Cancel my subscription!

[oznob]

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!

[edgewound]

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!

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]

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?

[Steve Gonzales]

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]

I do remember Absolute Baloney giving the JBL 6332 a short review. But after that no further reviews of JBL speakers.

[scott fitlin]

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]

The paper is too slick to use.

[Rolf]

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]

The paper is too slick to use.

[scott fitlin]

The paper is too slick to use.

[edgewound]

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?

[Rolf]

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?

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]

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]

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]

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.