"...and I don't take any advertiser money..."

"So are we saying we can't trust anyone who gets paid to do their job reviewing audio equipment?  A rather jaded view IMHO"

 

Depends on who the reviewer is being paid by.  Would you trust the review of a product if the reviewer is being paid by the manufacturer of said product?

Ok.  I'm jaded.

But we've had discussions before of how we never see a negative review.  

I just think people should realize if money is changing hands in retrun for a positive review.

Jerry

That's a forgone conclusion.  We're all adults and know how the world works.  I use reviews to educate myself.  Technical specs for example.  Or to bring into my focus, products I'm just not aware of.  And there are plenty.  Should anyone purchase based on a single review?  The words buyer beware come to mind.  Cheers.

My problem with professional reviewers is also about getting huge discounts or even free audio equipment for the reviews! I have heard from one Audio company that the large Audio magazines won’t even review his equipment unless he advertises with their magazine. The review system is largely corrupted IMHO! This isn’t to say there aren’t honest reviewers. It sometimes amazes me the over-the-top equipment that some of these magazine reviewers OWN based on their salaries. I’m not talking about the equipment they get in for review and have to return eventually. Also, these same reviewers know that if they ever give a company a bad review that company will never do cooperate with them again! Steve Guttenberg has even said in one of his videos that he will NEVER give a bad review.

One thing to consider is when reviewing HEA, there are rarely objectively "bad" products to review. It's a competition for preferences above a certain quality threshold. So regardless of the incentives, it's easy to say good things about good things. Individual reviewer credibility is in the eye of the viewer/reader. 

The ones who are more suspect are the "high end for less" folks. They may have an incentive to hype lesser products for financial gain. Or they might have good tips. Buyer beware.