| Editorial February 2002
Quality
Reputable people value and produce quality, whatever their
field of endeavor. Although that should be a readily apparent statement, walking the halls
of the 2002 CES gave me time to examine why this is so important. Unfortunately, I
realized in those halls that quality is sometimes lacking in our industry.
From an editorial standpoint, producing a quality
publication is our highest goal. What we present to the reader should value their time and
be representative of our values. To this end, we work each month to improve every aspect
of the site. It’s like getting dressed for work each day. The way we appear tells you
we are professional people that care about your perception of us.
You may be asking why this is important. After all,
you’re here for information on the latest gear, movies, and home-theater-related
matter. You may not really care about the way we look. Maybe a load of typos would not
bother you, and so what if our main page looks like a tornado hit it. The fact is, if we
put energy into our appearance, you have at least some indication that we care about what
we produce, and that includes what you don’t see.
Managing an audio/video review publication can be a
daunting task. It takes planning, assigning each component to someone who will understand
and evaluate it fully, and then producing a cohesive article that gives you the
information you want to know. The fact that we care about quality weaves its way
throughout not only our appearance, but also the way in which we determine the information
enclosed within the outer shell.
We pride ourselves on getting it right. If we tell you a
speaker has an exceptionally clear midrange, it’s because we heard just that. If you
the reader never evaluate the speaker in question, you may not be the wiser if we’re
wrong. But if you do, then our evaluation is confirmed. In turn, we’ve likely gained
a regular reader, which is the backbone of any publication.
Walking the floors of CES, I saw products that looked great
on the outside, but peering underneath the cover, or inside the cabinet, revealed them to
be less than impressive. I also saw a few components that were done right inside and out.
That is the goal we have set for ourselves at Home Theater & Sound. Quality
throughout is our motto.
We accomplished a lot in 2001, but we have more to offer in
2002. We feel it separates us from the pack. Remember this: if a publication cares little
for the way they appear to their readership, just think how much disregard they must have
for what you don’t see.
...Jeff Fritz
editor@hometheatersound.com |
