SonicFlare Hi-Fi Gallery Open
SonicFlare's Hi-Fi Gallery is now open and features shots from the Vegas 2008 CES and THE shows. Check out the link below for all the big, beautiful pics you can handle. More shots on the way!
| Permalink | Announcements | Posted by Josh Ray on Jan 13 '08
SonicFlare Co-Op - Power in Numbers!
SonicFlare is pleased to announce the next stage of hi-fi journalism, the SonicFlare Co-Op. SonicFlare’s goal is to take hi-fi to the masses and we’re looking for experienced writers to join the SonicFlare team.
Unlike traditional hi-fi publications, the SonicFlare Co-Op is, as the name implies, a group revenue-sharing system. Additionally, unlike publications that pay their writers only a fraction of the overall site profits (if anything at all), SonicFlare writers receive revenue commensurate with their efforts.
Simply, the more one writes, the more one earns. Profits are pooled and, once a month, divided between the writers based on their participation. It’s simple, it’s successful and it’s fair.
Additionally, as the SonicFlare Co-Op grows, the bigger the site grows and, naturally, the more everyone earns. As a SonicFlare writer, you’re part of the team and invested in expanding the site and advancing hi-fi. Our goal is to become the largest next-gen hi-fi publication and, most importantly, put amazing audio systems in Average Joes’ homes everywhere.
So contact us to find out how you can get involved. SonicFlare reviews are unlike typical hi-fi reviews and we have many new and exciting projects in the works that will revolutionize the industry. We live on the cutting edge and are looking for writers with a passion for advancing audio.
Qualifications for writing:
-Published reviews at another publication OR a solid writing sample.
-Experience of the hi-fi industry and a wide range of equipment.
-No financial connections to manufacturers or dealers.
We are also looking for writers with experience in headphones, vinyl, DIY, automotive sound, home theater, computer audio and more.
We look forward to hearing from you. Together, we can take hi-fi to the next generation!
| Permalink | Announcements | Posted by Josh Ray on Dec 27 '07
SonicFlare Advertising Rep Wanted
SonicFlare is looking for an experienced salesman to sell advertising for SonicFlare and future hi-fi related subsites. This is a commission-based, part-time position with huge potential.
SonicFlare is built around cutting-edge web marketing with a focus and advertising methodology unique to online hi-fi publications. Simply, SonicFlare makes advertising for hi-fi manufacturers far more effective with real world results. We need a strong salesman to reach out and make the connections.
We’re looking for a person with the following qualifications:
-Experience in sales, preferably advertising
-Knowledge of the audio industry
-Flexible day schedule and ability to attend trade shows
Contact us using the link above for all the details. We look forward to hearing from you!
| Permalink | Announcements | Posted by Josh Ray on Dec 27 '07
Appointment of Danny Kaey
SonicFlare is pleased to announce the appointment of Danny Kaey to the position of Director of Business Development. A veteran of hi-fi publishing, Danny brings to SonicFlare his experience and ongoing involvement as the Senior Assistant Editor at Positive Feedback Online and American Editor of Inner Ear Magazine. Danny also has experience in American/European manufacturer relations and brings a unique and diverse set of talents to SonicFlare.
As Director of Business Development, Danny will pursue cutting-edge methods for connecting SonicFlare and the hi-fi industry with the coveted iPod generation. “When I met Josh almost three years ago, it was clear we had a similar passion for taking audio to the 21st century,” explains Danny. “I’m excited to be part of the new SonicFlare and its unique and critically important mission to advance hi-fi and connect the industry with the sports car, iPod and luxury demographics.”
Danny will also provide Sonic Circle reviews and editorial content. Danny is an experienced writer with a passion for the very best hi-fi has to offer and his unique voice will be a great addition to SonicFlare.
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
SonicFlare Reborn
Hello, everyone! Josh here. I'm permanently back from the real world to usher in the next stage of SonicFlare. Where the old SonicFlare was designed to test the waters and advocate a unique angle in hi-fi, the new SonicFlare is a lean, mean marketing machine to reposition hi-fi as a hip, exciting industry and convert the iPodders and mass consumers into next-gen audiophiles (and, naturally, provide a home for all you hip hi-fi fans). It’s a tall order, I know, but with hard work and community support I believe it can be done.I’d like to thank Sandy Greene, Robert Learner, Danny Kaey and Ragan Mena for holding down the fort while I was gone. Also, thank you to everyone who has supported SF and spread the hi-fi 2.0 word. Feel free to send me your thoughts, comments or news using the “contact” link above. And if you’ve sent me mail in the past and I didn’t respond, I apologize, there have been logistical, technical and spamological issues (which are now a thing of the past). Please resend your email and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
The new content and site changes will take a few days to get fully up and running, but if you see funky links or graphics, let me know. Also, we have many exciting features coming in the future to help fight the cause and we’d love your support in changing this industry for the better. If you have any thoughts, suggestions or rants, send them our way.
Josh Ray
Editor
SonicFlare
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
Off to Vegas
Monday through Thursday is the Consumer Electronics Show, the biggest audio frat party of the year. Updates will resume midweek with photos, news and listening comments. See ya then!
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
Sandy Greene Bio
Sandy Greene has joined the SonicFlare team! We're glad to have Sandy with us and fighting for the hi-fi 2.0 revolution. Keep reading for Sandy's audio history and sonic stylings.
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
Robert Learner and the New Review
I am pleased to welcome Robert Learner to the SonicFlare posse. A few months back we began swapping emails and chatting about everything right and wrong with the hi-fi biz. The biggest problem is, of course, the barriers that keep anyone but the hard core audiophiles from taking part in this industry. Secondly, many traditional reviews leave much to be desired for audiophiles looking to build a system.
As regular readers know, I'm a big believer in the holistic system approach. Review systems and synergy, not just individual components. For people trying to get into the industry, a complete system is a much easier purchase than spending 5 years digging through the muck to find a system that works.
For audiophiles, there is no absolute sound, but a variety of different tastes. Dynamic drivers, Lowthers, eletrostats, horns, SETs, SS, etc. Audiophiles know roughly what they like and the most helpful reviews are those that speak directly to their taste, not just "the best of the best of the best."
Robert and I began working on a plan for a new kind of review that would hopefully be very helpful to both audiophiles and normies alike. Robert would look at a number of different monitors in a quest to put together a killer budget system. No dedicated listening room, this is all about the real world with real prices and real wives and girlfriends who won't put up with black refrigerators in the den.
Out of this little experiment, Robert would be able to give the sonic qualities of one speaker versus another. This isn't about finding the greatest speaker ever, but discovering different tastes. Qualities can, I believe, be written about meaningfully. Which qualities are most important is all up to you and your musical tastes.
For those new to hi-fi, Robert's final system will be a no-brainer purchase. Just like the Neat/Exposure system, you can finally buy a complete rig knowing it'll rock your world.
So please welcome Robert to the 'Flare and check out his bio for more about his personal tastes and visit the Monitor Quest page for all the details on this little adventure.
First up: the Zu Tones!
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements | Writer: Robert Learner
Global Warming and Your Hi-Fi Addiction
Not only is the heat wave making all you tube-heads with massive push-pull monoblocks think twice about owning small, glowing furnaces (bi-amped to boot), but it is also causing power outages across the land. One outage has struck the SonicFlare servers and has caused the intermittent lags here on the site. Apologies in advance if power consumption crashes the grid again. Audio Research, Atma-Sphere and VTL owners, we're looking at you.
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
Apple Lossless Downloadable
Apple Lossless for download?!? The end of MP3s?!? Eh, probably not, but it doesn't hurt to pray. If you haven't heard the rumors flying around the net for the last few days, it seems Apple has released "iTunes Producer 1.4" to the record companies responsible for making their music iTunes ready. What makes 1.4 special is, as Apple says (privately to the labels, mind you) it, "now encodes music in Apple Lossless codec, which produces larger audio files and increases upload times." And makes them sound damn spiffy.
Lossless, for those who aren't hip with the digits, is pure CD quality sound. MP3s have been technically dead for a while now. Apple's AAC as well as Microsoft's formats replaced MP3 a few years ago, but they are still lossy and the difference can be heard on quality systems. Lossless is perfect. Really. And takes up far less space than WAV files. So if iTunes begins allowing downloads of lossless tracks, then there will be a lot of iPodders out there with CD perfect music and a miniscule number of audiophiles who give a rip.
Of course, there may be a price hike for lossless downloads, something to the tune of $1.29 per song. Someone told me the Beatles catalogue is being remastered for iTunes as we speak so it would make sense if the Beatles and Lossless were released hand in hand. Read the news here.
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
HE2006: Shows, Shows, Shows
So that concludes our extended Home Entertainment 2006 show coverage...or does it? JB will continue his detailed show analysis and we have a few more goodies coming shortly. HE2007 will be in Chicago next year, so plan on being out that way. And unlike LA, Chicago actually has a downtown nightlife so expect lots of reports on drunk audiophiles and audio manufacturers getting into trouble. You think I'm joking.
And less than 4 months to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest! Pencil in October 20, 21 and 22 to be in lovely Denver and listening to a lot of the equipment that didn't make it to HE2006. RMAF is quickly growing and taking its place as the second largest consumer audio show in the biz. Be there!
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements | Shows and Expos
The New Faces
SonicFlare is growing and, as you've noticed, there are some new faces around these here parts. We want to give other voices a chance to be heard and help you on your quest for killer audio. At SonicFlare, we don't believe there is an absolute sound, but a variety of tastes. So check out the new content and look forward to more material that will help you on your way towards sonic nirvana. If you have any comments, drop us a line using the "contact us" link to the left.
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
SonicFlare 2.0
Welcome to the new SonicFlare! Props to Beto and everyone who contributed to the redesign. The new threads should serve us well as we reveal new features and cool content in the coming months to help push the hi-fi revolution. If you notice any site gremlins, let us know. Otherwise, see ya in a bit with our HE2006 coverage!
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
Back in the Hi-F(L)i-life again!
Well, looks who's back? Yesire, i'm back... not that I was gone, in fact, a few articles have been posted at Positive-Feedback Online during my absence from Sonicflare; I was busy starting a few projects and simply didn't have the time to write regularly on these phine pages here.
At any event, Josh and I attended the monthly LA & Orange County Audio Society last night, at the mighty fine establishment of one Brooks Berdan... the one and only Brooks, serving the greater LA area for many, many years. Josh will be posting a write-up shortly, suffice is to say it was the usual "audiophile" crowd. Too bad Brooks had to shut down the place at 8pm sharp, even though his son Brian had only then begun to spin some non-audiophile tunes over the Wilson Audio Maxx 2's powered by an all VTL system. Music was LOUD though I simply can't figure out what "audiophiles" see in these behemoths apart from their natural ability to move air via a massive bass system. I think I am doing better via my Marten Design Duke's and the most awesome of sub's Velodyne DD-15, a true leap in subwoofer design and execution.
L8er pholks!
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
American Wired
Say hello to the new kid on the block! American Wired is an internet magazine doing the high-end audio game but with a distinctly anti-audio establishment angle. Talking with Ian White of American Wired, he expressed a sentiment akin to, "it's about the music, stupid." Heck, yeah, that's why AW offers more reviews of music, movies and other interesting audio-related subjects rather than the typical slew of hardware reviews.
In their first issue, you'll see coverage of The New Pornographers, Bob Dylan, Bombay Dub Orchestra, King Kong, Fiona Apple, Capote as well as gear from DeVore, Cain and Cain, Wavelength, Denon, and this little company called Apple. And that's only the beginning.
Naturally, AW's goal is to provide a home for the next generation of audiophiles, feeding our craze for movies and music while giving us the killer gear to go with it. Great concept and we wish them the best of luck in reaching out to the next gen. Check them out!
Permalink | | Posted to Announcements
