Couldn't have said it better. He was the reviewer who mattered as I was growing up and growing into this hobby. He was fair and consistent and helped shape the audio world.
Julian Hirsch dies
I'll bet the majority of us grew up reading his work in Stereo Review. Here's a link to his N.Y. Times obituary, containing a succinct mention of the reason why most audiophiles eventually outgrew his reviewing method. But until we did - if you were anything like me - you pored over his every word (and measurement) each month when your father's latest issue arrived. R.I.P.