Sound & Vision (magazine)

Last updated
Sound & Vision
Editor in ChiefAl Griffin
CategoriesEntertainment magazine
FrequencySix issues/year
PublisherKeith Pray
Total circulation
(December 2012)
132,443 [1]
Founded1958
CompanyAV Tech Media
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Website www.soundandvision.com
ISSN 1537-5838

Sound & Vision is an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as Stereo Review. The magazine is headquartered in New York City. [2] October/November 2024 is the last printed issued, with the magazine continuing as a Web site.

Contents

History and profile

Stereo Review was an American magazine first published in 1958 [2] by Ziff-Davis with the title HiFi and Music Review. [3] During the initial phase the magazine was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. [3] It was one of a handful of magazines then available for the individual interested in high fidelity. Throughout its life it published a blend of record and equipment reviews, articles on music and musicians, and articles on technical issues and advice. The name changed to HiFi Review in 1959. It became HiFi/Stereo Review in 1961 to reflect the growing use of stereophonic technology in recordings and broadcasts. In 1968 it became, simply, Stereo Review, reflecting the broad shift to stereophonic reproduction and simplifying the title. In the late 1980s, the magazine was acquired by CBS Magazines (now Hachette Filipacchi), and in 1989 it absorbed High Fidelity magazine. During the 1990s, consumer trends began to branch out into home theater matters and the magazine contents followed in kind. In 1999 Stereo Review merged with Video , a magazine Hachette Filipacchi had acquired from Reese Communications, [4] to become Stereo Review's Sound & Vision before settling on its current name in 2000, reflecting how dominant home theater had become in consumer purchases.

In June 2009 Hachette Filipacchi sold the publication to Bonnier Corporation, the U.S. division of the Swedish Bonnier Group, along with four other magazines: Popular Photography, Boating, Flying and American Photo. [5] In 2013, Bonnier sold it to Source Interlink, who merged it with its previously owned consumer electronics magazine Home Theater. [6] [7] In March 2018, Sound & Vision was purchased, along with related magazines and websites, by AVTech Media Ltd. [8]

One of the key features of the magazine was the permanence of its staff. Some staffers stayed for decades. One of them, Louise Boundas, rose from the ranks to become the magazine's editor from the late 1980s into the 1990s. Another, Julian Hirsch, was known for his technical reviews of equipment; he was involved with the magazine from 1961 until his retirement in 1998, nearly 40 years.

The October/November 2024 issue is the last print issue, with the Web site continuing. [9]

A Canadian magazine with the same title and focus ceased publication about a year before Stereo Review took the name.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High fidelity</span> High-quality reproduction of sound

High fidelity is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat frequency response within the human hearing range.

Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., originally known as CBS Publications, was a subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Médias, and was based in New York City.

High Fidelity — often abbreviated HiFi — was an American magazine that was published from April 1951 until July 1989 and was a source of information about high fidelity audio equipment, video equipment, audio recordings, and other aspects of the musical world, such as music history, biographies, and anecdotal stories by or about noted performers.

Avery Robert Fisher was an amateur violinist, a pioneer in the field of high fidelity sound reproduction, founder of the Philharmonic Radio Company and Fisher Electronics, and a philanthropist who donated millions of dollars to arts organizations and universities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stereophonic sound</span> Method of sound reproduction using two audio channels

Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration of two loudspeakers in such a way as to create the impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing.

Harman Kardon is a division of US-based Harman International Industries, an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Harman Kardon was originally founded in Westbury, New York, in 1953 by business partners Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon.

High-end audio is a class of consumer home audio equipment marketed to audiophiles on the basis of high price or quality, and esoteric or novel sound reproduction technologies. The term can refer simply to the price, to the build quality of the components, or to the subjective or objective quality of sound reproduction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McIntosh Laboratory</span> American audio equipment company

McIntosh Laboratory is an American manufacturer of handcrafted high-end audio equipment headquartered in Binghamton, New York. It is a subsidiary of McIntosh Group, which is under the ownership umbrella of Highlander Partners, a Dallas-based private equity firm.

Denon is a Japanese electronics company dealing with audio equipment. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo and others in 1939, but it originally started as Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai in 1910 by Frederick Whitney Horn, an American entrepreneur.

Stereophile is a monthly American audiophile magazine which reviews high-end audio equipment, such as loudspeakers and amplifiers, and audio-related news.

<i>Flying</i> (magazine) Aviation magazine

Flying, sometimes styled FLYING, is an aviation magazine published since 1927 and called Popular Aviation prior to 1942, as well as Aeronautics for a brief period. It is read by pilots, aircraft owners, aviation enthusiasts and aviation-oriented executives in business, commercial and general aviation markets worldwide.

Luxman is a brand name of Japanese Luxman Corporation (ラックスマン株式会社) that manufactures luxury audio components. Luxman produces a variety of high-end audio products, including turntables, amplifiers, receivers, tape decks, CD players and speakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fisher Electronics</span> Brand of audio equipment

Fisher Electronics was an American company specialising in the field of hi-fi electronics. The company and the name was bought by Japanese electronics conglomerate Sanyo in 1975.

<i>Popular Photography</i> Former American consumer magazine

Popular Photography, formerly known as Popular Photography & Imaging, also called Pop Photo, is a monthly American consumer website and former magazine that at one time had the largest circulation of any imaging magazine, with an editorial staff twice the size of its nearest competitor. The magazine ceased print publication in early 2017 but began publishing as a web-only magazine in June 2018. It officially relaunched in December 2021.

Bonnier LLC is an American "outdoor adventure" company that originally operated numerous U.S.-based media brands but struggled in the magazine publishing industry, leading to the decline or closure of several well-known titles. Formed in 2007 after Bonnier Group's acquisition of publishing assets from Time, today it operates events within the vertical of outdoor recreation.

<i>Audio</i> (magazine) American periodical published 1947–2000

Audio magazine was a periodical published from 1947 to 2000. It was America's longest-running audio magazine. Audio published reviews of audio products and audio technology as well as informational articles on topics such as acoustics, psychoacoustics and the art of listening. Audio claimed to be the successor of Radio magazine which was established in 1917. the magazine was based in Philadelphia.

<i>What Hi-Fi?</i> British magazine

What Hi-Fi? is a website and magazine published by Future. It is a buying guide for consumer electronics, featuring news, reviews and features on hi-fi, home cinema, television and home audio. The website, whathifi.com, is updated daily, while the magazine is published thirteen times per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home audio</span> Audio electronics for home entertainment

Home audio refer to audio consumer electronics designed for home entertainment, such as integrated systems like shelf stereos, as well as individual components like loudspeakers and surround sound receivers.

Julian David Hirsch was an electrical engineer and audio critic.

<i>Video</i> (magazine)

Video is a discontinued American consumer electronics magazine that was published from 1977 to 1999 by Reese Communications with a focus on video and audio devices. The magazine showcases new audiovisual products, analyzes current practices and trends in the field, and provides critical reviews of newly marketed products and equipment. During its early years, it competed fiercely with contemporary journals like Video Review and Video Buyer's Review—ultimately culminating in a 1980 trademark infringement suit over use of the term "Video Buyer's Guide". In March 1995, Video was acquired from Reese by Hachette Filipacchi, and in 1999 it was merged with their bi-monthly Sound & Image magazine to become Sound & Vision.

References

  1. "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Alliance for Audited Media. December 31, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Robert Lee Brewer (September 1, 2015). Writer's Market 2016: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published. F+W Media, Inc. p. 406. ISBN   978-1-59963-937-6 . Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Frank Hoffmann (November 12, 2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. p. 2023. ISBN   978-1-135-94950-1 . Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  4. Lazarus, George. "On Marketing - Sky-High Endorsements Likely If Jordan Returns". Chicago Tribune. 14 March 1995. ISSN   1085-6706
  5. "Bonnier Corp. Acquires Five Magazine Brands from Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S." Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  6. Foliomag:
  7. "Further Industry Consolidation as 'Home Theater' and 'Sound & Vision' Magazines Merge". Strata-gee. July 25, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  8. "AVTech Media Ltd (UK) Acquires Home Tech Network From Ten Publishing Media". Stereophile.com. 2018-03-22. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
  9. Antonoff, Michael (21 August 2024). "I founded a pioneering tech magazine. Tech killed it off". The Guardian.