How hard is it to admit you bought bad gear?

Oh God no, avguygeorge and others, I have made plenty of them
and yes, more than I care to admit. Whats hard is thinking of which is the worse. I do think it might be as benefical though, especially to some of the newbies, and I guess really to some of us older timers, that we admit our boners.
Always easy to talk about the good deals, but I have to admit there have been one or two amp mods( I seem to fall for mods) I fell for that I wish I hadn't.
On the same note, but in a far better light, just got off the phone for the 1st time
with Stan Warren(I think I am going to have him mod my DV 09
Elite for me, any thoughts on that?)what a class individual. Everything I am reading about him must be true.
And as far as reviews go, I think we all know WE let them carry too much weight in what WE buy, or at least look at. Yes, part of it is the only 2 real dealers in this area can only carry maybe 1/100 of the gear available out there, so I have to depend some on others, and since they do it for a living we(or just I) think they should be right. How many times have I considered something or look to see if something is on the Stereophile or used to the TAS recommended list. And in the case of TAS, who among us could sort out what they really thought about a product? And I loved the mag, but damn it could be confusing until you learned to trust your own ears.
And yes, how many good products are out there that died in infancy because they couldn't get anywhere withe the mags? That must be an incredible pile of equipment

One thing to keep in mind about AR is that the reviewed component is usually an upgrade from a lesser model and sounds better to the user. This may give it a 5 star rating. A 5 star rating does not mean it is the best of the bunch.

I do like AR as a reference.

I don't trust AR as a source as to whether a product is good or not. I posted a review that was initially accepted but a few days later it was taken off. There was another review which was also taken off. Both our reviews were 3 stars on the product, but since this is presently one of the hot items in the Audio community... (product has 37 reviews all 5 stars)

It is not in any way difficult for me to admit I bought a piece of crap. BUT.................it is hard to say what brand because I don't like putting down a specific product just because it didn't work in my system. I have to admit that 95% of my purchases ended in satisfaction. However, there is a Turntable I purchased that was absolutely horrible in my system, and fortunately I was able to sell it to someone who was familiar with the product and wanted it. I would love to be brutally honest about products I don't like and have never heard. IMO, there are some esoteric high-end components out there that sell well and really suck, but it isn't my aim to tear a product down. It is enough for me to know what I know and avoid said product at all costs.
But as far as buying products that are total crap and admitting it? Well, I do that without reservation to the one person my opinion matters the most to..............ME!

Great thread!

I have had the opportunity to purchase many, "last that I will ever need", components that were eventually, sometimes rather quickly, replaced. I have made the mistake of taking reviews too seriously and affecting my purchase decisions. I have found that for the most part a good retailer who is passionate about the hobby and carries multiple lines can be helpful.

My best example is a pair of speakers that I purchased from a great audio retailer that has since gone out of business in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The speakers, Scientific Fidelity Tesla's, had received a horrible review from Stereophile that made them close to impossible to sell. The retailer took one pair as a demo before the review came our and wound up unable to sell them because of the horrible review. I listened to them and liked them. They threw a great soundstage and were easy on my ears. I purchased them for less than he paid for them as a demo pair and kept them for 3 years. That is a record in my system.

That is my one good story. I do not have the time or the memory space to discuss the purchases that I wound up selling for half of what I paid within 6 months.