Am I asking for too much??


I figured posting this question in the speaker section would be appropriate, but it also applies to all other areas of our hobby.
Having just read the review by Jim Hannon in the September issue of Absolute Sound of the Zellaton Stage, I am left with a hyperbole laden advert for the speaker in question. Hyperbole like this...quote" The Stage not only transports you to the recording venue, it helps you "be at one" with the artists and delve deeply into the performance and the music."

Seriously!!

So to my question, am I asking for too much with this question....instead of layering hyperbole upon hyperbole in these reviews, how about adding a paragraph or two about what the speaker ( in this instance, but could be any other gear reviewed like this) does NOT do well. Now, IF the reviewer cannot fathom what the gear does NOT do well, and therefore doesn’t have the discriminatory ability necessary to determine that ( and this is a whole other question), then at least some comment to state that he cannot hear where the gear falls down. ( believe me, they all do compared to the ’real’ thing, just how is the question). Or, is that simply too much to ask for???

Lastly, how does this type of review assist me in determining what the speaker really sounds like in reference to my reference...or the ’Absolute Sound’ as defined by HP. 
(therefore, what value does it really have for me, or the consumer?)


128x128daveyf
I think that Stereophile is much worse than TAS because I dont ever remember TAS saying that they are objective and without an agenda. The more manufacturers you talk with the more you discover how tainted this entire process really is. I cant stand reading between the lines of both magazine's reviews to try to figure out if they really like a product or not. 
JGH was a credible curmudgeon in early Stereophile.  I used to envy his ability to get top notch stuff to put in his listening room. What a racket, eh?

Nowadays reviews are expanded ads. I read them for basic product description and sometimes industry context.

Opinions are rarely useful.  Corey Greenberg was entertaining, but he didn’t last long.
Unless you completely separate the two processes, i.e. manufacture and sale from reviewing and reporting, the whole exercise is tainted.

At least Consumer Reports buys the products they test, rather getting them on loan from companies looking for some free publicity.
As with anything human there are a myriad number of conflicting motives that are impossible to countenance. Whether you like it or not you are on your own. There is no magic in loudspeakers. Most important are the basic type then the build quality. If is it is the basic type you like and the build quality is up there then it comes down to what it sounds like and only you can determine that. My own rule is never buy a loudspeaker without putting a hand on them and listening to them. Not doing so is asking for it.    
Well according the JA the 1st, all of the reviewers at Stereophile pay dealer cost for their equipment. If this is true then Mike Fremer has a system that set him back about $ 500K. Further, he denied the existence of long term loaners which has been proven false by both his own writings as well as those of other reviewers. As twoleftears points out, the entire process is tainted.