Audio Reviewers and Their Favorite Brands

Lee · Aug 8, 2011

I have noticed over the years of reading high end journals (Stereophile and TAS since 89) that many seem to have brands they favor. They tend to review certain brands of equipment.

Now to me there is a plus and minus here. On the positive side, a reviewer who is somewhat specialized in a brand has more familiarity with the offering and perhaps better access to the mfr for the skinny on new technology and features. It may also allow them insights into the sound evolution of the component under review, including any changes/improvements from past sound signatures.

On the minus side, it seems that one may become blinkered to other high quality brands and/or be influenced by friendships with the mfr.

Let's face it, this is a niche hobby and the community is very small.

Is an audio reviewer's "specialization" on some core brands a good or bad thing? What do you think?

docvale · Aug 8, 2011

You're right, it's good and bad, according to the points of view. There's not going to be the "perfect" approach to provide reviews of audio gear. The only way to mitigate the "bad" in what you described is that the listening notes would be provided by two independent reviewers. But I guess this would create some technical issues in managing the journal activity...

LL21 · Aug 8, 2011

I think everyone (even a reviewer) has not only the right to preferences, but strong prefences. And if the preferences run to a just a few brands, one could argue (or hope) the person or reviewer has a strong sense of conviction. I respect that...and as the reader, I remind myself to keep that firmly in mind when reading a review.

I am aware of Jonathan Valin's personal tastes...vs Myles Astor's (which are more similar to my own based on their respective comments and systems). Martin Colloms does not always win friends, but boy he is prepared to dump on a product that is superexpensive and glorfiy one that is surprisingly off-the-high-end radar of many other reviewers! i have been fortunate to communicate privately with all 3 myself...they clearly have preferences...but somehow i have found across the broad spectrum of their various articles, i have not often found room to accuse them of being overtly biased/slanted in a way that seemed inappropriate...rather it is (like all of us) one human being's opinion where they are (attempting) to use their own experience, objectivity on a subject matter that ultimately involves still some level of subjectivity. And again, taking in to consideration their stated biases (in their comments and in their own reference systems), i can adjust my own interpretation of their reviews accordingly.

NorthStar · Aug 8, 2011

About if roles were inverted? ...Reviewers become readers and readers become reviewers, then what?
Ah!

MylesBAstor · Aug 8, 2011

LordoftheRingsEE said:
About if roles were inverted? ...Reviewers become readers and readers become reviewers, then what?
Ah!

Well I don't know too many reviewers who don't read all high-end audio magazines (and a few music thrown in for good measure)

NorthStar · Aug 8, 2011

MylesBAstor said:
Well I don't know too many reviewers who don't read all high-end audio magazines (and a few music thrown in for good measure)

You are a good reader, being able to decipher this!

Genre of Music?

JackD201 · Aug 8, 2011

Every single person needs a point of reference. I don't think there really is much more to say about that.

NorthStar · Aug 8, 2011

Very true Jack!

* Is there some reference gear better for some type of music, and other gear more appropriate for other genre of music? Loudspeakers?

Does knowing the prefered type of a reviewer's music is a better indicator for smart shopping?

MylesBAstor · Aug 9, 2011

LordoftheRingsEE said:
You are a good reader, being able to decipher this!

Genre of Music?

Classical, jazz, rock, world, soundtracks, opera....most anything but hip hop and that ilk and C&W

NorthStar · Aug 9, 2011

MylesBAstor said:
Classical, jazz, rock, world, soundtracks, opera....most anything but hip hop and that ilk and C&W

Opera, I luv Opera!

...Cool!

And Classical piano too.

Lee · Aug 16, 2011

MylesBAstor said:
Classical, jazz, rock, world, soundtracks, opera....most anything but hip hop and that ilk and C&W

Well I fell in love with Alison Krauss and Union Station and they have some amazing SACDs.

DaveyF · Aug 16, 2011

Agree with you Lloyd.... it is fairly obvious that most reviewers have a certain favourite brand. In some instances, I wander what the heck they are thinking of by singing the praises of a piece of gear that i personally wouldn't let come near my system

However, so long as one recognizes the certain bias that exists with the reviewer and can 'read' through that, I suppose no harm is done.......assuming that that is in fact the case

JackD201 · Aug 16, 2011

There's lots of crossover gems coming out of Nashville and I am not generally a C&W person. Not by a long shot.

I'm not a Hip-Hop person either but I also enjoy tasteful R&B with some rap thrown in and that gawd-awful autotune thrown out. (Brian McKinight torpedoed his excellent voice and his latest album with it IMO)

I'm big on some dance genres from the Netherlands, UK and Germany. Electronic music goes beyond Kraftwerk

NorthStar · Aug 17, 2011

Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Art Of Noise, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, AIR,
Delerium, Enigma, Mike Oldfield, Michael Edges, Mickey Hart, Portishead, Morphine,
Tool, Soft Machine, Bjork, Dead Can Dance, St Germain, James Hardway,
Michael Stearns, Vangelis, Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Phive, Pink Floyd, and a whole lot more...

Got them all!

Lee · Aug 18, 2011

LordoftheRingsEE said:
Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Art Of Noise, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, AIR,
Delerium, Enigma, Mike Oldfield, Michael Edges, Mickey Hart, Portishead, Morphine,
Tool, Soft Machine, Bjork, Dead Can Dance, St Germain, James Hardway,
Michael Stearns, Vangelis, Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Phive, Pink Floyd, and a whole lot more...

Got them all!

The Dead Can Dance sound amazing.

NorthStar · Aug 18, 2011

Lee said:
The Dead Can Dance sound amazing.

Yes indeed (Dead Can Dance). Luv the album (CD) "Into The Labyrinth".

Michael Stearns "The Lost World", I also very much luv.

AIR "10,000Hz Legend", is some' good too.

Roger Waters "Amused To Death" with Q Sound = Very good too.

Nirvana "Nevermind" = Also very good.

Nine Inch Nails "The Fragile" = Very Good (with some HDCD encoded tunes).

TOOL "Lateralus" = Very good (HDCD encoded).

Patti Smith "Gung Ho" & "Gone Again" = Very good.

Laurie Anderson "Life On A String" = Very good (HDCD encoded).

Mickey Hart / Airto/ Flora Purim "Dafos", "Planet Drum" & "Supralingua" = All very good [HDCD].

...Just to name very few from my vast collection of Progressive/Alternative music.

fas42 · Aug 18, 2011

LordoftheRingsEE said:
Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Art Of Noise, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, AIR,
Delerium, Enigma, Mike Oldfield, Michael Edges, Mickey Hart, Portishead, Morphine,
Tool, Soft Machine, Bjork, Dead Can Dance, St Germain, James Hardway,
Michael Stearns, Vangelis, Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Phive, Pink Floyd, and a whole lot more...

Got them all!

You're my kind of guy, Bob!

Anything of the calibre of Jarre's Zoolook you can recommend ...?

Frank

NorthStar · Aug 18, 2011

fas42 said:
You're my kind of guy, Bob!

Anything of the calibre of Jarre's Zoolook you can recommend ...?

Frank

Well Frank, all Jean-Michel Jarre albums are my bag!

All Tangerine Dream albums are also my bag!

* I dunno, you might want to check some Delerium albums perhaps.

AIR, or Dead Can Dance?

...Michael Stearns?

-> Just sample few of them from the Internet to give you a better idea.

Bob

Audio Reviewers and Their Favorite Brands

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