About users with hidden agendas

rbstehno, When I said "more than a bit strange", I was comparing that to his usual behavior, which was largely of a strange nature.

All the best,
Nonoise

@jjss49 said:

"[S]o a word to the wise here, especially newbies, please beware when folks here are trying to ’help’ you by recommending x-y-z, be it equipment, tweaks, cables, fuses ... sometimes they are actually helping themselves even though it looks like they are being generous and kind...".

This is very good advice. I’d take it a step further--leaving aside dealers who use the forum to try to garner sales, or "shills," some people may, with good intentions encourage a product because they like it/bought it/use it in their system when it may not be the right choice for someone else for any number of reasons. That can happen even when the poster promoting the product isn’t getting any financial return from a sale.

Which take us into the whole subject of system matching and the dreaded "synergies" or complementary components. I’ve been doing this a long time and don’t have a holistic view. I think I would add that short of listening to the precise equipment you intend to buy in your system (one of the possible benefits of the direct sales model as long as there is a right of return that doesn’t involve exorbitant repackaging and shipping fees), you are shooting in the dark. Yes, there are some well known combinations of equipment that a consensus of users like and use, but to borrow from MC’s philosophy for a moment (I know), it may be good to be an outlier and try something different from the rest of the pack. Where each user draws the line in terms of risk, financial exposure, equipment churn, etc. will vary. I think some people just like to try different equipment. I’m not necessarily going to condemn that, though I’ve pretty much managed to buy and enjoy long term. How did I do it? I can’t really point to any guru-bestowed wisdom. I think it is exposure and seat time as much as it is talking on forums like this one.

I’d also say it is good to have a mentor, but they will undoubtedly have biases too.

At least it’s cheaper than collecting old Ferraris, or buying vintage WE 300B tubes.

Bill Hart

@whart

some people may, with good intentions encourage a product because they like it/bought it/use it in their system when it may not be the right choice for someone else for any number of reasons. That can happen even when the poster promoting the product isn’t getting any financial return from a sale.

I agree with Whart and believe his point is true. In some cases, people recommend gear they own that is an improvement over the gear they previously owned but in the broad sense of what is available in the market, the gear being recommended may be just ok. When people post their systems, it can provide context on their recommendations. It is also nice when people provide comparisons between the gear they are recommending and the specific pieces they have owned previously, to help others understand their baseline.

As with anything in life, people need to do their research and take recommendations as somebody else’s opinion and not necessarily gospel, whether the person recommending is a professional reviewer, a manufacturer, a dealer in a B&M store, or simply a poster on these forums. For example, a year or so ago I decided to try springs under my heavy speakers and I did a lot of research on the sizing of the springs and how to position, preload, and damp them. After some trial and error I found springs that work well under my main speakers and subs and I like the sound and function better than the spikes they replaced. However, I did not see a reason to jump on the Townshend bandwagon and do not perceive any reason why those should be better than what I am using with the exceptions that the Townshend products are suitable for a wider range of speaker/equipment weights and they have somewhat easier functionality, but not necessarily better performance, assuming the goal is about sonic improvement. In addition, the Townshend products cost a lot more than what I paid, even considering the cost of extra springs I purchased during my trial and error process.

Regarding dealers and manufacturers, I enjoy having them around and usually learn from their posts. Almost all of them readily identify themselves from what I can tell. However, I find the recent Ted Denney threads interesting in that folks who don’t place high importance on cables, fuses, etc., or those who don’t hear significant differences, are called out as having systems with insufficient resolution, having unsuitable hearing capabilities, or being a "naysayer" whatever that means. It sort of seems like going to a ballgame where only the home team fans are allowed in the stands.

Baby needs a new pair of shoes and the rent is due! :-)

@oldhvymec I was hoping to read “alligator shoe”, but I guess not.