In Reply to: Re: Why do people respond aggressively to reviews posted by Mike Bates on April 06, 2001 at 11:13:39:
and that's what you mean by the term 'reviewer'.If you're referring to an individual who understands the intricacies of evaluating and comparing hi-fi components and does his/her best to isolate and describe the component in question accurately then I agree completely with what you say. Whether I agree or disagree with such a reviewer's findings is irrelevant. As long as the evaluation process was sound, there's not a lot to say.
I read Ken Kessler or Martin Colloms with interest but neither gentleman would persuade me to buy a Krell amp or Wilson speakers. I'm sure both are great products, but my tastes lie elsewhere.
However if you're talking about some knuckledragger who walks into a hi-fi emporium or travels to a high-end show and on that basis logs on to Audio Asylum to write a critical review, I don't think its the reader one should describe as deluded. Similarly, 'reviewers' who compare 2 components with one another without ever having had them both in the same building clearly don't understand the infinite number of variables that can effect how hi-fi sounds.
The issue isn't the opinion itself, rather the methodology employed to reach it.
Yours Mike is a very mature and confident approach, shared by very few people purchasing hi-fi equipment. Most depend on what they read for at least some guidance and pre-selection.
Its a shame and basically unfair when an excellent product is publicly criticised based on totally inept reviewing techniques.
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