Thoughts about the "Cheapaudioman" on YouTube

Cheapaudioman is very entertaining but he does push a lot of garbage which I feel is a disservice to those who are working with a tight budget.

@jeffseight
Something about that dude Ron’s vibe completely turns me off

Mr. Randall Messman, cheapman audio, is a hard working fellow who has a passion for his work-Building his youtube following. Morphed from an original max of $600 MSRP to who knows what now, he works the system and provides info to those who someday may move up the chain. If you missed his first video-done in tandem with Ron of New Record Day- you have something pretty hilarious awaiting you. Now Ron has faded as Randall has ascended. 

There’s a lot of the fallacy that more expensive = better in this thread, to no one’s surprise.

I like that he frequently emphasizes that to "his ears" something sounds good or bad. Too many reviewers seem to think they if they like something, you should too, and that’s not the case.

His channel is great for those who don’t have much money for stuff or people new to the hobby. I say good for him, keep it up, and disregard the "audiophile" snobs.

I enjoy his channel quite a bit. It's his channel and he's entitled to his own opinion. I enjoy hearing other's  reviews regardless if I can afford the product or not. I'm sure there are plenty of folks (including myself) who enjoy watching reviews of 6-figure Wilson speakers knowing darn well you'll never get them.

Cheap audioman is helping people to get right box than boomboxes.His reviews give buyer confidene when online market flooded with options. plenty of audiphile grade gears out there which are not covered by stereophiles TAS... elite High brands of Western side of globe. I decided try USD40+30(same products priced more US market) is power amp + Power supply which cheapaudio man claimed equequals Japan Brand 1k amp.  I was astounded by clean sound  soundstage.

I can't get past his video titles to actually watch something. He looks mostly annoyed and ready to shake his fist at the kids in his yard. Anyone can get a YouTube channel.

All the best,
Nonoise

Watched for a while. Eventually unsubbed something about his personality. Ohh well, there's lots of reviewers out there.

I think he'd gain some credibility - as would most reviewers - if he had a reference setup and just substituted the component he's reviewing into it.  Most reviewers have so many variables floating around every time they listen, who knows what's causing the sound?  But, he's an entertainer.

He does have some interesting playlists on Spotify.  You might find some new audiophile tracks you like in there.  I did.  I copy them over to Qobuz.

+1 paradisecom

Some cable are indeed better than others. It's all about the quality of the shielding and the quality of the wires. Take USB for example; the data certainly needs to be shielded from the power.

I don't care how much money a person has if you pay $20 to $40,000 for a piece of wire you're getting scammed, there's nothing that they can do to a piece of wire to make it worth that much sorry you got too much money and not enough common sense LOL

I consider Youtube reviews to be irrelevant opinionated egotistical jackass garbage. I prefer Amir and online magazines although I still take them with a grain of salt.

he praised the Denafrips Ares 2 and rightly so. not cheap, but within many peoples budget

I like what he's doing. 

I've heard some relatively inexpensive gear that challenges much, much more expensive gear... so my own niche in audioland has been and remains practical gear that overperforms its pricepoint.  Thus, I hear where the man is coming from.

So, if he can turn people on to some bang-for-the-buck overachievers and help people get great sound without destroying their bank accounts, I'm all for it.  

(... although I say this as I have another live thread currently in which I'm looking for commentary comparing the Technics SU R 1000 amp with the Accuphase e-480... so lol, it's all good 😊 )

He's entertaining and is my go-to guy for advice for family and friends who want lower budget new stuff that I haven't kept up with at all. 😎

@mr_m ,

Interesting you brought that up (the cheap watch channel). I'm also "fairly" into watches (and you think audio can be expensive, lol). I saw his watch channel come up in my feed, but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. If it's about AliExpress watches though, lol... He seems like a likeable enough guy. I appreciate his dry sense of humor (most of the time). I just don't have a lot of interest in most of the stuff he reviews. But I also understand his channel isn't necessarily intended for me. IOW, I'm probably not his target demographic, and that's fine. My only suggestion to him (not that he's asked for it, lol) would be to probably spend some time with some reference grade gear in a good room. It would probably change his mind on some stuff, or at least enlighten him a bit on what "good" actually sounds like. 

@mapman,

I find him entertaining. I think he has a good grasp of inexpensive value oriented equipment simply because he reviews so much of it. I believe he is a good place to start if you are new to this hobby. He is respectful of other peoples opinions, (usually).

He has another channel called the cheapwatchman, although his ideas of value of watches seems to vary quite a bit from them as opposed to audio equipment. 

IMHO

I find him pretty funny and I enjoy his commentary. While I have no interest in any of the gear he reviews, I watch some of his stuff anyway. Strictly for entertainment.

I will say he is very entertaining. Much like OCD Mikey but I see more value in some of the OCD guys videos. 

If he's a reviewer of affordable gear, more power to him. However, if he thinks a $300 loudspeaker sounds better than a $5000 loudspeaker, he's not facing reality. 

I think his videos are great for beginners or those on tight budgets.  The info he provides can also be useful to seasoned audiophiles/ enthusiasts just looking for some budget friendly gear when putting together secondary systems, gifts for others, etc.  I don't think we should be gate keepers to new people or those with limited budgets.  I've seen this in other hobbies, as well, unfortunately.  

I enjoy watching Randy's videos for stuff of interest - I like his personality. Although it's kinda silly that he is not allowed to pronounce the name 'Schitt' as it should be. 

Sounds like maybe he is just trying to help the everyday man get better sound.... not undermining "audiophiles"?

I would assert you do NOT have to be an audiophile these days to get top notch sound. Future Fi gear like all-in-ones solve most all of the system building problems for people. Then its just the usual things, tweaking the sound in the room, choosing speakers, etc. to one's personal taste. Most people are not in the hifi olympics looking to win gold medals at any cost.

I’ll take a look if I get a chance and see.

@mr_m having seen the material, what is your assessment?

I see cheapaudioman as an audio reviewer for the blue collar guy, maybe the average audiophile. There are plenty of reviewers for the white collar guy (who has a bigger cash wad to spend). And of course the ridiculous reviewers who rate $20k cables. I say to each his own.... and just enjoy the gear and the music.

How can you evaluate cheap components without the context of valuable components? This cheap component is better than this cheap component isn’t really much of a comparison. At the end of the day if a component isn’t competitively priced it won’t sell and will fall by the wayside. If I were to step into that arena I would have to define cheap and match the brand that way. The "less than $100 audioman" or $1000 or whatever. Check the EISA awards, they call it "best value" and contrast it with "high end":

https://eisa.eu/awards/hi-fi/

I’ve seen some of his videos.

If you’ve never heard, nor owned quality equipment, or are just starting your audio journey, he’s worth a watch.

Unfortunately, I’m sort of "way beyond" most of the garbage he seems to peddle/advocate/review. (I’m not trying to sound snobby, but when he tells me that a hybrid tube amp for $139 off of AliExpress is the best thing since sliced bread, well.....I can pretty much guarantee you it’s not.)

Most of my cables cost more than the equipment/gear he reviews.

IOW, I don’t really find his advice useful, (nor very accurate).