Reviewers promote whatever brings money.
HiFi, music, horns, ribbons, solid states or tubes have nothing to do with that.
HiFi, music, horns, ribbons, solid states or tubes have nothing to do with that.
In response to 'Why not horns?'
The one thing in particular J. Gordon Holt had an ear (/point-of-reference) for and sought to point out, and a distinction that has been sorely missing among most reviewers both past and present, is expressed in the following of his Snell Type A review:
The audiophile, and "the music listener;" one doesn't necessarily exclude the other insofar we're speaking the appreciation of music, but going by its live sonic signature the validation of Mr. Holt's distinction seems appropriate - indeed essential.
In other words and in general: reviewers promote "hifi" (addressed at audiophiles) much more than the sonic recreation of live acoustic music (sought by "the music listener" as per above).
For the audiophile, these are an ideal choice in their price range, as they do everything that he listens for quite a bit better than do many systems costing substantially more.
For the music listener who is intimately familiar with live-music timbres, though, we can recommend the Snells only if mated with another component in the system that will liven up the presence a bit, such as a tubed preamp (for brightness) and a solid-state power amp (for optimum bass performance).
The audiophile, and "the music listener;" one doesn't necessarily exclude the other insofar we're speaking the appreciation of music, but going by its live sonic signature the validation of Mr. Holt's distinction seems appropriate - indeed essential.
In other words and in general: reviewers promote "hifi" (addressed at audiophiles) much more than the sonic recreation of live acoustic music (sought by "the music listener" as per above).
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