[TONEPUB]

At our one year birthday, we took a very informal poll on what price
point we should review components.  The results were pretty interesting
and split right down the middle.  50% said "review more expensive gear"
50% said "review less expensive gear"

Now that we have added the online portion of TONEAudio, we are truly
going to be able to do both, but I am always looking for feedback on
what our readers are looking for.

Feel free to let me know...

[Thebiker]

How about system recommendations?  It is a very common question in most audio forums.  "I have $1000 (or however much), what can I do for a decent sounding system.  I realize that "decent sounding" is totally subjective, but so are reviews.  Perhaps an entry level all around system, or a system for acoustic music, or classical..... 

It's all about synergy, which is what frequently frustrates people new to the hobby (after the $). They see a positive review for a source, so they buy it.  They see a good review for an amp or receiver, etc. so they buy it.  Then they see a well reviewed speaker, and they but it.  Now they put these diverse pieces together and it comes no where close to what they expected, because they are just not a good match.....  Screw this hobby, costs too much and don't get what you want.

Yeah, I know, even if you put a good system together and write about it, it won't please everyone.  But if you can make some newbies happy, it's a victory.

[hmen]

 The biker has a good point. I had some people over last week and I took a guy downstairs to hear my system. When we went back upstairs he told his wife that he really liked my stereo. She turned to me asked me what kind of stereo I have. I told her that every component came from a different manufacturer (I didn't even mention interconnects) and she said that she couldn't believe someone would go to that much work for a stereo.  After hearing that I began to wonder if people who can afford high end stuff might be more inclined to buy it if they could just wak into a store and buy an entire system for a reasonable price. Maybe it would be a good idea to have articles on suggested systems in various price ranges.
   

[TONEPUB]

I agree with thebiker.

We have started a new column on the web called Turnkey, where we put a whole system together all the way down to the cables.  We give you a list and tell you what sized room it works in.  The first system we did was a bit spendy, but we are going to carry this concept from all the way from 1500 bucks to over 100k!

We are currently working on three Turnkey systems, so keep an eye on the this column in the months to come!

Good idea though!  We're on it!

[bundee1]

Man that is a great idea! I actually bought my first "serious" stereo after seeing such an article in Details magazine. 3 systems at 3 price points. I bought an HK 325 receiver, PSB Alpha speakers and a Yamaha cd player. It really did sound good and I sold the whole shebang on the cheap later on. I miss those Alpha speakers.

[srclose]

Providing some system recommendations sounds really helpful, but with some accompanying explanation.  Just seeing a half dozen systems ranging from $1000 to $100,000 gives the impression that an entry system is probably about 1% as good as the best.  Why pursue a hobby when for most people getting the best, or maybe near it, is an absurd proposition (at least for me)?  And the best you can do is get a system that is 100 times or 10 times worse than what the hobby strives for.  What isn't typically emphasized, is that a modest system can be enormously satisfying and convey the heart of the music.  And, conversely, you can easily spend several thousand dollars and have sound as satisfying as a cat fight.  I think the persistent underlying theme in many publications is that while a $1000 amplifier is OK, real excitement and satisfaction come from having that $10,000 amplifier.  For one, I don't believe that is reallly true, and secondly I think that approach turns people off.   

A simple manual would be helpful that provides a way to approach buying a stereo.  What do you want to accomplish and what role does a source, preamp, amp, speaker, and room/treatments have to play in achieving that goal.  What should be considered first, second, and so on.  Most new entry people are not going to have detailed expectations for the various characteristics of a system, but want to feel they are getting a top notch system for the price that also provides for their needs.  Knowing something about the person's desires could help; what they care about in playing music (loud but undistorted, intimate, sweet, etc.), the type of music that is preferred, and how various components cater to various goals.  Different entry systems could be proposed for systems that need to be full range, or need to play at high dynamic levels, or are suitable for small groups, for instance.    While too much complexity would be counterproductive, some explanation of the variables at play would be informative and helpful; computer vs CDP, tube vs solid state, single driver vs 2 way, high efficiency vs low efficiency speaker, etc.  I think people would also appreciate some options at each price level.  For example, two or three possibilties for each component could be provided for each system level. 

This type of information would have helped me when I began looking into audio again 9 years ago after a 15 year hiatus.  Instead, I started reading Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, became disgusted, and found internet sources of information.

SRC

[mjosef]

I like what some of the Brit zines does, they periodically do exactly what has been discussed here, assemble and review complete systems in different price brackets, with a few alternate suggestions for each component.
Even though I am a low to mid budget guy I sometimes like to read of the big bucks stuff, and if the person doing the reviewing has heard the lower budget stuff, its worthwhile reading the writer's impressions  as to what improvements in the sound the higher bucks stuff bring to the system.

[eric the red]

More mid-fi gear reviews from companies who go out of their way and still put time and money into two channel. I'd love to hear a real life comparo between the highly acclaimed Rega Apollo (which I own ) and the Cambridge Audio 840c cdps. Why doesn't Rega come up with a higher end integrated like Cambridge Audio just did BTW? They'd sell a ton to us Regaholics. And I agree with The Biker; put together some affordable great sounding rigs for those people on the Best Buy/Circuit City fence or for people testing the waters of this hobby.

[TONEPUB]

Thanks for the feedback, we are working feverishly on it!

We are also working on a great budget/entry level turntable
article about the Rega P1 and the Technics SL-1200...

In the months to come as we greatly expand our web
content, we want to cover more gear in the entry level
as well as what I call the "Journeyman Audiophile", the
guy (or girl) that spends about 10k on a system.

But I really believe in finding the good stuff at the low
end of the spectrum, because that's what gets people
informed and interested in the first place...

[Imperial]

I believe that maybe it isn't the level, but the type of system that could be looked at..
It seems that a crossroad is emerging.

Because so many digital amps are emerging now, speakers that for a time at least seemed to
be geared towards high efficiency. say 95db plus, the advent of the Hempcone and other non-metallic conematerials and so on..
Now with the digital soon reaching maturity, more heavily driven speakers will also maybe have a blast?

The next step for the industry could be that heavily driven speakers are outfitted
with digital amps so that you get more active speakers.

Active speakers seems to be the next big thing. The easy driven speaker might have it harder now because of this digital amps now sounding better and better.
Tubes are getting a run for their money!

It's up to the firms really to make the road here...
Build it and they will come is most likely the words to speak.
Lets see who builds the first really good stuff now.
That could set a trend.

Imperial

[JoshK]

Yes, I think this is a great slant to take that other audio pubs haven't really done, that is system building.  Mabye a series of articles on synergy, system building, etc and then do reviews around equipment you use as example for how to do this.  Eg. Take a typical 87-89db two way stand mount monitor of good rep and review a number of reasonably priceds amps/integrated around this speaker, then in another article take a different type of speaker and show reviews of amps that would work well with this.  Tying each review back to the theme of system building.

Another topic to explore on this theme would be integrating subs into your system, choices and how to take the frustration out of it. I think a lot of audiophiles use subs but little is written about how best to do it.  Suppose one is using a tube integrated (think EL34 PP) with a stand mount pair of two ways and then discuss how to tie in a sub into this system, whether or not to run the two ways full range, how to cross, how to integrate the phase, etc.

[JoshK]

Oh follow up idea....since there is bound to be a lot of different opinions and approaches to doing this you could make the system building/synergy article a collective of a number of your reviewers each contributing their experience on how to go about it.

[TONEPUB]

All good stuff!!  We would like to do this kind of thing as much as possible
because I think it really helps the people that love music and don't neccessarily
want to be too crazy about gear put a good system together.

I think it also helps out even the more opinionated in the bunch, because
it might give you a new idea or two...

Watch for a lot more of this in the upcoming months!

[Daygloworange]

Jeff,

I think this Turnkey feature of yours could be the very answer to the question you posed earlier about how to get more people into this hobby. Make it less overwhelming, and intimidating, and more importantly, not cost a fortune on an entry level. I think those are some of the most important factors.

A lot of us have quite a bit(financially) tied up in our systems, but I think most of us would admit that you can still achieve a decent sounding system for a fraction of what we've spent.

Keep digging, you're sure to make a dent with all your efforts.

Cheers

[TONEPUB]

I agree.  I just did the CJ system for the first one, because I wanted to get SOMETHING up there and that was the system I was living with in my living room.

Next one is going to be the Squeezebox and the Audio Engine 5.  Great sound for a small room for about $600....

We also have the new Onix mini's in as well as the Skiing Ninja updated Onix xl-s, so there will be a few more reasonable things to come shortly...  SHould have a new web update in about two weeks and we will announce it here!

[Kevin Haskins]

I like the system approach also.   I'd do articles on "system building" and then have different price categories.   You can explain what you do and do not get as you go up in price.

Another good thing would to do some hybrid home theater/ 2-channel systems.   Most people have to do double duty and an article showing good ways of keeping good 2-channel performance while still having a HT would be a good read.

I think it is useful to cover things outside of audio components also.   Maybe a furniture, decor, lighting article might be interesting in terms of people planning rooms.    The obvious basic acoustics article for room planning is always useful and more important than many audio component choices.   

While I'm brainstorming, do an article about audio companies and different business models in the industry.   You could talk about the typical Chinese made products distributed through mass market stores all the way to the one man shop.   It could be an article about the pros & cons of both business models (from the consumer/societal perspective) and is also interesting stuff for people interested in the audio industry.

Software seems difficult to cover because there is such a wide scope.   I'm sure it would be useful to have a special column about software and maybe some of the small labels that cover high-end audio & vinyl.   

I'd cover more than just equipment... I'd cover the companies and people that make up the industry.   I'd cover the science involved and even tackle the philosophical underpinnings of subjective vs objective engineering methods.   

Is that enough?   Man... major brain dump.

[Daygloworange]

What he said.

Is that enough?   Man... major brain dump.

I find it a lot less of one when you let someone else do the thinking for you. 

Good post Kevin. I totally agree. Some great ideas there.

Cheers

[TONEPUB]

Excellent ideas.

We have an interview with Lew Johnson and Bill Conrad in the April
issue as well as a brief interview with Bob Stuart from Meridian.

I always enjoy talking to the people who make the gear and share
it with our readers, as it's nice to know a little bit about the people
who make the things we listen to and enjoy!

As for the AV thing, don't know how far we will go down that path,
but I do have an upcoming review of Naim's new n-Vi all in one box.

It's definitely a cool piece and really easy to use with everything in
one box!

Did you read issue five?  We did do an article on listening chairs there
and we will do more of that in the future.

We will probably have a few more of these throughout the year, but
as it is not our focus, not sure how in depth we will go, but we'll do
our best!

Again, all great ideas and trust me, we are working on a lot of this stuff.

Keep the cards and letters coming...

[Brad]

Great stuff Jeff!

Keep it up - TONE is a great addition to AC

[TONEPUB]

Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for reading!  We really appreciate it...