How much does a great review color one’s perception?

Wind Chaser · « **on:** 13 Aug 2010, 05:36 pm »

Assuming there's no way to listen to a piece of gear before you buy it... Have you ever bought an audio component or speakers merely on the strength of a stand out review from a reputable / trusted source? If so, how did that work out?

woodsyi · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 05:44 pm »

Quote from: Wind Chaser on 13 Aug 2010, 05:36 pm

Assuming there's no way to listen to a piece of gear before you buy it... Have you ever bought an audio component or speakers merely on the strength of a stand out review from a reputable / trusted source? If so, how did that work out?

Suckers me blind. I am ordering it immediately.

Really, it doesn't hurt and I will track the gear until the initial euphoria blows over and see what we really have.

JLM · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 05:58 pm »

I start by "reviewing the reviewer". There are a few I know and trust from sharing the same opinions of various pieces. Srajan is universally popular, but he's overly wordy to the point of confusing me. Doug Schneider is one I've liked over the years, but I don't see much from him lately. Greg Weaver is probably my favorite. It was great to meet him at the 2010 AKFest. (BTW he still owns/loves the Channel Island Audion VMB-1 monoblocks.)

coke · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 06:08 pm »

Most of the credit for me going with Salks is due to Nuance. He had listened to and posted reviews of some of the same speakers I had experience with, and his thoughts matched mine exactly

. This allowed me to come to the conclusion that if he liked Salks, then so would I.

I purchased a pair of Salk HT2-TLs without ever hearing any Salk speakers, and am 100% satisfied. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect judging by Nuance's reviews of Salks, and as it turned out, to my ears they are exactly as he had described.

chlorofille · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 06:20 pm »

I usually go by impulse and 6th sense simply because theres no guarantee that the product will sound good once I actually install it in my system. My silliest crazy atm is a USB powered 3 watt class D amp no bigger than your thumb !

BobM · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 06:44 pm »

A great review makes me want to hear it for myself. Usually though, I am in no position to spend the kind of money the manufacturer wants for those pieces of gear, but I do have an interest in hearing them to see for myself what the "state of the art" is all about these days.

However, if a piece comes up for sale on the used market in a few years at a true bargain price that is within my spending tolerances, and if I happen to be leaning in that direction for a replacement piece, then I might take the plunge and buy it with the understanding that I can resell it on the used marketplace and not lose my shirt if things don't work out. I've done this with some success (I've been pretty happy with what I picked up).

Enjoy

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 06:55 pm »

Yeah, ole Nuance wrote a very thorough and credible review in another forum. Nice reply, JLM. I bought a pair of Kenwood L07 monoblocks years ago based on a positive review in TAS and because they met the rest of my criteria, price and available power. Bought a used Bel Canto DAC based on multiple reviews (out of the mainstream at the time) and price. They had just come out with a new DAC and their older one started showing up on Audiogon in bunches. Bought an UberBUSS based on the buzz right here and because of a lengthy audition. I'd half to say a great review is only a part of the equation to me.

Mariusz · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 07:08 pm »

Bought few components/speakers based on pro reviews.
Vandersteen Quatro speakers and MiniWatt, tube integrated amp.
Both great - no disappointments.

And two other components based on raving owners -
Dodd Audio preamp and Supratek preamp.
Same results - great value/performance.

However, not all purchases were that easy and without doubt.

Numerous times I have made a trip (over 100 miles)
to audition interesting component(s) but those were usually NOT commercial designs.

.....& just like other poster, I read most reviews with grain of salt except for few individuals with taste and preferences similar to my own.

M.

turkey · « **Reply #8 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 07:27 pm »

I don't pay much attention to reviews. I'm more interested to see what people have to say about things in a conversational mode, rather than read someone's imitation of Gordon Holt or Harry Pearson.

As for the paid reviewers, I'm not terribly interested in what they have to say. It's advertising that supports these magazines, and that's not conducive to impartial reviews.

soundbitten1 · « **Reply #9 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 07:29 pm »

I try to find as much info as I can about the product whether it be reviews or discussions before I commit.

Photon46 · « **Reply #10 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 07:54 pm »

I'm not so cynical as to discount a professional reviewers opinion, but I try not to lose sight of the fact that a review is a reflection of said reviewer's taste. As time has passed and I've heard more equipment, I realize the VAST extent to which our tastes in audio reproduction vary. I've made numerous purchases of unheard equipment that proved very fortuitous. Come to think of it, everything I now own was purchased unheard. But I've arrived at my current point of great satisfaction through trial and error that occasionally included purchases of well reviewed equipment that underwhelmed me and was subsequently sold. I'd say most equipment I thought I'd like on the basis of good reviews that I made an effort to audition ending up disappointing me. The sole exception being the Magneplanar 1.6qr, which I ended up living with for over five years. I find it really hard to make meaningful judgments during auditions anyway. Listening rooms maybe the most important part of the audio chain. Given that predicate, plus different partnering equipment in an audition setting, how much of use can be gleaned unless there's some glaring shortcoming? One enormously important part of ownership is seldom touched on in reviews though. That being the reliability of a manufacturer's products. This is where I pay a lot of attention to what owner's say in forums. I'm fed up with sorry customer support and poorly engineered products that need frequent repairs.

mca · « **Reply #11 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 07:59 pm »

It's hard to trust reviews since 95% of them are all positive...

turkey · « **Reply #12 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 08:29 pm »

Quote from: Photon46 on 13 Aug 2010, 07:54 pm

I'm not so cynical as to discount a professional reviewers opinion,

Why not? What makes them a better source of info than anyone else? Just because they're paid to do it?

Photon46 · « **Reply #13 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 09:08 pm »

No offense, but I don't see anything remarkable in the fact that most reviews are positive. The realities of ferocious market competition mean that a manufacturer had damn well better have a competent and competitive product before they commit to bringing it to market. There's not too much new thought found behind the engineering of most audio products. Amp, preamp, dac, phono preamp, and speaker designs have all been well thought out and tested in previous iterations. I think most audio designers would agree that you have to be a quite a screw up to make something that sounds bad with all the electrical engineering groundwork that's gone before. An entirely different matter is whether said designs are well thought out in terms of reliability. I know it's popular to slam manufacturers with accusations of pixie dust, baloney, and BS substituting for performance and sound engineering. Some audio product attributes appeal to aesthetics and the purchasers desire to feel superior to those less well healed, but so be it. Audio products are hardly unique in that respect. I tend to believe enough in "efficient market" theory to believe that those products and businesses that don't offer long term satisfaction and value will perish. For that reason though, I tend to be more careful about buying products from upstart companies with unproven track records.

*Scotty* · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 09:23 pm »

Never. However,the measurements taken of the component and the circuit design has figured into buying decisions.
Scotty

nrenter · « **Reply #15 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 10:05 pm »

I'll admit it...I've basically bought all of my equipment based on reputation (notice I did not say "reviews"). IMNSHO, you're better off buying equipment based off reputation than an audition.

What did he say?!?!

Unless you are able to audition a component in your listening environment, with your associated equipment, with your music....well, what are you really listening to?

It amazes me that 6 people can walk into the same showroom and listen to the same system and "hear" 6 different components. Speakers. Source. Pre-amp. Amp. Cables. Acoustic treatments. Power. Whatever.

Even if you "swap" out components, you still really have no idea what is the dominant factor in the sound you hear - and will you hear the things you like when you cart that piece back to your home?

Each of my components have earned a solid reputation. I agree with their designer's philosophy. For the overwhelming majority of my components, I can get the head honcho on the phone if need be. Thus far, my approach has not disappointed me. YMMV

Elizabeth · « **Reply #16 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 10:31 pm »

I have purchased used equipment on it's reputation. Some was worth it, some not. But being used, I sold it.
However, I did recently buy a product new, it got Stereophile classA type review. I bought it and it was no better than a used ten year old product that cost me a tenth of the new one's price. After MUCH fooling around, (i assumed i was doing something wrong: after all, it had a class A rating) I returned it for a refund.
i was really soured on DACs after that. So either the ten year old DAC I currently have is WAY better than the average, or I can't hear crap, so they say to me.
So I was able to get rid of the item, and allowed my own ears to decide that the new item was no great shakes.
So much for the glowing review!!!
And NO I am not gonna say what it was.

eclein · « **Reply #17 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 10:37 pm »

I have based all my decisions regarding audio equipment on this forum. If it flies here and gets stellar reports via first hand knowledge from other like minded individuals I'll look at it very closely. If it doesn't, I don't!!
Ed

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #18 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 10:55 pm »

I don't like buying anything without being able to try before I buy, but more often in the age of the Internet it isn't always possible, so reviews and user opinions come in handy, but STAND OUT reviews are another matter.

IMO a GREAT review can lead to GREAT expectations, but the ultimate verdict lies with your own judgment. I recall my first experience as such when some trusted friends upon returning from CES 1982 said there was only one truly outstanding thing they heard at show. In short, with much anticipation I blindly bought it (several thousand dollars later) only to take delivery and wonder why I couldn't hear anything special? Are my trusted friends delusional idiots or am I not capable of hearing what they can hear? And how much did this damn thing cost? Argh!

Days later with a little help getting it along with the rest of my system properly set up made all the difference. But my initial response in spite of all the anticipation and great claims was huge disappointment.

CSI · « **Reply #19 on:** 13 Aug 2010, 11:39 pm »

It is not the great reviews that worry me. It's the negative ones. A great review should influence the reader to go for an audition but most people know to trust their ears. If the gear just doesn't do it for you in spite of the raves, most of us will move on. But a negative review can be terribly destructive because it will often keep us away from what might be a deserving product. We don't necessarily need a rave review to get us to add new things to our audition menu. That card is usually pretty full. More likely we are looking for reasons to ignore new products so we can keep them off our list. Bad reviews do this and if the reviewer just doesn't know what he is talking about and/or really doesn't know how to properly evaluate gear he can do real damage to someone whose livelihood will be impacted by the outcome. The worst are the professional reviews posted by someone with a vested interest in a competing company or who just has a bad attitude toward the people whose gear they are panning. Fortunately these incidents are rare - mostly because the unethical hacks are drummed out of the reviewing business in time. But I have been close to a couple of people who have been the recipients of unearned negative reviews (both pro and amateur) and, although they all survived and prospered in time, the bad vibes and the memory of economic pain inflicted through ignorance or malice linger on.