[Rom]

Hi Aksaphile,

I just saw this morning, Hugh, any hint of the version they will be reviewing?

LF ? may be...?

Cheers
Rom

[Felipe]

It is the 100 AKSA version.....but is it the LF100 ? 
I'm guessing it should be......

Nice going Hugh !

Felipe

[AKSA]

Groan,

This has been pending for more than six months - the reviewer is very busy!!

Yes, it will be the LF100.........

Cheers,

Hugh

[Rocket]

Hi Hugh,

I hope you get a better review than the one which was done on Pat's War Audio 'Dianne's'.  It was a very tempered review of his speakers which sound very good imo.  I probably need to clean my eyes out as i can't think of a better speaker which sounds as good for the price.

Regards

Rod

ps all the best with the review though.

[AKSA]

Yes, Rod,

I hope so too - but you really have no choice, have to take the risk!

Cheers,

Hugh

[Felipe]

Any news on this ?? 

Maybe it passed by me ......

[AKSA]

Felipe,

There was quite a drama.  Here's what happened.....

I wrote to Srbaen offering the 100LF amp for review.

He replied saying OK, he would contact me.

A few days later he told me a Sydney rep, Edgar of 6Moons, would review it, so I wrote immediately to Edgar.

He replied a few days later saying he was very busy, could I contact him in a few weeks?

I did so.  He demurred again, saying he was busy, but he was very nice about it.  I waited another two months.  During this period I wrote again to Srbaen, saying I had a LF in NYC he could audition Stateside, but he said no, as Edgar in Sydney was '...the only one interested'.

Then I approached Edgar again.  He said he was still busy, could I send, but it would take him a couple of months.  I was not willing to go without my audition amp for this time, so I said I'd send when he was ready.  By this time about four months had elapsed since my first email to Srbaen.

A few days later Edgar came back to me and asked if this was the final, production amp - ready for plug and play and retail sale.  This time I said yes, it was ready for plug and play, but no, still planning the final appearance, but it was fully functional, looked complete if a little bland and most of the enclosure design was now permanent.

He then said that he would prefer to review only the final, retail version, not a prototype.  I got the impression he was relieved to be 'off the hook'.  I've not approached him again, and he's not emailed me.  He was always very pleasant, but I'm left scratching my head......

I guess that means 6Moons is not interested.  Pity, really.....  they did have a good policy on reviews, and did not ask for a freebie as many reviewers are inclined to do!!

Perhaps if Edgar is reading this he might like to put his side of the story, one must be fair.

Cheers,

Hugh

[Felipe]

Perhaps if Edgar is reading this he might like to put his side of the story, one must be fair.

I believe you got the correct feelings and intentions of these reviewers. Perhaps sometime in the future they will regreat their actions...and wish they could lay their hands in a brand new Aspen LF.   
They will never be able to say : "We were the first to catch our eyes and ears on this great product..."

[rabbitz]

Why don't you talk to Nick Whetstone about doing a review on TNT. Sort of a 5 years on thing as a follow up to the original AKSA review. Once 1 review appears, the others might want to get in on the action.

[Srajan Ebaen]

We approach reviewing as enthusiasts, meaning the writer assigned to any given review has expressed interest in the proposed assignment. If a manufacturer thus approaches us with a review solicitation, I inform my group to see who wants to volunteer. If nobody does and I don't have the time or it's something I'm not well suited for, then it's no dice.

In this case, Edgar was the one reviewer interested. As I recall it, however, it was he who was left waiting after he'd agreed - because the product was undergoing changes. After those changes had been implemented, he was informed that a unit was available, albeit not in final production form.

The above tale insinuates that we made a commitment and didn't keep our end of the bargain. Not. But I can't blame a reviewer for eventually losing interest if a manufacturer fails to deliver the product he approached us with to get reviewed in the first place. in a timely manner 

It's interesting though how history can get rewritten so easily...

[bikes and beats]

Sorry to jump in, but this anecdote might reveal some of the inner workings at 6Moons for us all.
I wrote a question to 6Moons general mailbox regarding an "in the works review" of another product that has a thread here on Audio Circle. I quickly got a reply and this is what Srajan said....

To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 8:54 PM
Subject: Your reviews.

> Hello,
> I have been waiting patiently for your review of the
> Promitheus TVC preamplifier for weeks. It seems you
> are content to leave the "in the works" reviews
> dangling out in cyberspace for nearly endless periods
> of time. My suggestion is that you not post your
> intention to publish a product review until it is very
> nearly ready. Your current policy is far too
> frustrating!
> Sincerely,
> Mike

---later that day---

Well, you'll have to simply "frustrate on" - I won't change my policies
for one impatient fella and nowhere does it state how soon a review will
publish after it has been mentioned as being in the pipeline. My guys all have
real jobs and real families and you would do well to show a bit of respect
for that and being able to benefit from their efforts entirely for free.

Cheers,

Srajan Ebaen
Publisher, 6moons.com                                                                         


And still we wait... http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/audioreviews.html

[sts9fan]

how dare you show so little respect!!!!

[bikes and beats]

Respect? This has nothing to do with respect. Are we supposed to treat publishers with kid gloves? They need to appease their audience. If their business model is to try and survive purely by advertising dollars then they'd better work darn hard to appease the casual and I might add, wholly uninvested readership. I think that the Aspen and Promitheus "reviews" are good examples of how their system fails. That's all.
-Mike

[Srajan Ebaen]

We have a "coming next from this writer" gallery and a "also in the works" or "further down the road" section. Once something pops up in the "coming next from" gallery, it should be about three months until that review hits. However, sometimes -- as in the case with the VRS 5s -- a manufacturer doesn't deliver in the promised time frame or there are issues with the delivered product which delays things. Othertimes,  a reviewer may have real life incidents, such as loss of job, change of residence, sick spouse, that delays things.

"Also in the works" means just that - product we've committed to but which often hasn't even been delivered yet.

We never received an Aspen amplifier yet nor has Promitheus delivered their piece yet despite promises. So guess who is to blame?

As far as my business model goes, I'll say it again. We're an enthusiast magazine and YOU DON'T PAY ONE DIME TO ENJOY US. WE'RE FREE.

Telling me that I need to work darn hard is, frankly, an insult. If you look at the quantity and quality of our updates and recognize that it's one guy doing it all - editing, layout, Photoshop graphics, HTML, advertising and writing all the industry features, news features, foreign show reports, most music reviews and about 30%+ of all the reviews - well, frankly, you don't have one leg to stand on with your attitude.

So if you can't respect the fact that I and all of my guys do our best -- and that our advertiser who DO PAY UNLIKE YOU are happy with our efforts or else they wouldn't support us -- then I suggest you join our ranks and show us all how it's done. Or better yet, launch your own magazine.

Kid's gloves? I'm not afraid at all of constructive criticism but if the best you can do is what you've shown thus far, better be ready for some bare-knuckle responses from this end.  aa

And if you want to read the Promitheus review sooner, perhaps contact the manufacturer and ask why David Kan hasn't received his loaner yet...

[Daygloworange]

Respect? This has nothing to do with respect. Are we supposed to treat publishers with kid gloves? They need to appease their audience. If their business model is to try and survive purely by advertising dollars then they'd better work darn hard to appease the casual and I might add, wholly uninvested readership. I think that the Aspen and Promitheus "reviews" are good examples of how their system fails. That's all.
-Mike

Mike,

We've recently formed an Audio group amongst our local Toronto hobbyists. I am one of the 2 main organizers. The amount of leg work that we've done to get this off the ground, while running my business is very taxing, and is nowhere near the scale of what it must take to put together 6moons.

I've recently emailed Paul Candy at 6moons, and he was very gracious and eager to contribute to some upcoming events we have planned. You have to take into account that from what I understand, these gents are contributing members and do it while having real jobs. That is to say, jobs other than being (paid)full time audio reviewers.

I would rather have people review that are doing it solely because of their passion for the hobby, rather than someone who does it because it's their job. I would also prefer for them to take the time necessary to fairly evaluate (subjectively) a product, rather than rush a listening session just to make a deadline.

I also understand that when you are eagerly anticipating a review that you might become frustrated. But 6moons is a generous free privilege, and as such, owes neither you nor I, an apology for anything.

Cheers

[Srajan Ebaen]

Thank you for that. It's well put, fair and factual.

Indeed, none of my reviewers get paid. Zip. They have real day jobs and when they come home, most of them have wives and kids, i.e. what I call  a life. They do it because they love doing it - and the day that it becomes a chore and pain in the neck, I expect them to tell me to go to hell and to offer their resignation - or take a sabbatical and come back to reviewing when things chill out. If it's no longer fun, then the very reason for doing it has died. And yes what - it'd show, very quickly.

I work 7 days a week, often starting at 8:00AM and going to midnight. Why? Because I love doing it. There's no other reason. It's way too much work to justify otherwise.

Lastly, there are no inner workings at 6moons. It's all as transparent as we can make it. Which doesn't mean it's perfect -- nothing is -- but it's the best we know how to do and, all modesty aside, I believe we've shown a consistent upwards trend in what we do and how we do it since our beginnings 4+ years ago.

That's why I have positioned us as an enthusiast enterprise - by hobbyists for hobbyists. We apply professional standards to our dealings with the industry and readers as well as to our presentations online. We go to quite some lengths to be comprehensive and offer some of the best product photography anywhere. But in the end, we're amateurs. We're motivated by passion. So sue us I'd say if someone got fresh with us.

And being self-employed, with the risks that come with it as well as the benefits, I also delight in reminding the occasional person that if they don't like what we do and have no constructive suggestions on how we can get better (practical, doable suggestions, not idealistic nonsense), then their opinions have zero power on what I chose to do or how to do it. Which drives some of them mad and to outbursts but my advice then would be, go become self-employed yourself and be your own boss. You'll then too enjoy the same freedom.

And in the end, it's audio for heaven's sake. We ain't curing cancer, feeding the poor, rebuilding New Orleans or doing anything noble to create whirled peas. We're talking about toys for (mostly) boys. There's life beyond it, lots of it, and sometimes it bears remembering.

[JohnR]

The above tale insinuates that we made a commitment and didn't keep our end of the bargain. Not. But I can't blame a reviewer for eventually losing interest if a manufacturer fails to deliver the product he approached us with to get reviewed in the first place. in a timely manner 

It's interesting though how history can get rewritten so easily...

I think that's a bit mean, frankly. Hugh is a one-man band as well, and he recounted quite calmly why he got the impression that the reviewer's intention was to get around to doing the review whenever he was going to get around to doing it.

[Srajan Ebaen]

Mean? I set the record straight as to how I remember our interactions with Aspen. They couldn't deliver the product and delayed my reviewer time and again because the product was under revision. When it finalized, it was offered not in final cosmetics and my reviewer, after checking in with me, elected to wait until a cosmetically final production item became available.

I've been in manufacturing for years. I know about unintended delays. No blame on Aspen there. I also know about discovering ways to improve products when you don't want to send existing stuff for review but your newest and best. No blame on Aspen there either but common sense. Bad timing is all. It happens.

I only commented on the accusation earlier that we were terminally delayed in reviewing a product we had announced as coming soon. We were late because we never got the product, period. And when I was so informed by my reviewer, we pulled the announcement.

It's when people comment on things they weren't involved with that confusion can arise. Hence I posted our side of the story. Now I gotta get back to work 

[RonR]

Hugh,

I think you've been very wise to keep silent on this thread, Mr Ebaen's posts speak volumes.

Cheers,

Ron.

[AKSA]

Hi Srajan,

Thank you for your posts, and my apologies for getting your name wrong.  However, while many of your arguments are legit, you are aggressive, and on a couple of scores in Aspen's case, both wrong and excessively judgmental.  Sadly, I guess this means there will never be any review - the jury has been prejudiced!!

In this case, Edgar was the one reviewer interested. As I recall it, however, it was he who was left waiting after he'd agreed - because the product was undergoing changes. After those changes had been implemented, he was informed that a unit was available, albeit not in final production form.

Incorrect.  At the time I offered up my product and for three months after until Edgar mentioned he wanted the final version, I did have an amplifier in Australia absolutely 100% ready for audition.  It was his belated request that the amp be the final retail production version that stalled things.  Incidentally, only the front panel was involved.  Nothing more.

The above tale insinuates that we made a commitment and didn't keep our end of the bargain. Not. But I can't blame a reviewer for eventually losing interest if a manufacturer fails to deliver the product he approached us with to get reviewed in the first place. in a timely manner

Edgar did make a commitment which he did not keep.  I was ready to deliver from day one.  You are wrong again.  

Srajan, that said, it is evident you are extremely angry, and feel that you are offering a (free) service for the audophile community which no one properly appreciates.  Your comment too about 'toys for the boys' is entertaining but carries a hint of denigration.  But you are wrong - I think, and still do, that your reviews are very fair, your photography, format and general approach is outstanding, and that your reviews are thoughtful, competent and well written.  Moreover, as far as I can tell, there is no corruption in your system, and that is, to me, commendable, because this, like all other industries, has its fair share.

I also appreciate the long hours, the selfless dedication, and a list of other qualities which I see clearly in your publication.  However, you need to thicken your skin somewhat - your response has been needlessly vituperative, and while I appreciate you are defending Edgar, the impression other manufacturers might get if you are scratched is not positive.

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your reviewers,

Cheers,

Hugh