...again...while this topic is audio related it can be applied to almost anything...

Where do some of these bush-league questions come from?

Don't get me wrong, I am of the opinion that there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers...but come on already. Even tho' it may seem so, I'm not really criticizing the posters, at least not yet.

I see many of the regulars dumping on the old mags, High Fidelity, Stereo Review and Audio...nothing but praise for TAS and their ilk. Th old "Julian Hirsch never met a piece of equipment he didn't like!" argument may or may not hold water, but those rags did serve an important purpose...While I must confess my only exposure to TAS and such is during visits to Barnes and Noble, as I thumb thru them for a hearty serving of laughter, I have yet to see any articles that cover the basics. Maybe I'm missing the issues that do so, but based on some of the questions I've seen, my hunch is that I am correct.

Yearly, just about all the mags I mentioned would have audio basics, glossaries, guides on how to buy gear...that sort of thing. Does anybody do that anymore? Has the blight of HT and digital undone even the need for such basic things? Is it all either "plug-and-play" or esoteric tweakdom? Is there no middle ground? If I am mistaken, my sincerest apologies...

On the other side of the fence...the posters! Why does it seem they all want to have it handed to them without any effort on their part? Many times some of the questions are so rudimentary, a quick surf or a vist to their owners manual will provide the answers...do I expect too much? I have given the response "Look in you owners manual" and have been taken to task for that answer...seems as tho some of us like to complicate matters or just love to hear themselves prattle on. And it's not like I'm not willing to help when I can...When I do some research into a subject or piece of gear I'm not familiar with, I use it as a learning experience. Oftimes, I glean bits of info that answer questions I haven't even thought of yet, many times not even audio-related, they bring things into perspective.

I think most of us are here to pass on what we can and learn something new in the process and I realize the web is probably the successor to the print media...I certainly don't begrudge AR et al their "hits", but as this community is a microcosm of the real world, this "situation"(for lack of better words) gives one pause.

jimHJJ(...Listen to the music, live when you can...canned when you can't!...)