The short answer is no. I'm fine with measurements but the conclusions he draws from them are of dubious worth, I find him smug, which is a trait I really don't stand for in anybody. There is occasional interesting discourse on the site but for every interesting thread there are three in which some evangelical devotee posts third-party measurements and the usual suspects have a field day bashing the product that they never have heard and (let's be honest) in many cases can't afford.
Did Amir Change Your Mind About Anything?
It’s easy to make snide remarks like “yes- I do the opposite of what he says.” And in some respects I agree, but if you do that, this is just going to be taken down. So I’m asking a serious question. Has ASR actually changed your opinion on anything? For me, I would say 2 things. I am a conservatory-trained musician and I do trust my ears. But ASR has reminded me to double check my opinions on a piece of gear to make sure I’m not imagining improvements. Not to get into double blind testing, but just to keep in mind that the brain can be fooled and make doubly sure that I’m hearing what I think I’m hearing. The second is power conditioning. I went from an expensive box back to my wiremold and I really don’t think I can hear a difference. I think that now that I understand the engineering behind AC use in an audio component, I am not convinced that power conditioning affects the component output. I think.
So please resist the urge to pile on. I think this could be a worthwhile discussion if that’s possible anymore. I hope it is.
- ...
- 1423 posts total
I think the Erin fellow is just another YouTube person and I don’t put anymore stock in his opinion than the next guy. However, I’ve seen Amir make some claims about Erin’s and others that I find out of line. I’ve seen Amir do many things he accuses Erin (and others) of. We can use simple objective facts to prove this.
Amir says Erin’s video was removed because it was clickbait and he doesn’t want anyone to earn money by having their videos shared on ASR. As someone who has perused ASR a number of times this doesn’t make sense. Why? Well, there are countless threads that are shared on ASR by members - seemingly with the intention of making fun of them - where Amir engages. From GR Research to Goldensound to John Darko. Here are two recent examples:
Both of those threads are still open - after weeks - and have generated no telling how many views by the ASR membership. If Amir is truly worried about someone making money by getting views through ASR then why doesn’t Amir delete/close those threads? The answer is plainly simple but let me give some background first.
The fact is someone shared Erin’s video because they thought it was interesting and asked others to comment. Amir called it clickbait and put Erin down.* Many members disagreed with Amir. Amir got upset at that and then closed the thread after putting his last word in. In other words: anyone can share any links to anyone’s YouTube videos or website as long as it is done with the purpose of making fun of that person. In the case of Erin’s video that wasn’t what happened and Amir didn’t like that. So he closed the thread. After he intentionally derailed it with his off-topic remarks.
This makes it pretty clear to see that Amir just doesn’t like Erin and used "clickbait" as an excuse to lock the thread. If he meant what he said he’d lock and/or delete every other single thread with external links or things he thinks are harmful to the community. For someone reason, rather than helping to encourage others to look at objective data through other sources, Amir has chosen to create false narratives around those outlets so that his viewership will take his side. When it backfires, that is when Amir gets upset.
As for clickbait, let’s all remember how many back-and-forth videos Amir has created about Danny @ GR Research and Paul McGowan @ PS Audio. Amir knew those would get views. He says "my audience asked me to make this video". This is proof he knew he would get views by creating additional drama and tension in the audio community while also being an excuse for creating said content. A single video on the topic would have been adequate but he continued to play in the mud because he knew it would get him views. One of his written reviews of GR Research speakers even had the words "a joke" in the title.** Talk about clickbait.
Let’s not also forget that Amir was recently belittled by Steve Guttenberg - while Steve was speaking at AXPONA 2023 - for not having as many subscribers as Steve does. This was brought up in a thread on ASR. Steve was asked his view on measurements. Steve made a snide remark about Amir not having as many followers (without saying Amir’s name, which is childish on its own). So, what does Amir do in response? He asks his viewers to subscribe and like to get his numbers up so he can have better "influence in the YouTube world".*** Despite him having said previously and even in this thread that he doesn’t do this sort of thing.
It is plain to see that Amir doesn’t like Erin and uses any reason he can to justify his logic even when it clearly goes against his other actions such as failure to delete/close other threads which contain links through ASR and his own part in playing "the game" by creating content he knows will create drama and fuel views, asking for donations, asking for likes/subscribers all while running a business that sells various brands. No matter how big a disclaimer he puts on it he’s still generating interest and driving potential sales through his channel to his own business. A single speaker sold through Madrona Digital is far more than most of these YouTube guys make in a week. Some even a month.
I have no issue with anyone monetizing their efforts as long as there is transparency. Unfortunately, Amir criticizes others for doing all the things he says he doesn’t do. These are facts and easy to verify with simple searches online. I’ve provided some below. But Amir and (some of) his dedicated followers conveniently ignore all these objective facts and cast doubt on others so they can prop Amir up as the only person capable of providing honest and accurate reviews. Amir cannot say all these things about others and expect us to ignore the fact he does the exact same things.
- J
|
"Effort and Value are two different things. The comments about needing to be "paid" in order to take notes at an audio show was telling. No need for notes, just listen, and report out what you hear. " That is precisely what I did in my show report. I even put the music that I heard in the report. Here is the link again: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/amirs-2023-pacific-audio-fest-report-day-2.45942/ "Another classic in the form of Patricia Barber's Ode to Billie Joe Neat channel separation. Good bass for such little speakers (I didn't know there was a woofer in the back at this point)" [another suite] Another Night · Cody High Superb detail and dynamics. Excellent recording as I listen to it from youtube.
So I did and reported what I heard. If you had bothered to spend 30 seconds looking at my show report, you would have know that. The poster apparently wanted me to write a full book report for every suite and hence my answer that I am not a journalist that gets paid by the word to do that. Maybe next time I use ChatGPT to make up subjective remarks as to make some of you happy. Surely that would do a better job than word salads we get from such "reviewers."
|
"Amir says Erin's video was removed because it was clickbait and he doesn't want anyone to earn money by having their videos shared on ASR. " His video was NOT removed. For heaven's sake, why don't you guys spend 10 seconds fact checking stuff you write??? Here is the thread again for all to see: All I said in there was this as a follow up from another poster wondering if he has "marketing intentions:" "Hate clickbait titles like that. It seems every second there is another like that. This whole monetization business drives creators to make so many of these." That comment got a lot of people to throw themselves over the railroad tracks defending Erin and getting quite personal to boot. So I eventually closed the thread since there was no substance that was being discussed from his video anyway. "As for clickbait, let's all remember how many back-and-forth videos Amir has created about Danny @ GR Research and Paul McGowan @ PS Audio. Amir knew those would get views." And what would views do for me on a channel that has no monetization, ads or sponsorship? Nothing. I do those videos because members and non-members ask for an answer to claims made by Danny, Paul, etc. In every case I work hard to make sure there are substantive technical information. They are not, "here are my top 5 speakers." No definition of clickbait applies to my video whereas it is clear as a day that it applies to Erin's. Erin does want the views, the ads, the sponsorships, the channel growth, etc. Again, those are fine for him. Just don't use ASR to promote content like this. I don't know why this is such a hard concept for you all to grasp. |
- 1423 posts total