The Journal does not disregard empirical evidence gathered by listening nor does it ignore measurements that prove certain components can’t possibly reproduce an accurate replica of the recorded signal. The Journal is based on Richard Hardesty’s “high fidelity approach to home audio reproduction.”

The high fidelity approach is a comprehensive technique for evaluating audio components and systems. It allows us to pursue musical satisfaction with a thought-driven logical sequence of comparisons rather than the haphazard, purely subjective scheme so often encountered in an ever expanding and frequently confusing market.

The Problem

Many of today’s audio components cost too much and perform poorly. Some are overpriced simply to provide an illusion of quality. Many products are misrepresented to consumers and some of the untruths have been repeated frequently enough to achieve a certain level of acceptance. I’ll paraphrase an old saying: “If you can’t convince them with truth, baffle them with BS.” There’s another old saying: “If you keep repeating a lie over and over, some will eventually accept it as fact.” Sadly, many high-end components are marketed this way.

Publications supported by advertising are obligated to report that performance is strictly related to price. If they tell you that a less expensive product sounds better than one costing more, the maker of the more costly item will surely be offended. If they tell you that a certain product performs poorly, that manufacturer is unlikely to advertise. Don’t accept their protestations to the contrary. The guy who pays the bills always makes the rules. Advertisers pay the bills for magazines, which are sold to the readers for less than they cost to print and mail.

The Solution

Components should be defined on the basis of performance not hyperbole or inflated price tags. Neophytes with limited experience might be easily fooled, at least temporarily. Regardless of your level of experience, knowledge can help you avoid costly mistakes. The Journal can fortify you with that knowledge.

Journals #3 through 8 are PDF files that define our goals and suggest simple and minimally expensive ways of achieving them. They will help to redefine an industry that has often strayed from its original purpose and drifted far from the goal of accurate music reproduction.

Journals #9 through 16 comprise an indispensable, book-length reference describing the function of each section of an audio system and providing subjective reviews of actual components that utilize the design choices described in the technical sections of these Journals.

We explain how a component works and the choices available to the designer. We define the critical areas of the component which make substantial audible differences. We review components that utilize each of these design choices in each critical area and describe what we heard.

Download These Valuable Tools in the form of PDF files.

Journals #3-8 were published between 1999 and 2002 but the technical information provided is timeless. These Journals were revised in 2008.

Journals #9-16, were published from 2003 to 2007, to provide a thorough discussion of each topic presented. Each issue stands alone as a reference guide to a specific section of an audio system. The group presents a comprehensive examination of a system composed of these sections.

You will realize huge returns on the small investment required to obtain the Journals, each of which costs less than a single CD or vinyl record.

Don’t Continue to Invest Blindly while Stumbling Towards Satisfaction

You can keep following the advice of magazines that offer little more than sales support for big advertisers or you can learn how audio components work and why they sound different. You can take the opposite tack and “learn” from publications that claim the whole phenomenon is a hoax. Or you can seek the truth which, as you might expect, lies somewhere in between.

If, up to now, you’ve blindly accepted that $30,000 amplifiers and $70,000 speakers provide the best performance, you need to read the Journal before unwisely investing another hard-earned dollar on unsatisfying audio components. If you believe that a coat hanger sounds as good as a high quality interconnect, the pages of the Audio Perfectionist Journal will provide the enlightenment you need to achieve a world of audio enjoyment you may never have thought possible. There simply is no better source for guiding you towards musical satisfaction than the Audio Perfectionist Journal.

If you want the best sound your budget will allow, the Journal can help. Knowledge is power. Order today and start enjoying your music again.

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