HFN Saffire review

[Alex M]

There is a glowing review of the Saffire by Malcolm Steward in the latest (August) HFN.

Interesting choice of reviewer, though - I don't recall seeing anything by Malcolm in HFN before, and his tastes in music aren't exactly catholic...

Alex

[sq225917]

I find it hard to take part time/ unknown reviewers seriously. i might not agree/ trust Kessler, but at least he wears his prejudice and allegiences on his sleeve

[ProfTournesol]

can't find it on-line, what does it say? Those of us in the colonies won't get the August issue for a while.

[Alex M]

I find it hard to take part time/ unknown reviewers seriously. i might not agree/ trust Kessler, but at least he wears his prejudice and allegiences on his sleeve

Malcolm is certainly not an "unknown" - he was a mainstay of Hi-Fi Review, Hi-Fi Answers and Audiophile Magazine back in the eighties and nineties. Although for many years a die-hard Linnie, he has been sympathetic to things Pink (for instance, he liked the original Pink Linnk so much he bought one for his own LP12).

I was just surprised to see him writing for HFN, as back in the flat-earth era that would have been unthinkable!

Alex

[satanfriendly]

Remember him well from the 80's/90's. Wasn't he in the gang with a certain Mr Kettle (thinks that was the name) who's solution to everything was to 'buy an LP12'. Even if it was a cassette deck or tuner you were in the market for?

As for the Saffire review, I rather look forward to that when I get back from sea. Listened to the Funk Vector the last time home and I was very impressed.

[Werner]

Interesting choice of reviewer, though

There's something funny at HFN. Paul Miller did a good job
of reviving the mag after the previous editor ran it off the
road, but the July issue saw a DAC review by Alan Sircom (!),
and a music server by Kessler who, in the same review,
suddenly named Amy Winehouse 'overrated'

[satanfriendly]

in the same review,
suddenly named Amy Winehouse 'overrated'

As against to horrendous?

[Werner]

Just that before July KK was raving about her in about every issue.

[DaveMillier]

I've met Alan Sircom.

Years ago he used to work in Graham's Hifi and he spent an hour demonstrating kit for me. Can't say that despite his access to all the latest kit, I thought he was any more knowledgable or reliable an observer than I am...

Interesting choice of reviewer, though

There's something funny at HFN. Paul Miller did a good job
of reviving the mag after the previous editor ran it off the
road, but the July issue saw a DAC review by Alan Sircom (!),
and a music server by Kessler who, in the same review,
suddenly named Amy Winehouse 'overrated'

[Alex M]

Alan Sircom wrote one of the original reviews of the PT Anniversary in Hi-Fi World. He was so impressed he bought one to replace his LP12, though I have a feeling that a year or so later he was using something else.

At around the same time he also wrote a nice review of the ProAc Studio One Mk II in HFW. That inspired me to listen to and then buy a pair for myself, and I enjoyed them for many years.

Alex

[Alex M]

Of course the Saffire review is in Hi-Fi Choice, not Hi-Fi News.

I was browsing in W.H.Smith at lunchtime, and when I saw the Saffire photo on the cover of HFC, I excitedly looked at the review, and thought "er, that looks familiar..."

I haven't bought HFN for a year or more now, and was just starting to think that all of the mainstream mags were starting to look too alike...

Alex

[satanfriendly]

Has something changed in the HiFi press? I bought my first HiFi magazine in about 15 years recently and there seems to be a sense of political correctness about the reviews.

I remember in the bad old days if something was garbage they'd say so. Now it's a kind of fluffed up positive negative report. Every bit of equipment I read of recent was a 'the best in its class', 'the finest performer without exception', 'a great sonic performer with a few reservations' etc. I imagine this to happen every month which probably confuses the s**t out of a prospective tout.

I'd find it rather difficult to find a hate base in today's reviewers, which was half the fun in the past. You bought a magazine (well at least I did) so you could grind your teeth at a certain member of the editorial team or enjoy the pure hatred in the 'readers letters'.

All rather boring nowadays.

[Werner]

I remember in the bad old days if something was garbage they'd say so.

Observe. Most of the mags that did so went belly-up.

I used to write for a local magazine in the early nineties. I vividly remember two specific cases where manufacturers ordered a series of ads, then submitted gear for group reviews (it was an integrated from a 4-letter UK manufacturer and a speaker from a 4-letter US mfr.), and subsequently cancelled their ads when their products did not come out on top, berating the editor that, apparently, he hadn't understood the game yet.

On the other hand, I also remember the standard procedure for group tests: With 6 listeners, 5 of them off-axis, a multiple-choice score sheet, and snippets of 30 seconds per track per item

This not to imply that all mags/eds/mfrs/reviewers are corrupt.

[satanfriendly]

Observe. Most of the mags that did so went belly-up

And so they should have. But how much I bought them to hate certain reviewers as it was so blatant what the score was. It's in my personality to love what most people rubbish.