AA for us

Is it possible to be a reviewer without being a promoter?

By which was meant that every reviewer I have encountered is inherently promoting something whether it be in the positive or negative sense.

@bolong From the other angle: I guess you can be a promoter - primarilly, when your review is not focusing on objectivity. You would just say nice things about the product - in a way that you are not lying but not making an effort either.

Real reviews are done in a bubble, usually with products borrowed from a friend and not from the manufacturer .

Whereas when you review and not promote, you are focusing on the product and your methodology, to be transparent and thorough and fair and conclusive, If any of those are missing, it’s a presentation not a review.

If your review is positive, you can be called a promoter but it depends on the context.

Guttenberg only discusses equipment that he already likes if that is what you mean. I have never heard him give a negative review because that stuff is not what he reviews. The word "promoter" as you were using it seemed to imply that he is a paid lackey for some product. That is a rather disingenuous observation in his case.

I did hear him review the Holo Audio Serene and detected a slight note of reluctance in his voice. His friend Herb Reichert of Stereophile had given it a glowing review, and there I did notice Guttenberg giving an ostensibly glowing review that was still holding something back. That's the first and only time I thought I saw him looking mildly self-coerced to give a positive review.

@bolong

Guttenberg only discusses equipment that he already likes if that is what you mean.

that part is fair. He had said it and explained why there is no point in reviewing what he does not.

Disclaimer: I don’t like his reviews. I honestly don’t understand his popularity. The words he is using, the methodology (if any), it’s so vague and inconclusive, I learn nothing. It’s a tough job, I admit, reviewing stereo equipment, but Erin’s AudioCorner is pretty good, and a few others, who were born without the ability to BS and everything they say is relevant, they say it for a reason, for what they want you to know, not for what they want you to feel or like or believe.

I also think he talks down, he has a lecturing style that I don’t get.