Do keep in mind not everyone that read hifi magazines are experienced hobbyists like most of you are. When one buys a wrong amp based on a review, it is not entertainment. Believe it or not, some of us don't know better so we turn to hifi magazines for advice, after all it's not too out of the line to assume that that's what they are for. People tend to forget how overwhelming it can be for an inexperienced person to start build a system. For god's sake, majority in our population do not have an idea what a phono stage means.
It's just not as simple as "entertainment". People do pay for the magazines and they are entitled to a little "help" or "review" they seek to make an informed decision. |
Hi Whart,
"Kzhtoo: I think relying too heavily on anyone else's opinion, no matter how experienced, in deciding to buy something expensive is probably a mistake, if only for the reason that results are system dependent and depend on your ears.
The difficulty, obviously, is being able to get a home audition. Not easy if you are buying used from Audiogon or in some cases where the manufacturer sells direct. This is obviously where the premium paid to a dealer has value."
What I meant is for the people with limited knowledge who's trying to build a system or just getting into this hobby. I understand the premium you pay to the dealers for the obvious benefit. But IME, unless you can home audition, listening at the dealers' treated room with completely different components usually do not tell you much. Home auditions is tough these days, at least in my area. And we all know we cannot completely trust what your dealer tells you. Not saying there aren't trustworthy dealers but I have yet to have met one. So, we turn to hifi magazines.
The reason what I wrote below to begin with (see below) is because I felt nauseated when I read the attitude that Mr. Fremer displayed in his couple of posts. Hi-end audio is not the mainstream in the bigger scheme of things, and we, the readers, are the ones that keeping these magazines afloat. But I do not feel easy to have read such things along the lines of "this is entertainment, I wrote what I wrote and I get paid for it. If you don't like it, tough luck" as opposed to taking this incident with OP as a learning experience to better communicate with the readers.
Other than that, yes I do like negative reviews. Just not the attitude in this thread. Maybe Mr. Fremer was in the heat of the moment. But I thought I'd say something.
"11-17-12: Kzhtoo
Do keep in mind not everyone that read hifi magazines are experienced hobbyists like most of you are. When one buys a wrong amp based on a review, it is not entertainment. Believe it or not, some of us don't know better so we turn to hifi magazines for advice, after all it's not too out of the line to assume that that's what they are for. People tend to forget how overwhelming it can be for an inexperienced person to start build a system. For god's sake, majority in our population do not have an idea what a phono stage means.
It's just not as simple as "entertainment". People do pay for the magazines and they are entitled to a little "help" or "review" they seek to make an informed decision.
Kzhtoo (Threads | Answers | This Thread)" |
Kzhtoo- I'm completely sympathetic to the concerns you are raising, not because I have succeeded in overcoming them for myself, but because I still struggle with the same issues you do, and have been fooling around with this stuff for more than 40 years. Dealers are in business to make money and none carry all possible brands you'd like to demo, even assuming you are in a locale where most of the equipment is accessible. Some products are virtually impossible to get for home demo, unless you know another enthusiast who already owns it, and is willing to let you try it for a period of time in your system. (A fast afternoon or evening is not really enough).
Then there is the alchemy of system and component matching- sure, there are some tried and true combinations, but unless you are prepared to buy new speakers and amps to replicate a proven combination, you are entering into voodoo land. I wish it were not so. I wish it was easy enough to get the gist of a given component from the published specs, or a review, and have confidence that you will know what you are getting and how well it will work.
Some pretty experienced hi-fi enthusiasts get that experience by trying, buying and discarding an endless array of equipment in their pursuit. It's not just 'flavor of the month,' but a quest to achieve some elusive quality that they can hear in their mind's eye (how's that for a mixed metaphor). Even if they achieve nirvana, it's a pretty costly process.
Reviews are not a very good substitute for many of these reasons. I'm not an apologist for reviewers in general or M. Fremer in particular- I assume most do it because they actually enjoy some part of the reviewing process and like music and gear, but, when you think about what it is they have to do to write a review, it can be a pretty thankless task. Setting the stuff up, getting it burned in, making sure they understand its quirks, its operating features and getting it zoned in for best performance, taking other system variables into account (and sometimes having to make substantial changes to other parts of the system to get there). Do that once a month and its probably 1/2 fun and 1/2 a pain in the ass. Do it as a regular job- has to be a real grind. So, what's the upside? Learning, access to good, musical gear, an inside track to an interesting industry that is still made up of quite a few colorful characters, writing, getting published and doing a lot of legwork. Part journalist, part tech, part music fan, and bringing to bear whatever innate talents they have where the technology, the music and the writing converge, to make it worthwhile. The reader? I don't think too many professional writers disdain their readers- but, it's kind of like asking somebody in any field "why did you say X 4 years ago about such and such a topic?" It may have been their best effort at the time; they know more now, or listen differently. I also suspect that somebody who listens to equipment constantly, on an ongoing basis, as part of their profession has a different view on the whole thing than you do, when you earmark funds for a substantial purchase and want to be 'right' in what you are buying. Sure, they get a price break if they decide to buy the stuff for themselves, but they certainly aren't making much money writing audio reviews. They just have greater access, and perhaps a willingness to roll with various review equipment, making changes to their personal systems only when something really 'pops.' Otherwise, they could maintain a decent reference and 'feed the equipment habit' largely by relying on a continued influx of new gear for review. There are guys I know in the car business, high end cars to be sure, who have little need to personally invest tons of money in their own rides- what they may collect for themselves is oddball, quirky stuff, since they are driving the latest and greatest anyway as part of their jobs.
Sorry for the overlong post. I don't think your problem is unique at all- it is in some ways the very root of uncertainty and the constant striving to improve our systems. Unfortunately, it's not a 'buy the best' and live happily ever after story, even if you have unlimited funds, because there is no 'best' once you get to a certain level of gear and so much depends on basic set-up, component synergies, room and your particular taste. In some ways, it is what makes this an interesting hobby. Hi Whart, great analysis and reasoning. Thanks for posting. |
