Hi morricab,
Like I say, I understand online reviewing is a perilous business, and that distributing a product and attempting to secure a review from a reputable source can be equally problematic. Certainly, in your case, as someone who has done both, I’m sure you appreciate this more than most.
In the end, however, it’s just your opinion as an ex-distributor/reviewer versus his. That he saw things differently and/or had a different experience with a manufacturer is not surprising, even omitting the not insignificant 1900 € increase in retail price (a rise of 22%) between delivery and published review. Disagreements on value and sonics are to be expected, as we here on this forum continue to testify to, even when the manufacturer in question has a reputation of considerable substance.
And while bad mouthing the owner of the company’s product prior to the review serves little purpose, bad mouthing the reviewer for sharing his opinion and calling the review a “hatchet job” serves little purpose either. Not being privy to the private discussions you had, all we have are the words he wrote, and the ones you have. The Internet bestows upon us the ability to sometimes believe our opinions have an inversely proportionate weight to the effort it takes to type them out. I appreciate many of your contributions here, morricab, but your opinions of other reviewers I’ll be taking with more than a grain of salt.
You are welcome to take my opinions how you like but I was there and heard the words coming out of his mouth...I just didn't realize what they meant at the time not knowing the history he apparently had with the company...all the more reason to recuse himself from making a review. You are right it is my words only as well but I can tell you that a review like that would normally kill a product and in this case it did not. Why? It is a very good amp and those who got to hear it usually left impressed. I haven't been involved with KR since 2010 but I still think their product is really good and this model was no exception.
A 22% increase in hifi price and you are surprised?? That is kind of funny given the overblown market today. KR has held the line on its prices better than most. The products coming out of Switzerland, with the possible exception of Nagra, are simply absurdly priced (think Soulution, CH Precision, FM Acoustics, darTZeel) despite the high labor costs here and three of those companies essentially came out of nowhere 10 years ago right into the ueber price league...of course rich audiophiles drool on themselves over this gear but does it sound really good? Not really, although I will likely be shouted down here for that. Nagra's relatively cheap Classic series is really good though (their room with Wilson was one of my top 5 this year from the Munich show).
KR used to be one of the more expensive brands out there...now they are middle of the road pricewise. The VA350 cost about 11K now for what you get it is cheap compared to it's competitors. It has custom designed, hand blown tubes for crissakes! It is not out of any old radio hand book but true innovative thinking on the hybrid concept (it is 2/3rds SS...like all KRs). Even a Kronzilla stereo amp is around 20K, which is strictly middle of the road for the current environment. They didn't jack their prices to reflect the trends in the luxury market. I think they adhere much more closely to a traditional materials + labor + margin model rather than a pie-in-the-sky luxury price. The only ones out there who offers as much sound and material for the money is NAT, Ayon SETs, and Aries Cerat (ok, they offer a LOT of material for the money).
I talked with a small German manufacturer, Wall Audio, who told me that he has to raise his prices so that people will take his product "seriously". He makes pretty good stuff too but at the prices he has now elevated his amps to they are playing with some rather tough competition (KR, Ayon, NAT etc.). But it is about price perception and that matters more it seems.
I disagree, with you about calling out the inconsistencies in the review because it can serve others as a warning about hidden agendas and not to dismiss something simply because it got panned when that is out of character with just about every other review ever done on a KR product. Even MF way back when loved the sound of the KR amp he reviewed and then was dismayed that it didn't measure like an ueber SS amp...however, he did back track a bit once his brain "knew" it couldn't sound that good because of the "poor" measurements. You could ask, did KR make a stinker even though it followed a tried and true formula? It is possible but comparison with other KR amps would have quickly revealed this and they probably would have went back to the drawing board, especially after a negative sounding review gives them an excuse to fix a mistake. Years have passed, I stopped representing KR in 2010, went back to reviewing last year and a good friend of mine still has (2) VA350s that still sound great and regularly show a clean pair heels to most other amps when we take them around. I no longer have anything to gain from saying that other than it is true and I try to always be truthful. I don't expect you to take any of this at face value but go look at the reviews for yourself and see how that one review sticks out like a sore thumb.
