jim@noscvax.UUCP (James A. Zaun) (08/20/85)
Yet another underground rag has appeared on the scene. This one is called the "hifi heretic." It's the brain child of one Kent Bransford (Kent who?) and it is dedicated to those audiophiles who are on a budget (as most of us are). The premier issue contains subjective reviews of speakers under $300 and integrated amps under $500. Manufactures' re- marks on the items reviewed also appear in the magazine. I found the reviews to be informative and constructively critical but the writing style is terribly dry. Entertaining it is not. (You must admit TAS is entertaining even if it is full of BS.) So, if you're in the market for equipment in the mid-fi price range this magazine may be for you. It certainly is better than the useless reviews one finds in the mainstream mags, (you know, the kind that go gaga over everything). No pretty pictures to look at though. The speakers reviewed in this issue are: the Boston Acoustics A40, the Whardale Diamond, the 3D Acoustics Cube and 3D6, the B&W DM100, the Celestion Ditton 100 and DL4, and the Fried Beta. The integrated amps reviewed are: the NAD 3120 and 3155, the Rotel 820B and 840B, the Creek CAS 4040, the Naim NAIT, and Jensens Stereo MOS-FET control amp. If you're interested the address is P.O. Box 1549, Gloucester, Vir- ginia 23061. Subscriptions are $16 for 4 issues. - Jim@Nosc.ARPA