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In Reply to: RE: EXACTLY what is it that you need to know about that company that Stereophile failed to tell you??? posted by John Marks on May 08, 2014 at 07:39:32
You sure kicked the crap out of THAT straw man.
Not sure what that rant has to do with the original post, but what the heck?
You also seem to be accusing Raven of somehow gaming S-Phile review 'system' by setting up faux dealers in order to qualify for a S-Phile review of a product not normally stocked by said 'faux' dealers?
Not sure Jesus would approve of THAT, but I could be wrong.
Follow Ups:
I did not ACCUSE Raven of fudging the dealer rule.
I merely noted that in my experience, it has been an occasional problem. In some Zen way, perhaps a "non-stocking" dealer is more immanent or transcendent than a dealer who can actually, well, demo the gear for you. But not in my world.
The fact that there was not a replacement available from ANY source may simply reflect a lack of thinking outside the box. It's not Art Dudley's job to try to get a manufacturer out of a hole he himself has dug.
But the fact that there was not a replacement available might also mean that most sales have been direct sales, which might make a cynic wonder about the reality of the dealer base that must have been claimed in order to get a review.
"We have five dealers but none of them have stock" does not TO ME sound like the inner workings of a company that is ready for prime time.
If anything comes of this, I can hope for:
1. A more cautious approach on the part of startup companies who should consider the worst case as well as a best case outcome from a Stereophile review.
2. Perhaps less carping about how Stereophile favors established companies.
When I gave column coverage to darTZeel's first product (IIRC 2004) I did my own Due Diligence, because the product at the time had no US POP and therefore was available only direct from Switzerland.
I in due course learned that darTZeel had on hand and intended to have on hand at all times a reserve supply of all the electronic parts required for future repairs, and that that reserve would be recalibrated as needed based on product sales so that if a part was suddenly discontinued by its manifacturer, the customer was protected. I also learned that the boxing with an amp inside had been certified by a third-party agency as good against a drop from a 30-inch high conveyor belt. And, in the event, darTZeel has gone from strength to strength.
All I could say was, "Continuez."
We are not always so fortunate.
BTW, a friend had a problem with a professionally-built kit with the name of a rather well-known esoteric set of companies on it, and I recommended that he send it to a third party for investigation. Some of it was the owner's fault but there also was a fuse-blowing problem that was the subject of a later factory modification, etc. Class-A, IIRC single tube, perhaps 845. Not at all cheap.
Just for fun, the EE tech put it on test equipment. At 4 watts there was 1% distortion. At full power, 10% distortion.
I myself have no interest in writing about such gear, regardless how long the company has been in business. You can get 10% distortion for a lot less money than that.
The five-dealer rule is more of a picket fence than a Maginot line. So please stop bitching about it.
JM
So the dealer rule really is outdated. It is a leftover of 'preinternet days. And NOT a good rule for modern decisions IMO.
There are direct to customer companies with far more in sales than some so called company with five nebulous dealers with no stock...
(I am always amazed at 'dealers' who are dealing out of thier garage... or apartment)
"I did not ACCUSE Raven of fudging the dealer rule."
Uh huh!
"But the fact that there was not a replacement available might also mean that most sales have been direct sales, which might make a cynic wonder about the reality of the dealer base that must have been claimed in order to get a review."
The implication that Raven MIGHT have been gaming the S-Phile review system is pretty hard to miss!
"The five-dealer rule is more of a picket fence than a Maginot line. So please stop bitching about it."
To be honest, I could give a crap who S-Phile favors as it's not MY magazine and I don't subscribe anyway.
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