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  1. #1
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    Which Home Theater Mag?

    Can I get some opinions on who likes which magazine?

    I'm trying to decide between Home Theater magazine and Sound And Vision. I can't afford high-end equipment but I like to read reviews on the latest technology, how-to articles ... those kinds of things, so if one caters more to the mid-fi person, that's the one I'd prefer. I know that both offer digital subscriptions, but I like having something close at hand when I need to refer to things Home Theater (I know, all the answers I need are right here @ AR, but my main computer's dying and my laptop is too small) Thanks.

  2. #2
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    I'd say if you have to pick one of the two, go with S&V. I subscribe to both (Christmas presents) but I don't even read them some months. HT is great for reading cool articles about Mike Piazza's home theater or what some multi-millionaire playboy had done in his mansion to address room acoustics, and they have better speaker reviews IMO, but S&V is a better all around mag I think.

  3. #3
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Between the two of them, I'd also go with S&V, if for any other reason than their bench tests and the greater range of products that they cover. Editorially, I think most of their reviewers go way too gaga over the latest features and technologies without really taking a critical eye towards whether those approaches significantly improve audio/video performance without adding exorbitant costs. The Absolute Sound and its sister publication The Perfect Vision have actually done a decent job at covering how-to topics. And if you want to get into the more technical aspects of home theater, you should also take a look at Widescreen Review. Previous issues have covered a lot of ground with regard to video calibration and room acoustics.

    I would also look into some of the British audio magazines such as What Hi-Fi? and Hi-Fi Choice. They take a very different approach from the U.S. magazines in that they might review upwards of 50 to 80 products per issue, compared to the 10 to 15 product reviews you might see in a U.S. magazine. In addition, the majority of reviews in the British magazines are comparison tests where they might rank order upwards of 15 comparably priced products at a time, whereas S&V and Home Theater tend to focus most of their articles on one product at a time and a lot of their comparison tests don't compare products at the same price point. The disadvantage to the British publications is that they tend to be very scant on details, and most of them don't publish bench test results. So, it basically comes down to reading a lot of subjective observations, but what they lack in depth, they make up for in a breadth of coverage that none of the U.S. publications come close to matching.

    I also like the British magazines because you don't necessarily have to buy every single issue, since they are written as monthly buyer's guides where they provide summaries of all of their recent reviews. Good thing because the price for these magazines in the U.S. is about $10+. I see these publications all the time at Borders, so you might want to pick up an issue and see if you like their approach.
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    Wow Wooch! I didn't realize there were so many to choose from. I have a Barnes & Noble at the mall up the road so I'll stop in and see if I can sample some of their offerings.

    Kex, when you mentioned the systems covered in HT of the rich-n-famous, it jarred my memory. When I was checking out Westcott's space there, I poked around some of the other entries/articles and yeah, too rich for my blood.

    I guess that speaks volumes for Mr. Westcott's room though. (Trying to draw him into this thread )

  5. #5
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    widescreen review is just about the best as far as tech articles go. One installers opinion,
    articles by the likes of joe kane, these guys have a way of showing understandable ways of doing things without dumbing them down.
    Next is home theater and perfect vision.
    Sound and vision is basically "stereo porno", fun to look at but not very deep
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  6. #6
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    In my opinion S&V sucks. They spend to many pages reviewing the latest portable gear and chintzy stuff in my opinion. Plus it seems that they constantly review home theater in a box junk and basicaly just product that is girl and wife friendly. I want reviews of real gear (hopefully afordable as well) and not the latest ipod piece. I don't subsribe to any of the mags anymore. I just go to the book store and sit there comfortably reading them all for free.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by cvc
    In my opinion S&V sucks. They spend to many pages reviewing the latest portable gear and chintzy stuff in my opinion. Plus it seems that they constantly review home theater in a box junk and basicaly just product that is girl and wife friendly. I want reviews of real gear (hopefully afordable as well) and not the latest ipod piece. I don't subsribe to any of the mags anymore. I just go to the book store and sit there comfortably reading them all for free.
    Well, I just did some reading on S&V online, and in a DIY article about understanding the technology, it makes this statement:
    Quote Originally Posted by S&V
    Cheap home-theater-in-a-box packages are, well, cheap, so they have to make compromises — especially in the speakers — to achieve those prices. You can forget about high-performance sound.
    That doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement for HTiB does it? Understanding the basics is, for me crucial. I read some interesting bits about THX certification, speaker and room dynamics and a really big glossary of terms to help me keep up with all the lingo that these tech savy people here speak. And again, I like to have something in front of me on the coffee table, or in the *reading room*.

    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    widescreen review is just about the best as far as tech articles go.
    My video needs are a done deal and WR seems display/TV tech laden.

    Thanks all for the input.

  8. #8
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Cool

    Your video "needs" are never a "done" deal, trust me on this.
    And you can never know enough about video, the more you know the better you can use your "display", and the more you understand the better you can feed it, hook stuff up to it, etc.
    I am waiting for 1080p discs to become popular before I "invest" in dvd hd, they will be the only thing big enough to deserve the leap, and I know this from what I know about video
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  9. #9
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    My TV came with a 124 page manual, a separate manual for the built-in TV guide and a rather large (dimensionally) remote reference card. It's not likely a magazine will be able to do a better job of telling me how it works and how to take full advantage of all of its features. I think Sound & Vision magazine (after spending a lot of my work day becoming acquainted with it) will satisfy my needs to know. Remember, I'm a n00b, not an installer.

    When I say my video needs are a done deal, I say that because I'm happy with what I've got, but mostly because I have a lot of other necessities that need funding so another TV purchase is not in the foreseeable future.

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  10. #10
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    What you get from the manufacturer is just a smidgen.
    They dont tell you that most of their reccomended settings was out picture detail, or to put a backlight behind your set to ease eyestrain, etc
    If your happy with your set fine, but trust me it isnt at its best, or the best.
    And remember to run your cables before the shetrock guy does his thang
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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by pixelthis
    ...And remember to run your cables before the shetrock guy does his thang


  12. #12
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    I have to agree that Widescreen Review is better
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  13. #13
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Wink

    And you oughta change your name to "rich in texas ON PAPER.
    Didnt enron teach you cowboys anything?
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    Update...

    Still haven't found one to subscribe to yet. I've got S&V added as a tab on my browser but nothing has changed there since I asked this question over a month ago. Particularly, the cover that the website shows up in the right-hand corner is still the same one, so my question is: how often do new issues of their magazines hit the newstands/bookstores? And that Home Theater issue was thin on pages and I'm wondering if that's the norm, or just a special issue?

  15. #15
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    This is really amusing.
    I dont read electronics mags every month, they tend to lead to lusting for stuff I cant
    afford, and then its a trip to the tittle loan place...
    The correct phrase is "stereo porn" BTY, but why do you have to get just one?
    Every one has different editorial views and ways of looking at the world, even the ads are different.
    When I feel a little out of date I go down to the store and stock up, perfect vision, absolute
    sound (for the latest definition of insane) widescreen review, S&V, HT mag, and of course anything with jessica alba on the cover and the latest copies of paranoia and UFO digest.
    You have a complete set of bowers & wilkins products, why do you hafta limit yourself to one magazine? Thats like a TV with one channel
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  16. #16
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    I'm lazy. I want home delivery. I like reading when I'm on the throne. In the 'lil ole western railroad town in which I live, bookstores that carry high tech type material are few & far between. I suppose the best thing to do is go to the mag's websites, get a feel for their content, then find one or two to sub to.

    If you realized how thin the traffic here on the forums is these days you'd understand why I post such trivial subjects...

  17. #17
    Forum Regular pixelthis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
    I'm lazy. I want home delivery. I like reading when I'm on the throne. In the 'lil ole western railroad town in which I live, bookstores that carry high tech type material are few & far between. I suppose the best thing to do is go to the mag's websites, get a feel for their content, then find one or two to sub to.

    If you realized how thin the traffic here on the forums is these days you'd understand why I post such trivial subjects...
    What you feed your head is not "trivial".
    And its slow season for HT and other home ent type thingies, most like to get out and about in summer.
    About the best thing I've seen on TV lately is a show on the science channel , a docudrama about a comet hitting the earth, really good show, and enterprize reruns on the sci-fi channel.
    Sorry you dont have a books a million or something, its really fun to explore in these places
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  18. #18
    I put the Gee in Gear.... thekid's Avatar
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    I usually pick up either SV or HT when I am killing time in the airport when traveling. Between the two SV has at least some reviews of equipment in or near my price range. I am still very budget minded at this point. HT and a lot of the others seem to be more high-end price wise so I guess you should probably look to the mag that reviews gear mostly in your price range otherwise IMO it just leads to "equipment envy"....

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    It's official! S&V wins... all others go home!


    S&V updated their website the other day and they're now displaying what I think is a pic of the latest issue, so I looked the site over, found one or two interesting articles, and decided to sub to home delivery. I also purchased their advertised HT test disc which I hope stands up to some of the recommended disc's I've read about here @ AR.

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