My Commitment to Affordable Audio

At the SoundStage! Network I wear many hats, but the biggest ones are as publisher of the entire Network, as equipment reviewer for almost all the publications we have, and as the main editorial overseer of GoodSound! As a result, I’m exposed to a lot of audio equipment, from the super-cheap to the ultra-expensive. If you’re into gear the way I am, it’s a great job.

I enjoy reviewing equipment no matter the price, but I have an affinity for products that are less expensive -- the kind that most people can afford, the stuff we focus on here at GoodSound! This runs counter to the way many reviewers approach the job. Most of the reviewers I come across -- including most of the guys who write for the SoundStage! Network -- like to review the really expensive stuff. Even those who start out reviewing not-so-expensive equipment seem to gravitate to cost-no-object gear, and in that transition often lose track of their "roots." There’s a certain attraction in having access to equipment that you’d otherwise never be able to afford.

On the other hand, the desire to play with such costly gear doesn’t necessarily serve most readers well. Despite how interesting some of the really expensive stuff might seem, its sales pale in comparison to the far more affordable stuff, which makes reviews of the pricey gear relevant to only a very small crowd. How do I know that? I could give you some hard data on how many expensive products are sold vs. inexpensive ones, but common sense answers the question just as well. Just take a look at the sound systems your friends have. How many own stereos that cost more than $10,000? Or $5000, for that matter? Hardly any. In the general public, most people own complete systems that cost less than $1000; among the audiophile crowd, while many dream of systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars, most own systems priced at a fraction of that -- and often made up of the kind of stuff we review here at GoodSound! If I look at our own writers, what most of them actually own is far, far cheaper -- even those who like to review the very expensive gear.

That’s not to say that I have no interest in expensive equipment, or that there’s no place for it. After all, I review some of it. It interests me to find out what the very best can be like, if only to establish a cost-no-object benchmark. Such components can also be fun to write about. For instance, the very best loudspeaker I’ve ever evaluated is the Aurum Acoustics Integris Active 300B, which I reviewed for SoundStage! a couple of years ago. We published one of the very first reviews of that model, and I liked telling the world about it. At the time, however, the Integris Active 300B sold for about $30,000, and I think it now costs even more. Undoubtedly, there are a handful of people who can afford it, and from feedback I’ve received, some people have bought that loudspeaker. For most, though, it remains a pipe dream, including for me. But plenty of people can afford the kind of equipment we review here at GoodSound! and derive just as much pleasure from it.

Doug Schneider with Paradigm’s new Studio 10 ($798/pair). The full review, along with a photo gallery and NRC measurements, will be published in April.

I can sum up why I’m so committed to covering affordable audio by wearing two of my many hats. As a reviewer, I like to write reviews that will be relevant to the largest audience possible. As a publisher, I see far too many reviewers and publications gravitate to ultra-expensive gear, leaving a large segment of the market untapped and shortchanged. Because we have such breadth at the SoundStage! Network, we can structure our publications for diversity and thus cover all price ranges. And because I’m the publisher, I have a strong say in which direction we go in. GoodSound! is strictly focused on affordable audio, and as long as I’m publisher here, that will remain a top priority -- even as we keep making this publication better and better. I will also always be involved in its reviews. You have my commitment on that.

. . . Doug Schneider
editor@goodsound.com