“Faithful to the recording”

@immatthewj 

"maybe that's why I seldom read a review anymore, except to sometimes get specs and prices of something I find interesting".

When I'm contemplating an upgrade I read/watch as many reviews as I can find, in order to glean whatever info might be useful for the process of narrowing down which components appear to meet my parameters. Very rarely do I buy anything I cannot demo at home and return, if need be. In the end, I depend upon my own ears. 

@mahgister 

"From the first acoustic lived event where any seat give another perspective on the lived acoustic event, we have AFTER the independant recording process who "manipulate" by INEVITABLE choices trade-off process this acoustic event which is no more the original one now but a package of analog/digital information who gives another potential acoustic perspective of his own...

And we have the second acoustic event in YOUR ROOM, where you listen THROUGH your room acoustic settings and geography this TRANSFORMED and and TRANSLATED potential perspectival event into an actual one..."

Thanks for affirming reality! 

The "mythology of the high fidelity "reproduction" as you rightly call it, is very deeply ingrained. . . 

@stuartk  I guess what I typed was inaccurate.  Within the last couple of years I did buy two new pieces, a SA10 and a SLP05, and I did read a couple of reviews for both of them.  However, after my last prescription to Stereophile expired over 20 years ago, I never did re-up it.

Reading reviews of audio equipment reminds me of listening to Chris Collinsworth call a Sunday Night Football Game.  He makes every name that comes out of his mouth sound like a world beater.  I have never read a review that said, "This piece of gear sounds like hammered dog $hit."  It seems as if every piece of gear winds up being written about in glowing orgasmic terms. 

Here are a couple more meaningless pieces of hype: "jaw-dropping", "gobsmacked"

IMO, reproduced music is at best, a close approximation to the "real thing."  To me, the real thing is live music of any genre.

Fortunately, I now have a few friends in the audio industry and know enough trustworthy dealers that I no longer read any reviews from any of the alleged "gurus." I also have learned to stay away from boutique components which often have terrible resale value.

@immatthewj 

"It seems as if every piece of gear winds up being written about in glowing orgasmic terms." 

In news reporting, it's the depressing stuff that garners attention and thus, brings in ad dollars. In audio, it's the "glowing orgasmic" reviews that bring in the ad dollars. 

Reviews of any individual component, speaker, cable, etc. don't mean much unless they're reviewed in conjunction with what you or I have at home, as a system. And how likely is that ever to occur?  That's why I don't buy based upon what I read, but what I hear!