OCD mickey website and negativity.

I’ve bought gear from Mikey. I went down to Atlanta to pick up the gear. I bought his used NAT Audio 805 Generator mono blocks and a NAT Audio Symmetrical Balanced Line Stage that he coordinated the sale from one of his existing customers. I picked up both components from him almost two years ago.

His rig looks like a mad scientist experiment but is the most amazing system I’ve ever heard. I have a buddy with a 500k system that I listen to frequently so I can appreciate what an amazing system sounds like. Mikey’s rig is on another level. To be fair, my buddy hasn’t really addressed his room yet because of remodeling. Some say the room accounts for 50% regarding sonics.

I needed a pair of XLR cables for my new gear and Mikey pulled a pair of his top of the line silver foil cables off of his rig and sold them to me before I took everything home. I had a great time hanging out with him, I consider him a friend. He treats everybody he works with like this.

I’ve featured his videos on the private FaceBook group that I created almost five years ago: HiFi and music media releases. We don’t see eye to eye on everything. I’m an analog vinyl guy and he’s a high end digital guy. He makes fun of my AudioQuest cobalt Dragonfly DAC but it sounds incredible with the NAT gear!

I’ll be doing more business with him soon.

Critical thinking is paramount for our society and I fully support it. You should ABSOLUTELY ask yourself who I am and verify my background in the industry, to determine if I am a YouTuber making videos using exotic manufacturers only to bolster my image and perceived credibility, or if I actually am a career Audiophile who has owned a well known USA Amplifier manufacturer, or that I earned a patent in cable design, etc, etc. Its healthy for you to question anyone telling you they are an "expert". This is the age of self proclaimed experts and online smoke and mirrors.. By all means, run me through the gauntlet with everyone else. The issue of "troll" arises when someone does not like my form of message delivery. Maybe its too "rough" for their ears or feelings. So they post pieces that are cloaked in objectivity, yet have a knife covered up. Like this poster saying hes learned from me, but does not understand why the products I choose are not "enough" to be the "real" high end. Evidently TAD Reference One, with NAT Magma GM100 Tubes is not High end..LOL ...Also, one has never "broke" in the 6 years Ive been selling them.. Even if they did break, they are $250 bucks on Ebay or $800 from NAT. If the original poster did any research they would know this, but its still OK to throw shade of "until it breaks" LOL... Ridiculous... and this is what you all get here.. this is the quality of your conversations.. ..

The bottom line is just as a few here are accusing me of complaining or being neg, listen to you all complain right here right now..Even to the point of name calling. This whole thread was created in order to complain and give ground for others to complain as well.... Gaslight much ?

The funny part is the only complainers here are those that have never interfaced with me.LOL..They are only guessing and making things up. Ever ask yourself if these guys just may do the same thing with Audio gear ? Hello, McFly !... Again, typical for a forum... People speaking on a subject that they have zero experience or knowledge about.. Other people reading their fiction and forming opinion, taking a stand and regurgitating it elsewhere, as if its truth.. I hope you know this makes it very easy for us as sellers to manipulate you. If you all only knew what goes on behind these anonymous monikers. Real, actual, names, credentials and affiliations across the board would change things. As was pointed out above, you all know exactly who I am and what I do, and what my system consists of along with my career history. Few of us know who the hell you are, or if you even have an audio system, or if you are someone hired to shill or harass.

The Irony of it all, is that you will be very critical and untrusting with the "popular" folks that speak about audio, but you blindly trust your assumed "peers" on the forums. We know this and it is exploited to its full extent. We may even lie about gear we own on this forum. Not me, however. I dont have that luxury. You can watch my videos and see for yourselves the foundation from which I speak. You can google my history going back 20 years and my associations with industry moguls.. The fact that my amps went into Industrial Light and Magic on the Presidio in SF.. My three trips to Seoul Korea to consult with LG Electronics as Mark Levinson’s (the man, not Harmann) Marketing manager There’s too many to list, but there is the internet to log it all for me..

So go ahead and slam all you want, you will be very aware of what we have been creating in a few short years from now..And you’ll want to be a part of it..Because it makes this hobby a far better place and it includes everyone.

See you all on Youtube

OCD HiFiGuy

Last night I watched a video by Audio Excellence Canada, they claim they "only comment on equipment they sell", and "have a right to do so because they paid for it", etc, and don’t necessarily "care if the manufacturer gets mad at them or not".

And how they "carefully review" the products before they decide to sell them. While the criteria for this was not explicitly laid out, it describes their approach. We cannot say this for some resellers who just sell products and pass it on.

Apparently AE recently received questions by more than a few subscribers about PS Audio, wanting AE to comment more on Paul M and PS Audio. AE carries PSA and were pretty easy on the discussion, no drama, and one can appreciate that.

Whether one believes this strategy or not by AE, it was a simple way of putting their own little disclaimer out there for themselves. Each reviewer has their approach fwtw. 

We can all appreciate how each of these reviewers invests their time and $ to share products with us in any case. I sure do, goofballs and all, I guess👍

There may be some commentary here that could be considered complaining.  Regardless, nothing expressed here but opinions.  Persons that use YouTube as a platform for any topic have to expect others to express like, dislike, or criticism.  Comes with the territory.  The OCD Mikey schtick seems to revolve around  criticism, factually justified or not.  Take criticism as well as dish it out.

Long responses based on the perception of unjustified criticism from others you  accuse of no personal interface and a lack of knowledge or experience is an interesting tactic.  Pot calling the Kettle black.  Also, seems like more building the "expert" contrarian brand. 

For those of us with as much or more time involved in the Audio Hobby as OCD Mikey, knocking overpriced equipment and marketing hype is nothing new or revolutionary.  

Pot calling Kettle Black ? Has even ONE person on this thread to throw shade on me know me ? 

Here I am target on my chest.. Bring it. 

If you state yourself as having experience, identify yourself. Share your experience.. Make us believe.. otherwise we dont believe you.  

OCD Mikey is an audio anti-salesman.  He is the anti-hero, the John Wick of the Audio World.  He is the bogeyman that lurks in the shadows of your listening room.  Rumors say he can walk on ribbon cables without leaving a crease.  He wanders the country like a monk rescuing people from their audio peril.  (Caine’s theme playing in the background.)

Never met him but his customer’s testimonials are positive and sure, he’s not reticent to ruffle a few feathers.

Mikey, you have not claimed to know anyone that you lump into the category of having no knowledge or experience. If you don't know any commenters here personally how is that any different than what you accuse commenter of here.  Your long rambling responses are way too defensive in response to the mild comments  you want to label throwing shade on you.  

Don't think anyone here accused you of having no knowledge or experience.  Several positive comments were made by those having direct contact with you.  Others simply expressed your schtick not being their cup of tea as a source of information. 

Dial the drama back.  You are the one coming here beating your chest as a pinnacle of knowledge and experience somehow wronged.  Myself, and most others here, are not questioning your bona fides.  Simply, your presentation style is not for everyone.

I dont need and dont listen to many reviewers...

I dont buy and dont need to... 😊

But i like the answers of Mikepowellaudio here... I will keep his youtube as an interesting listening. I like sincerity frankness and opinions which may differ from mine if well argued for ...

Thanks to him for his answers...

I’m guessing many of you are not familiar with the hit TV series titled, "Kung Fu" that came out in 1972 to which I alluded to in my previous post. Some years back, I had a young engineer in the office that often used the term "grasshopper". One day I asked him if he knew where that term came from. He did not. So I pulled up that particular episode of Kung Fu to show him where the Kung Fu master nicknamed Caine Grasshopper. Caine as a young boy is training to be a monk. An older monk, a master who is without sight mentions to Caine that there is a grasshopper at his feet. Startled, Caine jumps and asked his master, "Old man, how could you hear the grasshopper at my feet?" To which the without sight Master replies, "Young man, how is it that you could not?"

Now isn’t that just like Audio?

The difference is that you hear the grasshooper or not....

But hearing the listener envelopment acoustic factor (LV)  in a room  with a balanced auditory source width (ASW) must be experimented and learned one step at a time. Because it is related to many parameters of frequencies, sound pressure levels and inter aural cues and correlation and other acoustics factors...Here we hear and learn to hear in an incremental controllable way...

In audio we dont buy costlier upgrade  to hear better as most do ... We learn how to hear and how to listen to begin with  to spare our money on pieces of gear BEFORE  we had  mastered acoustical,electrical and mechanical basic embeddings  workings controls of the system.

@mikepowellaudio Great post! Thanks for posting, Mike. Hopefully this clears up a few things for people.

@mikepowellaudio 

hi, sorry for misspelling your name in my initial post. They don’t let you edit the title fields on this forum, only the body of the message.

My hands don’t work very well and I have to dictate.

your Nat amplifiers with their very oversized tubes are exceptionally cool and yes Breaking them is a valid concern because they’re so big and likely very fragile. Replacing them is a concern as with any tube in an amplifier. Maybe you’ve done it but it would be nice to know what it is that makes these amplifier so good and why the $95,000 version of this is deserving of $95,000. Clearly this is not in your overpriced concerns that you have when you see other gear that’s extremely expensive.

By far and it’s not disputed, you are vastly more knowledgable and go to the effort of providing, at times, a very graphic credible critique of the inner workings of audio gear. The autopsies you have done are amazing and not done that often. Being provided a View of the inner workings of these mystery boxes we call audio gear is awesome and anyone would love to see more of this. People spending $5 to $30,000 or more for a mystery box deserve to know more about what’s going on. The producers of these products fall far short in doing this.

The Best Buy sale of audio gear via Magnolia is horrifying the way they stuff all the audio gear together in their sales rooms. And yes some of it is of cheaper Quality but still very worthwhile for many people.

Why Mcintosh hurts it’s image by being associated with Best Buy is sadly profit motivated. However, it could be a good thing since it exposes the world to better quality audio gear which is in your interests I would think.

You’re negative comments about McIntosh are very broad-based and yes certain of their products is not as good as some of their other products. You need to provide more details on why you don’t like certain of their products and maybe you do like certain of their products. I don’t like their av processor equipment, and the lack of their producing a standalone line stage tube pre-amplifier without the damn phono stage which has always been a concern. But their tube amplifiers are very good and to criticize this area doesn’t make sense unless you’re willing to explain why. And you clearly have capabilities and technical expertise to offer these insights.

Also B&w speakers, also disappointingly sold by Best Buy, is a speaker that you criticize. You did a video with a BMW 802 D3 a while back. It was in a dealer sales room which had a good amplifier connected to it as I recall, and you took a quick listen and I you recall you saying that it was deserving of more attention. Have you ever given an 800 series B&w speaker a serious listen?

You provide comparative listening on your YouTube channel quite a bit, knowing full well that most people can’t hear a damn bit of difference when they’re listening to this despite how good your microphone is. in These situations I think all viewers would love to hear your comments about what you are hearing?

I’m waiting on the $1K Playback Designs DAC….. ?

Seriously, anybody know which USA made $1K DAC he is talking about…. ?

I stopped watching Mikey years ago. To many rants and not enough real information.  I’ll check it out again, maybe his channel has changed for the better.

The $1k DAC is on this page.

DIGITAL/ANALOG CONVERTERS | 11stereo

BTW - thanks for the heads up on the 10% off for new buyers. There is a DAC on the page above that I plan on getting. Another option for me.

@yyzsantabarbara No problem! I bought my Puritan PSM156 with it. Good deal.

@curiousjim

I stopped watching Mikey years ago. To many rants and not enough real information.

You’ll definitely want to watch the recent one where he "baits" people on this forum, calling them out by their handle, and claiming that they post so often on the forum that they have no life, are liars, or are professional shills for the big Audio Industry. That’s a classy one that represents his professionalism and knowledge. 

Does this sound like high end audio marketing hype Mikey would rant about?

"They also include "passive RF/EMI filtering technology utilizing rare earth minerals in a polymer matrix, as well as treatments to the live and neutral leg to reduce magnetic flux, as well as a crystal wafer resonating disc which activates in the presence of AC power."

Tex, did you pull that off of his website or is it a quote from one of his YT videos?

hilde45

You’ll definitely want to watch the recent one where he "baits" people on this forum, calling them out by their handle, and claiming that they post so often on the forum that they have no life, are liars, or are professional shills for the big Audio Industry.

That's just creepy. Thanks for pointing it out, @hilde45.

So watching the new video from Mikey today. It’s about audio note. A very expensive brand from England which I wouldn’t mind owning.

The video starts out with some early hints of mutual likeability between the parties as an early bonding is underway. If only this was captured on video.

By the end of the video it’s full on euphoria as audio note really terms on the charm and I think Mikey is in love. This is a great video as we hear about the beginning of a possible long-term friendship. Two guys bonding over Music Sharing. This is what audio listening is all about. This is why people should expand to more seating in their listening rooms. So sad to see those single chairs in rooms with such expensive audio gear being displayed.

It’s about 20 minutes and a really nice video.

Audio Note has been building excellent and very affordable gear including kits for…. decades…. of course posters w 12 k posts over more than a decade have tumbled to this….. long long ago… without any help from two chairs… one occupied by Mike..

buy a soldering iron and some AN caps or wire and get busy…

@hilde45  do i need to see it ?

3 chairs…. those who understand a wide sweet-spot is… wait for it… LOSSY… with the underlying principles of stereo in mind

oups!

I am not so sure his videos will interest me after reading this...

I trust hilde45... Then i will not investigate mike youtube... Time is precious...

hilde45

You’ll definitely want to watch the recent one where he "baits" people on this forum, calling them out by their handle, and claiming that they post so often on the forum that they have no life, are liars, or are professional shills for the big Audio Industry.

That’s just creepy. Thanks for pointing it out, @hilde45.

@yyzsantabarbara yes, i found it…. you go first…

How hard is it for dealers to find manufacturers who will allow them to sell their product ?

If I wanted to become a dealer and start selling audio gear can I just call manufacturers and say hey can I sell your gear to a bunch of customers I have?

And then do I have to whine and dine these manufacturers to convince them how good it would be to do business with me? And then do I have to commit to spending a lot of money to buy the products at wholesale and then they allow me to start selling their products?

This seems pretty easy.

So these videos that I watch are a dance between the dealer and the manufacturer. If I do a good job recommending their product and showcasing it can I then begin to sell their product?

So many currents of activity going on. And then you have to decide whether what you’re hearing is the truth or just people finding ways to promote and sell products.

@tonywinga 

From a review of Verastarr Grand Illusion Cables.  Sounds like exactly what OCD Mikey rails against, doesn't it?  Oh the hypocrisy!

To the Moderator that removed my original response, I want a specific and precise explanation why.  Nothing in my comments is any different than sentiment expressed in this thread or many others on Audiogon relating to deceitful behavior. 

OCD Mikey came to Audiogon, by his own admission and pointed out by hilde45, to bait individuals, publish handles, and levy unproven accusations of being shills in a video. What are you doing about that??

A very good question, does the behavior violate terms of service ? Possibly more importantly does the behavior constitute defamation or slander ?

@hilde45

I just watched the rant you mentioned and crap like that is why I left his channel. I guess he doesn’t know that there are thousands of of threads started here every year a people post on what interests them.  I also guess if you make a mistake, you’re a shill. I guess I’m almost a shill because I have more than 100 posts.

New video was just released tonight by OCD Mikey - it was an audio note gear listening session titled ‘unleashed’. Interesting.

Video was basically pure sound from beginning to end, a bunch of edgy sounds all mixed together and I guess you’d have to be there too appreciate it, maybe.

Personally I really didn’t like it. And would need to be medicated to enjoy it.

Somehow this is intended to demonstrate that audio note can handle anything. Maybe that’s true. I sure wish these listening sessions had commentary explaining why the hell this system sounds different or better than other systems if that’s even possible and if not possible what the hell are they doing this for. Please tell us about the components, and we did learn that parts of what they sell are handmade somewhere in England as if that’s supposed to be helpful.

Basically these are mystery boxes and no one knows what the heck goes on inside them and maybe they sound a bit different from other systems. I guess if you pay someone lots of money for one of these mystery boxes you can trust everything’s OK. For many people it’s just as easy as passing over the plastic card and it’s all yours.

@hilde45 do i need to see it ? [the rant video]

I don’t know. I tried to sum up things early in this thread.

There is an erratic quality to the behavior. On the one hand, making videos which explain and teach about audio -- gear, acoustics, criteria for listening, power, and more. Doing show reports. Talking with others who are knowledgeable. A lot of value in those. At the same time, creating a brand identity as a rogue, truth-teller, bucking the powers-that-be, yada yada yada. Making outrageous videos, calling people shills with their handles on a public facing video, then coming on the very forum he rants against to defend himself and claim his bona fides in the audio industry. -- And on top of it all, running a business where he's also selling audio. So... "outside the industry" while also "inside the industry." Everyone has to pay the bills, but this is surely trying to have it both ways. In my opinion.

For some, the rogue stuff will be dismissible; just part of his schtick. For others, the rogue stuff will seem erratic, volatile, and undermining of his character and judgment about audio in general. Basically, it’s a judgment call.

@emergingsoul 

It is difficult to find a reliable source for information about audio products.  I sympathize with anyone trying to wade through YouTube videos in search of reliable information. My 2 cents worth is this. Search for well organized presentations that include both specifications and impressions. No drama, simple and direct.

hilde45 provided another good summary of reasons I choose to avoid the likes of OCD Mikey.  Digging a little deeper regarding the appearance OCD Mikey plays both sides when it suits him, industry insider or rogue outsider.  Mikey sells cables described as containing materials and construction claimed to be superior, but provides no cogent technical explanation or test data as proof.  Rare earth minerals and a crystal resonating disk provide exactly what scientifically verifiable benefit?  That is exactly the same meaningless hype he rails against.  Guess he thinks only charging a couple thousand dollars instead of 10 thousand dollars make his meaningless hype OK. Regardless, he provides no proof that his cable is any better than a hundred dollar cable. 

OCD Mikey sells expensive audio gear.  The rogue outsider routine cannot be taken seriously.  I would not waste a single minute watching him going forward.

Why are the nat amplifiers he sells so expensive?? They look really cool. It's $100,000.  I love the really oversized tubes used

Respectfully, Audio Note dealers are happy to explain in granular detail what’s inside the boxes, and explain why what’s inside matters. They are also generally amenable to removing the covers to show prospective buyers the circuitry.

Audio Note owner, Peter Qvortrup, a consummate gentleman, will answer questions as comprehensively as one requires. He’s remarkably easy to contact, and seemingly always has time for a customer.

That’s nice to hear about explaining what’s inside the mystery box. Maybe mikey can do a video on this. I wish more videos about what goes on inside the mystery boxes would be done. Also would be nice to hear explanations about crossover electronics used inside all these noteworthy speakers everybody talks about. Crossover electronics really impact the sound and I hear that lots of speaker manufactures try to save money on what they install because no one focusses on this stuff. 

He's entertaining, has a point of view that he's pretty clear about, has legitimate background/experience in the industry and no apparent agendas beyond what he says.  He often proclaims he's just another jackass on you tube with an opinion.  I have no problem with any of it.  He's more straightforward and honest about what he's doing than most "experts" on youtube or in the magazines.  He fashions himself as the "black sheep" and anti establishment, which gets a little shop-worn, but he mostly is.  If you don't like his schtick, don't watch it.

@joc3021 

The OCD Mikey schtick is a like it or not proposition.  However, his ecstatic announcement about baiting Audiogon members, exposing handles, and making unsupportable accusations is not the actions of an honest person with no agenda.  That action was driven by an agenda mixed with a big dose of ego, make no mistake. If you think that stunt was OK, then a whole different discussion about what constitutes an upstanding ethical person.

The just another fool on Youtube with an opinion act does not wash.  No amount of "aw shucks, I am just a little guy speaking the truth, really, trust me, I'm on your side" Barnum & Bailey act can cover up the fact Mikey is part of the high end audio industry.  

@emergingsoul 

That’s nice to hear about explaining what’s inside the mystery box. Maybe mikey can do a video on this. I wish more videos about what goes on inside the mystery boxes would be done. Also would be nice to hear explanations about crossover electronics used inside all these noteworthy speakers everybody talks about. Crossover electronics really impact the sound and I hear that lots of speaker manufactures try to save money on what they install because no one focusses on this stuff. 

Yeah, Audio Note UK spends a little time on their crossovers. In fact, in their signature speaker models, some of the capacitors are the size of soda cans. They spend an incredible amount of time on their crossovers….and its a two-way.

OCD Mike sells Jeff Rowland's gear. That's enough for me.

I enjoy him and have had a few conversations with him. If or when I am in the market for new gear I will reach out to @mikepowellaudio. 

Brands like Jeff Rowland or TAD wouldn't let Mike sell their product if he wasn't legit.  I picked up a pair of F&F speakers at his house in Jan.  His wife was fantastic and a music lover as well.  She's a better salesperson than he is!  I trust Mike's ear.  I agree with him that some of the hyped lines are overpriced or sound over analytical to me.  He recently had a video where he complimented brands he doesnt rep like Borreson and Avant Garde for their rooms at Florida Audio Expo.

If Mikey moves enough merchandise brands are happy - and that makes him legit?

Mikey gleefully promotes his deceitful baiting of Audiogon members for self promotion.  I someone is legit, that behavior is not necessary.

After his video stunt is called out as bad behavior, posts start showing up praising Mikey. 

Coincidence?  

real folks here should make sure their b-s meters are working... there are layers upon layers of it here

The rogue outsider routine cannot be taken seriously. 

his ecstatic announcement about baiting Audiogon members, exposing handles, and making unsupportable accusations is not the actions of an honest person with no agenda....If you think that stunt was OK, then a whole different discussion about what constitutes an upstanding ethical person.

If Mikey moves enough merchandise brands are happy - and that makes him legit?

+1000 @texbychoice 

real folks here should make sure their b-s meters are working... there are layers upon layers of it here

@jjss49 Hard agree. I'm not sure everyone has one of those. The idea (down in this thread) that one "just doesn't have to watch" is good advice for a child, and fatuous for adults. Of course no one *has to* watch. The idea is to call out b.s. rather than just let it happen. Kind of like any other  with any other odious phenomenon. It can be ignored -- but it shouldn't be. It should be called out and criticized, debated, etc. 

So much baiting. How can we trust the positive comments?

I listen to his videos and learn but have never really heard much about speaker construction outside of the exterior cabinet materials.

Mr. Powell does a great job explaining the insides of a Power conditioner and talks about Cable and power cord construction every once in a while.  But I don't recall him talking about the construction of crossovers within the speaker in any great detail.

I wish there were more opportunities to learn from these guys who may have the knowledge. Maybe they turn off the viewers if it gets too intellectual. We know the manufacturers won't do any of this.

@emergingsoul 

At this point if you want to depend on OCD Mikey for information, that is your choice. However, there are others with knowledge that are without drama and easy to understand.  Suggest you broaden your horizons.

Mikey might know audio inside out.  Unfortunately, his deceitful actions for nothing more than self promotion disqualify him as an honest broker.  He reminds me of a car dealer trying to lure in customers with this line - "We loose a little on each deal, but make up for it in volume".  

texbychoice

... his deceitful actions for nothing more than self promotion disqualify him as an honest broker ...

I think that's a good summary. There are certainly many audio dealers who are willing to work and earn your trust and business.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Mike a while back. I found him to be very knowledgeable. He gave me some advice concerning cabling that helped me out.

Sounds like he has 2 feet in the business. Never heard of him don't have time for watching audio videos.