Hype alone is not the evil. This reminds me of a book called "Bad, or
The Dumbing of America" (Paul Fussell) published in 1991, where he
describes the real sin being the 'delta' between the hype and the reality. So
many of the products mentioned above may have hype or buzz, but
actually deliver and have had or still have many satisfied user/customers
over many years. So, by that standard, they aren't overrated. I may not like
them, they may not be my cup of tea, but is that overrated? I know there is
a tendency for product 'groupthink' sometimes- whether it is reviews or
marketing, or both (some claim reviews are marketing), but knowing how
fickle audiophiles are, that doesn't translate into long-term business. And
given the intra-web, including this place, you'd hear about it (whether it is
product failures, lack of good support or just general dissatisfaction with the
product or its company). And those products often just fade into the sunset.
So, the market 'corrects' this, even if there is 'buy in' initially.
To me, the cool thing about this industry, unlike many others, is that it is still
in many ways a cottage industry. Yeah, there are big corporate
conglomerates that own some of the companies, and black box/consumer
electronics, but think about how many of the products that are still around,
year after year, or pop up fresh and get a following, that are made by little
companies, tinkerers, or long time enthusiasts from other industries who
have transferred their skills, etc. Not many businesses like that, in my
estimation.
