Contrary to what seems to be approaching a general consensus, I have grown to have more respect for Stereophile's reviewers over the years. I can't think of a single component that I have run through my system (that was also reviewed in Stereophile) that didn't sound like the reviewer described. That isn't to say that I haven't disliked a component, I have...many, but I've never walked away saying to myself, "That didn't sound anything like so and so said it did." Other than that, I expect good writing and they do have the best writers by a wide margin.
Best Place for Negative Reviews?
As I've started reading more reviews of audio equipment, I'm noticing a discouraging trend: They're all positive! If I read one more article that says "this (insert component here) competes with anything 3 times its price!" one more time, I may completely lose faith in reviewers.
And maybe everything above a certain price range sounds good to certain people...but that's the kind of undiscerning ear that doesn't help me learn about which components I should seek to audition.
Is it just me, or do we need more reviewers who put a stake in the ground and just decide which components actually ARE the best values, and which ones you really are just getting what you pay for?
And maybe everything above a certain price range sounds good to certain people...but that's the kind of undiscerning ear that doesn't help me learn about which components I should seek to audition.
Is it just me, or do we need more reviewers who put a stake in the ground and just decide which components actually ARE the best values, and which ones you really are just getting what you pay for?