Wow....what a thread...here's a response kiddos.
1. TAS and Stereophile are hardly going to try to print the same review of the same product. They are competitors. Dick Olsher saw the DiaLogue Premium at CES, liked the sound, and asked to review it. FYI...he gave one of our products a review I DIDN'T like (The Mystere PA21, which I use personally and love so much). I think he has a prejudice against Pentode design amps so we didn't stand a chance. Sam Tellig had heard a buzz about the DiaLogue Premium and asked to review it. Most manufacturers beg him for a review. I didn't.
2. Do advertising $$$$ equal reviews? All you have to do is read the smokin' hot reviews of brands nobody has heard of, with zero advertising, that most likely will go out of business and there is your answer. Reviewers seek out the unheard of, and pick what they want to review. I advertise in the print mags because I like them and want them to stay in business, and can afford to do so. Does that mean they treat me nicer? For months Stereophile couldn't even get me a copy of the magazine in a timely manner.
3. Am I a prick? I treat most everybody very well. Not 30 minutes ago a fellow asked me to check my e-mail to look at pictures of tubes he bought off Craigslist and wanted to know how much he should sell them for. FYI I like this guy so tried to help him. But do you know how many guys want me to tell them what to bid on an auction? Or how to fix a damaged shipping or defective product they bought off Audiogon? If your so cool post your phone number here and I will shift some of the burden to you. Goldenear 1948 doesn't give his name and his profile is private. He can say anything he wants and has. (I don't believe his story about a dead tube as I have a reputation for standing behind my products.) This will probably piss people off but most of my time-burning phone calls come from Audiogon which is why we no longer advertise here.
Having said that, a few years ago I had a short fuse as my wife had Multiple Sclerosis and I was working six days a week, fighting with doctors and insurance companies, overseeing four caregivers, trying to beat back death, and wondering why her. She died and that was a hard ride that wasn't clean. So if you were caught in that crossfire I'm sorry.
Let's see...anything else? Expensive cars make you a bad person? I work hard and my business has been successful. I had a Porsche 914 at 18yo and a BMW 2002 at 24. But I got my first REAL W-2 job at 12 years old and nothing was handed to me. Cars are my passion like motorcycles, music, hifi, and my dog. It's just stuff. I wish I would have had a couple kids, but that wasn't possible.
