Help needed finding old hi-fi magazine

eggplantUK

New Member
My friend used to be a prolific hi-fi enthusiast. It's fair to say he spent a vast amount of money on his gear. We often talk about it - some of the items I can remember him telling me he had are:
  • Nakamichi Dragon
  • Mitchell turntable with Dynavector Ruby MC cartridge
  • Tannoy Westminster speakers
  • Magnepan Magneplanar electrostatic speakers
  • Croft amplifier
  • Krell amplifier
  • Van Den Hul cable with hallmarked silver plugs
He tells me that he used to buy a hi-fi magazine - this would have been in the Eighties. He thinks it was called Hi-Fi Connoisseur, but his memory might be a bit hazy on that! It was possibly imported (we're in the UK) and had all the best (see above!) gear in it. I've looked, and can't find any trace of a magazine with that name.

The other day, he told me that he paid £8 for that magazine - a fortune back then! I asked how a magazine could be that expensive in the Eighties - surely it was an import? He replied that it could have been, but it was more like a manual than a magazine. He held up his fingers, indicating that it was probably as thick as a VHS cassette! That could well be a slight exaggeration on his part :D

Sadly, whilst he kept the magazines, he lost them when he divorced his first wife.

Does anyone know what this magazine might have been?
 
There were quite a few magazines back then, and if you told me there was one called "Hi-Fi Connoisseur" I would believe you, and in fact it does sound familiar. Can your friend remember if it was a periodical (say, monthly) magazine?

Just FYI - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Connoisseur was the brand name of the products manufactured by the British manufacturer of Hi-Fi Equipment Sugden and Co Ltd,[1] more particularly turntables.[2]

Most magazines were expensive and were around £4 or £5 or so IIRC, none that I can remember were as thick as a VHS cassette (more like an audio cassette ;)) - the ones that were closer to £8 were the "Hi Fi Choice" magazines, which was a specially produced buyers guide, and largely contained lower cost equipment, some higher cost gear was represented. These 'magazines' were not periodical, new ones appearing every 6 months (?) or so.

I never took a Hi-Fi magazine regularly, (and still don't) because of the cost - I only bought one very occasionally if there was a review in it that was interested in.
 
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Only Hi Fi..

Wow... I don't recall that magazine..:no:?

My favorite was Hi Fidelity.. no suffix to the name. I often read it on my "sub-way" commute, back and forth to the city district. It was always good reading and I still recall some memorable articles.. of which I have spoken at other threads.

I suppose your friend is wanting to have a "hands-on" experience. If I were to dig up some attic boxes.. I could probably find a read or two, for Hi Fidelity, this is.

Best of luck ... him finding a "period-ical of nostalgia"!
 
Oof, I typed a reply and the system logged me out and deleted it!!

I spoke to my friend - he believes it was monthly. He had to get the newsagent to order it specially for him, and thinks it could have been foreign. Apparently, it covered hi-fi equipment not available in your average hi-fi shop. Like £170,000 systems... and photos of the rooms built around them!

Maybe we'll have to settle for some issues of other quality magazines from that era. It would be nice to see reviews of the gear he had - some of which wasn't stupidly expensive. The Michell was a Prisma - he didn't remember that but we browsed some pictures and found it. Hi Fidelity sounds interesting.

Still, if anyone has any ideas what this magazine may be (and his memory is hazy - so don't treat the descriptions of title, thickness, frequency or price as gospel! Plus... if it's an import magazine, the price is whatever the import distributor sets, not cover), do enlighten us!
 
There was a magazine called "High Performance Review" that might be the one. I don't remember any thing as over-the-top as #170,000 but they focused on top-of-the-line gear. I remember they used Juice Newton and Fleetwood Mac among their test records. Perhaps this will jog someone's memory.
 
There was a magazine published in the US back in the 80's called HiFi Heretic that featured reviews of audio gear on a value/dollar basis. It was around for only about two years and I'd still be subscribing to it if it was still in print.
 
Here in Atlanta, the downtown public library maintains bound copies of The Absolute Sound, Audio, and Stereo Review.
 
audio tome name

The Audio Critics first issue was quite thick, probably a pound or more in weight. Subsequent issues diminished in size and finally stopped. Author was highly critical of all equipment and opined ad nauseum.
 
I work at a university. The library has bound copies of Hi Fidelity, Stereo Review and one other I can't remember...:)
 
The one British mag I remember from the 70's was called
"HiFi News". I never could afford it new so I ended up picking up used copies at the neighbourhood recycle newstand in my native India.
It had the best reviews and ads for the latest gear and lots of price ads from the gear peddlers.
They have a website - just google.
 
I remember Stereo Review in that time period reviewing nearly every piece of gear you recalled other than the Croft. Did you have any luck following up on the other posts?
 
what hi-fi is thick.....hi-fi choice.....hi-fi world....audiophile (my fav)....a little smaller...hi-fi news & record review ... slim....listener......sensible sound...small size maybe the ROBB REPORT?
 
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