The Internet hasn't just changed retail and news coverage. It's changed publishing. Today anyone with access to the worldwide web and WordPress software can publish a magazine; just as anyone with a computer can read it... if it's in the right language and you know its URL. Heck, even in the wrong language, Google Translator has your back as long as you know the URL. Today is about pointing your browser at a new hifi review effort out of Poland called Hifi Knights. It's the new home of Marek Dyba and Dawid Grzyb. Both should be familiar to our readers, Marek from our prior syndications of HighFidelity.pl, Dawid for syndications of his old blog and for original content. So consider this my blatant attempt at capitalist propaganda, nepotism and cronyism. If you're of a more sympathetic bend, call it collegial payback for prior support. It's gratifying to see contributors on one's team spread their wings. We've already had Michael Lavorgna move on to helm AudioStream.com, Ken Micallef contribute to Stereophile and DAR. Edgar Kramer writes here but also sits in the main chair of Australia's hifi print magazine.
Joël Chevassus remains active for us whilst helming the French Audiophile-Magazine.com. Paul Candy double-dips between us and Positive Feedback. Jeff Day launched Jeff's Place. John Darko already was busy with his own venture DAR before joining our ranks just as Ralph Werner and Jörg Dames were with FairAudio.de whom we syndicate occasionally. Contributor Artjom Avatinjan is the publisher of Russia's printed The Hifi Journal. What wicked webs we weave. As you'll appreciate from this intro, publishing online and in English makes it easy to form community and creative collaborations. It's an aspect of the job I really and truly love. Hence it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Dawid & Marek's new site and hopefully send them lots of appreciative early traffic. Follow the above link and see what you think. And yes, to support them with their maiden issue, I agreed to have Dawid conduct a lengthy interview. He asked some good questions. Answering them had me think again, on here and everywhere that hifi readers and hifi reviewers meet in the arena called audio reviews. More choice is always a good thing. With our two Warsawian hifi knights going live, your choices for English hifi reviews published online have just grown. I wish our well-armoured men many winning bouts and battles in front of a cheering audience.


Here's how Dawid explained their focus. "Marek and I are the entirety of the HFK operation, Our main goal is publishing in English but breaking all ties with our local community isn't something we want to do. Hence there is room for some Polish articles and the 'Recenzje' tab serves that purpose. Like you, we have no social media pages. Instead of managing such secondary activities, I'd rather write one or two additional reviews each months. And we're easily reached through our 'contact' page. Many audio sites already cover news, upcoming events and such to have us stick to what we know and enjoy the most: write reviews. As for the HifiKnights name, it's related to our mind set. Our roots are in professional journalism of the printed press and of web portals with quality content, decent photography and where editorials are a crucial part of the process. Today many audio-related sites bundle numerous functions and features to have the most important content—reviews—be a small fractured part of the whole. Of course we have nothing against such sites or blogs but we decided to style our project in perhaps a somewhat old-fashioned way. So it's safe to say that with such views and goals, we're rusty medieval knights in these very modern and flashy times. From concept to a working portal it took two IT guys and us about three months. There were several iterations, many adjustments and small things along the road. The site is based on a modified WordPress engine with a custom layout which scales down to mobile rather nicely."