Best reviewers

I quickly reviewed the nominations above, and didn't see the name of the reviewer that I have found "most accurate" with his assessments: Anthony A. Cordesman. Tony wrote for many years for TAS, then did some work for Stereopiles, and finally for Audio magazine. I haven't seen any recent reviews by him, but I make a point to look for his articles.

Peace on earth,good will to man.Is that right?? :)

Yes Sd I agree with you 100% regarding Cordesman and he is listed above. I still go back to my old TAS and Stereophile's to read his reviews on products. Right on David but Peace on earth, good man is will, right? Sincerely, Will (ha ha)

I find for my tastes, the writing from Marc Mickelson of SoundStage to have a nice balance of passion, knowledge and experience that includes the ability to creatively communicate the essence of what I want to know about a product. I appreciate the fact that he choses words wisely and stays away from unwholesome analogies. In other words, he exhibits class as well as ability. There are many other reviewers out there who have these same qualities as Marc Mickelson and there are many obviously who do not. As for this forum I especially appreciate the contributions of Carl_eber. I appreciate his passion and honesty. I also greatly value his judgements. Of course I would always make sure that what works for Carl also works for me. Let us keep in mind that what this pursuit is about for most people is satisfaction. I believe it is becoming, and of a more excellent spirit, if our comments here allow for one person to be fully blessed (satisfied) by their purchase or discovery and still be able to politely disagree, if necessary, to the benefit others by offering our observations for their edification. I'll stop preaching right after this recommendation. If you would like to see an example of someone truly enjoying his audio, check out the AudioReview.com review of the Rega Planet CD player by Mike Hathaway dated 1/19/99. Done preaching. God bless.

Aside from the laughs I get from those who nominate eber (?!), I am surprised that no one has good (or bad) things to say about HP (Harry Pearson) of The Absolute Sound. Since I am relatively new to this as a serious hobby, I do not go as far back as some of you. Yet from recent reading it would seem to me HP has made, or claims to have made, an important contribution to reviewing standards. I am not sure whether the direction he has taken has been good or bad for audio. On the one hand, I like the way he writes, which I find witty, strongly opinionated, and overall very entertaining. On the other hand I'm a little bit unsure about his technical knowledge. Namely, whether he has enough of it to speak with such authority. On the one hand, I strongly believe that listening and understanding live music is the single most important trait of a good audiophile. Yet I also think a good dosage of technical knowledge is paramount to be able to interpret what one hears, get the most out of the equipment, and make useful recommendations regarding compatibility, usage, etc. Your opinions on this would be appreciated (with eber's customary nonsense and David99s unconditional support thrown in to add a bit of humor).