Reviewing the Reviewers

hey, i liked trelja's nyc post - i also liked djjd's response to it. i like arthur salvatore's site - i've had it bookmarked for 2 years, & i acshully bought someting from him. but, i also like s'phile & have been a reader since '84. i also abhor hypocricy - how can that be? easy - i have a *brain*! :>) i can read what i want, like what i want, dislike what i want.

djjd is right, imo, that trelja wasn't taking everyting into account in his nyc report. i appreciated trelja's report still, being able to identify all djjd's objections myself, before djjd even said anyting about it. trelja doesn't have to say the rooms sucked - i can figure it out. i was even at the '96 show, so i *know* about poor room set-up. if the above is true, then how can i like what djjd said? simple - yust cuz i don't draw the same conclusions as djjd - ie: i won't write-off trelja's opinions - doesn't mean i don't tink djjd makes walid points. the same is true w/the salvatore-vs-reviewer idea. i like salvatore *and* reviewers. sure, there are some reviewers i like better than others. sure, the rags make their money from the adwertizers. but, i feel i have the ability to separate the wheat fromn the chaff... no one's perfect - take what ya need, leave the rest. if someting registers high on yer bullshit detector, then go ahead & say someting about it - i sure do! :>) but, i don't lose any sleep over it.

regards to all, doug s.

I agree with much of what you say Detlof. However I think you underestimate how many people feel betrayed by the true motivations of most of the mainstream rags. It didn't use to be the way it now is. There was more integrity when there was little or no advertising. Sure the magazines need to make money and the mainstream ones make more than ever at least Stereophile does. I myself feel that it is a good value overall. You get good technical info on the products ala Audio. I do feel that their reviews for the most part are to the contrary of enlightening. They are so generic cookie cutter in their descriptions that you could easily apply one review to any other. Is this the fault of the reviewer or are there editorial lines that the reviewer must stay within? My guess is the latter. I would rather see more honesty in how they really hear and feel about a product and I seldom get a sense of that.

Of course they tell us to use our own ears and ultimately that is what we must do. The problem that I see is the allegiance that the mags have to the Major Manufacturers that get much more exposure because they advertise more. I find this very self-serving and not in the best interest of the readership or hi-end audio as a whole. They also do not compare products. There used to be more of this. This is one feature of the Absolute Sound that I really do like. Small manufacturers that can't afford to advertise may make it to the recommended component list but don't stay too long if they don't advertise. This is really a very calculated format issue that is more in the interest of the manufacturers than the readership.

And that brings us to the real beef I have and one area I totally agree with Salvadore on, their Recommended Component List. It is little more than a marketing tool to sell more copy and appease manufacturers', killing 2 birds with one stone. The readers seem to like it and the advertising is heavier than ever in those issues. I do not feel it is critical enough of the components that are selected. What with A+, A etc. Maybe I'm in the minority but I personally find it almost useless. I have listened to some of their “A” rated components and there is NO way that they should be included among the best, period, IMHO. Except I don't feel too humble in my adamancy on that point!!

The best parallel that comes to mind is the triad of legislators, lobbyists and voters. The legislators need the lobbyists to raise enough money to be elected by the voters. Yet they are often beholden to the interests of the lobbyists which may be at conflict with the best interests of the voters. The manufacturers need the magazines to get exposure for their products that the reader wants. The magazines are beholden to both their readership and the manufacturer. Satisfy both needs with the ultimate realization that by balancing both, they will make money. I feel the balance has gradually been moving over to the manufacturers and the readership has become little more than a commodity in achieving the primary goal of increasing the bottom line. Capitalism at its true essence. There is no reason to believe it should be otherwise. Your allegiance is going to be stronger to the customer that is the greatest source of your revenue. So can we "trust" a magazine to be completely honest in the interest of its readership? No we can't. All we can be is entertained and enjoy it for what value it does offer. And when those values becomes lost on the readership at large or if the market changes faster than the magazine can adjust to, they just go out of business.

And to the last point. JG Holt found the magazine on a principle that is still remembered by some. And it wasn't about making a lot of money. The magazine was established by an audiophile for audiophiles. Maybe it is expecting too much for things to remain the same but it appears that the ideals of this publication and its goals have pretty much been lost over the past 15 years. It sure is reminiscent of George Orwell's Animal Farm to me. A gradual shifting of allegiances in the name of Capitalism over Ideals. I will not use the word corrupt, a strong word and one not to use lightly. My final .02 cents on this thread.

Tubegroover, I am very grateful for the time and energy you took, to write this thoughtful and very well considered post....and I could not agree more. I've read TAS from its very beginning and have experienced that "gradual shifting of allegiances in the Name of Capitalism over Ideals", as you so aptly put it, with sadness and discomfort. But "the times they are a-changing" and true idealsm, especially as regards values like truth, meaning, beauty are becoming more and more of a private thing to hold up, cherish and work upon. Hence I tend to feel, that we must be weary of any self annointed gurus pointing the way to whatever nirvana, including that of audio, but must learn to think and judge for ourselves, with the help of other idealists of course¨and this platform here seems just right for this purpose. These were the ruminations behind my somewhat emotional post above in the sense of: Come on guys, things are what they are, no use crying over spilt milk, lets grow up, make ourselves knowledgeable, share with each other. There are better things to do than to lament about things, we are unable to change. If we cannot better the mags, at least we can better ourselves. If they've betrayed their original ideals, we don't have to at all, because as hobbyists we are free, without having to face conflicting interests , which probably sooner or later would grind down our ideals as well. We have, contrary to the mags, what in German is so aptly called "Narrenfreiheit"...the freedom of the fools and the innocent, because its our hobby,perhaps even our passion, but not our way to make a living. If it were, I wonder how long it would take us, until also we, the righteous, had at least to question our ideals by just plain necessity.
No Tubegroover, I realise full well, how many people feel justly betrayed by the mainstream rags. But I still maintain, that exactly those people, instead of endlessly complaining about that deplorable fact, should try to become independent and learn for themselves...and haven't we found a good platform here to do just that? In my humble opinion, the loss of idealism, the "whoredom" as has has been said above, of those rags, is a chance for us to grow and to learn. Regards,

Tubegroover and Detlof, agreed in principle. You seem to be seasoned audiophiles, but what about the young, the newbees? They will need guidance by necessity, will avidly read the mags...until finally they too will feel betrayed. You Detlof, probably went through this stage quite a while ago. I agree with your conclusion, but if disillusionment is still fresh, you as a shrink should actually know best, that there is nothing but anger first.

Touché Ka, I humbly must bow to your insight. It was probably the halfconscious reminiscence of my old anger, when I saw the figures I admired, first sway and then fail, which made me now so impatient....and unjust. Apologies to anyone offended.