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In Reply to: My point exactly--please the manufacturer or you're cut off. What good is that to a reader? nt posted by TomLarson on April 29, 2007 at 11:12:36:
to point out a product's shortcomings as well as where it might work the best. That is one of the challenges of the reviewer's job. This isn't a one-size-fits-all hobby.What is it some of us expect? A total and complete thrashing of a product because it serves no purpose or application whatsoever? First point out the moron who would spend money to bring such a worthless item to market in the first place.
Follow Ups:
Mathew Polk, Amar Bose, uh....But seriously,Bruce, I just don't believe that all (ALL) audio products are good products, that everyone puts out a product worth buying or that, for a given person (system) there aren't products that are better than others in each category. I don't believe that all audio products offer the same value, are equally reliable etc etc. What is so special about audio that every product is above average?? How are we all so lucky to wind up in this hobby and not some other like photography or cars or wine or ... And how is it that such a small market compared to, say, computers, where real money is to be made these days (still), just does things so damn good ALL THE TIME? You've never bought or sold over-priced equipment? You've never carried lines that later you regretted? Look at the language and range of criticism found in Stereophile equipment reviews and compare it to what you find in their music reviews...If a cd is crap, they will call it crap, give it one star, say it's recorded terribly, say don't bother with this one etc. Why doesn't your argument apply equally to music product? Or to any of the other things I mention and don't mention. Is it a perfect world???? If we turn your argument on itself and apply it to Pioneer, Sansui, Technics, etc etc all the brands that you find at Best Buy....why isn't the argument valid there too, in your opinion???? Why doesn't stereophile compare a technics receiver to a Mark Levenson amp/preamp?? In virtue of what (do you think) is the group of audio mfgrs that are generally thought of as 'high end' any different than the group that BB sells? What moron would bring out a $99 Insignia receiver?? Why is there an answer to that question? Ok, end of tirade....
I can't remember any Bose reviews, and I certainly can't remember any $99 Insignia receiver reviews. The product you see reviewed in print or on the e-zines hardly fit that criteria.Sigh, maybe what I get at this end is different than what everyone else sees. That's it, I get special stuff.
My point about Bose etc was really a question to you: In virtue of WHAT are these kinds of brands routinely excluded from the review process of most if not all mags? My answer might be, well, there not worth the money, they aren't made well, they don't sound good, there's better stuff out there that is of better value etc. But why isn't that kind of answer ALSO true of at least a portion (25% say) of the equipment the mags DO review? You say, what moron would bring, etc. If moron = maker of crappy equipment in this context, then (certainly I would say) there are "morons" out there bringing their wares to BB. But it doesn't seem like much of an argument to say hey the equipment the mags review is all good and the stuff that BB sells is all bad. One answer from the mags is well, we don't have time/space for anything but good reviews. It is hard for me to believe that there aren't other economic factors that influence what gets reviewed, not the least of which is if you publish negative reviews I ain't giving you any more equipment to review. It may be that you have never encountered "bad" "high end" equipment. I'm sure you do your best never to sell such equipment. But doesn't that take an effort on your part? Don't you have to weed through stuff, make determinations as to what to carry and what not to--in the hopes of satisfying customers?? I'm pretty sure you aren't really Sound By Singer so I am betting you can't carry everything (I know, they don't either)....SO, forget the mags and the reviews for now (only for now) and maybe say something about your own selection process. I believe it when you say you get special stuff. But is it more accurate to say you END UP with special stuff because you know your business and know how to choose products? Should every dealer get or be getting the same generally favorable reviews of their business? Are there no "morons" who are dealers--people you see making terrible decisions? Huh? (Thanks for reading this far if you did).
I select products that I focus on based on my own personal "wow" factor coupled with identifying known customers who are likely to have a strong interest in them. Just in case, I have access to a number of lines that I don't emphasize.I select items based on personal experience, like at shows. How I get to that personal experience is either through recommendations from a handful of trusted "advisors", customer inquiries about something new and some reviews.
Other issues come into play as well. Minimum stocking levels, minimum order quantities and payment terms all play a role. I fund all of my activities out of my own pocket, and that keeps things under control by default. Dealers like Sound by Singer have flooring relationships with finance companies where they pay interest charges only on items they have in stock. Dealers like that have a store front to deal with. I don't. Dealers like that have to be ready to deal with whoever walks through the door. Most of my customers are effectively clients, and I have an opportunity to work more closely with them to identify solutions and handle installations.
Let's focus on shows for a minute, since your broader question is about the high end market overall. I have never heard a component or speakers that are truly high end that I would say sucked. Sure, I've heard speakers that were in desperate need of some hours on them, but I can usually hear past that. Not all products appeal to me, and if I am not absolutely sold on something I think I would have a hard time selling it to someone else. Read that to mean that if you are looking for horns, single driver speakers or any kind of gimmicky product, you'd be happier with another dealer.
Reviewers cannot do what I do. They have to appeal to a broad range of readers and have the ability to address where a given item might be best suited, and areas where they are not. Some of them are in a position to request certain products for review, and get what they want, while others review whatever they are assigned. Some manufacturers don't send product out for review. Going back to the $99 Insignia receiver, yeah, someone saw fit to bring that product to market and I am sure they sold a bundle of them. That doesn't mean the manufacturer would submit that item to Sterephile (or even Sound & Vision(!)) for review. They might be willing to sell someone a piece of crap product for a next to nothing price, but they certainly don't think it can compete in the high end arena.
All your points have been hashed and re-hashed on this forum several times already. In the end the mags are controlled by their owners and editors, and every hifi mag is a business whose first goal is to survive and prosper. S'phile and a few others have found a way to do that and are unlikely to make any risky changes unless confronted by evidence that the vast majority of their readership demands it.Others - including me - have complained about hifi mags' lack of emphasis on price/performance ratio, hyperbole to exaggerate differences, and calling a spade a spade instead of requiring reading between the lines. But a few complaints on Critics does not a readership rebellion make. In fact, the majority of the readership of the biggest on the block (S'phile) are apparently pretty happy with the mag, as it is either sustaining or growing its readership in a small niche market. Although I happen to agree with some of your points, I can understand that from JA's (or another editor's) point of view its more like "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
the outcome is alreadys predictable
Very few points here are news. So maybe it's time to put it to rest, go back to reading my stereophile in isolation forget the rat race of critics corner and buy what Sam Tellig recommends. It does seem to me that most Stereophile readers are happy and even most such readers who post here are happy. Hence my suggestion to change the name of the forum to Happy Campers. Somewhere complacency figures into the equation. Thanks for your comments.
we did one.
Thanks for the link!!
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