Stereophile Recommended Components

[Jau]

Hi,
In delections from their latest Recommended Components of Stereophile they relate to the Devialet Expert 140 Pro and say that it has been replaced by a new model which has not been tested. However, the Expert 140 Pro continues to appear on the Devialet website and there is no new model to replace it. (?)

[markush]

Hm strange to hear - did you write to Stereophile magazine too about it?

[David A]

Stereophile delete products from the recommended list for 3 reasons:the product is discontinued, it has been replaced by another product not yet reviewed, or it has not been auditioned in a long time.

The Expert 140 Pro was reviewed in Vol.42 No 12 and it was listed as a deletion in Vol 46 no 10. It would have been included on the Recommended Products list for the first time in Vol 43 No 4 (the recommended list is updated every 6 months in April and October. It should have been deleted in April's issue (Vol 46 no 4) because that would have been 3 years since it was included in the list and there has been no further review or follow up since the original review in Vol 43 no 4.

I just checked the deletions in my latest copy of Stereophile. 8 integrated amps were deleted. The first in the list is listed as discontinued and the last is followed by a notation that it was replaced by a model not yet reviewed. There is no notation after any of the other 6 amps and no amp was listed as being removed because they were not auditioned in a long time.

In the introduction to the list the editor, Jim Austin, writes "Many products are deleted from the list while they're still in production…Most products remain listed for little more than three years, for 2 reasons. First, there's only so much space in the magazine. The second, it's impossible to compare a component to others when your memory of it is dim."

In some of the other categories some products are listed as deleted because they weren't auditioned in a long time. I think that some of the amps between the amp listed as discontinued and the amp followed by the notation "replaced by model not yet reviewed" were deleted because they had not been auditioned in a long time and that notation was accidentally omitted. the Expert 140 Pro has not been auditioned in a long time. It's nearly 4 years since the review, it's over 3 years since it was first included in the Recommended Components list, and there has been no subsequent review/follow up since it was first reviewed.

It's a Stereophile mistake, they simply missed putting in the reason for the Expert 140 Pro and probably a few other amps into the Deletions listing in the appropriate place.

[Jau]

Hm strange to hear - did you write to Stereophile magazine too about it?

Yes.

[Jau]

Stereophile delete products from the recommended list for 3 reasons:the product is discontinued, it has been replaced by another product not yet reviewed, or it has not been auditioned in a long time.

The Expert 140 Pro was reviewed in Vol.42 No 12 and it was  listed as a deletion in Vol 46 no 10. It would have been included on the Recommended Products list for the first time in Vol 43 No 4 (the recommended list is updated every 6 months in April and October. It should have been deleted in April's issue (Vol 46 no 4) because that would have been 3 years since it was included in the list and there has been no further review or follow up since the original review in Vol 43 no 4.

I just checked the deletions in my latest copy of Stereophile. 8 integrated amps were deleted. The first in the list is listed as discontinued and the last is followed by a notation that it was replaced by a model not yet reviewed.  There is no notation after any of the other 6 amps and no amp was listed as being removed because they were not auditioned in a long time.

In the introduction to the list the editor, Jim Austin, writes "Many products are deleted from the list while they're still in production…Most products remain listed for little more than three years, for 2 reasons. First, there's only so much space in the magazine. The second, it's impossible to compare a component to others when  your memory of it is dim."

In some of the other categories some products are listed as deleted because they weren't auditioned in a long time. I think that some of the amps between the amp listed as discontinued and the amp followed by the notation "replaced by model not yet reviewed" were deleted because they had not been auditioned in a long time and that notation was accidentally omitted.  the Expert 140 Pro has not been auditioned in a long time. It's nearly 4 years since the review, it's over 3 years since it was first included in the Recommended Components list, and there has been no subsequent review/follow up since it was first reviewed.

It's a Stereophile mistake, they simply missed putting in the reason for the Expert 140 Pro and probably a few other amps into the Deletions listing in the appropriate place.

Very possibly it was the latter that happened.
Thanks David

[Delija]

The subscription has expired

[wiresandmore]

The other reason for “not having heard in a long time” often was that the reviewer no longer worked for Stereophile and none of the other reviewers had first hand experience. I think that’s fair enough.

I do really like Stereophile btw, I think the online subscription is an amazing bargain.

[Delija]

That's hardly the reason - Jim Austin is the reviewer.

[wiresandmore]

Didn’t mean in this case, but having read Stereophile since 1988, they have certainly done this, esp. when the left to a competitor (e.g. TAS).

Perhaps they’ll re-instate it next time. I wonder how many Devialet dealers carry Expert Pro in the US.

[Redwingnine]

Didn’t mean in this case, but having read Stereophile since 1988, they have certainly done this, esp. when the left to a competitor (e.g. TAS).

Perhaps they’ll re-instate it next time. I wonder how many Devialet dealers carry Expert Pro in the US.

Perhaps Stereophile should conduct a poll and see what their readers actually own?  That would be revealing.