steve hoffman forums, C or D?

Oh, for fucks sake...

My favorite thing about those forums, and I have many favorite things, is that sometimes people put their names in their signatures, then sign their posts in addition to that. Those particular forums automatically "sign" the poster's name to his/her posts right beside the timestamp. So along with the name in their actual avatar, there's the possibility of seeing a poster's name four times with every post. Like those bands with eponymous albums who also have eponymous songs on those albums. But +1.

Or like I just used the word "post" or "poster" five times.

For Hoffman haters. . .

http://stereocentral.tv/phpbb/index.php

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/please-try-and-refrain-from-commenting-on-sound-quality-unless-you-have-your-gear-listed-in-profile.489114/

http://i.imgur.com/IwSlwTq.jpg

The two posts above by two new members shouldn't really be acceptable here. I've picked them at random but this is epidemic here at the SH Forums. I thought I better post this reminder about filling out your equipment profile.

We don't know what you are listening on unless you list your gear under "information" in your profile. Why does this matter? This is why. Something sounds "freakin' fantastic" and I'm going to listen to you and trust you and spend 40 bucks on it? I just have your word for it. What are you listening on? Unless I know that, how can I possibly judge if what you are saying holds any kind of water at all? A gear list doesn't solve it all (you could have a $100,000.00 system and be deaf as a post) but it's not fair to others when one comments on sound quality without giving us a clue as to what the music is being played on.

Please fill out your gear profiles or resist reviewing sound quality here. I don't care what kind of stereo you have, how much it costs, doesn't matter to me. I had a midprice system for years that I loved but if I'm listening on that to tell you what sounds fantastic or not, you have a right to know this and make allowances because my midprice system isn't telling me the full truth about sound quality so I can't tell you the truth about it.

Our readers here deserve to have this at our disposal and take it into account if your review is going to make pronouncements on sound quality. We need to take this important information into consideration.

There are about 30-40 members here who's ears I trust. Some of them have great systems but not all: At least half of them have stereo systems consisting of 1975 college dorm room level or even lower but I still trust their sound reviews. That being said, until you get to know if a person has your taste in sound quality, gear profiles are all we have to go on. The first step only, but it's an important one.

Thanks.

Not a rule, just a request. But if the moderators catch anything like the above posts, they will remove them at their discretion.

Now let the bitchfest begin.

C'mon guys, get 'em out and slap 'em on the table.

this website makes me want to record on and listen to all recorded music on a 20 year old microcassette recorder with a built-in speaker that clips easily

I'm totally cool with that post, put up or shut up if you're gonna run with the big dogs at the hoff'

T-shirt idea: Big Dog with sunglasses giving a thumbs up while smirking, caption "The only MacIntosh I use is my tube amp"

Also possibly the dog has a guitar

And one hand with a repetitive stress injury

arm, paw, whatever. Bad joke.

Naw that's perfect. And the dog's shirt says OLD DOGS RULE

spelling is different

Best part of that thread is the "positive" follow ups from the Hoff making him look even more of a prick

Thread appears to have been deleted. Been spending a bunch of time on the Hoff forums recently & have been largely enjoying it - sometimes genuinely & sometimes in a "lookit the audiophile loonies" kinda way. They have pointed me to a nice reissue of Muswell Hillbillies (which I otherwise woulda ignored as I - ignorantly, I guess - tend to assume anything associated with Record Store Day is cash-grab crapola). But I gotta also check the tendencies; was listening to some stuff my daughter likes & found myself thinking "the engineering on this is terrible!" to which my sensible side said "if your dad had commented on the engineering on a Hüsker Dü record, wouldn't he have been missing the point just like you are now?" So.

above link still works for me

Maybe they made it members-only? I strictly lurk there. I do remember seeing that thread a while back, tho.

Oh yeah I think I have to be signed in to view it.

It seems audiocrazy at a glance, but there totally is a point; it's a forum about sound quality and sound quality definitely varies with equipment, so yeah, I'm with brimstead. Run with the big dogs, waggle your gear about.

But I've also often wondered about a similar approach for mainstream record reviews: sure, over time you can get to 'know' a reviewer's tastes and character to an extent by reading their reviews, but I've rarely, if ever, seen anyone talk in a record review about how they use a record, when they play it, what it's for, at least outside of specialist reviews of dance music. Which would be OK if we were judging / evaluating (and buying / using) music on a purely abstracted, aesthetic level, but we're not; we're fitting music into our lives, using it for all sorts of different purposes.

I'm totally cool with that post, put up or shut up if you're gonna run with the big dogs at the hoff'

― lute bro (brimstead), Thursday, 31 December 2015 22:04 (1 week ago) Permalink

so good

it's a ridiculous board but it is helpful especially when sorting through all the vinyl reissues these days some of which are expensive and not that great, so when you hear universal praise there for, say the Dylan Mono vinyl box that does actually mean something to me...though man I though the Beatles vinyl reissues were gonna tear that place apart, I still don't know what to think.

Sound quality totally isn't an issue for me. I long ago mothballed my vinyl, CDs, turntable and CD player. The only way I listen to music now is v0 mp3s on an iPod through £100 headphones, and it all sounds great to me. My enjoyment of music is unaffected by sub-optimal sound quality.

can't run w/the big dogs
get off the porch

It's a worthwhile resource for information about vinyl (or CD) pressing quality. I often find myself googling "steve hoffman + [X reissue]" when browsing stuff online or at the local record. shop. It is what it is and nothing else. Some of the language around how records sound is completely hilarious and over the top though, no doubt about that.

there's a better video than this, but it's well hidden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAgxUFKaxM

Looks like someone's touched a nerve over at the retirement home...

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/an-oldies-forum.665037/

http://kingdom.golf/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Huey-Lewis11-1600x1000.jpg
The old boy may be barely breathing

this post p much sums it up

Music had a serious impact back in the day, it meant something to people and to the world!

Songs Like ...
Everyday people
Imagine
Say It Loud I'm Black And I'm Proud
What's Going On
Ball Of Confusion

These are just a very few of the type music made back in the day, music meant more!

Also back in the day, you had to have talent, you had to know your instrument, for the most part you had to really be able to sing.

The music scene was way way way better, as far as the acts and the music!

How about this one?

As a high school teacher, I can share with you without a shadow of a doubt, that most youngsters don't care about those old school acts!

notice, I did not say all, but most ... there's absolutely no doubt about it!

I've done it, I've asked them about old school acts and most of them have never even heard of them. Acts that most of us would instantly know, they haven't a clue.

For example...
Bad Company
Foghat
Grand Funk
Sly And The Family Stone
Rare Earth
Edgar Winter

Most of my students, have never even heard of these acts? Now when I let them hear a song or two, some of them may say yeah I've heard that song but I never knew who it was.

This is one of the reasons I started exposing them to Paul McCartney. I just felt they should know who the greatest songwriter is!

Fish meet ILX barrel

haha... this one's great as well:

I've done it, I've asked them about old school acts and most of them have never even heard of them. Acts that most of us would instantly know, they haven't a clue.

For example...
Bad Company
Foghat
Grand Funk
Sly And The Family Stone
Rare Earth
Edgar Winter

Most of my students, have never even heard of these acts? Now when I let them hear a song or two, some of them may say yeah I've heard that song but I never knew who it was.

This is one of the reasons I started exposing them to Paul McCartney. I just felt they should know who the greatest songwriter is!

maccafan, Today at 2:46 PM

Hehehehe... posted that one above, niels... the image of some teacher internally flipping out because his students don't know who Rare Earth are in 2017 is utterly priceless.

haha lol I see! but yeah, great stuff

It's like a Room Full of Lefsetz

BrunoKirbySpinalTap.jpg

classic and dud... I got banned pretty quick for linking an article that denigrated the forum/Hoffman etc. On the surface, it feels like MOJO magazine BBS, with a bunch of curmudgeonly middle-aged men flossing their tech "knowledge," more concern for audio quality, x pressing of Sea Change, etc. than actual music. But it goes beyond that, there's some decent, in-depth Grateful Dead discussion, general classical and jazz talk etc. - it's useful to an extent. Judging by some posts, it's as if some people regard the site as some holy grail of music and -related information. Maybe it's just a generally less 'hip' demographic than ILX, I don't know.

I like all the same music as those dudes, but I don't want to talk about it with them. Perhaps out of fear that I secretly am one of them. They are definitely a valuable resource if/when I'm deciding which reissue of an album I should buy, though. (That's where I heard about the Japanese super deluxe expanded edition of Santana's Lotus which will shortly be on its way to me.)

it's probably a really good place to learn more about foghat

i hope he's not an english teacher. xxxxxxxxp

They are definitely a valuable resource if/when I'm deciding which reissue of an album I should buy, though.

Or which old pressing if you're a record collector.

it's probably a really good place to learn more about foghat

There are some interesting posters who seem to have been active on the late, lamented Velvet Rope forums, which were designed to have discussions among people in the recording and broadcasting industries. I have discovered a number of overlooked 80's/90's and prog bands through member recommendations, too

it's true, they do have a lot of information about old pressings etc., at least when they don't include Hoffman masters. Then you have to sift through the moderator-enforced hagiography to figure out which of the options is best.

I've been enjoying the Fall album-by-album thread on SHF.

Link pls?

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-fall-album-by-album-by-single-by-cassette-thread.485363/

It's a normal thread, no lols to be had from confused interlopers.

Of course the variations in quality between different cd editions of fall albums are some of the hugest of any artist ever so hoffman forum kind of a logical place for a thread like that

yeah hoffman boards what a bunch of losers just debating old led zeppelin albums and beatles remasters...oh wait

http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t389/TheEst/Reviews/the-servant-dirk-bogarde-james-fox.jpg:original

Damn straight, I just discovered Steve Hoffmann forums and wish I hadn't started up here. They may not be quite as smart but they aren't broken creeps like the swine on ILM. I tried for 20 years with positive and encouraging comments, got a lot of attitude in return. See y'all later

― Iago Galdston, Sunday, April 2, 2017 5:33 PM (two weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha, I still flit through those forums. but I got over my 'must have best digital pressing of anything' tendencies very very quickly. It is useful for finding out information on vinyl pressings though.

steve hoffman's mastering on the whole (that I've heard) is really good though. it's worth going to piratebay and finding the leaked (by himself) mastering he did of All Things Must Pass that wound up not getting released.

Another vote for IYWD. It was clinched for me one night when these 2 ancient hippies got up at the open mic I was hosting & played a rickety, broken-down but heartfelt version. Agreed the production is of its time — in a way that isn’t necessarily flattering.

As a kid I liked "The Voice" more than "IYWD" — it's got kind of an Ultravox vibe. I thought they were a New Wave band!

TIL!

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/cecilia-ann-by-the-pixies-yes-i-wrote-recorded-the-song-as-the-surftones-with-my-buddy-frosty.272578/

When two cranks collide.

<3 PBKR us Moodheads need to stay together

Late to this but long distance voyager is at least 60% of a great album

TIL!

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/cecilia-ann-by-the-pixies-yes-i-wrote-recorded-the-song-as-the-surftones-with-my-buddy-frosty.272578🕸/

big dust up over there yesterday in a now deleted thread where Hoffman initially stated that Palestinian flags were no longer allowed to be used in avatars; this quickly turned into both Palestinian and Israeli flags, but not until a few european racists showed their faces by declaring arabs and immigrants rapists and criminals. Lots of people said he may as well ban all flags as avatars if he's going to do this, as well as Putin and Zelinsky avatars (I don't recall anyone ever having a non-funny Putin avatar there but there were certainly some very strong Roger Waters proponents who piped up). Within about 12 hours the entire thread was deleted. Not sure what the policy is now.

I'm guessing no flags.

Better option: no avatars

every avatar needs to just be steve hoffman with a shakti hallograph stick

steve hoffman being zionist actually WAS on my 2024 bingo card

As I read on that dedicated H0ffman burn forum, apparently H0ffman's wife is super hardcore MAGA.

oh whats that forum spill the beans

Thought that was mentioned upthread, but just google "st3r3oc3ntral" obvs with the proper replacements there. Be forewarned, it can be a little toxic at times, but they do a good job of calling out the general misogyny and racism that can run rampant at H0ffman.

thankkkk youuuu

The existence of a Steve Hoffman burn forum is extremely 1999, love it

haha Pitchfork Reviews Steve Hoffman

I hate to ask, but is Hoffman's wife super MAGA nuttery visible somewhere on the web? I was under the impression he was very much anti-MAGA so that must be weird.

But yeah, quite a few reactionary nuts and even actual Nazis on that forum. I think they're clearly in the minority, but really fucking sad when they pop up and pledge allegiance to Trump or spew their vile racist shit about immigrants and minorities. IIRC one of the mods "Dave" had some really disgusting anti-Asian immigrant rants that have since been deleted.

I don't know, just taking it on face value from the posters over there - they are very often digging up (to an uncomfortable degree!) real world links and photos of notorious H0ffman posters, so I'm sure they've sourced something.

Hoffman appears to be vaguely on the left when he posts on Twitter

The rival board mentioned above - it can at times be very amusing, but some of the people there are so consumed by hate for all things SH.tv that they frequently come across as far more pitiful than the goofballs they make fun of

Yeah, was gonna say, the one thread I looked at on SC was full of far more reprehensibly misogynistic shit than anything I've ever seen lurking SHF.

Some on SC just seem to wallow in being as negative about pretty much all rock and pop music to the extent that I think: what exactly is the difference between this and the negativity/narrow mindedness/inability to just enjoy music on the Hoffman board? That ‘sacred cows’ revered on SH.tv are finally getting put in their place? Who gives a crap?

The rival board mentioned above - it can at times be very amusing, but some of the people there are so consumed by hate for all things SH.tv that they frequently come across as far more pitiful than the goofballs they make fun of

That’s what’s great. The kind of posting forged in the fires of Usenet insanity.

Steve Hoffman and forums, the two things I hate
USEnet and insanity, the two things that's great

Finding a super-active Free Forum or usenet group feels so bizarre in 2024. Of course it's filled with completely off-the-chart non-linear obsessional derision and hate. 50/50 chance of one of them self-actualizing into something involving guns.

SC is nuts, there's a 271 page thread bashing just one Hoffman forum member's original music.

They also get very upset indeed at the likes of very obvious, albeit subtle trolls like S.P. Honeybunch who provides excellent discussions like these

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/in-1992-did-nirvana-and-pearl-jams-successes-hurt-emi-usa-modern-rock-promotional-efforts-for-emf.1178741/

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/fine-young-cannibals-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame.1159561/

Yeah, I'm not defending SC really, it's pretty toxic and creepy at times, but every now and then I like to duck in and see how they puncture the self-seriousness of H0ffman.

it’s horrifying and compelling

otm

lol, PaulTMA. those are good finds

SC has some great display names too ... Norman 'Whiplash' Mailer is art

it’s mostly straight up bullying tbh but it does call out right wing bullshit and shady Steve stuff

an all-time favourite
https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/hows-about-one-last-beatles-concert.367997/

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/was-madonnas-papa-dont-preach-influenced-by-the-jefferson-airplanes-papa-john-creach.885388/page-3

And John Lennon's hologram can be beamed down from a Pred ship