David Price leaving World?

[Barry]

I guess that it depends on how you use magazine reviews, and magazines in general, Neil.

When I used to use them as part of the process of choosing the equipment I bought (those days are largely now long gone), all I wanted to know, with the minimum amount of 'waffle' and/or technical jargon, was whether the product(s) concerned were worth auditioning at my local dealer.

Therefore a well-written 'snapshot' of what it was capable of, sonically, was enough for me to put it on my shortlist, or not, as the case may have been. The finer points of what it was sonically capable of, which you're alluding to, I would discover with my own ears later, when listening to the equipment in question.

I simply get turned off and become bored reading excessive 'froth' (the definition of which I agree is entirely subjective), unless the review in question is written by someone I respect and whose opinion I generally agree with and can relate to in some way. That's just me, though. You're obviously different, which of course is fine!

Marco.

So what guidelines would you recommend, so as to encourage members to write their own reviews for 'Strokes of Genius'?

What, for example, is your opinion of the reviews appearing in Neil's 'Adventures in High Fidelity Audio'?

Cheers

[Puffin]

I stopped buying magazines years ago. Reviews are useless unless you know for sure that the reviewer is giving a totally unbiased review. I would say it is impossible for there to be a totally unbiased review. The reason? We all know what sort of sound we like. The older we get the more entrenched we get (IMO). If what we are listening to does not conform to our model, it is likely to be denigrated to whatever degree considered neccessary.

[MartinT]

Except the old Hi-fi + where reviewers took three pages of small print to describe the facia and knobs !

Not to mention their shocking spelling and grammar, which used to have my jaw dropping in early issues so poor was the quality of English used.

[Marco]

Hi Barry,

So what guidelines would you recommend, so as to encourage members to write their own reviews for 'Strokes of Genius'?

Well, far be it for me to tell people how or what to write, my advice would be to keep it concise and to the point, but whilst ensuring that as much relevant information as necessary is covered on the product(s) being reviewed, in order to ensure that interested parties are provided with the bulk of the information that the reviewer considers they might want to know. I realise, however, that the latter is open to interpretation.

I suppose an example, IMO, would be what I wrote here about my new Paul Hynes T/T power supply (post #92):

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...067#post268067

I could've gone into even more detail, but I felt that enough information had been provided in seven reasonably short paragraphs, which both hopefully got across what I was hearing and piqued the interest of potential buyers.

What, for example, is your opinion of the reviews appearing in Neil's 'Adventures in High Fidelity Audio'?

I think what Neil's doing is good, and should be applauded, but aside from some of his last Whittlebury Hall show report, I haven't read many of his reviews, due simply to lack of time. It takes me all of my spare time to read what's written here on AoS!

Marco.

[aquapiranha]

I anyone here doubts the power of the reviewer's pen to sway people towards a particular product, take a moment to look at the probably 50% of each magazine taken up by glossy adverts for exotic this and that. Do you honestly believe that the makers of this stuff would spend serious money on these adds if they thought for one moment that they had no effect? A reviewer giving a positive review might well have even more effect, so in the eyes of the manufacturers the reviewers need to be treated well. It is for this reason that I do not read magazines, I have heard stories of permanent loans of review samples, reviewers have even worked for hifi companies and one or two stories concerning manilla envelopes filled with the green stuff. (no, not Linn green stuff!) OF course, not all are like that, and probably very few but it only takes one bad apple... and besides, a review by another person in another system can serve as nothing but a loose guide IMO.

[Alan Sircom]

I anyone here doubts the power of the reviewer's pen to sway people towards a particular product, take a moment to look at the probably 50% of each magazine taken up by glossy adverts for exotic this and that. Do you honestly believe that the makers of this stuff would spend serious money on these adds if they thought for one moment that they had no effect? A reviewer giving a positive review might well have even more effect, so in the eyes of the manufacturers the reviewers need to be treated well. It is for this reason that I do not read magazines, I have heard stories of permanent loans of review samples, reviewers have even worked for hifi companies and one or two stories concerning manilla envelopes filled with the green stuff. (no, not Linn green stuff!) OF course, not all are like that, and probably very few but it only takes one bad apple... and besides, a review by another person in another system can serve as nothing but a loose guide IMO.

Part of the reason manufacturers advertise with magazines is we give wider scope than forums. The forums tend to be very narrow in outlook. Things that are in vogue in a forum are extremely well favoured; things that aren't just vanish off the radar. While we have our fads and trends too, a review-based magazine constantly needs new products to fill its editorial pages and that generally means a broader selection of products within that magazine's catchment area over any given year.

Just putting news in the magazine helps some manufacturers, even though the news items are usually very old by the time they hit the newsstand. The thing is, unless we give these products coverage, they don't get coverage.

The magazines and advertising is there to show there's more out there than the flavour of the month.

Reviewers get long-term loan stock in many branches of the media, because readers want reviewers to have the latest equipment that relates directly to their stuff. Is this ethical? I've been on journalistic ethics committees and there is no easy answer. Someone who reviews a Rolls Royce needs to have extensive experience of a number of Rolls Royce-grade cars, but no journalist earns that kind of money, so either you wait for interested millionaires with good writing skills and extensive driving experience to magically appear or you get a journalist living the champagne lifestyle on a beer budget. The first will be assumed to have made their money through nefarious means, the latter is almost guaranteed to be read as being 'on the take'.

As to the people actually on the take, if it happens, why doesn't it happen to me? Why, in 20 years, have I never, ever been offered a bung? There have been times those extra bits of cash might have helped and would have proved hard to resist. But I didn't have to resist. There were no manilla envelopes. No loudspeaker ports filled with used fivers. Nothing. And I'm pretty connected in this business, so I doubt I'm missing out on the payola. This business isn't big enough for big bungs, and a reviewer isn't likely to commit career suicide for a small one, so I guess these 'stories' are just 'stories' after all.

But this is getting very much off the point. Good luck to David and all the best to Dan in his future ventures. I hope it all works out for both of them.

[KC Jones]

Do you seriously think that any reviewer stating in a review that the item is "the best ever heard" is going to be believed, and that "the item will sell a million in anticipation"?

Hi Barry
Yea I really I do believe that, perhaps a million is a bit off the mark though.

On another note, I also believe there are impartial reviewers without an agenda, why? because they say so, sometimes you have to believe people and put your trust in them, I do, as I also do on this site, reading other people’s experiences and enthusiasm for certain synergies. It helps us less experienced in sound get ‘there’ quicker. Cynicism can often be our worst enemy, I know it can sometime be mine!!

(The above sentence is not directed at anyone here, especially not you Barry, just a general observation)

Nothing wrong with a bung here and there either, the reason we didn’t get the world cup was because the FA wouldn’t bung FIFA, why not I want to know? if that’s what it takes.
(Sorry off topic)

Cheers - KC

[Mr. C]

Part of the reason manufacturers advertise with magazines is we give wider scope than forums. The forums tend to be very narrow in outlook. Things that are in vogue in a forum are extremely well favoured; things that aren't just vanish off the radar. While we have our fads and trends too, a review-based magazine constantly needs new products to fill its editorial pages and that generally means a broader selection of products within that magazine's catchment area over any given year.

An astute observation there Alan

I mean we could end up with a forum that is just large dual concentric speaker driver orientated, coupled with thermionic amplification being driven by a rock being dragged around a piece of plastic perish the thought.


Similarly we could have a purely light shinning on a spinning optical data disc forum with closed minded posters who shun anything other than uber binary systems powered by kilowatt charged brick-shit house sized monsters 'driving' large box shaped multi driver array’s, 6 foot Fugly darlek shaped boxes.

Perish the thought anyone would want to listen to music

I mean that would never happen right?

Back to the matter in hand:-

DP's first day as editor as HFC getting the run down from Mr. Miller on how things 'work' at Hifi News HQ

Indulge me here I am in need of sleep and this is purely hypothetical of coarse

Picture the sence:-

Small cupboard shaped office, large 'boss' sized desk, a few PC screens littered around the office.
A sign above the door "nothing but the best" stands out throughout the room.

DP wearing a full gimp suit, (open backed) with a the 'ball' tightened extra tight whilst bent over the desk, with P Miller in full US biker gear brandishing a full tested and spectrum analysed EISA awarded(2011) cat of nine tales 'Educating' Mr Price the ways of the 'non dark side'

1>We do work more than 35 hours a week
2>We do come into the office at least 5 times a week
3>We do work at weekends (this is not a 9 to 5 job son shine)
4>We actually measure equipment properly here at this publication
5>There is life beyond Yammy NS1000's

Start with above and we'll get on fine!

The problem is with therapy after a while no one wants to listen

I'll get my coat

[Effem]

The forums tend to be very narrow in outlook. Things that are in vogue in a forum are extremely well favoured; things that aren't just vanish off the radar.

So true

While we have our fads and trends too, a review-based magazine constantly needs new products to fill its editorial pages and that generally means a broader selection of products within that magazine's catchment area over any given year.

Maybe too that there is a constant stream of new products being launched that feeds the animal as well. Nothing wrong with that I say and the flow rate means you cannot review everything either.

In pure truth though Alan, how many products have been through your hands over the years that really did suck in sound terms? Not many I bet, so no wonder the reader has become a tad immune or a bit jaded to the stream of superlatives being ladled out in reviews too.

[Reid Malenfant]

5>There is life beyond Yammy NS1000's

I get the irony, but feel free to show me the light! I'm asking & praying to be shown the light, or should that be the speaker?

By the way, they work even better with custom designed 36mm thick & braced to all hell enclosures..

Anyway, show me where I went wrong


I don't give a rats ass about where DP is moving to as I don't read any of the mags, my own ears earmarked the NS for further investigation the first time I heard them.

While Focal/JM lab might be signing the praises about there Beryllium tweeter Yamaha did it back in the seventies That's 1970s to all the young ones on here.

I don't see too many Beryllium midrange units out there either & it has been a good 40 years... MartinT speakers as an exception


So things haven't moved on much if at all

Good luck to David Price, he has himself another job... I wish I could say the very same for a whole lot of people I know