Performance Auto & Sound
11-01-2006, 10:03 AM
#11
The main problem I see with the mag is that is it like the old saying "Jack of all trades, master of none." Whether it is performance, audio, or style related none of the articles and tech are in depth enough.
That along with tacky car after tacky car with either a Sony Xplod or Visonik car audio sponsorship. Just too much fluff.
That along with tacky car after tacky car with either a Sony Xplod or Visonik car audio sponsorship. Just too much fluff.
11-01-2006, 10:19 AM
#12
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 624
i buy pas mag every month. my likes and dis likes
likes
1 car audio and lowriders (MY TWO FAV THING IN ONE)
2 alot of canadian show like cspl (that im in)
3 once and awile good buyer guide
dislikes
1 no really car audio tec
2 no real lowrider help
3 very very few db drag stuff like tips and tricks
4 how many time do they have to show how to install door speakers
i just think if you going to do car audio mag then do the best of both worlds, db and sq. Pas only does sq. that alot of the problem, db drag guys want db not sq.
my 2cents lol
likes
1 car audio and lowriders (MY TWO FAV THING IN ONE)
2 alot of canadian show like cspl (that im in)
3 once and awile good buyer guide
dislikes
1 no really car audio tec
2 no real lowrider help
3 very very few db drag stuff like tips and tricks
4 how many time do they have to show how to install door speakers
i just think if you going to do car audio mag then do the best of both worlds, db and sq. Pas only does sq. that alot of the problem, db drag guys want db not sq.
my 2cents lol
11-01-2006, 03:06 PM
#13
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 125
4- The reviews are very transparent. I know Dmac frequents this forum, and he knows I love him, but the reviews leave a lot to be desired in terms of honesty. You will never see a negative thing said about a product. The closest they will come is saying that it "doesn't quite meet specifications". I'm sorry but there ARE turds out there and the magazine shouldn't be afraid of saying so. (Dmac is just doing his job though... so we can't blame him. He has a family to feed just like the rest of us!)
Jordy I agree with this point< who doesn’t want them to rip a manufacturer a new one(only way things get better right )
I think that’s one of the best points. Its right in your face but sometimes its over looked. Everyone’s not equal but the magazine makes it seem that way.
Jordy I agree with this point< who doesn’t want them to rip a manufacturer a new one(only way things get better right )
I think that’s one of the best points. Its right in your face but sometimes its over looked. Everyone’s not equal but the magazine makes it seem that way.
Last edited by The Icon; 11-01-2006 at 06:44 PM.
11-01-2006, 03:07 PM
#14
Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 16,855
I want to make a general observation..
Magazines, regardless of subject, that remain popular and successful over time generally have one thing in common: depth.
What made Car Audio and Electronics and Car Stereo Review really cool back in the day? Depth. Articles on passive crossovers or boxes didn't just have a chart - they explained in depth how the worked! Don't understand? Read more! Learn!
Articles on cars were not just lists of gear either with the odd verb in there. They explained WHY this piece was in there or WHAT that piece did. Depth, not Fluff. WHY did the guy build kickpanels and not do dash speakers??
I can look at the picture and see what is in the car. What pisses me off is if I see a tweeter mounted in the steering wheel (over the top example) and the freaking text does not tell me what the hell the point of it is. Like I say, the text becomes a list of gear and mods and *yawn* I put the mag back and walk away...
CA&E, CSR, AS&S all fluffed it out, lost the depth, lost the how to and tech articles and guess what.... they flushed it.
Oh and for the freaking love of all that is good - if it's a stereo article, do NOT spend page discussing the paint and wheels and two paragraphs on the 'list of gear'. Dammit that cheezes me off.
not that I'm bitter....
Magazines, regardless of subject, that remain popular and successful over time generally have one thing in common: depth.
What made Car Audio and Electronics and Car Stereo Review really cool back in the day? Depth. Articles on passive crossovers or boxes didn't just have a chart - they explained in depth how the worked! Don't understand? Read more! Learn!
Articles on cars were not just lists of gear either with the odd verb in there. They explained WHY this piece was in there or WHAT that piece did. Depth, not Fluff. WHY did the guy build kickpanels and not do dash speakers??
I can look at the picture and see what is in the car. What pisses me off is if I see a tweeter mounted in the steering wheel (over the top example) and the freaking text does not tell me what the hell the point of it is. Like I say, the text becomes a list of gear and mods and *yawn* I put the mag back and walk away...
CA&E, CSR, AS&S all fluffed it out, lost the depth, lost the how to and tech articles and guess what.... they flushed it.
Oh and for the freaking love of all that is good - if it's a stereo article, do NOT spend page discussing the paint and wheels and two paragraphs on the 'list of gear'. Dammit that cheezes me off.
not that I'm bitter....
11-01-2006, 03:42 PM
#15
^^^^ Exactly! Most of these magazine are about as intresting as watching paint dry. Anyone can write a description of pictures, but where are the intresting technical articles? That is exactly why I would rather frequent this web site a few times a day. I aways pick up something new, and I much rather read a lively disscussion of the technical aspects of car audio, than some bland product review or some article listing the various components of some install that only a professional or person with ludacis buget could afford.
Someone should take the best threads from this site and publish them once a month. Would make for better reading IMO. Or how about an article where 2 pro teams are given idenitcal budgets, vehicles and a goal (ie. sq or spl) and a week to complete the best install, who wouldn't want to read that?
Someone should take the best threads from this site and publish them once a month. Would make for better reading IMO. Or how about an article where 2 pro teams are given idenitcal budgets, vehicles and a goal (ie. sq or spl) and a week to complete the best install, who wouldn't want to read that?
Last edited by StickyFingaz; 11-01-2006 at 03:45 PM.
11-01-2006, 04:32 PM
#16
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 509
yes... i agree too much fluff n not enough depth... they need to really get into it and tell us what we can not get out of the picture ourselves. And someone mentioned about the crossovers and a chart when it used to be how they worked, i would really like to see stuff like that too because then i could read and read and i would be learning a bit deeper into the car audio world. i think it would help to do a more in detail explinations so that people like me (know most of the basic stuff about car audio) can learn more!
And also i agree with what JordyO says about the reviews, they really need to be mean some times and give 2/10 or what not instead of sucking up to the manufacures with good lots of high ratings. This helps us choose our gear plus if the manufacures really want to appeal to the market and get the sales up then they will look into what there weaknesses are and fix them, these high ratings or even average ratings are not attracting them enough to read into it and change there product
My .02 there, n i might be a bit off because i used to get a PAS mag ever once in awhile from the 7-11 but they stopped getting it so i havent seen a PAS mag in probably 6 months lol....liked it back then because i wasnt as intrested in car audio and i just liked the pictures but things have changed since then!
And also i agree with what JordyO says about the reviews, they really need to be mean some times and give 2/10 or what not instead of sucking up to the manufacures with good lots of high ratings. This helps us choose our gear plus if the manufacures really want to appeal to the market and get the sales up then they will look into what there weaknesses are and fix them, these high ratings or even average ratings are not attracting them enough to read into it and change there product
My .02 there, n i might be a bit off because i used to get a PAS mag ever once in awhile from the 7-11 but they stopped getting it so i havent seen a PAS mag in probably 6 months lol....liked it back then because i wasnt as intrested in car audio and i just liked the pictures but things have changed since then!
11-01-2006, 04:34 PM
#17
Thanks, you just saved me a lot of typing; my sentiments exactly.
regards, Mark
regards, Mark
Originally Posted by JordyO
I know this has been mentioned a lot... so some of these are reoccuring complaints, but here's what I think we'll get as replies from most people. I'll add my comments as well.
1- WAY too many adds. - I'm sure we all understand that ads are what makes the magazine happen on a montly basis but I find PAS to be over the top. This is probably due to problem #2
2- Too diverse. They try and hit on every scene that is automotive related. I'm sorry but having drag racers, drifters, show cars, lowriders, car audio... ect ect all in a mag just makes it so each section gets lost. I understand that this is to appel to a wider audience but in the end I believe each section ends up feeling like it is being 1/2 assed in order to cram in as much content as possible and none of them recieve the attention they deserve.
3- Ads for products RIGHT NEXT to a review. Seriously, do they think we're dumb? I understand that it's what the manuf's want, but as a reader it makes the whole thing look as if the review were paid for and it's nothing but an extended ad.
4- The reviews are very transparent. I know Dmac frequents this forum, and he knows I love him, but the reviews leave a lot to be desired in terms of honesty. You will never see a negative thing said about a product. The closest they will come is saying that it "doesn't quite meet specifications". I'm sorry but there ARE turds out there and the magazine shouldn't be afraid of saying so. (Dmac is just doing his job though... so we can't blame him. He has a family to feed just like the rest of us!)
To those of you who say that it doesn't make sense to put in a negative review I say BS! Please check out a computer magazine called Maximum PC. It's one of the biggest/best magazines out there and the #1 reason why is because they're HONEST. They have given products ratings of 2/10. So long as they can justify why it was done, there should be no complaints. They also print additional comments by manufacturers after the fact if they think the testing is unfair. Hell, they've even repeated reviews if a manufacturer makes a valid reason as to why a rating was unfair. From their readers point of view they are constantly thanked and congratulated for their efforts and they still get advertising from these companies. I think that, if anything, it helps people see where improvements can be made in their products!
In a nutshell I think that the biggest problem with PAS is that it's made for their vendors/manufacturers rather than their readers and that fact is very obvious.
Welp... that's my $.02 at least
1- WAY too many adds. - I'm sure we all understand that ads are what makes the magazine happen on a montly basis but I find PAS to be over the top. This is probably due to problem #2
2- Too diverse. They try and hit on every scene that is automotive related. I'm sorry but having drag racers, drifters, show cars, lowriders, car audio... ect ect all in a mag just makes it so each section gets lost. I understand that this is to appel to a wider audience but in the end I believe each section ends up feeling like it is being 1/2 assed in order to cram in as much content as possible and none of them recieve the attention they deserve.
3- Ads for products RIGHT NEXT to a review. Seriously, do they think we're dumb? I understand that it's what the manuf's want, but as a reader it makes the whole thing look as if the review were paid for and it's nothing but an extended ad.
4- The reviews are very transparent. I know Dmac frequents this forum, and he knows I love him, but the reviews leave a lot to be desired in terms of honesty. You will never see a negative thing said about a product. The closest they will come is saying that it "doesn't quite meet specifications". I'm sorry but there ARE turds out there and the magazine shouldn't be afraid of saying so. (Dmac is just doing his job though... so we can't blame him. He has a family to feed just like the rest of us!)
To those of you who say that it doesn't make sense to put in a negative review I say BS! Please check out a computer magazine called Maximum PC. It's one of the biggest/best magazines out there and the #1 reason why is because they're HONEST. They have given products ratings of 2/10. So long as they can justify why it was done, there should be no complaints. They also print additional comments by manufacturers after the fact if they think the testing is unfair. Hell, they've even repeated reviews if a manufacturer makes a valid reason as to why a rating was unfair. From their readers point of view they are constantly thanked and congratulated for their efforts and they still get advertising from these companies. I think that, if anything, it helps people see where improvements can be made in their products!
In a nutshell I think that the biggest problem with PAS is that it's made for their vendors/manufacturers rather than their readers and that fact is very obvious.
Welp... that's my $.02 at least
11-01-2006, 04:36 PM
#18
about the reviews, my understanding from DMac, was that he writes the review, good or bad, and sends it back to the CO. for aproval. if they don't like the review, it doesn't get printed, hence why you only really see 100% positive review.
Mark
Mark
11-01-2006, 04:37 PM
#19
That's what I want to see in a mag as well... hell I'd love to see that here, and since you're the resident in passives, or so it seems.....
Mark
Mark
Originally Posted by Dukk
I want to make a general observation..
Magazines, regardless of subject, that remain popular and successful over time generally have one thing in common: depth.
What made Car Audio and Electronics and Car Stereo Review really cool back in the day? Depth. Articles on passive crossovers or boxes didn't just have a chart - they explained in depth how the worked! Don't understand? Read more! Learn!
Articles on cars were not just lists of gear either with the odd verb in there. They explained WHY this piece was in there or WHAT that piece did. Depth, not Fluff. WHY did the guy build kickpanels and not do dash speakers??
I can look at the picture and see what is in the car. What pisses me off is if I see a tweeter mounted in the steering wheel (over the top example) and the freaking text does not tell me what the hell the point of it is. Like I say, the text becomes a list of gear and mods and *yawn* I put the mag back and walk away...
CA&E, CSR, AS&S all fluffed it out, lost the depth, lost the how to and tech articles and guess what.... they flushed it.
Oh and for the freaking love of all that is good - if it's a stereo article, do NOT spend page discussing the paint and wheels and two paragraphs on the 'list of gear'. Dammit that cheezes me off.
not that I'm bitter....
Magazines, regardless of subject, that remain popular and successful over time generally have one thing in common: depth.
What made Car Audio and Electronics and Car Stereo Review really cool back in the day? Depth. Articles on passive crossovers or boxes didn't just have a chart - they explained in depth how the worked! Don't understand? Read more! Learn!
Articles on cars were not just lists of gear either with the odd verb in there. They explained WHY this piece was in there or WHAT that piece did. Depth, not Fluff. WHY did the guy build kickpanels and not do dash speakers??
I can look at the picture and see what is in the car. What pisses me off is if I see a tweeter mounted in the steering wheel (over the top example) and the freaking text does not tell me what the hell the point of it is. Like I say, the text becomes a list of gear and mods and *yawn* I put the mag back and walk away...
CA&E, CSR, AS&S all fluffed it out, lost the depth, lost the how to and tech articles and guess what.... they flushed it.
Oh and for the freaking love of all that is good - if it's a stereo article, do NOT spend page discussing the paint and wheels and two paragraphs on the 'list of gear'. Dammit that cheezes me off.
not that I'm bitter....
11-01-2006, 05:23 PM
#20
50 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 152
as in content when your talking technical
it gets diverse and not cover the same subject over and over
and thats what mags become
besides reviews how many how to install or how does it work articles can a mag come up with?
before becoming stuck on repeat
it gets diverse and not cover the same subject over and over
and thats what mags become
besides reviews how many how to install or how does it work articles can a mag come up with?
before becoming stuck on repeat
