The letter I wrote to the Editor of Home Theater Magazine:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will be canceling my subscription to your magazine momentarily (on the assumption that it's best done through the subscription department). I no longer feel that your magazine has any integrity whatsoever.
Yesterday I opened your October issue to scan through it upon receipt as I always do. I was surprised to see the review on the B&W 805D bookshelf speakers, as only a couple of days earlier, myself and approximately 30 other enthusiasts were involved in blind A/B listening tests with a pair of these speakers and a pair of Axiom M3s. The Axioms were preferred by the majority, albeit it was a close contest (myself, for the record, choose the B&Ws by a narrow margin).
Giving these speakers a positive review was not a surprise. Giving them a 5-Star rating for value is preposterous! The Axiom M3s are $330 a pair. A consumer could have set themselves up with 5 M3s and added a small sub like the Axiom EP400 or even a monster like the Axiom EP800 (if size didn't matter) and have a setup that is arguably equal (or very possibly superior) in sound quality and have enough money left over to buy a nice car! Maxing out a similar setup (with real wood veneer or a piano black finish) would STILL leave you with roughly $10,000 in your pocket.
In my opinion, there is absolutely NO WAY a 5.1 system comprised of bookshelves at $14.5K could earn a "5-Star Rating" for value unless they are truly offering sound quality that no one else can touch. I, and 29 of my friends, know that is not the case.
Call them awesome, call them the "elite" of speakers because they're B&Ws, call them a major advertiser in your magazine. But to call them a good Value?
That's truly a joke and tells me that ALL of your ratings are suspect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
