I loved the old Stereo Review magazine when I was a teenager. They also had a lot of budget priced gear with good write ups. When they switchd to Sound and Vision, I cancelled my subscription.

Today I have a subscription to Stereophile because it was only $10.97 for a year (online purchase). I will probably not renew it. Too much overpriced gear (>$10,000.00). I subscribed to Sound and Vision again, because I got an in mail sub offer for a year (5 issues) for $10. Couldn't resist. Just like before, I dislike their magazine. I just subscribed to Home Theater (again, an in mail offer for a year, $10). We'll see if they are still decent (I used to have a subscription to it after I cancelled Sound and Vision ~a decade ago).

I like The Absolute Sound, but I haven't found a really cheap way to get a subscription yet.