September 2008

Paradigm Shift

  The Absolute Sound, like all magazines, is a one-way street: We publish information that you read. The exception is the Letters column, the only place in which readers have a voice. This mechanism for interaction between readers and editors (and other readers) is, however, abysmally slow because of the long lead times of magazine publishing. And given the limited space in Letters, we can publish only those that are of general interest to a wide range of readers.

But suppose you could respond instantly to something you read in TAS — and get an immediate reply from the writer or editor. This response could range from asking a question that wasn't answered in the review to commenting on an article, making a suggestion, proffering your own observation about a product, technology, or the industry, or even asking advice on upgrading your system. And what if you could tap into not just the TAS editors' background and knowledge, but that of the entire TAS readership?

Such a place already exits — it's the Forum on our Web site, avguide.com. Of course, there are plenty of audiophile forums on the Web, but only one where you can exchange ideas with The Absolute Sound's editors and writers, not to mention interact with the world's most informed and engaged audiophiles-the TAS readership. Your Forum is the place to learn about great-sounding music (or share with everyone else your recent discoveries), get previews of upcoming equipment reviews, exchange set-up tips, talk about the latest vinyl reissues, get a look inside the TAS editors' listening rooms, and become part of a larger community of audiophiles. The possibilities are endless.

Right now on the Forum at avguide.com you can see a photo story on Jonathan Valin's listening room and the delivery and set up of the massive MBL Radialstrahler 101X loudspeaker system that he'll be reviewing soon. I've also posted a photo essay of what's involved in setting up a major loudspeaker system - in my case, Dave Wilson assembling and fine-tuning the new Wilson X-2 Alexandria Series 2. (Both are in the "Audio Gear For Music" section, under "Speakers.")

Each Forum category is manned by one of the editors or writers of TAS or our sister publications, HiFi+ and Playback. Want to talk about the best multichannel SACDs with our resident expert, Classical Editor Andrew Quint? Just visit the SACD section. Or how about as narrow a subject as "What's the best power amplifier for the Quad 2905?" Paul Seydor and Jim Hannon, with more than 40 years of Quad ownership between them, weigh in with their unparalleled experience. And if you've discovered a great amplifier for the Quad, we'd all love to hear about it.

We intend to build the on-line audiophile community through the Forum at avguide.com. To that end, we're working on a ground-up overhaul of the site that will include powerful and unprecedented new tools for community members to share information and interact with other members. We'll publish a special feature on the new site when it's ready later this year. Until then, I hope that you'll join in the discussions going on right now. I'll see you on-line.