Honest Reviewers ?

Well, as a musician once said, "writing about music is like dancing about architechture." There comes a point where searching the lexicon yields diminishing returns and futility, especially when trying to describe the elusive properties of sound and music. But I would agree there is a suspicious plethora of glowing reviews. I'm new to the audiophile world, but as a professional pianist and studio musician, one exception I've found are the reviews found at Mix Magazine's Field Test Archive, http://www.mixonline.com/resources/ftesttoc.cfm. While the reviews are on professional recording equipment (and you guys should consider Genelec 1029A's, Westlake Audio or Meyer Sound Labs for loudspeaker alternatives), most are objectively reported in real-world applications, and many are accompanied by lab bench tests to support the conclusions. Another exception is Keyboard Magazine, which is far more objective and willing to call an overpriced heap what it is. Wish I could have found the same objective comments online or in mags, but ended up talking to Albert Von Schweikert on the phone before purchasing a used set of VM-2's, and am quite happy with them.

GENTLEMAN,let your ears be the judge,we are in a hobby where money and profit levels dictate the sonic quality of a product.just read the first few pages of the hi-end audio magazines,it's mainly discouraged audiophiles who's had it with HI-END.NOW some companies are thinking of offering warranties on second hand equipment,does that come with a 136 point inspection?PERHAPS of YOUR WALLET.

A wide range of opinion is expressed in the previous responses, however, the question of honesty is never really addressed. The question of the relationship on advertising dollars on editorial content is addressed. The question of whether reviews are being sold for money or equipment is never quite covered. Possibly Carl_Eber comment in a different thread is applicable, let your ears make their own judgements. Trust your ears, reviewers are only a crude guide at best. Some are better than others, some have no context at all, however, better yet, if you are going to spend megabucks on equipment, develop your own context to evaluate equipment and then use reviewers whose observations are verified by your experience as a starting point in your search for the ultimate.

Thanks for the positive comment, "underdressed". Lately, I've been spending too much time talking to women in forums, and wouldn't you know it, I wind up arguing with them too!

It's easy to become cynical about the review/reviewer of the latest and greatest Belchfire 900 (amp, preamp, CD player, speaker, cartridge, wire, etc.) that stages well, focuses tightly, images palpably and holographically, renders instruments timbrally correct, etc. While many of the words and phrases we're all familiar with are not usually applied to a live musical event ("You notice, Ed, the air around the bass player")--except for distortion, they appear to be one of the few common means available to describe the audiophile listening experience. Overused, obligatory, contrived and sometimes so much BS? Probably. Necessary? Definitely, in some universal form. Arcane jargon isn't confined to audiophilia. Consider the patois of wine reviewers: bouquet, supple, round in the mouth, structure, etc. It's up to us to sort through the review and based on experience, cull the crap and consider--hopefully with knowledge of the reviewer's biases, our expectations of the product, and the maker's track record--the content of the piece. A review should be only a guideline; you have to hear it, experience it yourself, as noted so many times in audiophile discussions. As to honesty, do we believe all reviewers and publications are on the take? Some, perhaps, in various ways, such as: the "rave" review for everything--"the best I have heard (since the last best I heard), "I bought the review sample," "You must have _______,"--whether merited or not, for all the reasons stated in other's opinions above. Would we rather have no reviews and no publications? Doubtful. But the idea of an on-line panel of owner-reviewers and experts drawn from various areas of audio certainly is interesting. Expectation? More insightful and balanced comparative analyses of all things associated with audio to make the purchasing process less of a crap shoot for many. A great number of us don't have a friendly dealer who's willing to lend an expensive piece of gear for home audition. Many times, the dealer who will loan equipment doesn't have the piece in question. Solid, no-holds-barred, comparative reviews on the net as noted by Snoopdog would add another element to help all of us make reasoned decisions.