Audio Stereo HiFi Music: Audio Shopper Raison d'etre

Raison d'etre (Core of Being): Why we are here

Welcome to Audio Shopper, your used high end equipment review and marketplace. This is the second major revision of the website, hence the designation in the homepage. Your response to the database enhancement, instant classified ad posting and powerhouse search alternatives has been both positive and beyond expectation. Apparently, a lot of us want instant gratification and quick results.

The Purpose of It All

Audio Shopper starts with a simple proposition and straightforward truth--there are high end components that transcend time, obsolescence and the passing of technology. In short, there are products that serve the music. This is the foundation, focus, and core for being or raison d'etre of this publication. Our task is to sift through the blinding glitter and uncover the true, authentic, and precious audio gems. There is a vast and always increasing pool of recent and long sidelined audio equipment available from a variety of sources. Our mission is to identify those, regardless of age, provenance, and price that faithfully render the beauty and wonder of music. It's a tall order and one continuing challenge that we and you will certainly enjoy facing.

Let me say it in another way. We are not interested in the fleeting flavors of the month or year. No, we want audio equipment that plays to music's own essence. It is easy to misunderstand our quest. So let me state it in another way. While we realize that there is merit in used high end equipment, it does not mean that we denigrate the worth of new audio. On the contrary, new audio has advanced the edge of the art and pushed the frontiers of audio performance. New audio is our guide as we explore the ever increasing variety of used audio equipment.

Magazines Galore

You have a number of choices in audio publications. There are those designed for mass market, high end, and niche markets, e.g., for tube enthusiasts, midfi, British, etc. All are dedicated to exploring and extolling the very latest components. These publications have helped many, including myself, learn and enjoy audio. In fact, to be well informed I suggest that you supplement reading this publication with one or more of these conventional magazines. I subscribe to several--The Absolute Sound, Stereophile, The Audio Adventure (to name a few)--and occasionally browse through Audio and other magazines that are displayed in bookstores.

In these conventional magazines, used equipment is treated as a very minor subject matter deserving an occasional special article every once a year or two. After all this is not where these magazines are headed. This is not meant to be a criticism, rather as a statement of fact. Unlike traditional publications however, Audio Shopper focuses on this special area--used equipment--so that you may truly find outstandingly affordable and timeless pieces of the audio art. None of those new stuff will be covered unless the components are to be used for comparisons. If new equipment is your fancy, then the conventional magazines will better serve your needs.

Discovery is part of the joy

It has been my experience that discovery is part of the joy of audio. We learn in small bits and pieces, and accumulate more information through time, listening to live music, reading, and experimentation. We believe used audio is the practical place for discovering components. It is our intent that Audio Shopper serve that purpose.

Enjoy!

by Rome Castellanes