HiFi Critic ceases printing

HiFi
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I opened my latest copy (Vol 16, Oct-Dec 22) to read that this will be the last printed issue of Martin Colloms’ (and, for a while at least, Paul Messenger’s) ad-free hifi mag. Post #12 here on the website’s forum confirms it HIFICRITIC OCT-DEC issue 2022 postal delays - HIFICRITIC FORUM : hi fi audio systems forum.

I remember when it first came out, seeing Martin on a stall at one of the HiFi shows with the first few issues. It’s got relatively pricey in recent years, but that wasn’t enough to keep it economically viable, it seems.

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Always felt it was a triumph of hope-over-expectation. Honestly surprised it lasted as long as it did. Magazines are a dying trade, sadly - 'cos I love a nice fresh mag to flick thru when I sit-down to ‘download some software’…

The last British watch mag disappeared in 2019.

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… because why would anyone want hard copy of anything when, on a sunny beach, we can squint at grainy pics and a patch of pixellated text on our phones :roll_eyes: ?

I still haven’t found where the margins on my phone are (for scribbling notes, obvs).

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What fresh madness is this of which you speak?!

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Even I succumbed to the technological squeeze. Hence I am typing this on my phone :smirk:

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:open_mouth: You do know that’s not something to be proud of, phonescum?

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I haz the weak :disappointed:

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Among the things I discovered in the latest Critic was that there’s an Aussie company making 300B amps. Who knew ? (Maybe everyone, and I should squint at my phone more …)

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There has been a burgeoning tube amp industry in Straya since the mid 80s that I am aware of. Mostly “cottage”.
This was mostly due to import tax rules for luxury products at the time.
Speakers they are generally crap at, but TTs and Amps can be adequate.

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This ^^^.

It’s not big and it’s not clever (particularly in the case of that Nokia).

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Yeah, there have been sporadic attempts to import Melody stuff into the UK for many years. Early doors ebay was full of the original Chinese DM stuff - presumably from the same factory as Melody - for 1/10th of the price, which did not exactly help. Hear good things about some of their stuff, but never encountered it in the tin…

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Try a phone made in the last decade.

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Audio Emotion sell Melody stuff iirc

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Try a phone made in this century

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How do you ‘Hub’ on the go? Giddy up Grandad.

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Perhaps with a device that doesn’t mix ‘do’ and ‘to’ up :grin: ?

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Emporium have a nice looking pre by them but I was put off by the price.

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Gah, my fingers are too fat. Siri find me gymnastic growler.

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I have came across a whole host of ‘How to’ valve amp circuit understanding/making and transformer winding DVDs from someone in Australia. Strange they are on DVD and not just downloadable.

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No ! No, your fingers are fine. They are the result of millions of years of sophisticated evolutionary optimisation ! As someone who’s spent half a year trying to get his back into the wonderful state they were in before 6/7/22 I’m only too aware of how very good they are or, in my case, were. (OK, maybe not so effective for swatting away annoying buses …)

It is the phone that’s badly designed.

Modern phones - what we use when second-best (if we’re lucky) is good enough. Except for phoning. They’re the best at that.