When a Reviewer "likes" something

Mapman, that's the whole point. Unless the reviewer points out this critical fact, his article is meaningless. It's like trying to buy top grade mountain bike tires for a $5000 road bike. Yeah, they'll work, but the match is wrong.

Unless the speaker/amp manufacturers and the professional reviewers come clean and explain this issue, the consumer is blind. And btw, I called a local Paradigm dealer to find out if I could borrow a SS amp to try out at home. The answer was no. Further, the dealer didn't even have the S8s on the floor. So why bother.

Folks, you can read reviews all day long. Even if every reviewer says speaker X is the next best innovation since the invention of sliced white bread, it's a waste of time if the speaker was voiced to be driven by a SS amp and you hook it up to the finest $50,000 tube amp. The match is just wrong. It's just about as dumb as trying to put a high compliance cartridge on a tone arm that should only be fitted with a low compliance cartridge.

I repeat what I said above. As I have learned, before buying an new amp to go with your darling speakers, or new speakers to go with your darling amp, make sure you have solid data that tells you the two are good electrical matches.

Dear Syntax: +++++ " But did you never ask yourself, why Reviewers ignore those basics? Or why they are able to write enthusiastically about a tube amp they "reviewed" with a multi-chassis, low efficient speaker design which needs the first 30W for wake up? And the amp has only 10 ... :-) " ++++

certainly they don't ignore " those basics ", what they do is just ignore/undisclosed those audio customers highly valuable information in favor of $$$$$. Tha's why I said almost all of them are part of the AHEE corruption.

The speaker/amp subject is only one example there are others with the same kind of audiophile value and they never touched.

When some one like me touch those " hide " audio subjects many of you just blame me because thinks I'm " crazy ", I'm " ignorant " , I'm " selling " something or I want " ruin " your life. Certainly is not in that way, IMHO is in these kind of forums where we can talk about where we can talk of audio " tabu " subjects.

Dear Manitunc: where if no here?.

In the past I have discussions in this forum and other forums and private with M.Fremer, J.Atkinson, J.Valin and some one else and on all those discussion experiences my conclusion was that those discussions were: USELESS, all of them are living in they very small audio world thinking that only them has the " true " and that we customers are only " lambs " with no brain/common sense and ignorant of everything but what they promote.

In all cases I questio them very specific issues about their reviewes that IMHO were totally wrong gave us false information. In all cases all those reviewers: runaway the discussion, all of them were with no honest capacity to take the " bull by its horns " for the first time in their lives, shame of them an a pity that all those heavy audio know-how are hidden by those reviewers and refuse on porpose to share with us " ignorant lambs ".

Well, as Byfwynne we have to learn by our self.

Please don't blame me about tube/SS or when I talk on digital/analog or LOMC/MM or other audio subjects. I'm only sharing with all of you my findings even if I'm wrong. I repeat: if not here where can we learn what we need to learn?

I'm not against any one of you: I'M WITH YOU, ALWAYS.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

The reviewers whose opinions I trust are the ones who base their reviews on a solid foundation of facts. They will point out why one thing works well with another and not another. These kind of reviewers are admittedly in the minority perhaps, but they do exist. No doubt some have vested financial interests in particular products. Fine, as long as the facts support the conclusions. Some are just flat out ignorant of the key facts that goes into making good sound. Some good ones may just have an off day from time to time.

So I would be apprehensive about discounting all reviewers categorically or taking everything they say to heart. Like most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. It takes an educated reader to find where that is.

Mapman and fellow members, I repeat what I just wrote. The real point goes way beyond the value of reading audio reviews. As I just wrote:

"Folks, you can read reviews all day long. Even if every reviewer says speaker X is the next best innovation since the invention of sliced white bread, it's a waste of time if the speaker was voiced to be driven by a SS amp and you hook it up to the finest $50,000 tube amp. The match is just wrong. It's just about as dumb as trying to put a high compliance cartridge on a tone arm that should only be fitted with a low compliance cartridge.

. . .

As I have learned, before buying an new amp to go with your darling speakers, or new speakers to go with your darling amp, make sure you have solid data that tells you the two are good electrical matches."

I strongly advise my fellow members. Read Ralph's White Paper. Try to understand the relationships between watts, voltage, amps and impedance. If you understand what this means, you'll start to appreciate why I, Raul and others have harped about making sure Speaker X was designed and VOICED to be driven by a tube amp or a SS amp, or the best of all worlds, both.

Then read your favorite reviewer's article and see if he touches on the very simple issue of electrical compatibility, before or after he declares the speaker or amp the best piece of gear he ever heard.

Oh, when you go to audition an amp or speaker at a B&M store, keep in mind how the dealer matched the speaker and amp before making a purchase decision. It may save you a lot of aggravation after you bring your new whatever home.

BIF

I'm on the Manitunc bus. I've tried to keep up with other Raul threads, but keep falling asleep. It must be tough knowing 'absolutely' so much. Mapman is also a hero of mine. I read about half of the 5-6 audio mags I get because I, also, have no interest in digital. Columnists are always entertaining even if I disagree. I put little stock into recommendations as reviewers have nothing I use in my system to make their perceptions. It's all recreational reading, often as I am listening to vinyl. What's informative for me is, if I have an album being used for the review, to listen for what they claim to hear on their billion dollar rig. Often, I hear the same stuff for a lot less money. Just sayin'.