Many reviewers will lead you down the wrong path.

This is quite a dilemma. You can't believe the old farts due to memory and hearing loss yet the young bucks don't have enough experience to establish credibility. Here's a couple novel ideas, trust what you hear and.............. never mind I forgot the second one.

My favorite is any reviewer who will say "Based upon my recollection..." of a system he heard years before (in a different room!) and one which has NOTHING in common with the system being reviewed. Yeah, I trust that guy...

-RW-

"My favorite is any reviewer who will say "Based upon my recollection..." of a system he heard years before (in a different room!) and one which has NOTHING in common with the system being reviewed. Yeah, I trust that guy..."

I'd be more concerned with those who do not preface their comparisons with a disclaimer. One can remember ones reactions (especially if one takes notes) even when recollection of the original sound is long gone.

Kal

Is this a serious post?

You do not use things to dial in things that you know exist. Your job is to find out what is best for what you are dealing with. Ignore all the other stuff. You'll be glad that you heard this from me. Go on to other parameters, but do not try to dial in one thing from one tweak. That is not how it is done. You listen until you hear what one thing does and put that right.

It's barely coherent.

Reviewers are unfortunately all biased. Some depend on advertizing revenues for the audio magazine they are affiliated with or freelancing for. Or they already own the equipment and are predisposed to like what they have shelled out $$$ for (proud owner). Or just the very act of going to the extensive trouble of making a bunch of listening tests and writing up a review will tend to make the reviewer biased towards giving praise (what people prefer to hear) versus being highly critical (what nobody wants to hear, especially the manufacturer or owners of that equipment).

IMHO, the best reviews are simply technical and give the functionality/features of the product rather than glowing recommendations about the sound quality. I cringe at the typical hyperbole with claims ranging from the "earth moved", "the veil was lifted" or "my expectations were shattered".

The best endorsement for the quality of an audio product, in my view, is a user list (without comments). This is especially useful if you know that the users have expertise (musicians/artists/recording engineers) and if they have the resources to freely choose whatever they like best (i.e. they are not endorsing the product because they have connections to the manufacturer and they have lots of money).