What's the point of reviewing?


What’s up with anyone’s opinion good or worse, unless we have identical equipment and acoustic spaces, it’s mute.

voodoolounge

The best reviews are professional reviewers that have experienced many components across the sound quality / cost points. They show their associated equipment and use standard high end audio terminology. Think Stereophile, The Absolute Sound and HiFi+. If you are serious a pot this pursuit you read reviews and hear as many of the same components as have been reviewed, thusly calibrating yourself to a rough standard. By listening over time to many components you can begin hearing different components within a system.

Being able to choose compatible components comes with this experience. While there are many dimensions to this… combining components that match your tastes and values in music helps move closer to compatible.

Many of us have pursued high end audio for many decades… one of the reason it can be a long term pursuit is that there is so much to learn and ultimately the problem you are trying to solve is so ambiguous.

 

Reviews on Audiogon are much more problematic. You have to get the context and values of the poster from the post and hopefully they’re virtual systems to understand their experience, values, and bias. For some posters it is easy, some hard.

There is a lot of valuable method and general info that is really valuable here though.

with so much gear out there, good reviews help some decide what to audition, not what to buy...

@ghdprentice "Many of us have pursued high end audio for many decades… one of the reason it can be a long term pursuit is that there is so much to learn and ultimately the problem you are trying to solve is so ambiguous"

That is the truth. 

@jl35 Auditioning in your listening room is helpful but I don't know of sellers allowing that to happen 

Many direct sale manufacturers and online dealers offer free returns. Certainly most Audiogon sellers of used gear do not ... even an audition at a dealer can be helpful if not ideal...and reviews can help if you are familiar with the reviewer 

 

I take reviews with a grain of salt.   To me, it's great when i buy a product and then it is on a Best Of , Buyer's Guide , or gets strong praise from critics

It is great to read other OWNER's  impressions of their gear.    Some stuff  has universal appeal and others are real niche.... its up to you to decide what's best.   What's best is to demo in home if at all possible