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In Reply to: RE: Why is it a clear and very obvious impropriety posted by Bruce Kendall on May 22, 2008 at 11:55:04
Hi Bruce,It is an obvious impropriety because it opens up a terrible can of worms that magazines can ill afford to unleash. The scenario lends itself to the notion that a manufacturer in the good graces of a particularly high profile reviewer might receive a special exemption, to the exclusion of his competitors, to submit a product still in development for "pre-approval." Since much commerce in our industry depends, in part, on the reception of our goods by those who we trust to listen and judge in our stead, there is an influence emanating from these reviewers to the potential market.
It becomes possible, then, for certain manufacturers given the special exemption to use such pre-approval to raise capital for the project via investor or pre-order. With the addition of a Golden Ear award and his over-the-top comments on the avguide forums, Jonathan Valin makes clear that a production version of this product that retains the sonic abilities of this prototype will be crowned "Best in the World" by hizzoner himself. A clear signal to some that it is safe to invest.
The product itself remains un-vetted, un-tested, not commercialized and seemingly underfunded. The pre-coronation by JV seems to make the commercial venture extremely safe for those who might be convinced to throw money at it ... but it is very far from safe. In fact, considering that it has been at least 12 years in development with nary a sign of a commercial product, it would seem precarious at best.
There is an inherent liability for TAS. Should those foolhardy enough to interpret JV's exaltations as advice or 'permission' become disappointed or otherwise suffer a loss, they will blame TAS. As a group of enthusiasts, we tend to trust the audio press with the responsibility of mitigating - at least somewhat - the inherent Caveat Emptorness of the situation.
Considering that JV seems to have run fast-and-furious-and-damn-the-rules of late, it would seem the safer option for him to practice his craft a little more conservatively and preserve what remains of TAS' credibility.
Chris
"Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true." - Niels Bohr
Edits: 05/23/08Follow Ups:
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