About

AV MAX is a special interest audiophile magazine owned by publishing company Infomedia18, which is in turn a Network18 division. Based in Mumbai, the magazine is distributed across India and certain South-East Asian cities. Since June 2008, the Executive Editor of the magazine is Swapnil Raje.

Established in December 1999, the magazine focuses on reviewing high-end audio-video equipment like amplifiers, stereos, floorstanding speakers and related news. The magazine also publishes content on music reviews, Blu-ray/DVD reviews and music events and profiles.The magazine caters to audiophiles or AV enthusiasts and the B2B communities alike.

The magazine is an independent, self-styled content that has with its in-depth product reviews, have won a strong readership across the country. The magazine has a panel of in-house engineering experts and also collaborates with experts from select streams of the market. Also, equipped with a state-of-the-art AV studio in the office, the magazine provides the reader with detailed unbiased reviews, sharp product shots and fresh insights into the market.

Recently, AV MAX completed 10 years and came out with a special “Best of 2009″ issue. Following the Anniversary issue celebrated in the January 2010 issue, the magazine has been redesigned and restructured, which has been reflected in the October 2010 issue.And in-line with the redesign, the price of the magazine has gone up from Rs 75 to Rs 100 that reflects AV MAX’s interest in giving more to the reader.

Stated Sandeep Khosla, CEO, Infomedia18, about the redesign, “The new cover design is a lot more open, without borders and the new AV Max logo is taller and leaner, because of which it can be noticed in a crowd of magazines; the cover, too, has a premium look. The new cover design also allows us to showcase more stories on the cover, informing the reader that there is a whole lot to be read in the magazine.”

History

The previous editor of AV MAX was Nishant Padhiar went on to become the editor of the men’s gadget magazine, T3. He left Infomedia18 in 2008 to become the editor of UK based magazine called What Hi-Fi (India) and Stuff, owned by the Haymarket Media Group, UK.

AV MAX Expo

AV MAX also initiated a Audio-Video Expo dedicated for Audiophiles and Home-Entertainment/Hi-Fi enthusiasts AV MAX expo was initiated in 18 January 2002. The first expo held at Taj Lands End [1] brought in a strong crowd of 40,000. The AV MAX Expo has been instrumental in introducing the concept of Hi-Fi (High Fidelity) and the concept of Home-Theatre to the common man giving them the touch and feel of Hi-End brands like Bose, B&W, Onkyo, Denon, Thiel, Definitive Technology, Yamaha and more than 200 brands.

Best Of AV MAX

Every year, AV MAX selects the best products from 35 categories reviewed through the previous year. While half of the awards are dedicated to AV products, the second half of the selection focus on 9 catergories of music and DVD. The ‘Best Of’ Special feature is usually revealed in January of each year.

AV MAX Landmarks: Some salient features of your favourite magazine:

1. AV MAX reviews an average of 15 products every month.
2. Since our anniversary in January 2010, AV MAX has tested 150 products across 33 categories.
3. Each component is independently tested in AV MAX’s very own studio.
4. All our products have been individually shot by ace photographer, Shiresh Karale.
5. Since January 2010, AV MAX has reviewed over 66 music albums and over 25 DVDs.
6. AV MAX comprises 8 core members and an advisory board.
7. We are the first magazine in India to initiate an award recognizing talents of sound engineering and arrangement/ orchestration.
8. The first recipients of the AV MAX technical awards were Hitesh Sonik for Orchestration (‘Ishqa Ishqa’) and Indian Ocean won the award for Best recording for their album ‘Jhini’ in 2004.
9. AV MAX has also initiated the first-of-its-kind awards such as ‘Aesthetics’, ‘Value For Money’ and ‘Ease Of Use’.
10. Every month AV MAX introduces a new brand to our readers.