imagining. To top off their abilities, these people also claim speaker wires all sound different. Well, that finally blew MY top off! Blind test would prove to me if they indeed have golden ears, or just golden voices.

Read more and you'll hear better.
Stereophile belongs in my favorite magazine category. That is, "cover-to-cover read". It provides valuable insights into all facets of the audiophile world. There's good coverage of the music and equipment industries, with excellent perspectives on where they've been, where they are, and where they're going. There's plenty of equipment reports and music reviews. Outstanding columns and special reports. Even the advertising is good. I look forward to every issue.

One of my most pleasant surprises has been the number of great recordings I've discovered by reading equipment reports. In fact, I usually read them before I read the music reviews. The folks testing the equipment really know what to play to expose the strengths and weaknesses of the gear. It has really helped me build a better library of outstanding recordings. The only problem with the magazine is that it's tough to throw it out. Subscribe today, and find space on a bookshelf to save your past issues.

Suitable reviews
The reviews are suitable in that they help you keep in touch with what's happening in the audio world. There's not much here you can't find on line, but who wants to search when you can have in front of you in magazine format?

For wealthy audiophiles
I've been reading Stereophile since the early days, when it was a thin, stapled newsletter extolling the virtues of AR turntables and Dynaco amps- neither of which would even make it into Stereophile's "Class D" selections these days.

Audio magazines tend to come in one of two varieties: The measurement obsessed and the "Golden Ears". The measurement obsessed endless debate specs like THD and damping without ever stopping to test whether the measurements actually correlate with listening experience. They will endless argue the significant of .00001 THD versus .00002% THD.

The Golden Ears- and Stereophile falls into this category- believe that only extended listening can give the true measure of equipment, and that they are particularly gifted with special powers of discrimination. They sometimes look at technical data for ad hoc justifications but they never look at psychophysical data. They also believe themselves to be completely immune to the loss of hearing acuity with age that all other mortals suffer, and the shift in hearing sensitivity that comes after a few minutes of listening.

Stereophile reviewers can go on endlessly about the virtues and sins of various componants, often using an amazing vocabularly that talks about things like "a slight chalkiness in the midrange". Every year they have new favorites- usually more expensive ones- and consign old favorites to the dust bin. The more expensive something is, the better.

Personally, I don't have the wherewithall to buy $120,000 speakers and $50,000 amplifiers; I'm still listening to a pair of speakers I bought 25 years ago. What other money I do have goes into my musical instruments. But I still like to read Stereophile. It's endless amusing to find out what the latest fads in HiFi are, sometimes there's some actual technical insight, and occasionally the "Audio Cheapskate" column actually delivers something useful for mortals. And the music reviews sometimes do dig up unknown gems- I found out about King and Moore's "Potato Radio" from a Stereophile review well over a decade ago.

no technical analysis AT ALL!
As a long time subscriber to the excellent Stereo Review magazine, I decided to broaden my horizens and try Stereophile.

Big mistake. Where SR would have technical analysis and/or double blind testing with a panel, Stereophile publishes primarily the crazed meanderings of "philosophical stereophiles".
These are the folks who describe speakers, and what's worse, SPEAKER WIRE in purely literary terms. There is no pretense at accuracy or empiricism here, there is only self-delusion.
Several acousticians and engineers have tried in vain to educate the so-called 'golden ears' of stereophile and similar publications about speaker wire by pretending to switch between high-end cable. When the 'golden ears' describe huge differences between the same sections of the same song on what is ostensibly different wire, it is revealed that only cheap 12G zip cord was used the entire time.
Ditto for quality solid state amplifiers : SR did a segment years ago where they took the most expensive and acclaimed SS amps and speaker wire, and double blind tested them (using stereophiles 'golden ears' and others) with a cheap 1974 SS reciever and rusty 16G wire from someones garage.Both setups used the highest rated speakers of the time.
No one could tell the difference.

You will find no measurements or unbiased comparisons here, there is only the placebo effect. ... Read more

Abstract

Formerly called Stereo Review's Sound & Vision.
... Read more

Reviews (5)

Sound Off On S&V
I have been a loyal reader of Sound And Vision magazine for many years now. Heck, I remember reading it, as far back as when it still had Stereo Review in its title.

The magazine is a tech geeks dream. It offers product reviews and specifications on everthing from flatscreen telelevisions, home theater systems, DVD Recorders, and everything in between. It's clear that the editors and writers of the publication enjoy what they do do for a living. They offer an easy to understand analysis of the products--but they also don't write down to the reader either. I enjoy looking at their product grids the most. While the case can be made that it's a little skimpy with the comparions of products at times, they do arm the consumer electonics buyer with enough information to make the right choices when buying products. Sound And Vision is a must read for all of us riding the tech wave, even if all you can do is drool at all the fun stuff, you can't afford.

Worthwhile and fun

Cutting edge
Here's another cutting edge publication to keep you abreast of the happenings in the audio world.

Poor equipment analysis and comparisons
S&V is a magazine that one would read if he/she were going to purchase a piece of home theater equipment and wanted to feel good about it. I don't think I have ever read a review of a piece of equipment that this magazine did not like. Very poor comparisons analysis and subjective reviews led me to stop reading this magazine. Home Theater and The Perfect Vision are much better mags if you want insightful reviews and comparisons of home theater gear.

The latest news on audio and video.
If you want to keep track of the latest equipment and technological advances in the fields of music and movies -- with emphasis on home theater systems -- this magazine is for you. It is both authoritive and up-to-date. Although a lot of state-of-the-art audio and video components covered are rather expensive, Sound & Vision tries hard to also cover lower-priced systems when they are available. This is a very good magazine for serious audio/video fans.

On the edge...
Sound & Vision provides good product reviews, tips on speaker placement and building a decent system, and reviews of DVDs and CDs. At times, though, they delve into the territory of audiophiles with big budgets. Nothing wrong with that, and in fact, they do seem to keep a good blend of budget and high-end products in their reviews. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Perfect.
Buying video equipment used to be pretty straightforward but now that you can or are about to commit 4 figures or perhaps even 5 to 6 figures towards television and a video system - you will find the most unbiased and smartest answers from PERFECT VISION.

It is that simple.

First, there are lots of magazines jumping on the TV/TV technology bandwagon but frankly 99% of them are essentially re-written press releases with PR photos. To them, 45 words and 4 stars should be enough to convince you to spend $14k on a plasma screen. If that's all you need to wave your credit card at a clerk - great, you don't need PERFECT VISION.

But if you value your money a little more than that and want someone to wade through the tidal wave of jargon: HD, EDTV, plasma, LCP, LCD, HCI and a jillion more - PERFECT VISION is for you. Keep in mind that PEFFECT VISION pretty much just covers video technology and of course, high-end video equipment does tend to exite them more than cheap equipment. And frankly, do you really need to read a review on a $39 DVD player?

They are TV/video equipment geeks (and that's a great thing). They test everything from every aspect - after all, it's your hard earned money. But here's where they separate themselves from the others - not only do they test out everything in as many ways possible and against as many competitors, they explain both in technical and plain English if they liked or not and why. If you don't care what the kelvin temperature is on your plasma - just skip slightly ahead and they will tell you in plain English whether the picture quliaty of this set justifies its price.

What is also great about PERFECT VISION is that they are more than willing to rank something that's $199 as something good/great and a recommended buy as they would something that's $4k. They don't judge on price as some geek video/audio magazines tend to do.

So, how do they stack up the competition?

"Stereophile's Guide to Home Theatre" may actually be bigger geeks than PERFECT VISION but they are so caught up in the esoteric and what the lab results are - I'm not sure they actually watch TV for the sake of watching TV. They are more interested in the lab results and unlike PERFECT VISION, they don't seem to really care about real world results. They also expect that you would buy nothing less than a $11k DVD player and they dismiss you if you even consider anything less.

"Home Theater" was once a whimsical and personable competitor until it was purchased by a larger company and pretty squashed its creativity and personality. It's a solid home technology/entertainment magazine but they do not do the depth or breadth of testing as PERFECT VISION does - and the writing not nearly as knowledgable. They do cover more topics and cover more lower price equipment so if you want to read every tidbit, it's in the ballpark of PERFECT VISION and worthwhile to subscribe along PERFECT VISION, it's just a utility infielder.

"Electronic House/EGear & AV Interiors (now called CONNECTED)" cover a lot of topics that PERFECT VISION does not such as home security, home AV streaming, etc ... but the coverage is not indepth and not very knowledgeable. They do rudimentary testing but nothing that you cannot find on the internet to read for free. They also seem to view everything with breathlessness and to me - overly wild enthusiam.

So, if you appreciate a lot of info and knowledge on TV & video technology - if you want to feel totally confident before spending 4 to 6 figures on equipment - if you want knowledge from people who can move from a geek's lab to spending 10 hours in front of the tube in the fall on Sundays, PEFFECT VISION is pretty much perfect.

My favorite HT magazine
The biggest complaint I have it that it's not published every month. There are some minor mistakes in reviews and like most current audio/HT magazines (except for the hard to find Audio Critic) they follow the subjective review approach, but the reviewers are mostly very knowledgeable. The movie reviews are far and away the best of the HT magazines; you'll find reviews of lesser known gems, entire director's oeuvres, and expanded depth special articles.

TPV: Best mix of Home Theatre Equipment & Film Reviews
Our family subscribes to most of the popular home theatre publications and, though many are good, we feel The Perfect Vision (TPV, for short) is the best overall. Some publications are mostly "equipment-centered" while others are predominantly "film-centered", but TPV strikes a great balance between the two. A typical issue might feature about 10-12 in-depth home theatre product reviews (with products at varying price/performance levels), a Buyer's Guide that addresses a particular class of equipment (e.g., AV Receivers), an in-depth article highlighting a particular film maker or film (e.g., Stanley Kubrick), and about 40-45 short but very well-written film reviews. TPV also provides easy-to-understand background articles that help you keep up with new developments in home theatre technologies (and related industry politics). Finally, the TPV writing style is articulate and lively (it's just plain fun to read!).

Glad it's back!
I missed "The Perfect Vision" when it went on a publishing hiatus some years back... I am very glad it is back. The quality of the content is quite high and they are not afraid to tell it like it is. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Wonderful Magazine
I love this magazine. It is great for anyone that wants to be on the cutting edge. I also like the fact that they give prices on each product they review.

Electronic House Mag.
I AM IN THE PROCESS OF BUYING A NEW PLACE. I HAVE BOUGHT MANY MAGAZINES, TO TRY AND MAKE MY PLACE AS MODERN AS POSSIBLE. I FOUND THAT ELECTRONIC HOUSE MAGAZINE HAS EXCELLENT ARTICLES IN IT, WITH THE LATEST PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET, THAT WILL HELP ME BUILD A MORE PRACTICAL LIVING PLACE. THIS MAGAZINE ALSO FEATURES SOME GREAT ADVICES ON INSTALLATION OF PRODUCTS. IT IS NOT THE MAGAZINE YOU WANT IF YOU ARE PLANING ON BUYING A HOME THEATER, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY A MAGAZINE THAT YOU WANT TO BE SUBSCRIBE TO, IF YOU ARE PLANING ON INSTALLING OR HAVE SOMEONE INSTALL A HOME THEATER FOR YOU, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST AREA IS, HOW LARGE THE ROOM SHOULD BE OR WHAT THE CONTROLS IN TERMS OF LIGHTS AND SPECIAL EFFECTS AND SO ON SHOULD BE FOR YOUR HOME THEATER. THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE, SO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MAGAZINE WILL HELP YOU WITH. A GREAT MAGAZINE TO DO SOME HOME IMPROVEMENTS!!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Friendlier end of the scale...
It can be kind of fluffy and thin, with maybe one or two really good meaty articles (usually too short) per issue, with a bit too much fluff in between, too many press releases (jeez I hate press releases that pass for "news"). For that, 3 stars.

Nevertheless, it has a friendly, engaging, and easy-to-read approach that isn't as podunk as Home Recording, but sadly not as cool as EQ, and certainly not as seriously professional as Mix ($$$). It'd be a great subscription for a teenager or new musician just getting into songwriting and/or recording, but who doesn't necessarily aspire to be an engineer.

Which I guess is the whole idea. For that, 4 stars.

It makes me study efficiently!
I'd like to be a good music recording artist.
So this magazine makes me study efficiently.
It is really cool.
It is the guide book to whom wanna be a good
recording artist, I think. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

well worth reading
A great read for those interested in car audio. It keeps me up to date and informed on the newest equiptment. GET IT!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

solid, dependable reviews
Information is essential for the success of our business. This publication seems to major on solid, dependable reviews.

An Excellent Magazine
The Absolute Sound is an outstanding magazine for the serious audio enthusiast. There are two main reasons why I would recommend this magazine.
The first and (to me most important) reason is that this magazine looks at the US market. Components available here are reviewed and rated according to their US price levels. Most of the high fi magazines out there today are from the UK and carry reviews and ratings based on that market. Since relative prices for the same components can be different across the pond, the ratings (which always take the price point of the component into account - eg no $500 amplifier can sound anything but bad next to something 20 times its price) in the UK magazines aren't always a good reference for US readers. Another point of difference is that that certain brands aren't available in both markets - Klipsch, Polk and Theil speakers being examples of items common in the US but not in the UK.
The second reason to recommend this periodical is that it reviews the sonic quality of items in terms serious listeners cannderstand. Audio components and recordings are described as they would sound. The dense technical descriptions and tests are omitted here, since not everyone (myself included) can fully understand them. The descriptions of how you would percieve the sound is what they pay attention to, and pay attention to well.
Add to the above factors the range of products (though as other reviewers have mentioned, the universe of products they examine is very limited compared to the overall electronics market), the honesty and accuracy of the reviews and you have a magazine that is a good read for anyone interested in Hi-Fi.

Very High End Audio Information
This review is not intended to be worthy of its subject, but I'm surprised no one else has proferred, so here is some brief comment, until a more educated audio reader comes along (hopefully soon).

I first picked up this magazine at Tower Records last year. It only comes out once every couple of months, it is expensive, and it is thick. You will not be done getting everything out of it in just one or two brief readings. If you are "into" audio, or if you have really caught the bug, this is a magazine that will help you define the unatainable heights.... the super-expensive Ferrari-level equipment that few of us will ever own but is fun to read about. I also have found in reading just two or three issues that there are sometimes highly educational pieces that really delve into important current topics in-depth.

Absolute Sound is a sort of no-compromises, not-going-to-cave-in to the latest industry fad magazine, and in a way it's kind of offensive because most of us need or want to hear about the latest industry gizmos and many of us don't want a cost-no-object assessment for our purchases.

But the strong point of Absolute Sound is the real commitment to trying to discern the very best Sound, with cost being more-or-less not so much of an object.

There is also of course some review of music and recordings, as there should be.

I've found AS to be educational and so I recommend it, particularly for those who are well-heeled enough to afford the best Sounding components and recordings, or who have a super-interest in reading about them.

Absolute Sound: Taking Audio/Music Reviewing to a New Level
Two things will impress a first time reader of The Absolute Sound: 1) The distinctive "tell-i-like-it-really-is" equipment reviews, and 2) the sheer depth and breadth of music review coverage (each issue contains separate music review sections for popular, classical and jazz). Rather than bombarding you with graphs and technobabble, equipment reviews in The Absolute Sound give you a very clear idea of how components sound in the real world (and without mincing words; when components have sonic flaws, reviewers say so in plain English). Music reviews are astute and insightful, and do a lot to point you toward new music you might not otherwise discover. Finally, the editorial staff is a virtual "Who's Who" of high-end audio; the team includes editor-in-chief Robert Harley (author of well-loved Guides to High End Audio and to Home Theatre), Harry Pearson (a legend in high-end audio reviewing, and the founder of The Absolute Sound), and J. Gordon Holt (the unofficial "patriarch" of US audio reviewers, and the founder of Stereophile). ... Read more