Have we lost civility and respect on Audio forums?


I think we have.  I have seen many discussion on audio forums and how nasty they can become when you have people disagreeing. Seems like there are a lot more know it alls now. I been in 20 years and I can still learn.  But I also know I know quite a bit. Like cables can enhance the sound and higher end well designed gear can truly be ear candy special.  Is this just on audio forums or the internet period. 

calvinj
Post removed 

Experiencing Music being performed of any Genre is a form of entertainment that can be attained through a variety of methods.

A live creation of musical performance can be encountered in a variety of ways and with the Season to be Jolly being very close, a Public Performing Choir or even a Pantomime are more than capable of offering a satisfying entertainment.

What is most important is that it is very rarely seen, that a individuals preference for Genre of Music or their methods selected to encounter a live performance is challenged.

Some individuals seeking entertainment will travel thousands of miles to encounter a particular performance of interest. Another will be happy to attend a very local venue as their most extreme efforts to seek out this type of entertainment. Again such attitudes are very rarely seen challenged.

I believe an important part of this type of musical experience being left alone and not challenged, relates to those being informed are knowing the individuals reporting are having genuine experiences where the impact of the encounter is belonging solely to the individual offering the report of what was encountered.     

Experiencing Recorded Music is not too different from the attitude to live experincing live music, not many challenge others on the Genre of choice and not many challenge other on the Medium used as the source of the recording.

Where there is a separation is where different Audio Equipment becomes a requirement. The use of Audio Equipment offers and extensive range of options, with equipment that can be Months Old in their designs and extending back 60 Years. Each ancillary will involve choices to be considered and most usually purchases to follow.

In general the mainstream of Individuals with an interest in replays of recorded music are not experienced in a large range of Audio Equipment, most have very limited experiences of equipment in use. This limitation leads to many with an enthusiasm for using Audio Equipment to rely on the findings of others from those  who have had alternative experiences or those who are with a broader range of experiences. Individuals with a limited experience become dependent on others to infill their own lack of knowledge about options for Audio Ancillaries.

The next in the process is making a Purchase, everybody wants to believe they have made wise choices for their monies being parted with.

Many individuals today are Purchasing by the influence of Brands Name, the very clever Marketing Strategies in use and underpinning there attraction to an Audio Ancillary by finding descriptions offered by others to help reassure the choice being made is a good one. The chances of encountering description from anybody with other matching ancillaries and listening environment as those in use by the individual seeking further info is a very very slim chance.   

Prior to a purchase, experience of a ancillary are commonly based on written description only, where the individuals offering description are in many cases with limited Audio Equipment Experiences and the Systems being used by these individuals are quite unfamiliar to others. To use such written content as an assessment of the sonic quality of an item Audio Equipment, really means that Prior to a purchase, the  listening experience being fabricated in ones mind is a fantastical idea and is indirectly a gamble on the outcome to be encountered.

It can become quite an affront if an individual has made an assessment based on discovered written information and are then informed they are with other options that can be a betterment. This type of challenge can be met with a range of countering defenses. It can become quite a battle ground if counter challenge is being made from the source of the supplied info that is quite defensive and others get on board who feel the need to chime in. 

It is without doubt that there are a lot of options on Audio Equipment to be considered and for the bulk of a Forum Membership these options are not going to be experienced as an ancillary demo'd/heard in use by being in front of a Pair of Speakers showing how they influence a sonic. The differences of opinions being publicly expressed on such matters where experiences have not been had will be futile, as there is no experiences had, as a means of substantiation. Only on offer is seemingly a bias towards a Particular Brand, Aesthetic or Written Description.

There is plenty of Items to be seen in the Market Place that are from a established Brand, well Marketed, Aesthetically Pleasing, but from my end not recommendable as a purchase, only as a item to be encountered and experienced in use, before any further decisions are made. Maybe I'm too Old Skool.      

 It is also without doubt that if an individual has heard an ancillary in use in a system, maybe even been fortunate enough to have had a trial in the home system as well. If the outcome is that it was impressive enough and created an attraction wanted to be maintained, with the outcome being a Purchase. Who can intervene and suggest such a preparation for a purchase as being the wrong approach. 

There is plenty of forum activity that can lead to:

                         'Toy's being Thrown Out of the Pram'.          

Dealer joins audio forum. Pushes product. Tells users he’s right, and they are wrong. Gets push-back. Gets butt-hurt. Starts thread bitching about this situation.

i have I missed anything?

You got that right...He must be hurtin on sales because dudes are possibly fleeing after they get a whiff of his "personality". But, in his head, he’s still the ultimate victim (with his very sly "holier than thou" repeat portrayal on threads)... doesn’t yet seem to realize that he needs to re-examine himself a lot more.

@deep_333 man look I’m not butthurt or anything.  Look we all have our opinions.  We all  start our threads. I’m just like anyone else. If you say smthg that I disagree with we can debate it.  It’s not  holier than thou or anything else. You have said how you feel and now I’m saying how I feel. Just being direct. I’m not hurting for sales.  I do this as an additional job. I have ran my other business for the last 22 years and I’m successful at it.  A lot of us are just in different places.  You and I may not think alike and I’m ok with that.  I don’t know you and you don’t know me. I work with a great guy who has started a great company so I actually hold back some of what I would normally say. I left Audiogon a while ago because of the kind of comment you just made about reexamining myself etc.  The internet allows us to say some things to folks that will never meet and you are doing that now. But anyway I wish you all the best.  I’m no victim or playing to be one. I enjoy this hobby. I been blessed in it. I will continue to do it the way I see it. I’m not going to let you call me a shill.  I’m not going to let you say I’m just saying stuff because I recently became a dealer. I been on Audiogon for 15 plus years. Anyway I’m not going to bother trying to convince you or anyone else here. I’m only addressing you because you made some comments about me.  Anyway. No issue with you at all. I hope you enjoy the system you have and this hobby. Some people get mad because I will never agree that cables don’t matter. I think they do. I know they do.   I think build quality matters in equipment matters. I think innovation matters.  I think at certain price points you get really great equipment if you do your own research. But anyway. I have no issue with you. I wish you the best. Take care

@jacobsdad2000 man I appreciate your comment and your understanding. Look we all have experience in this hobby. I’m not going to let a guy tell me cable’s don’t affect the sound and not take him to task on it. I know because I have spent the previous 15 years trying any cable I could get my hand on. I have listened to systems where the cable turned one system from blah to almost great. That’s how I got into doing what I’m doing the owner of the company literally saw me replace the cables and open up the sound of a system. In addition to that being a dealer is new to me. I am used to people being nasty at times. I come from a background where I don’t take flak from anyone. But to say I’m hurting in sales is ridiculous. I’m pretty self assured about my audio options and opinions because I have put the work in. We literally allow people to demo the cables before they buy them sometimes. I want people to be happy with the purchase and I want them to enjoy the music. I’m a hobbyist first before anything I want people to be happy. Man I have met a lot of great guys on here. I’m going to stay away from the negativity. Thanks for your post and I look forward to conversing with you in the future.