"Today's your lucky day," JA said.
"It is? Why's that?"
"Look at what I've got," he said, handing me a first bound copy of the
2008 Stereophile Buyer's Guide.
Ah, it's beautiful. It is always wonderful to hold in your hands the product of all those tedious e-mails, pages and pages of blinding proofs, countless spreadsheets, and long hours. The
Buyer's Guide is done. I hope you'll find it valuable and entertaining. Besides all of the informative specs, compiled by out tireless intern Ariel Bitran, the
Buyer's Guide also includes essays by
Stereophile's team of reviewers. The guys cover hot and useful topics such as affordable audio, one-box solutions, music servers, personal listening, the vintage market, and reference discs—just about everything you need to know, in fact, to get started on your hi-fi journey. In the opening essay, I toss around some ideas regarding what this hobby is
really all about and I discuss how to best prioritize your purchases. Basically, I thought of what an angry, bitter, insecure old guy might've said, and I wrote the opposite.
High end hi-fi can be for anyone. Plain and simple. Whether your budget is $500 or $500,000, whether your favorite music is hip-hop or classical, whether you live in a studio or a mansion, there is a high end system available for you. I am absolutely certain of this. Without question,
there is a high end system available for you. Dear You—whoever you are and whatever your circumstances: You can have beautiful sounding music in your home, office, or with you wherever you go. Next to actually listening, putting together the system is the most fun.
Fun: The most important part of all.
Our
Buyer's Guide is meant to help. Look for it on newsstands in about a week.
