Anyone else find video reviews annoying?

[heihei]

I have to admit I'm finding the increasing use of youtube clips etc as a format for reviewing hifi equipment really annoying. My preferred environment for taking in a review is while I'm listening to music on my system, which means reading rather than watching!

Anyone else find this, or is it just me?

 

[audiobomber]

I have to admit I'm finding the increasing use of youtube clips etc as a format for reviewing hifi equipment really annoying. My preferred environment for taking in a review is while I'm listening to music on my system, which means reading rather than watching!

Anyone else find this, or is it just me?

I agree, 100%. Watching a descriptive video is a waste of time. I can read the content in a fraction of the time, and listening to talking takes me away from listening to music.

I subscribe to YouTube Music to hear new music and to see live performances, something no other service provides. I detest MTV style "music videos", I've never listened to a podcast or audio book. Listening to an audio system playing on YouTube is not useful to me, but seeing artists perform live is gold.

 

[hogen]

I have to admit I'm finding the increasing use of youtube clips etc as a format for reviewing hifi equipment really annoying. My preferred environment for taking in a review is while I'm listening to music on my system, which means reading rather than watching!

Anyone else find this, or is it just me?

100% agree. When reading one can also very quickly skip a lot of text that's not interesting etc.

 

[heihei]

I agree, 100%. Watching a descriptive video is a waste of time. I can read the content in a fraction of the time, and listening to talking takes me away from listening to music.

I subscribe to YouTube Music to hear new music and to see live performances, something no other service provides. I detest MTV style "music videos", I've never listened to a podcast and listening to an audio system playing on YouTube is not useful to me. But seeing artists perform live is gold.

Your point around watching music on youtube is interesting. I have a neighbour who is both a musician and a music lover. He regularly comes over and we listen to music together on my hifi which he really enjoys, but has no interest in getting a decent audio set-up because he gets more out of watching musicians perform. I can see where he is coming from, as part of the enjoyment of live music is watching the expressions of the players and the way they interact.

 

[Rexp]

I recently unsubscribed from Audiophiliac and Darko and feel much less annoyed.

 

[Joe Whip]

I have no problem with them in theory, just the execution. Most are just too long. Get to the point and move on. 10 minutes tops.

 

[audiobomber]

I have no problem with them in theory, just the execution. Most are just too long. Get to the point and move on. 10 minutes tops.

I agree, but I can read ten minutes of talk in three minutes.

 

[audiobomber]

I recently unsubscribed from Audiophiliac and Darko and feel much less annoyed.

There's often interesting content on Audiophiliac, but he looks and sounds like my grandmother, and what is the point of watching a man flail his arms around for 10 or 15 minutes? Video reviews are just an ego trip, IMO.

 

[Lee]

I am perhaps biased because I launched TAS YouTube channel but I think video reviews are useful for introductions but ideally a follow-on review in print for a detailed analysis is also valuable.

Product introductions and interviews with musicians and engineers work especially well. A lot of high end audio has highly visual elements. Loads of people are fascinating by how modern gear is made. And it’s fun to hear the engineer/designer talk about their products, sometimes using charts to explain.

Different people enjoy getting information from a different mix of media channels.

 

[davidavdavid]

Video REVIEWS? or Video REVIEWERS? The medium and perhaps more importantly the monetization it engenders shape not only the presentation but the content as well. The message of the medium gets lost in transmission. h/t Herbert "Marshall" McLuhan

"The medium is the message. A statement by Marshall McLuhan means that the form of a message (print, visual, musical, etc.) determines the ways in which that message will be perceived. McLuhan argued that modern electronic communications (including radio, television, films, and computers) would have far-reaching sociological, aesthetic, and philosophical consequences, to the point of actually altering the ways in which we experience the world."

 

[Elliot G.]

First, I believe in the video medium. I think the future as well as the present is going to be served via video whether people like it or not.
The video reviews I have watched are to be frank cures for insomnia. That's not medium its the messengers.
Many Industries have thrived in video. I worked in one for a couple of years. The pre owned watch space has become huge partly because of video.
It was not the video per se but the people making the videos that made them interesting and FUN. I was blown away by how this space grew because of video. Clients called in every day talking about the video and then buying the watch.
Audio has not found the match to light the flame YET.
The automobile business has a whole bunch of wildly successful YouTube stars. People like Doug Demuro, Super Car Blondie, Twin Pipes etc have huge followings and are growing very quickly.
Video is a super fast way to get information out to the public and hopefully the buying public. People are intimidated with some subjects and going to a shop is not their first choice. They want some absorbable information first.
The audio Industry has started however they are trying to do video the way they write ......Not a good formula for success IMO.
There are half a dozen or so YOUtube channels , not all doing reviews or reviews alone that are growing, perhaps slowly compared to cars and watches but they are growing.
Finding the right voice and face IMO will change the effect dramatically when and if it happens.
Its disappointing that more companies won't invest in video, they are just ignoring it because the y don't yet understand how to do it and how strong the message can be. Those who find the key to unlock the power will inspire all the others.
One last thing younger audiences need to be entertained and find the voice relatable not some old guy talking in tongues that they don't understand and can't relate too.

 

[hopkins]

I have to admit I'm finding the increasing use of youtube clips etc as a format for reviewing hifi equipment really annoying. My preferred environment for taking in a review is while I'm listening to music on my system, which means reading rather than watching!

Anyone else find this, or is it just me?

I rarely read audio component reviews any longer, unless they are about innovative products/technologies. Written reviews of components bore me. If the reviewer likes it, then that's all the information I need. 99% of reviews are positive and use the exact same phrases and wordings, so the content is usually useless. I apologize to the many reviewers here for being so blunt.

 

[leyenda]

Agree…. There’s too many clips of gear reviews and way too little clips of audiophile systems….

 

[facten]

One last thing younger audiences need to be entertained and find the voice relatable not some old guy talking in tongues that they don't understand and can't relate too

And, they are technology driven and I think maybe more likely to engage via video

 

[sbo6]

Yes, but there are some that are not bad and even good. As such, I planned on starting my own channel over COVID but never did so (work, family and all that). I still may do so based on my ~40 years as an audiophile, tech background and education and experience as an amateur musician. I would take a different slant on it, we'll see ;-)

 

[Joe Whip]

I agree, but I can read ten minutes of talk in three minutes.

You can always watch them a 2x speed.

 

[hopkins]

You can always watch them a 2x speed.

Or browse through the transcript.

 

[audiobomber]

You can always watch them a 2x speed.

How?

 

[audiobomber]

Or browse through the transcript.

What transcript?

 

[hopkins]

What transcript?

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The "Show Transcript" button is available in the video's description.