[JLM]

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue18/clari-t.htm

Mostly positive, reviewers still don't know quite what to make of it.  As we've discussed system synergy is a must and use of tubes should be considered.

I personally find reviews that use DIY equipment, speakers especially, to be a little use.  Another pieve is comparing a 6 wpc/$500 amp to a 150 wpc/$3000 amp.  Just don't get me started on pitfalls that can be found in "professional" reviews.

[RoadTripper]

Nudge. Go ahead, JLM. What are the pitfalls with professional reviews?

[JLM]

Some common "professional" review pitfalls as I see them (no particular order):


Bloated use of English.  (Have you ever found the first two paragraphs to be useful?)  Ever heard of keeping it simple stupid?


Never simply slam a bad product.  (Let your yes be yes and your no be no.)  Why make readers "read between the lines"?


Don't describe the room being used or have a crappy room.


Admit to not breaking in the product or using it as recommended by the manufacturer.


Try to impress readers with their lifestyles and tons of expensive equipment.


Don't know their audio/equipment background/likes/dislikes.  


Don't have/use sygneristic/practical equipment matching.  To elaborate -

They come from the opposite end of the audio spectrum and so don't know/like what they're reviewing.

The first PF reviewer used $800 interconnects with a $700 amp.

The second PF reviewer compared the 6 wpc/$700 customized Clari-T to a 150 wpc/$3000 amp and used apparently average efficiency speakers.


Use of weird/old/no longer available equipment to review with (that few could ever relate to).  The second PF reviewer used DIY speakers.


Playback levels unrealistically/impractically high.


Some just come off as being spoiled jerks.


OTOH we should give credit to the good reviewers.  My favorite is Richard George who writes for TNT, but he hasn't done much lately.  He starts by putting the review into context, then provides background of the manufacturer before physically describing the product.  Next he lists general impressions, positives, negatives, and finally conclusions.  How nice!

[Vinnie R.]

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue18/clari-t.htm

Mostly positive, reviewers still don't know quite what to make of it.  As we've discussed system synergy is a must and use of tubes should be considered.

I personally find reviews that use DIY equipment, speakers especially, to be a little use.  Another pieve is comparing a 6 wpc/$500 amp to a 150 wpc/$3000 amp.  Just don't get me started on pitfalls that can be found in "professional" reviews.

Hi JLM,

You may have missed this thread when it came out:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=18659

Check it out!  

[JLM]

Sorry about that, but I least many of my pieves are shared by others.

[gbeard]

Hi All,

I am the miserable SOB who wrote the first PFO review. First of all, I would like you to know that I appreciate your comments even if I don't agree with most of them.    Secondly, I should hope it came through loud and clear that I liked the Clari-T a lot, because I did.

I did not use $800 dollar interconnects--I paid $250 dollars for the most expensive of the lot. I did believe I had a reasonably paired system for the review (Three very different speakers, all $1K retail or less, of 88,90, and 95db sensitivities. A Blue Circle CS Integrated, two Almarro integrated tube amps, and an Audio Note Dac). Perhaps this  is "budget" gear by some lofty standards, but appropriate in both price and sound quality to partner and contrast with the Clari-T.

I do regret the statement about not "trying" to break the unit in. I did play the unit as much as I could and may have had over 100 hours on it, but I did not leave it playing 24/7 as I might with other amps so it may not have fully broken in. My comment was really in reference to the difficulty of breaking in the amp due to the battery and the timeframe in which I had to do it. I was being honest, but my meaning was most definitely unclear and came across badly in print.  

Another thing I regret is that I did not make any comments about the very short length of time I had the amplifier in my possession and how that affected my review. Prior to receiving the Clari-T from Vinnie, we had many, many email exchanges. I discussed my desire to review budget components in a minimalist fashion (sans preamp) and that I was in the midst of building a new system after having sold off nearly all of my gear. Vinnie was extremely happy to have someone--even me, God love him--giving the Clari-T a little press. Unfortunately, I allowed his obvious desire and excitement to see a review quickly published  to rush me. In retrospect I should have kept the amp another few weeks at least.  Mea Culpa.

Most PFO reviewers are just regular guys who love audio. We don't all have constant access to myriad of gear like some audio writers. I am another voice, another experience for others to draw upon. If you don't agree with that experience so be it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion...as long as they agree with me.    

If I have learned one thing about audio it is this: Nothing is perfect. Not a McCormack SS amp, a VAC 300B P-P, or a Clari-T. Perhaps the newer Reali-T version with the Blackgate caps would have the quali-T's    that I felt were missing in the Clari-T.  No matter how harshly you judged my review, in the end, it was extremely positive and I have trouble understanding why people can't glean that fact from what I wrote.

I want to publicly thank Vinnie for allowing me some ear-time with his first terrific product. He is certainly an asset to the audiophile community and I have enjoyed our correspondence. Together we have had an interesting and stressful (somewhat unpleasant for me as well) learning experience with respect to the reviewing of a new and unusual product.

Cheers,
gb

[JLM]

gb,

Thanks very much for chiming in.  Most of my comments were not directed at you, but to reviewers in general.  

Reviews like this must be stacked up against other reviews to see which is the more positive and, like diving or gymnastics scoring, eventually leaves little room for meaningful separation.  So in this case I wasn't sure if you really, really liked it or not.  How about some bottom line statements like, "I bought it.  Or I'd buy it.  Or I'd buy it if..."?

IMO we have several members here at AC that write more useful reviews than the average "professional" review.  Of course they're able to say product A beats product B.  That's part of my fustration.  These reviews typically require the reader to wade through unrelated verbage and previous reviews to gain a comparative sense of what the reviewer actually thinks of a product.  Offering a link to the reviewer's background, preferences, equipment, and room would help.

BTW I use the term "professional" not to slam, but because I don't know what compensation most published reviewers receive.  What's the internet term for "published" anyway?

P.S. I don't believe Vinnie recommends 88 dB/w/m speakers with the Clari-T.  My 90 dB/w/m single driver speaker is borderline.  (Go ahead and try it, but obviously not what the amp was designed to shine with.  Including it in the write up didn't help Vinnie or yourself.)

[WerTicus]

Are you saying that DIY speakers are an unknown quantity and therefor any subjective analyasis made with using such equipment cannot be anything other than meaningless to the reader?

Because I think that about just about ANY review, you have to listen to the gear yourself (in your own system).

[gbeard]

JLM,

Originally I was to review the Clari-T with the Omega Grande 6s, which I believe are ideal partners with the amp (and I am sure Vinnie and Louis would agree). I happened to have the Audio Notes and the Nola Mini's on hand so I listened with them as well. If you noted I thought the Nolas sounded "fabulous" with the Clari-T. Where is the harm in that for either Vinnie or myself?

Btw, I think the internet term for 'published' is dumbass...As in "he's that dumbass PFO writer..."    And to think, I wrote for a year for free and now get the massive sum of 50 beans for each month in which I contribute a written piece. Woohoo, I'm a 'pro'!  

gb

[mcgsxr]

gbeard, welcome to AC - evidently you have a good sense of humour - I suspect you will have a lot of fun around here, I have!

[Dmason]

"I like him already!"  -The Joker, "Batman"  

[Vinnie R.]

"I like him already!"  -The Joker, "Batman"  

I always liked "This town needs an enema!" - The Joker  

I want to publicly thank Vinnie for allowing me some ear-time with his first terrific product. He is certainly an asset to the audiophile community and I have enjoyed our correspondence. Together we have had an interesting and stressful (somewhat unpleasant for me as well) learning experience with respect to the reviewing of a new and unusual product.

Hi Gary,

First, welcome to AudioCircle!  I'm happy to see you here and hope you continue to post and try to have fun...even though it can get a little wild    

I just want to restate what I wrote in the other thread about your review of the stock Clari-T-Amp:

"Regarding not using a preamp, I knew in advance that Gary wasn't going to use one, as he was going for budget price simplicity; therefore he believed the additional cost of a pre to use with an amp that had a volume control was unnecessary. Also, if one wishes to run the Clari-T with an active preamp (tube of SS), it is best to order it without the volume control IMO.

I think Gary hit a home run for me in point out the following:

Truth be told, I am really struggling to find a way to describe the sound of this amp. I guess I could start by taking a page from Rossi's name for the amp—Clari-T. Yes, this amp does indeed provide clarity, and beyond that, it is the quietest amp I have ever not heard. Musical sounds develop unhindered by a high noise floor.

The Clari-T is extremely transparent, and although there was occasional harshness in the treble on poor recordings, it is a smooth operator. It may produce just six little watts at 8 ohms, but it can drive sensitive speakers without breaking a sweat.

As I said earlier, the Clari-T doesn't sound quite like any other amp I've experienced. It certainly does not smother music in euphonic sweetness, nor does it have the surgical-steel precision of some solid-state amps. It has its own sound, one that is a bit on the analytical side perhaps, yet is oddly embracing and musical. It is neither warm nor cold, and it has great detail, excellent inner resolution, and realistic tonality. You might say it presents a Class-T version of musical truthfulness.

Considered solely on its sonic merits, the Clari-T-Amp is a really terrific. I could live with one from now on and not feel I was missing anything important to the soul of music. It would make a great amp around which to build a low-cost, high-quality audio system.

Gary, IMO, a lot of discontent for the PFO review was directed towards Ed's review, where he used DIY speakers that clearly were a poor match for a 6-watt amp.  A lot of people were wondering if Ed would ever review a 6-watt tube amp with those speakers, and his system details show much more powerful amps being used.  That said, I think because both of your reviews were sort of joined together, there were flames directed in your direction    

Like you mentioned, it was a learning experience for both of us, and it has been a pleasure corresponding with you!  

Come back here often...the party is just starting!  

Thanks again,

[powerbench]

The pic on your site ... why dont you put   a glass of  red wine beside the ClariT and maybe a rose(chicks would dig it) instead of of a CD sitting on top. I think it would be more esthetic  

[fabaudio]

JLM

 You are absolutely right. You can be sure that the vast majority of those who follow AC find reviews here more useful than "professional" reviews. I subscribed to Stereophile thinking what the heck -it's cheap. As I peruse over a review of a 18K amplifier I say to myself-" Man, I identify with this mag as much as my ho hum attitude towards Lifestyles of the rich and famous".

[Vinnie R.]

The pic on your site ... why dont you put   a glass of  red wine beside the ClariT and maybe a rose(chicks would dig it) instead of of a CD sitting on top. I think it would be more esthetic   [/quote

Hi Mark,

At some point, I really need to have some professional pictures taken of all my products.  As you all can tell, photography isn't my glass of vino  

Thanks for the suggestion!

[Rob Babcock]

JLM

 You are absolutely right. You can be sure that the vast majority of those who follow AC find reviews here more useful than "professional" reviews. I subscribed to Stereophile thinking what the heck -it's cheap. As I peruse over a review of a 18K amplifier I say to myself-" Man, I identify with this mag as much as my ho hum attitude towards Lifestyles of the rich and famous".

Funny you should say that- I eventually decided the same thing.  For quite awhile I kept up my subscription, also thinking, "aw, it's cheap enough I'll keep getting it."  But there's really so little worthwhile material that even the $.50 or $.60 per issue seemed like a waste.  So I let it lapse.

I still like TAS quite a bit, though.  It's worth it just for the music reviews.  Well, except for the crap Bob Gedron writes, anyway.