Would you donate a dollar to have these Members Review a Product?
In 30 years or more, I’ve found but a couple reviewers published whose ears and tastes I share closely, though not at all precisely. Equipment accounts merely create interest, or point to certain components which possess value, and some of which have immense value these accounts say nothing of how well they will synergize with your outfit. I'm not into Hero worship much at all. so paying anyone here or elsewhere for their thoughts on any item or on items someone else just entertained seems silly. this is of course unless all of the predetermined 'reviewers' heard the exact same setup in one particular setting, and THEN exchanged in or out the item to be appraised simultaneously . otherwise the variables are too immense for any true consensus of opinion on anything except in very general terms. One last note on gear articles is this, a fair consensus can be achieved when multiple writers account well of a thing in its overall reproduction of music, though the variables of ears, rooms, and ancillary gear prevents anything from being an all world beating bit of kit without question. Though in this last scenario it sure will make one’s interest and intrigue with a thing grow. Yet in spite of identical gear being written on by a handful of folks, there is an alternative path for finding solid bits of audio excellence. One can regularly glean from the classified listings, what seems popular, what seems to be reliable well performing pieces simply by counting how many are listed for sale or wanted. Though often these pieces are not in the ultra high end, money wise. Its always this hobby’s sole outstanding caveat: its your money, use your ears and then your wife’s best judgement, or follow your heart and do the Audiogon shuffle… buy, try, keep or flip. Then wash rinse and repeat until satisfied, or worn out financially or emotionally. For me the ‘fun’ is NOT the journey, it’s the destination. The journey is merely the fundamental effort prerequisite to finding synergy and harmonic integrity. Curiously enough, we all have or have had, destination gear… unless we feel the grass is greener if we just … and then the Road Goes On Forever, and the party never ends! |
Nothing is perfect and equipment owners, equipment manufacturers, and professional reviewers all display forms of cognitive bias when writing about products. None are absolutely objective and none will exactly mirror the reader's own sonic preferences. WRT equipment owners posting in audio forums, it is not unusual to observe choice-supportive bias and confirmation bias as they promote their own equipment choices. For me, the expectation bar is to learn a few things and be entertained but certainly not to make purchase decisions on the basis of one or even two reviews. With professional reviews, I appreciate well-done pictures and right now nobody tops 6moons and the pictures they post of the insides of the gear they review. I have always been skeptical of gear that "can't be opened or you void the warranty." Would you buy a car without looking under the hood? I also appreciate reviewers who compare the product being reviewed with similar products (i.e., differences in sonics, operational features, and construction). Again, Srajan at 6moons typically does a good job of this. Regarding reviews here on Audiogon, as someone already pointed out there is a place here for reviews so a good start might be for the folks here to simply write more reviews of their gear and post pictures on their system page. https://forum.audiogon.com/topics/member-reviews |
"Let’s see how (Your Handle Here)’s old RatShack amp handles this test!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_PLnInsh7E "Well....the plug survived...." |
...On the + side: I have a Bobcat with forks, so liftgate service is not required. Nor do I have to shanghai a neighbor, or pay for their chiropractor.... On the - side: I’ll have to come to some sort of ’agreement’ with our regular FedEx, UPS, and USPS drivers.... They will not be thrilled...*L* "WTH is IN that box?! Lead bars?!" (Mono amps....but...) "Oh, just some unobtanium.....we're expanding into that market....." "W..Why does it weigh so much?! Damn....bent my handtruck..." "It's unobtainum.....it's like that....Thanks..." |
*L* I'll volunteer....if only to give a 'now for something totally Different' viewpoint.... No preferences, no bias, no 'fancy soundspace', and absolutely nothing to lose nor gain. "Well, it arrived looking like the shipping department ate lunch on the box...and missed their mouths a lot...." Don't send cables....;) |
Reviews do have their place and purpose. You get to read about products. Without reviews, you would be hard pressed to even know about them. Take the personal reviews with a grain of salt. There is serious bias with reviewers. However, that allows you to read about the specifications, see the pictures, and decide to go hear for yourself. I don't purchase audio magazines often, but when I do, I want to read about the product listed. Like wine reviewers, I don't agree with most of them by experience, so, that isn't why I read the reviews. Most audio stores don't carry very many products within a certain category. They can't. entirely too expensive for them. So, audio stores are a good place to listen. Remembering that it isn't your home and is not using your other equipment, so it may sound different in your home. Same for reading a review. not your home (or room), not your appurtenant equipment, and definitely not your ears, likes or dislikes. So take it with a grain. But, without the magazines and/or reviews, most of us wouldn't even know a product existed. But no. I won't pay (at this time) for a review on-line. I purchase magazines at times to see where the industry is currently at. enjoy |
| Post removed |
Hiller......I am a bit insulted that I am not on your list, LOL.....reviews are to be taken, always, with a grain of salt. Always individualistic, always, with a difference of specific music, associated gear, rooms, etc. To review a product, things need to be constant, and, extended, in time, to allow warm up / break in. It surprises me, still, that so many folks, do not trust their own ears. The opinions that are asked, here, are sometimes, funny to me, and I apologize for this. I get so many private emails, for opinions on equipment, that are currently set up in a listeners room, asking me, what do I think ? Does not make sense. It only tells me, that many folks are not sure of the parameters or attributes they are looking for, in a system. The only way to determine this, is to listen for oneself. Again, sorry. |
@tomic601
my opinion of short term “ shootouts “ is pretty lowIf my recall is correct, I believe we were supposed to move the gear along to the next tour stop after about 10 days. Certainly less time than a professional reviewer would spend with it but enough to allow two weekends and way more time (in our own systems) than we would get with it at an audio show or in a retail showroom. Nothing is perfect but I believed it was enough time for me to sort out the overall performance of the piece, especially since I was introducing only the one new thing. |
Well, besides negating my posts I have no idea what that means.It is your first post about me that is relatively sound and dont only deform my intention but I never intend to negating your posts but only raising a point for discussion ... Thanks... I will apologize for not being clear for you....But I think that I was clear, my bad if not...If my post were unclear, instead of attacking the messenger you would have asked a question or two... I will not go on because if you dont understand my point or dont want, by lack of any clarity or by bad faith, anyway i cannot reexplain all that better without annoying everyone... Have a good evening...And forget me... Like you dare to ask for me, I will not ask " who are you?" "Hey! it was not a dude, it was the pope" Groucho Marx |
I argue about an audio subject not about some person... You just made a citation where I express something that cannot be understood out of the context of my complete post... The only reason for your reaction instead of discussing my point is out of my knowledge ...Sorry to bother you, the point was only discussing... By the way what do you think of my point? And now this: What exactly is the reason you are here then, @mahgister? What is it you are here to talk about and share?Intimidation and insinuation are not discussion...And what I had to say was already exposed in the few posts here... |
I only expose rationally my own experiences... I apologize but I dont know you and I really only enthusiastically speak my mind...This is called discussion... My intention was never to write what you just write on my behalf: Erik is wrong, and only I know what is right. Writing X is wrong, had no sense at all, nobody can be wrong on all counts, nor right on all counts....Neither you nor me... If I must be corrected on the point I just write about go for it, I will listen to you with pleasure... My best... |
A lot of what interests me is how we perceive and why. Like whether you like cilantro or not, or IPAs. My personal love of both has no bearing on the truth of beer tasting, but I find it fascinating some taste cilantro like soap, or conversely, that there are audio brands which to me taste like soap, and to others delicious salsa. Is it learned? Is it in the ear? Fun stuff.Audio experiences reflect tastes in the choices of some components like any experience we immerse voluntarily ourselves...And we can think about why and how...But this is psychology... The truth is audio experience ultimately is not "founded" on tastes at all... "Tasting" a particular audio system is an anecdotal event... Creating a top Hi-Fi audio system has nothing at all to do with tastes first...It is not even only engineering... :) Science will gives you the directions, your ears will correlate all different materials and apparatus, and the different controlled grids in an optimal design particular to your own house, room and gear... "Even ears works hard before tasting" Groucho Marx |
I dont gives a dam about the speakers I listen to, nor the dac, nor the amplifier. Understand me, I love them now and I had chosen them with care... But an Hi-Fi real experience is more directly linked to the 3 embeddings of any audio systems which i already spoken about earlier...Way more than the taste and appetite we had for a MacIntosh amplifier or from a Sansui... Most reviews only confirm et reinitiates this error at perpetuum... I love the Sansui club, I own one Sansui.... But audio experience has almost nothing to do with the choice of a piece of gear "per se"...I want to express that a bit radically and see if people react with understanding to my rant... :) Those who did not owns an audio system radiating sound qualities at his peak potential level, be it at any price level, who then may not understand why my rant and what I speak about, probably and simply own system where only an upgrade of some electronic component has made a big difference for them in the past and stick to the illusion that the price paid for a costly electronic component mainly gives audiophile experience at peak level ... My experience is contrary: my good actual audio system sounded like "shit" out of the box, after I afford to buy it, but understand me is theorically by all reviews very good... But the reality is that i discovered how good it can be only after devising methods and tweaks of my owns to controls the triple embeddings of it: mechanical, acoustical, electrical... I will simplify that post in a drawing: Before tweaks: my system is shit...….After tweaks: the same system made me flow tears of joy.... Conclusion for beginners: Dont buy anything else if you already own something already relatively good, think first and look for the way, not to improve it, more to transform it completely...Read reviews for entertainment ... "Music comes from the walls " Groucho Marx |
Well, first, color me blushing. I had really no idea anyone would take me even this seriously. A few weeks ago out of left field one of my most ardent followers (an anti-fan) pointed out I said I didn’t find a brand of HE amp all that special like 6 years ago, and he still remembered. Thanks to all the fans, but I’m just a guy who likes audio and has developed some personal tastes in it. I usually post here thinking that Audiogon is a teacup and no one really cares what is said, especially if I dislike a major brand’s sound, who cares? Turns out within this teacup many do, and it’s’ been an adjustment for me. The statement of "who cares what xxx thinks" is one I agree with sometimes and in some ways and in others disagree. I mean in the sense of what you personally should buy and listen to, only your own ears really matter, but most people are motivated to build communities, and brands are sometimes how we do this. It may feel like I’m personally attacking your team if I don’t like how they play or if I question why you do. On the other hand, what I find interesting to read from others, even those I disagree with, is understanding the context of their experience. What speakers, what music, and what did they compare to? What did they like? What trip got them to where they are now? A lot of what interests me is how we perceive and why. Like whether you like cilantro or not, or IPAs. My personal love of both has no bearing on the truth of beer tasting, but I find it fascinating some taste cilantro like soap, or conversely, that there are audio brands which to me taste like soap, and to others delicious salsa. Is it learned? Is it in the ear? Fun stuff. As I’ve stated before, your personal listening experience is sacred. Love what you love, but if you can leave us all with an understanding of how you listen, and how you got there we’ll all be enriched. |
If a reviewer reviews a pair of $650,000 Wilson speakers and decides he wants to buy them for himself the standard industry comp is what, 50% off? That’s a pretty sweet deal in my book. I suspect the reviewer’s published review of those Wilson speakers would be rather complimentary, perhaps even gushing. |
technick There are reviewers who I trust, and then those who are in it for the wrong reasons, and obviously getting big kickbacks from companies for a good review. We’d be fooling ourselves to think otherwise.That’s an extraordinary claim. Do you have any actual proof? I’d agree that there are quite a few unreliable - even inept - reviewers. After all, there are no prerequisites for the job. But the allegation of "big kickbacks" is a bit far-fetched. |
