When a Reviewer "likes" something

OK...I just read this entire thread and have concluded the following: "IMHO" is an utterly overused and unnecessary acronym, so please stop using it. The "ah-ha!" factor in recognizing bias among reviwers means you read this stuff too carefully, and I (because I must be wonderful) can appreciate writers who write well even if I don't agreee with them. It is amazing how many self-important audio geeks "toss the babies out with the bathwater" by stomping their feet and declaring NO MORE (fill in magazine name here)...sort of like not liking to watch television because there is "too much crap on it" which only says you're maybe too lazy to sort through it to find the good stuff, or perhaps so hogtied by your opinions you can't move. That's just sad. An example of this is stating that you KNOW tube gear is BAD BAD BAD, ignoring the fact that lots of experienced listeners think (although it's often based on older design ideas) it SOUNDS great, thus obviating its badness and making it your personal issue, IMHO.

Those of you who dislike reviewers, and therfore, I assume reviews, how do you find out about a product that you can't audition locally. There is literally next to nothing in my system that I could go out and listen to at a bricks and mortar establishment within reasonalbe driving distance, more so because most of my stuff is used and somewhat vintage. So, if something piques my interest, I search on line for information about that item. I end up finding various reviews, both professional and on sites such as this. I then find that the item I am interested in has universal praise, and no negative comments. It suits my needs and wants on paper, and the price is right. So I buy it, and low and behold, I like it, just like the reviewers said I would. Now, do I like it because someone said I should, or do I like it because it is a good product that sounds good and the reviewers recognized that fact.

Now, there may be some of you who are able to listen to every single item ever sold, for an extended period of time, in your own system and home, and only substituting that one item during that period, and come up with your own conclusions without the benefit of any external input. Good for you. I doubt the rest of us have the time, money, opportunity or interest to do the same thing. So, we see something in an ad or report, that looks interesting and the design philosophy seems to make sense and comport with what we think is good design. We then use whatever resources we have, including professional reviews, to narrow our focus, and to eliminate those items not worthy of consideration, and then spend our money. I dont expect the reviewer, professional or otherwise, to put in months of listening and testing on every piece of equipment that comes through his/her door. I expect the reviewer to state the obvious, good or bad, and tell me as entertainingly as possible, how the piece of equipment makes him feel.

Look, there is very little junk out there these days from reputable manufacturers. Most of the differences are ones of flavor, not competence, especially at the levels worth discussing on these sites. If you can listen to everything and make up your own mind, good for you. But I need the assistance of others to narrow my focus. I can always sell the item if my experience does not match theirs.

Dear Wol_garcia: ++++ " you KNOW tube gear is BAD BAD BAD, ignoring the fact that lots of experienced listeners think (although it's often based on older design ideas) it SOUNDS great, thus obviating its badness and making it your personal issue.... " ++++

certainly that I'm not ignoring the lover's tube technology but that's not the subject.
Almost all of those tube's lovers ignorewhat they really are listening: they really ignore it, the only thing they know is: " I like it ", unfortunatelly and due to that technology deficiencies all those people are not hearing what is in the recording but " something else ". I know that they don't care on that fact and that what only cares is that: " I like it ".

The difference between all these people ( including Lewm. ) is that I learned what is happening with the recordd signal when this signal pass through tube electronics and what I learned and experienced with is something that I don't like it and is something that's far away from my main audio/music targets that is to be: NEAREST TO THE RECORDING, THAT ON PLAYBACK WHAT I'M LISTENING BE NEAR THE RECORDED SIGNAL WITH THE LESS AND LOWER LOSTED OR ADDED RECORDED SIGNAL INFORMATION.

IMHO, it does not matters that you or any one else say: " I like it ", that electronic technology is way faulty to meet that audio/music target, that technolgy was not " designed " for audio and certainly not for today audio/music needs.

It is obvious that the tube people are with different audio/music targets and could be by ignorance, ignorance not to know in deep what tube electronics makes to the recorded signal. That's all.

When they learnend I'm sure that like me they will reject that technology.

Now, if any one of you have facts that could help to say: " tubes are the right technology to reproduce what is in the recorded signal " then post it.

I say facts not " I like it ".

Dear gentlemans, you can go on sticky with that technology this's up to you.

Wh tubes performs different than other technoogies like SS? why when compared in between you prefer the tube one?: very simple, you are prefering a different way different audio/music signal/sound that has and is charged of heavy " make-up " due to that technology deficiencies and that's all but not because is better but because that simple: I like it ".

IMHO, this " I like it " is one of the main reasons why the high end real high end does not grow up faster. Today in many areas is just stopped.

If any one of us wants to start a thread about I will share with all of us all the facts you ignore about that technology and we can discuss and go in deep down there. Obviously with no that " I like it " that does not carry us nowhere.

Btw, Lewm: " you endow yourself with supernatural perception .... """

again, you are wrong and obviously you read my posts but don't understand them. I have not any supernatural perception ( far away from there ) what I have is an in deep training to be aware the system quality performance and discriminate sound from distortions that you can't do it because you have not that kind of training. Lewm, that has a name: knowledge level because an in purpose long training.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R

Dear Raul, I wrote a long response, but then I deleted it because this thread is about reviewers, not about your philosophy or mine. Anyway, you just proved again that rational discussion with you on this topic is impossible.

In any case, I don't want to be seen as close-minded; bring me a great sounding SS amplifier that works well on my rather demanding ESLs, and I will buy it (or try to build it). On topic, I have on occasion over the last 10-20 years been seduced by a review to sample a high end solid state amplifier; that's how I know. On the other hand, transformer-coupled tube amps don't cut it, either, on my particular speakers.