[BeeBop]

I have found that there is no subsitute for the genuine enthusiasm of ordinary audiophiles. Especially when there is a handful of regular posters from different parts of the country who suddenly start gushing about something.

[DVV]

"Objective" can be taken in two distinct ways.

If taken as absolutely pristine, then no, there is no such thing, nor could there ever be, given that we all hear differently.

But if taken as a true to life narration of what the person doing the testing has heard, in his/her room, with his/her system, then the answer would be yes, it is possible. It may not be common, but it IS possible.

It's also rare because of purely economic considerations of both the magazine and the reviewer. It doesn't pay to have bad reviews. Sad, but true.

Nor is every reviewer, including famous names in famous magazines, equipped for it, in terms of knowledge and equipment. When I review something, I do so in the same room everything else was reviewed in, with the same systems, always at 24 +/-1 degree centigrade, 70% +/-1% humidity, summer or winter. I invested in the gear for it.

After listening (never before), the oscilloscope, the generators and the rest of the tech works come in. I always measure it if I can, I like to correlate what I heard with measurements, if possible, and it's not always that. I may not publish the results, but if anyone asks, I feel it's my duty to have them on hand.

I have a set of standard software (CDs and LPs and a few 10" tape reels) which is used as required, but I'll be happy to add to the list if I'm unsure (not often, but it does happen sometimes).

And I will not test anything if it can't stay with me for for 3 weeks. I have found that this time covers the vast majority of my moods.

I cancelled a review only once, two months ago when my mother died; I really wasn't in the mood to listen to music for evaluation. I phoned the people up, apologized, and cancelled. Fortunately, they were considerate.

After 19 years of professionally testing hardware, albeit PC hardware, and 12 years of testing audio gear, I have no problem saying something is a bad deal. The worst I have ever said, and I said it on TV, was: "Steer well clear of this product". Generally, I'll say something like you'll do better elsewhere, for example, products x, y and possibly z .

Now I do my own site, I've retired from that business because I couldn't stand the dirt any more. Too much for my stomach. I don't go looking for faults, but if I see one or more, I can't sign the text without putting it in what I believe is proper perspective; my colleagues can do it in a blink of an eye.

So I withdrew; I like to sleep peacefully.

Cheers,
DVV

[lonewolfny42]

Speaking of reviews....I received an Audiogon newsletter today that stated they were looking for more reviews....and willing to pay $$$ for them. I was going to post the content of the email....but I read the fine print about copyright...and....strictly prohibited.....

[angelo]

So, subjective reviewing is almost corrupt and useless unless you know what the euphemisms are. I pulled this from my forum, but I'd love to see people add to this:

Detailed midrange - bright
Not mellow, but smooth - bright
Lively - really bright
Revealing - Really, REALLY bright
Forward treble - My ears are on fire
Extremely detailed midrange - harsh
Detailed treble - peaky treble
Tuneful bass - small peak in the 50-100Hz range
Punchy bass - huge bass peak in the 50-100Hz range
Dynamic - aggressive
Needs lots of power (despite high efficiency) - really sounds bad
You'd have to spend considerably more.... - average at best
I slightly prefer...... - I definitely wouldn't buy these
Not my cup of tea - I HATE these speakers
As good as speakers costing 2-3 times as much - I'm completely full of crap and I hate my job
Slight - enormous
Ripe bass - boomy and slow
Sounds best in large rooms - REALLY boomy
Musical - colored and inaccurate
Not for rock - no bass, can't handle power, gets brighter as volume goes up
Civilized - tilted down sound
Almost too accurate - tilted up sound and/or bright
A bit forward - I now have tinninitus

But my favorite remains -

"A fantastic speaker, but ONLY when driven by the finest electronics and ancillary equipment" - This speaker bites, but at least it's expensive

this is a great list, we all know that these euphemisms are used all the time in professional reviews, the irony is that these are the same words used by our fellow audio circle members when they review equipments in their own home or audio gatherings  

angelo

[John Ashman]

Hey, I never said the rest of us were immune from using them!  It's a disease that has spread amongst the entire community and must be stamped out!  

Brightness is NOT detail!!!

[woodsyi]

John,

How is anyone ever going to review any equipment on AC again?
 

I have a few more terms that I would like you to decipher for me:

tight bass
warm
non-boxy
synergistic
organic
accurate
analytical

[John Ashman]

tight bass = no deep bass and/or lacking in bass
warm = no upper midrange
non-boxy = eh, that's probably a good thing
synergistic = quirky, needs a lot of matching to sound good
organic = midrangy
accurate = a good thing unless they say "too accurate"
analytical = harsh with lots of cone resonances

And don't forget "liquid"! (I have *no* idea how to describe that one)

[beat]

And don't forget "liquid"! (I have *no* idea how to describe that one)

liquid=melted program material or maybe overly "dampened" material?   or more simply put: liquid = melty

[DVV]

...
And don't forget "liquid"! (I have *no* idea how to describe that one)

"I have no idea how to describe this piece of junk".

Cheers,
DVV

[Marbles]

I have been living with a pair of 2-way Demo speakers for a week and I ordered a 3 way model from the same manufacturer this AM, but I'll be damned if I will tell you guys why I liked them after this thread, as I don't know how to describe them without making them sound bad now....

it is like the angles singing = he's on the crack again  

[beat]

I have been living with a pair of 2-way Demo speakers for a week and I ordered a 3 way model from the same manufacturer this AM, but I'll be damned if I will tell you guys why I liked them after this thread, as I don't know how to describe them without making them sound bad now....

it is like the angles singing = he's on the crack again  

Well, this whole thread has went to the other side of the spectrum which only brings us back to the point of objectiveness.. where does the true standard lie? I used to think headphones but after aquiring some electrostatics and some nice grados I realized there is no more reference there. The true reference will only be acheived when you sit in the engineers room while everything is being mixed, tweaked, and finally being sent off to the mastering lab where everything is supposedly "smoothed out" into 16 bit..I always have a problem with that. But even then..in the studio..there are choices to be made with your speakers, amps, cables, preamps, mikes..it is a load of crap to think that some audiophiles 40,000 dollar system is a reference. The whole idea of reference at that point is crap. So listen and groove..have another beer and chill. Go buy some new music and have fun for crying out loud!!

[John Ashman]

I have been living with a pair of 2-way Demo speakers for a week and I ordered a 3 way model from the same manufacturer this AM, but I'll be damned if I will tell you guys why I liked them after this thread, as I don't know how to describe them without making them sound bad now....

it is like the angles singing = he's on the crack again  

Hehehheh,  here's the cup is half empty view - there's no such thing as a "good sounding" speakers, there are just less bad sounding ons  

So, as Beat says, just relax and enjoy it.  Tell us they sound great.  And that you like them.