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| Stereo Review | |
|---|---|
| Title | Stereo Review |
| Category | Music, Audio, Consumer Electronics |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Finalnumber | 1999 |
| Country | United States |
| Based | New York City |
| Language | English |
Stereo Review was an American magazine covering audio equipment, recorded music, and home listening culture from its founding in 1958 through its merger in 1999. It documented developments in hi-fi technology, phonograph records, compact discs, and loudspeaker design while chronicling performances, labels, and artists central to postwar popular and classical music scenes. The magazine intersected with major institutions and companies in audio, publishing, and retail across the United States and Europe.
Stereo Review emerged in the late 1950s during a boom in consumer audio that involved companies such as RCA Records, Columbia Records, EMI, Decca Records, and manufacturers like Fisher (receiver), McIntosh Laboratory, Bell Labs, Philips (company), and Sony. Early decades saw coverage of innovations at events like the Consumer Electronics Show and connections to outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone. During the 1960s and 1970s the magazine reported on the rise of stereo LPs, multitrack recording at studios such as Abbey Road Studios and Sun Studio, and developments in digital audio at institutions including Bell Laboratories and firms like Thorn EMI. The publication navigated industry shifts tied to companies like Technics, Yamaha Corporation, Bose Corporation, and retailers such as Tower Records and Sears, Roebuck and Co..
Stereo Review combined equipment reviews of turntables, amplifiers, receivers, and speakers from firms like Marantz, Pioneer Corporation, Kenwood Corporation, JBL, and Bowers & Wilkins with criticism of recordings by performers associated with labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Blue Note Records, Motown Records, Verve Records, and Capitol Records. Features connected to composers and conductors linked to institutions such as New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, and venues like Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall. The magazine included technical articles referencing standards from AES (Audio Engineering Society), patents held by Bell Labs, and formats introduced by Philips (company) and Sony such as the Compact Disc. It also covered popular music scenes involving artists connected to events like Woodstock (1969) and labels such as Island Records, Atlantic Records, and Motown Records.
Initially a digest-sized title, Stereo Review evolved through tabloid and glossy monthly formats while maintaining ties to publishers such as Ziff Davis, CBS Publications, and later Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.. Circulation figures reflected trends tracked by organizations like the Audit Bureau of Circulations and advertising relationships with companies including Panasonic, Sanyo, and Sharp Corporation. The magazine’s issues featured cover photography by studios connected to Getty Images and editorial partnerships with distributors such as Ingram Content Group and retailers like Barnes & Noble and Borders (retailer). Special issues reviewed catalogs from labels such as Sony Classical, RCA Victor, Island Records, and highlighted product launches from Apple Inc. when portable digital audio players emerged.
Contributors and editors had links to music, journalism, and technology sectors including figures associated with The New Yorker, Time (magazine), Life (magazine), and trade organizations like Audio Engineering Society. Critics and writers often also contributed to outlets such as Rolling Stone, DownBeat, Gramophone (magazine), and academic journals at institutions like Juilliard School and Berklee College of Music. Editors collaborated with photographers and designers who worked for agencies including Condé Nast and Hearst Communications. The magazine’s masthead included writers who engaged with festivals like Newport Jazz Festival, music awards such as the Grammy Award, and catalog projects from archives like the Library of Congress.
Stereo Review influenced audiophiles, record collectors, and professional engineers connected to companies such as McIntosh Laboratory and JBL and institutions like AES (Audio Engineering Society). Reviews could affect retail stocking decisions at chains like Tower Records and independent dealers. The title’s critical coverage intersected with scholarship at universities including Columbia University and Harvard University and its writers appeared on broadcast outlets such as NPR and BBC Radio. The magazine engaged debates over sound quality and historical performance practice tied to conductors and ensembles represented by labels like Deutsche Grammophon and Naxos Records.
In the late 20th century publishing consolidation involving companies such as Hachette Filipacchi Médias, CBS Corporation, and Ziff Davis reshaped niche titles; Stereo Review was merged and rebranded in moves paralleling mergers affecting magazines like Rolling Stone and People (magazine). Its legacy persists in contemporary publications and online sites linked to brands such as Stereophile, What Hi-Fi?, Pitchfork, AllMusic, and archives maintained by institutions like the New York Public Library and Library of Congress. Collections of past issues are cited in research at conservatories like Juilliard School and libraries at Columbia University and continue to inform histories of labels including Blue Note Records, Decca Records, and Capitol Records.