When a Reviewer "likes" something

04-01-13: Manitunc
Those of you who dislike reviewers, and therefore, I assume reviews, how do you find out about a product that you can't audition locally.

I wouldn't say that I dislike reviewers or reviews, they just mean nothing to me, whether professional or internet. I search the internet in general (google), and audio forums more specifically. I'll ask specific questions on discussion boards and within threads. Have you used Brand X with Brand Y and Z? Do you prefer a more transparent sound or a more musical sound? Do you like a more immediate presentation or a deeper 3-D soundstage? Obviously knowing something about an individual's experiences and tastes will either add or subtract from the information I receive. Generally though, I know that the folks I am chatting with do not stand to make any financial gain from my decisions, so that alone puts them above professional reviewers.

Then, I buy and try. If I like it, I keep it, if I don't I re-sell it and make a mental note of the recommenders musical tastes when compared with mine. If it is something I like, I keep it and begin to put some more weight behind that members input. If I don't like it, I don't simply write off that member, it could be a synergy issue, but I don't give their opinion the same weight next time.

This is how I slowly started pulling away from glossy rags. There were fewer and fewer individuals whose opinions I respected by listening to gear that they highly recommended which sounded bad to me. JA was one of the main offenders, I don't even think he can hear.

Dear Wolf_garcia: That's the problem: " I like it " and this is not the subject of my posts. Please re-read it, think about it at the targets that I say can't be matched for tube technology.

That something like me does not means is right. IMHO we have to learn about other than that " I like it " that IMHO does not carry anywhere susccessfuly.

I want to enjoy music and I enjoy in whatever medium/source ( even trhough a walkman. ) but on recorded music at home I want to hear what is in the recording adding and loosing the less. This is the target.
I need the technology that can match that target for that we need an accurate, neutral, very very low noise, very very low distortions that permit enjoy fully all the music recorded " emotions " with the right rythmum, natural tonal balance, dynamics, the natural agresiveness music has and power that only the live music has.

Tubes can't do it. You can hear sound trough tube but that's not the subject, the subject is that home system target. Well that's my target, for other persons could be different and nothing wrong with that.

Wolf, we have to learn about. Think on this: why wneh we swtiched to a SS amplifier instead our normal tube one we don't like what we heard?

IMHO when we have better accuracy/neutral/lower noise/lower distortions through that SS amplifier then is more dificult to hide problems all over the system chain all over each one system link that through tubes we were unaware because the tube colorations/inaccuracies are hidden those system problems. In the other side a tube based system makes that the owner ears been equalized to those colorations/distortions and when those colorations/distortions gone we have to confront the REALITY and this is what we don't like it.

As with any audio item we have to re-set the whole system chain and obviously our ears and give the time to understand what is happening now with that SS system change against what we had with tubes.

I have nothing against tubes only because are tubes, what I do is to take the " best " technology that can put be near the targets I have and unfortunately tubes can't do it successfuly. Through many years and experiences first hand ones and trhough other systems I learned about with open mind and with out that " I like it " attitude that is almost useless on the whole subject because we are talking of what is right or wrong.

I can tell you why tubes are not right and why SS is better if not perfect: nothing is perfect.

The subject is easy: Which your home audio system targets? how can you fulfil it with overall success?

The differences between opinion's audiophiles belongs to those questions and its answers.

I'm not better than you or any one else, it's only I have different targets than you. Simple as that.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Dear Wolf: Why some of us don't like digital? because analog is a better technology?

certainly not, IMHO analog is no better technology that what we hear through 24/176.8 digital source.

Problem is that our system set up was set up to fulfil analog needs not digital needs. So when we put inside that system a digital source with out any re-set system then we don't like it.

In the other side as with tubes analog technology has not the higher accuracy we want and digital is a lot more accurate and neutral with a lot lower distortions and noise and the music recorded on digital is full of emotions too and you can feel it if you re-set your system and ears.

Analog signal is heavy and suffer manipulations through the recording and playback that digital does not. That de-emphasis RIAA during recording/cutting LP and the phono stage inverse RIAA eq. makes a lot of damage to the music signal and other degradations subjects on the whole analog signal.

Digital has its own " subjects " but certainly IMHO the digital signal is truer to the recording than any analog source.

Wolf, we are not talking here of that " I like it " that means nothing on the reality nothing on the true nothing on what is in the recording: digital or analog.

Same things happen when we swtich from LOMC cartridges to MM ones because we don't re-set the system to the MM needs but not because the MM alternative is wrong. Or when we switch from BD to DD TT, there are many examples on the same subject. We have to learn, all of us but is up to each one of us do it.

That " I like it " attitude is the cancer on each one of us and the audio industry is full of different kind of cancer, reviewers is one of that.

The good news is that each one of us can cure that cancer, learning about.

IMHO we have to fight against any kind of audio cancer. Or die with.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

It's great that some enthusiasts have the interest and time and resources to investigate very thoroughly certain audio topics/problems and then arrive at what is for them some "answer" or result to their inquiry. Perhaps reviewers should fall into this camp.

Many others just want to relax and enjoy their music without being haunted by the quest for the truth. Perhaps reviewers too often fall into this camp.

As far as "I like it" being an attitude which leads to audio cancer, well that is pretty provocative. I like listening to the BSO on Friday afternoons, and I also like listening to my stereo in the evenings. And the more one sounds like the other, the more I like it.

I appreciate both sides this discussion. I think Raul is right to a large degree but I am not sure what that degree is. I am not surprised that Wolf likes and, I thinks say he, that his tube equip is fun. Just think guitar amps. I agree with both. Wolf as a musician, recording tech and so on I think he would agree that tube equipment sounds more natural but not more accurate. Again to keep it simple just think guitar amps. Could be any instrument amplified. If he doesn't no big deal. A well mic'd set up I find more of the real life of the dynamism, micro-macro, even across the board sound pressure replayed through a ss units as opposed to tube. Sound is sound pressure and I find it is better done with ss. However one of the many big problems we have is, as a recording it becomes some, to very scaled down in its sound pressure for many reasons, so it is hard to recreate that which is not there. I think tubes give us a more pleasant and natural timbre and tone to the sound pressures we hear but not necessarily more naturally accurate musical instrument tone and timbre to go along with the more even sound pressure across the board. So as a play around guitar player with other friends and their instruments I feel the sense of the life of the music that a musician would be listening for(not all pleasant sounds but the raw thing)to me has been better portrayed by ss-stainless steel I mean ss-solid state. Think Gordon Holt. I do think because of some of the nasties of ss it is just a little harder, but not much, to get a somewhat, not exactly, similar naturally pleasant sound out of ss as that of tubes. A disclaimer-I am a professional toilet bowl cleaner.