First, I just got off the phone with Danny and he said he will write up some additional comments that are VERY interesting. Dayglow, all of your points are valid - people do have different biases, likes and dislikes. That's why we used a panel.
As to the questions about "did anything stand out", among the integrateds, not really. So yes, the Onkyo is a very good amp and at an attractive price. Noe of them were bad or awful and, as you can see, most voting was very close. It also turns out that where you SAT was a factor, but I'll let Danny and the guys comment on that. And yes, I think if the shootout were on a different day, things might have been different. But still, the results would be informative. We all have to look BEYOND the final results, which may be the LEAST important factor in all the data. We all love a winner,but if you're a football fan and hate baseball, you might not care who wins the World Series.
Same here. If you MUST have a remote, that eliminates several of the integrateds - including the Trend. If you have 2 or more sources, some amps only have 1 input. So again, the REAL prize is not who won, but the supporting data. There, we give you as much information as possible to make your OWN decision. Notice, too, that we did not tell anyone to go out and buy, or even audition, any ONE of the amps. Quite the opposite. I think that's one of the factors that differentiates Stereomojo from some ofthe rest - we do our darnest to take all the politics and bias out things - not just APPEAR to.
Think about it for a moment; which takes more time and effort? Just tell things the way they are - honestly and truthfully, OR to conspire, connive and manipulate? Heck, maybe all of us here at SM are just lazy!
Let me give you a real example: I am talking to Cary right now about them doing an ad on SM. NONE of the participants knew that - nobody but me and I was not involved at all in the outcome. They will learn of the possible Cary ad when they read it here. I'll tel you this, too: right now I heavily favor the Cary for the overall winner vs. the Trends. But even there, I asked all of you for YOUR input on that decision. Does anyone think that has anything to do with a potential ad? I have yet to say anything positive about the Cary. I don't need to or want to.
Bottom line? Really dig into the data if you are in the market for an amp - don't rely on a winner, per se. Use your brain - don't be a sheep!
JD