2. amps-preamps
  3. 189182-96

Example of a piece o’ crap, useless review

I posted this originally in the Analog section as the review is of a turntable, but the point extends more generally and thought more people would get to see it here.

I’ve harped on how crappy and useless many “professional” reviews are because they lack rigor and omit critical information.  This one is from TAS that is a main offender of pumping out shallow/unsupported reviews, but most of the Euro mags among others are guilty of this too IME.  One key giveaway that a review is crap is that after reading it you still have little/no real understanding of what the piece under review actually sounds like or if it’s something you’d like to consider further.  I mean, if a review can’t accomplish those basic elements what use is it?  This review is so shallow it reads like it could’ve been written by someone who never even listened to the review sample and just made it up outta thin air.  In addition to failing on this broad level, here are some other major problems with the review:

- There is no info regarding any shortcomings of this “budget” turntable — everything is positive.  Sounds like it was perfect, ehem.

- There are no comparisons to another product in the same general price category or anything else.

- The reviewer doesn’t even share what equipment is in his reference system so we can at least infer what he may have based his impressions on.

In short, in addition to this review being so bad/useless for all the reasons stated it actually reads more like advertisement for the product than an actual unbiased review.  I can think of nothing worse to say about a review, and sadly many reviews out there are similarly awful for the same reasons.  Sorry for the rant, but especially as a former reviewer this piece of garbage pushed all my buttons and really ticked me off.  What say you?

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/sota-quasar-turntable-and-pyxi-phonostage/

soix
herman
2,215 posts
 

I read (skim through) reviews to see what music they are using to evaluate a system. Found some good stuff that way. Not much use for them otherwise.

djcxxx
99 posts
 

Reviews are largely another form of advertising. Boilerplate is far less time consuming than critical analysis and irate manufactuers threarening to pull advertising dollars can be avoided. 

hce1
45 posts
 

I’m not saying there are no audio reviewers out there worth reading, but I haven’t read a review since Moncrief and Enid quit publishing the international audio review. They went well beyond what most reviewers were doing while they were active, and I found every one of their reviews useful in one way or another. There is no other audio magazine or reviewer about whom I can say that. Also, the Internet and used audio marketplaces enables direct exposure to any device in which I might have an interest. So, why would I rely on another reviewer, except to call my attention to a new product in the audio space? 

soix OP
8,707 posts
 

I’m not saying there are no audio reviewers out there worth reading

@hce1 I’d submit there are several reviewers at Soundstage who are well worth reading. Guys like Jeff Fritz, Doug Schneider, and Hans Wetzel just to name a few are straight shooters and well worth reading IMO, and their reviews are rigorous and thorough unlike many others out there. I’ll also mention Sandu at Soundnews.net — he skews more toward DACs and headphone equipment, but his reviews likewaise are very thorough, informative, and actually useful.  There are some good reviewers out there so I’d encourage you to search them out as they truly provide some useful info.

jwei
134 posts
 

This was the kind of review that got Stereophile started (by JGH) --

"This and the higher-powered P-L 700 have a sound that is characteristically their own: A rather fat, rich quality that one normally associates with good solid-state units of considerably lower power (such as the Citation 12 and the Crown D-60), and the effortless openness that is a sure sign of oodles of reserve power. Both however also have a noticeably fine-grained or ’gray’ quality that is substantially less conspicuous in the 400 (which in turn has a shade more of it than the Crown DC-300A). In addition, although it is not easy to overload the 400, it does not respond very gracefully when it is overdriven (usually on heavy, sustained bass passages), and takes a perceptible period of time to recover.

"All in all, we would judge this to be a less successful design than the Dyna Stereo 400 (which sells for $100 more), but would rate it as being the best solid-state amplifier in its price class."

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