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In Reply to: RE: Dusty, thank you for sticking with us. posted by rivervalley817 on October 25, 2020 at 11:19:34
Fact is, the criteria for review have become a little less strict since I've taken over.
Traditionally, when most things were sold through dealers, Stereophile had a five-dealer rule: It must be sold by five dealers. There was always mail-order stuff, and Stereophile would occasionally review something sold only that way--but then the Internet came and it got more common. An official exception was made: We would review stuff that was sold online as long as there was a decent home-review period.
Since taking over as editor, I have occasionally allowed reviews of products sold by dealers who don't yet have five dealers; in a couple of cases, they ended up having five dealers by the time the review appeared. Why? In every case, these products were more established overseas and were just appearing in the US market, and it was clear to me (usually from experience at shows) that a product was a big deal.
For products sold online, and not through dealers, I've long considered domestic support important--but I've made exceptions to that as well, as in the case of the Okto dac8, which must be serviced overseas. My rationale? It appears to be an excellent value, and there are very few high-quality multichannel DACs available. Even so, the 8-channel Okto wasn't reviewed, just exposed in our pages. (Not sure that issue is out yet.) Experience with the 8-channel DAC then led to interest in the 2-channel version of same, resulting in a review, which is forthcoming.
Sometimes, as with Denafrips, I make exceptions simply because I think a product deserves the attention of readers--or, to put it differently, that our readers should be aware of it. Still, we're rarely the first to report on a new product that's sold online, because we'll only cover it when after the company has a track record.
To sum up, my goal is to be sure that every product we review can meet demand and provide adequate service and support. But it's contextual, and there are trade-offs. In cases where a product may (for example) only have overseas support, we try to make sure that our readers are aware of that fact. I haven't so much changed Stereophile's policies as (perhaps) been more willing to make exceptions.
Oh, and reviewer (or editor) enthusiasm remains a major criterion, perhaps he most important one.
Jim Austin, Editor
Stereophile
Follow Ups:
it wasn't my question originally but indeed a good one
thanks for your detailed reply
I'm sure that the forum appreciates it as a whole
I still feel a bit guilty for tugging on Kal's beard so hard, it was meant in a good natured way ... mostly, kinda, etc.
regards,
most gracious, thank you
I was just being a curmudgeonly for comedic effect
but like you said ... tough crowd
best,
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