$4500 amp beat out the Tenor OTL in the latest TAS

I think it is pathetic and irresponsible for reviewers to proclaim an amp 'the best' or even 'absolutely better' than another amp.

Why? Unless you are comparing amps in the SAME reference system, saying one is better than the other is very difficult to say the least. And even if you do compare different amps in the same reference system, one amp may not be as well matched in that system as the other.

Reviewers have a tendancy to think they can isolate the sound of an a amp and report on it. I would argue that without a lot of experientation (and I mean A LOT), I think this is quite difficult.

For starters there is the power cord issue. Power cords can make a huge impact on how a component sounds. This is such a huge impact, I think it is pointless to review a componenet mated with only one power cord (especially if it is stock). Reviewers need to review amps with a few power cords mated to the amp.

The next problem is speakers. Not all amps are really suited to drive the same speakers of a reference system. The same goes with mating an amp to any preamp.

With so many variables, isolating the amp's sound is a monumental task. I think most reviewers FAIL MISERABLY at it. Especially when they proclaim an amp as the 'best ever'.

When was the last time you read a negative review from an audio publication? Two channel audio is struggling for its survival (and loosing).

KF

I do not see most professional reviewing as subtle problem as Asa does.

The problem is pretty simple.

It is comperable to two lawyers practicing in a small town. These two lawyers are the only two in the town, and they both speak openly about how they have respect for the other (no matter what they really think of the other). They never speak badly of the other to any of their clients. Why is this the case? Because they are the only two lawyers in town. As long as they do not piss anyone off (and one can piss off people quite easilly by speaking poorly of another, esp in a small town), then they are almost assured a 50/50 split of the entire towns legal work.

How is this comperable to professional audio reviews? The audio industry is so small and struggling it does NO ONE any good for a reviewer to critize a product. Reviewers in one way or another depend on the hi-end industry selling products. Without the hi-end industry and audiophiles, they would be out of a job.

I will not go so far as to say that most reviewers deceive people in their reviews by being biased with a favorable position toward the industry. But what I will say is that I find reviewers tend to only review products that they initially like. This I think is Stereophile's big problem: they only seem to review products they like. Where does this get us? It gets us a lot of glowing reviews that many times have little to no reference with other products. Stereophile rarely compares products head to head. Take their Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II review they did a few issues ago. They do not compare the AZ cables to the Valhalla at all, eventhough the reviewer uses the Valhalla as his reference. This is not good reviewing.

This analysis does not even take into consideration the thousands of dollars that hi-end companies spend on advertisements in audio magazines.

Online reviews by private individuals also have problems. Who wants to review something negatively that they just spent good money on in their system? People tend to review stuff they buy positively. My goal when I buy something is to buy it for such a good price I can be totally neutral as to my oppinion of its impact on my system. If I like it better, I keep it. If I do not like the product, I sell it for the same price I got it for. Most of the time I get better sound from the new product. There have been a few times I have not gotten better sound.

Well I must run.

KF