It's heartwarming to know that in this digital age, the power of the press is not dead yet...
I hope for some folks' sake that this amp is as good as Mr. Pearson says it is (this month). |
Asa, my "this month" isn't meant so much in a calculated or cynical vein (regarding Pearson's motivations, not my own), as it was wistfully, or even groping blindly. I honestly don't know if he, or others in similar positions to his, even have the time, inclination, or recognition to ever step back from the fray once in a while, and meditate on how exactly it was that they traveled the path they have, and what that might mean for their future peregrinations. It's almost as if he or they don't see it coming yet again. JGH had the right idea, and went away to contemplate what might matter more - and hasn't been done or perfected yet. Not that amps have, of course, but I don't believe (do I ever?) in the quantumn leap (sorry, I know, but it's understood...) which leaves all previous loves gagging in the dust, unless you're a relative novice (like me). At the end of the rave, I'm more inclined to think it's simply another competent amplifier, maybe a pretty good one, maybe even an outstanding one (or especially for the money), but an amplifier nonetheless. How much more special could it be than all the other erstwhile excellent, special amplifiers? How much more independent of serendipitous synergy in his particular system of the moment - or ears of the advancing years, or memories of a lifetime - could this one be as opposed to those sequentially displaced ones which came before, only to be recalled as signposts along the path which led to our present surprise, intoxication, confusion, ennui? What about having a magazine to write? This is what we do, is it not? If I'm not this, who am I? And so the uncertainty must be either shut out, or toyed with in print, at least unitl the next thing comes along, lest the whole stunning damn house of cards come sliding down around us...(but you would know much better than I, no? ;^)
(Sorry, Rwd. For a palliative while you wait, try rereading "The Emperor's New Clothes", followed close by "The Wizard Of Oz"...and remember, this could easily be the best amp you've ever owned, but if not, someone reading will buy it from you and thus help nurture the cycle, so cheer up - in Audioland there is *always* tomorrow...just ask Harry...) |
BTW guys, I should mention that I've said what I've said about this topic (on two threads) without ever having actually read or seen the review in question. And it was easy, for whatever that's worth...maybe Twl was right; maybe I don't need to read the 'zines anymore after all... ;^) |
Asa: No gesture, no feigning - I did not say total neophyte, I said relative novice, as in relative to many other A'gon regulars, for instance. And that's alright - it's actually the way I want it, and it's the way it will still be 30 years from now too. My attitude will never be one of a true believer (concerning...anything!).
Anyway, it's not that I can sense anything about *these* amps, it's just that I will never buy into the concept of *the* amp (or whatever else). As a worthless example of what I'm saying, imagine sitting Harry down in front of all the amps he's loved over just the last ten years, for in-depth auditions at his leisure, with the only handicap being that all the amps are cloaked in identical plain-jane chassis. What do you think the chances would be that he would come to the same conclusions right down the line? Yet the fact that such a stunt can't or won't ever be pulled on any writer, eventually, inexorably leads to at least a little unchecked hubris (which eventually, inexorably leads to at least a little self-delusion), in that several years on they often feel perfectly comfortable in extrapolating conclusions about the ranking of phantoms. And this despite the context having changed practically beyond recognition, which all by itself should invalidate the already invalid idea of absolute rankings. It's clearly a false construct, but one which is probably better than trying to be more philosophical (not to mention intellectually honest) if you want to sell magazines (or maybe even more to the point, have audiophiles listen to the things you say). So what I understand, if anything, is that one must proclaim in order to be heard above the fray.
(As for accumulations of accuracy, I'll address that in the other thread we're involved in right now... :-) |
Hmm...HP always did like Jadis...but if the service is like you fear, I hope the reliability is better :-) |
Onhwy61, you may be quite right, but you also may have been able to find similar evidence for your conclusion 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago...it's a wide market, and full of 'moments'...
Asa: Huh? I hope you're not confusing comments made about Harry or made in general with thinking they were made about you...(and wouldn't your definition be of a nihilist? Anarchists are utopians, and I admit identifying more closely with the former as a skeptic...) |
Of course it's just bitching (and so too all is without meaning or ground), but I'm afraid that's what this is becoming as well. I'm keeping my threads separate except where so referenced (I don't change dead horses mid-stream :-), and I'm done on that other one, maybe here too. Depends on what if anything is said subsequently, since I was only dropping by to begin with and probably overstayed... |
I'm sorry 914nut, that's not what I intended, and I basically swore to Asa once before that I wouldn't play this again. Asa, this what we do: I chat on Audiogon for enjoyment and occasionally relevance, and I regret to have to say (again) that past a fairly lighthearted point with the kind of stuff you like to get into, I receive neither. To me, you take me much too seriously. To you, I'm sure I don't take you seriously enough. I have a tough time following you anyway, when you revert to your shorthand about objects and subjects and whatnot, but when I try - and respond - I get hit with non-sequitors that I understand even less, and seem as if what (you apparently think) I say makes you testy. You know that things you like to say made me testy in the past, but honestly, I really do think I'm over that - it's not worth it. However, I reserve my right to pick up my ball and go home whenever my expiration date on having fun has been exceeded, whether it's with you or anybody else. I'm sorry if we're not ideal playmates, but I think we can still get along fine if we are judicious in our engagement. You know perfectly well what sort of conversation I don't prefer to engage in, so you should also know that it will be a losing proposition for you in the end to try and take things too far in that direction with me. Just the way it is. For the record, I find that this sort of mental masturbation, enjoyable under many circumstances as it may be, ain't particularly pertinent to the audio pursuit, and it's tiring to type. It hijacks threads by default, and makes them harder for others to peruse profitably. Please don't take what I'm putting down here too personally, I'm sure we could engage in a more durable fashion under different circumstances - or maybe not, but why care? We're strangers to each other here, so there's no reason to take the chat of others to heart too much. My attitude towards you will remain magnanimous no matter how you insist on misundertaking me, but just so there's no question, I actually do respect you as a contributing member, and truly appreciate it if you feel the same about me, because I do try, and I think you do too. (And oh, I never said I was an anarchist, and in fact people who fancy that they are annoy me greatly.) I don't want to discourage you from responding to this in any way you see fit, but would suggest that you do so offline, and am stating publicly now that any further response, in this particular conversation, from me to you will certainly be offline.
Again, my apologies to all still reading, please continue on-topic discussion without me. |
On second thought, if we're back on-topic, why should I recuse myself? :-)
JV is a much better writer (and possibly listener) than J-10. I liked Fi well enough - found it mostly non-infuriating and congenial for an afternoon's read. That, and getting you enthusiastic about the stuff of audio every month, is the primary purpose of the rags as I see it anyway - entertainment, topped off with a bit of info. This is what Stereophile fails to deliver way too much of the time these days. I wasn't reading Valin back in his previous TAS days, but what I notice and fault him most on now is his terminal predeliction for ever-escalating paradigm-smashing raphsodics, combined with a worse-than-usual case of the typical voice-of-God uber-authoritativeness, a specialty of the guys who disdain to review any affordable gear. Although Scull could be maddening in his requiring you to read waaay between the lines to figure out what he actually though of a piece, both in his characteristic over-the-top reviewer's voice and the fact that a casual persusal could convince you that it was all equally great to him, I'd probably rather go on a boat fishing with an armchair playboy like him than a self-important priss like Valin, whom I ultimately don't trust. But then, I'd rather fish with the down-to-earth J. Gordon than either of those guys. |
Favorite reviewer? Rwd, you don't seriously think that if such a thread wasn't to immediately descend into an utter bitchfest, that there would be any anything posted in response to it at all, do you? :-)
(This is part of why I admire Kal Rubinson for participating around here in any way.)
Asa, I grant you J-10's more endearing points, and have actually defended him to a degree in the forum before. (Although I am quite certain that Mr. Valin also is a lover of music, and however misguided I may be, I still do place a rather high value on writing style, if I am going to be reading something someone has written while paying for the privilege. Not to imply that Mr. Scull is exactly Steve Rochlin or anything...If someone had just taken his italics crutch away from him, I think he would have been quite enjoyable in limited doses.) |
It continues to amaze me how so many audiophiles are apparently more than willing to make a major new-gear purchase like this sound-unheard, based on nothing more than one reviewer's somewhat-initial take. I guess HP truly is more than just another reviewer, at least to some. I wish you all the very best of luck, because if anything goes differently than planned - either with audiophile reaction, or especially, it would seem, with HP's famous fickleness down the road - the depreciation will be wicked, quite possibly totally independent of the amps' actual merits or demerits. As for me, with my means, I'd have to either hear something first, or buy it used if I wanted to experiment. But I imagine this *is* a lovely dream of anticipation while people are still awaiting their new babies' delivery, no matter what happens next... |
Onhwy61, although I'd probably have to agree with you about the eventual upgrade situation regardless of how a component is chosen initially, I have to take exception with the idea that buying from a review is just as good as any other way. The two may not be linked - audiophiles could simply like to upgrade, no matter how carefully made or fulfilling of expectations their previous purchase was. I have had an experience where buying a piece that was very widely well-reviewed left me in complete disagreement with the critical consensus, but since I got it used there was no problem when I sold it. Since reviewers get to listen to much more gear than I ever will (or want to), what they say can be useful, especially if you have a familiarity with their history and some gear they've covered, but I still tend to regard reviews as being best used only for guidance in choosing what to audition, if at all possible.
Rwd: You are certainly right in one respect - that your new amps may be better than what you currently have. Let's hope so! |
Good grief, Arcangelo, I haven't ever been to that site before, but I just got back after attempting to slog through most of (speed-reading here and there) Mr. Salvatore's tete-a-tete with Michael Fremer. Never even got to the Hurricane. And never going back to that site again - even though I agree with some of Salvatore's issues with the reviewing industry, the guy is just impossible to take seriously, and even worse to try and read. Pass. |
