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Original Message
RE: Mejias' budget system
Posted by RGA on October 6, 2012 at 22:14:29:
Most companies will provide components to reviewers at around dealer cost (perhaps manufacturing cost) since it does not "cost" the manufacturer any money. Equipment at a reviewer's rate in this regard is still at a level playing field. For example - the reviewer has review ten speakers all retailing for $5,000 may be able to get all ten of them for $2,000-$2500. Which is about what the average audiophile would pay on the used market. The review sample, when the reviewer is finished with it, is now a used loudspeaker. Further that accommodated price usually comes with strings like you can't sell the item for a year or two and it must be in your system for a period of time etc.
Few manufacturers will give for free expensive equipment to reviewers as a sort of payment for a good review (3-5 year loans may be called a "loan" but I think it would be fair to object to that IMO).
I don't place the blame necessarily on the reviewers - the manufacturers who are happy to give amps and speakers to studios and reviewers are doing it for their advertising which probably means it is stuff that can't sell based on listening sessions.
Having auditioned heavily a lot of well reviewed famous gear that is "given" to recording studios and reviewers it is almost always stuff that at normal retail to the average audiophile would not make my top 20 of the given classification of gear. In other words they need all the help they can get and you tend to like it more when it's free.
Further if you have a massive ego and "expect" manufacturers to kiss your ass then you can be quite vindictive if you are not "given" stuff for free because after all 12 other companies are willing to give you stuff so why aren't you?
Sometimes it's more interesting to see what is NOT reviewed in certain magazines which may tell you that those companies don't play the "freebie" game.