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oznob
03-27-2006, 10:36 PM
I used to enjoy reading the various audio magazines and have subscribed to a few of them. Over the last couple of years, the only one I currently have a subscription to is The Absoulute Sound. I am going to cancel it after reading the following from their latest edition.

I digress for a moment. I was thumbing through the pages and saw what was obviously a picture of a K2. I thought, wow, this magazine has a picture of the cream of current JBL products? I have got to check this out! I thumbed back and, sure enough, it was a K2 but no caption other than, "JBL K2." The previous page had the small blurb about different audio products at the last CES. Ayre Acoustics Inc. had a room at Alexis Park, the Hotel for the "Audiophile" mega-buck stuff. They were using the K2 as the speaker with their components. Obviously a company who cares about what their customers hear! A summary of the small article;

"Seeing JBL at the Alexis Park certainly took me by surprise. (I will skip the filler about Japan and description) The sound was surprisingly smooth and well integrated, but, alas, not very alive."

The only thing that was not "very alive" was the guy who wrote this drivel! I have heard the K2, at CES as a matter of fact in 03, and it was very much "alive" and put to shame anything else I heard there, bar none! I swear some of these writers need to have their hearing checked or go into another line of work.

Needless to say, this magazine just lost a subscriber!:yes:

edgewound
03-27-2006, 10:48 PM
I used to enjoy reading the various audio magazines and have subscribed to a few of them. Over the last couple of years, the only one I currently have a subscription to is The Absoulute Sound. I am going to cancel it after reading the following from their latest edition.

I digress for a moment. I was thumbing through the pages and saw what was obviously a picture of a K2. I thought, wow, this magazine has a picture of the cream of current JBL products? I have got to check this out! I thumbed back and, sure enough, it was a K2 but no caption other than, "JBL K2." The previous page had the small blurb about different audio products at the last CES. Ayre Acoustics Inc. had a room at Alexis Park, the Hotel for the "Audiophile" mega-buck stuff. They were using the K2 as the speaker with their components. Obviously a company who cares about what their customers hear! A summary of the small article;

"Seeing JBL at the Alexis Park certainly took me by surprise. (I will skip the filler about Japan and description) The sound was surprisingly smooth and well integrated, but, alas, not very alive."

The only thing that was not "very alive" was the guy who wrote this drivel! I have heard the K2, at CES as a matter of fact in 03, and it was very much "alive" and put to shame anything else I heard there, bar none! I swear some of these writers need to have their hearing checked or go into another line of work.

Needless to say, this magazine just lost a subscriber!:yes:

Well, oznob....the JBL K2's were just revealing the inferior electronics;) .

That's what precision loudspeaker systems do.....garbage in, garbage out.

The writer just doesn't realize this.

BTW....how many ad pages does JBL have in that issue?

oznob
03-27-2006, 11:37 PM
You would think if Ayre Acoustics had inferior stuff they would use a speaker that would bring out the best of their product or, at least hide the deficiencies???

Oh, there are no JBL or Harman ads in this magazine, IMAGINE THAT! Partially in their defense, their back page article extolls the virtues of the Harman Kardon Citation 16 power amp. Of couse that amp was built before they even thought about aquiring or, could aquire, JBL. I'll bet they used JBL speakers to test their stuff back then though. Hey, it's something?:confused:

Steve Gonzales
03-27-2006, 11:40 PM
Certainly no suprize that the so called audiophiles turn their noses up at JBL, they've done it consistantly for years. That is where the term "West Coast sound" comes from. It is not meant to flatter us. Awhile back, I posted a link to a cable buyer's guide that actually listed a pair of 1 meter interconnects for something like $80k !!!!!!!!. My take is that they have to put down the clear LEADER in transducer technology to justify their hyping up some mushbox snoot-speaker with outsourced drivers that sells for way more than it's worth, sonically or otherwise. I'll never get these clowns and never bought into the scam. They can say what they want to brown nose their advertising clients, my ears tell me different ;) .

Maron Horonzakz
03-28-2006, 07:26 AM
I do remember Absolute Baloney giving the JBL 6332 a short review. But after that no further reviews of JBL speakers.

scott fitlin
03-28-2006, 08:45 AM
Gentleman, Absolute Sound has its place, its good bathroom reading material, just like Stereophool! So, thats where I keep it, in the magazine bin next to the toilet bowl.

:)

Maron Horonzakz
03-28-2006, 08:51 AM
The paper is too slick to use.:D

Rolf
03-28-2006, 01:55 PM
Are you guys really serious when you mean that these "well respected" magazines only print "good words" of the products of the companies advertise in them?

I must admit that I have not read a single non Norwegian hi-fi magazine for over the past year.

chad
03-28-2006, 01:59 PM
The paper is too slick to use.:D

:D:D

scott fitlin
03-28-2006, 02:55 PM
The paper is too slick to use.:D:D

edgewound
03-28-2006, 02:59 PM
Are you guys really serious when you mean that these "well respected" magazines only print "good words" of the products of the companies advertise in them?

I must admit that I have not read a single non Norwegian hi-fi magazine for over the past year.

Yeah....that's how the magazine business works...they make money by selling ad pages, and what better way to sell more ad pages than to romantically pine-on editorially about their advertisers. Those that don't pay for ad space will sometimes get an editorial poke in the ribs. How's that for cultivating future business?:blink:

Rolf
03-28-2006, 03:35 PM
Yeah....that's how the magazine business works...they make money by selling ad pages, and what better way to sell more ad pages than to romantically pine-on editorially about their advertisers. Those that don't pay for ad space will sometimes get an editorial poke in the ribs. How's that for cultivating future business?:blink:

Well, I know from personal experience that in Norway it hasn't come THIS far, but we are always a bit later that you in the US, so I guess you are right. Da*n bastards. I thought their mission was to tell the truth no matter the brand or advertising. I wish someone with a lot of money could start a magazine just for fun, and print the truth. (Never going to happen...I know)

JohnK
03-28-2006, 04:01 PM
Absolute sound is more of a comic book than a journal. Do they still recommend the use of tip-toes and "tube dampener" rings? Not to mention that all time great "The look of love" from Casino Royale played on a $200,000 Goldmund.

Zilch
03-28-2006, 04:49 PM
What audiophile rag is gonna expose their advertisers' products as second-rate when compared to non-advertisers'?

They've long since overcome that dilemma with editorial license.

[I generally like best whatever's payin' MY way, too.... ;) ]

oznob
03-28-2006, 06:16 PM
That's a good point Zilch. My issue is, they went out of their way to slam the speakers not the upstream components. Oh, by the way, Ayre Acoustics has an advertisement in this particular issue, page 33.:bs:

jim campbell
03-28-2006, 06:30 PM
i only read them in stores with starbucks.a 5 dollar cup of coffee and i can read all of the hi fi rags.if i wanted to spend 10 bucks on a bunch of slick advertising and not even get the coffee i would subscribe

glen
03-29-2006, 03:33 PM
Have published a glowing review of a $40,000 amplifier that was BROKEN!
The problem was only detected when the sent the amp out for measurement.
They added a paragraph about how it really had sounded good while it was broken, and now that it was fixed it was even BETTER.

One reviewer blithely described how the chief engineer of the company that made his review equipment, brough the stuff over, set it all up, and took the reviewer out for a nice steak dinner before starting the listening tests.

I will admit that there are likely audible differences in equipment that are hard, if not impossible, to measure and quantify. But these folks willfully and arrogantly deny the value of objectivity in the assesments they make.

Bathroom is the right place for that mindset

scott fitlin
03-29-2006, 06:30 PM
Bathroom is the right place for that mindsetBasically.

:D

Steve Gonzales
03-30-2006, 12:06 AM
I got this review here: http://www.avrev.com/equip/revel_b12/index3.html . Here is a pat on the back for our friends at Northridge Ca.

Conclusion
At $999, it’s hard to argue that there is a better value on the market today in high-performance entry-level subs. The term “trickle-down technology” is often overused and seems clichéd, but it’s the perfect explanation of why this subwoofer is so good. Harman’s research and design in Northridge, California is amongst the finest for any speaker brand in the world and the B-12, as well as the rest of the new Revel Concerta line benefits greatly from this research without having it heavily tacked on to the price tag. For the little extra that you’d spend over a subwoofer in your big chain electronics store, you get a whole lot more performance for a few hundred more dollars. Having set-up software and the ability to tune the subwoofer to the room and match your speakers is a nice benefit as well.

This is an interesting review of Revel's new B-12, check out the whole piece, it's quite good.

Bernard Wolf
04-14-2006, 10:15 AM
Over the last couple of years, the only one I currently have a subscription to is The Absoulute Sound. I am going to cancel it after reading the following from their latest edition.



"Seeing JBL at the Alexis Park certainly took me by surprise. (I will skip the filler about Japan and description) The sound was surprisingly smooth and well integrated, but, alas, not very alive."

I just saw this on this stand as well and although I usually pick up TAS when I read that "Seeing JBL at the Alexis Park certainly took me by surprise" certainly took me by surprise as well... I almost :barf:... who the hell is this jerk anyway? Does he actually know anything about audio... man these guys who are in the audio business and know nothing just about kill me. Maybe he was surprised that something so fine could be there with all the dreck ?? Please, somebody kill me now and put me out of my misery..