You tube hifi influencers. Love them or hate them?

I stick with reviewers/influencers with some (or a lot) of technical knowledge.

If I come away from a review having learned something general about the technologies involved, I subscribe to the channel.

Tarun, A British Audiophile, is usually instructive.

I used to like Gutenberg, but now I'm more skeptical. He's mastered a kind of hip, easygoing, Brooklyn-esque patter -- a master showman, who's been plumping products for a long time. I have no doubts he's genuinely smart and an audiophile, but he pushes out so much content that his "excitement routine" ("Today's show is really special!") seems pretty hackneyed. And, TBH, a bit sad. A guy that smart could be spending his time in other ways. Still, who am I to judge?

@chenry

I think it pays to have an open mind about "influencers." In this hobby, the numbers of brands, the flood of new products, the relatively fewer shops that carry any audio gear pretty much require a willingness to explore the web for information.

This is exactly right. And can people honestly tell me that their experiences with brick/mortar stores were not a mix of pressure/BS and honest assistance? Every store I ever visited has had an intense motive to sell the gear they chose and to discount or have no opinions about other gear. Of course they need to stay in business -- and that’s totally part of the game. But often they are not good people to look to for objectivity. YouTube and magazine have some advantages, there.

@cleeds

Most of the Youtubers seem to rely on drama, manufactured conflict and artificial "excitement" to create clicks. They’re easy to ignore.

Not my experience. In my opinion, this is a misuse of the word "most." There are quite a few which do not rely on drama:

• Currawong
• Passion for Sound
• Tarun a British Audiophile
• Hans Beekhuyzen
• Darko
• Ken Micallef
• Joshua Valour
• Pearl Acoustics
• Zero Fidelity