Who has greatest power in influencing audiophiles in today's world? Dealers? Magazines/ Reviewers? Forums? Shows? Social Media Stars?

[Grateful]

i subscribe to a round the world trawler YouTube channel and live the yachting life vicariously thru it. my wife has chosen an RV instead. that is my reality. and i embrace it fully. but i do what i can to still feel a part of that other dream retired future. no harm no foul.

Here’s the proof! I knew you were much smarter than I.

 

[tima]

Fellow audiophiles whose ears I trust.

 

[Kingrex]

I think the buying process takes time. Especially with how expensive stuff is. I thing YouTube influencers sow a seed. Some sales happen quickly after a short verification. Kind of like asking, do you know anyone who bought a car because of a TV add. Doubt it. The buyer sees the add, then goes and reads magazines, talks to friends. Talks to salesmen etc.

I do know people who watched Audiophile Junkie, then chatted on his personal WhatApp channel, then bought cables. And BACCh. I know a few people that did as such.

 

[andromedaaudio]

To me the biggest influence is .....SQ .

So for me shows / dealer shows .
its my own money that i spend so i do my own investigation and it worked out well as i dont change gear much

 

[tima]

do you know anyone personally who has bought gear due directly to a YouTube influencer? or even mostly due to them?

No. Personally I don't watch videos to hear guys talk about audio. Most talk too much and take too long to make a point. I'd rather read or talk interactively.

 

[bonzo75]

No. Personally I don't watch videos to hear guys talk about audio. Most talk too much and take too long to make a point. I'd rather read or talk interactively.

And most of the talkers don’t seem to actually play the system. Must be in love with their own voice or have fantasies of being a Bollywood star

 

[tima]

And most of the talkers don’t seem to actually play the system. Must be in love with their own voice or have fantasies of being a Bollywood star

I give credit to people trying to share information or to help others with 'how-to' video if they are succinct. However with audio talker-influencers I don't have the patience to find out if there is music involved or an actual product demonstration. Too many are unscripted or disorganized or anecdotal in unrelated 'sidebars'. I can read faster than most talk. Plus, I can save (and search) the written word for future reference. Maybe there is an audience; there certainly are enough posting audio talk on Youtube.

 

[tima]

To me the biggest influence is .....SQ .

So for me shows / dealer shows .
its my own money that i spend so i do my own investigation and it worked out well as i dont change gear much

You should make that FM graphic your avatar!

 

[andromedaaudio]

You should make that FM graphic your avatar!

Ok i might do that ....once i own it.

 

[OrigTweaker]

I was content to be settled in an all-Meridian ecosystem until I upgraded active speakers, and wasn’t willing to either part with the old ones or buy their expensive electronics to keep them going in a new listening room.

Enter influencer Hans Beekhuyzen recommending a Raspberry Pi-based Allo DigiOne transport 7 years ago, which turned me into a Tweaker. Now I am convinced that my hot-rodded multi Pi setup competes with the Grimm MU2 Hans favors today.

Hans, Mikey, Darko etc. lost me along the way as I sank deeper into a penny-pincher’s rabbit hole to find what another obscure, inexpensive device or, more importantly, software could bring to the table. Forums are the only way now to shed a little more light on my dark DIY corner of the hobby.

 

[Robh3606]

Influencers on social media.

Rob

 

[Tangram]

Magazines seem to prop up the industry like pushing wilson and magico, cover for mofi fraud, while shafting the newer and smaller brands by limiting comparisons that can differentiate the brands. Lost much of their power, but push the status quo...

Forums seem to create huge band wagon effects (taiko and lampizator, here), while providing some information on other brands - if the fans of those brands can get through the noise and contribute...

Dealers, who are great salesmen, can definitely push a brand. But what makes them invest in a brand that will go into their showroom? And how many actual visitors to they get?

Shows? sound sucks. But great socially, so can build relationships...

Others?

Who do you guys think?

I’ll just speak for myself because I would only be speculating on others’ influences. I take a mosaic approach using any and all sources of information. I especially like in depth articles that explain a certain approach or technology that influences the sound of a piece of equipment. I look for a consistency in opinion that resonates with what I look for in my sound. I find actual owner experiences particularly valuable if I trust their ears and judgment. I steer far away from hyperbole. I’m also suspect of comments from reviewers/audiophiles who have crappy rooms that would obscure any of the subtle differences being attributed to a piece of equipment.

 

[Kingrex]

I’m also suspect of comments from reviewers/audiophiles who have crappy rooms that would obscure any of the subtle differences being attributed to a piece of equipment.

Reviewers have lead me the most astray. I know people that have bought off reviewer comments and quickly rid themselves of the product.

 

[Al M.]

I got lucky that I got to hear most of my components before I bought them, either in my own system or elsewhere. Reviews played much less of a role in my decisions.

 

[microstrip]

I can' deny that reviewers have a key role in my audiophile life - I usually learn about products months before I can listen to them. A review can save me a lot of time, I will for example discard products associated to abusive bogus technology or pseudo science. A good review from someone I know pretty well saves me a lot of time - I do not have the time or desire to listen to every good existing product.

Surely I pick reviewers by preference - why relying on someone who has a preference opposite to mine? And discard opinions of reviewers who seem to me to be narrow minded in their gear selection and tastes. The nice thing of electronic subscription of magazines is that they are very cheap and paperless - I do not feel guilty by just reading less than 10% of them! BTW, I do not care about video reviews - if the guy does not have the time to type his opinion, read and re-think it, it does not deserve my attention.

 

[caesar]

Gentlemen,
I greatly appreciate the replies. One of my blind spots is YouTube videos.

I have heard very nice videos from the Greek gentleman, who sometimes posts on this site. And also heard a very interesting and valuable video by another gentleman who paid a visit to an Avantgarde Trio owner.

But I am also astonished by some of the guys on youtube who come across as experts. There is one meaty-headed dude, who speaks with an accent. This guy frequently has very expensive gear, big magicos, wilsons, top gryphons, etc...

He once did a video on the Wilson wamm junior XVX. However, it apparently was not set up properly. He apparently had the audioshark dealer over to his place (per an audioshark thread), who sells many brands but is not a Wilson dealer, and the audioshark guy helped him tweak the setup!!!!

Seems like extremely unfair to Wilson in this case. And since this guys seems to be clueless, seems very unfair to all the brands. And equally unfair to the guys in the ether who watch his stuff!

I am kind of busy to watch these mostly worthless videos. So generally, I just prefer to speed read audio stuff..

 

[Elliot G.]

Magazines seem to prop up the industry like pushing wilson and magico, cover for mofi fraud, while shafting the newer and smaller brands by limiting comparisons that can differentiate the brands. Lost much of their power, but push the status quo...

Forums seem to create huge band wagon effects (taiko and lampizator, here), while providing some information on other brands - if the fans of those brands can get through the noise and contribute...

Dealers, who are great salesmen, can definitely push a brand. But what makes them invest in a brand that will go into their showroom? And how many actual visitors to they get?

Shows? sound sucks. But great socially, so can build relationships...

Social Media Stars?

Others?

Who do you guys think?

if you only mean "audiophiles" then all of the audio press is a major influence( even though it has wide spread deniability lol.) If you mean buyers then I think it is a very different kettle of fish.
This maybe the best topic you have started however its a very broad subject and one factor is not the answer since there are very different types of customers, hobbyists, audiophiles and buyers.
One size does not fit all. Sadly there is no consistent methodology or even agreed upon facts just numerous opinions

 

[Kbh57]

The "audiophile" community is highly segmented. "Audiophile" isn't (at least shouldn't be) defined by dollars spent on gear. I know folks who are very knowledgeable and will never shop high end. In raw numbers, it seems obvious that the great majority are in this segment and I absolutely believe that many in this group are influenced by YouTubers, Cheapaudioman, for example, routinely gets 150k views and is a prolific content provider, and there are many similar providers. The comments clearly indicate he is influencing buying decisions. Collectively, there is a strong, consistent message broadcast to thousands that spending up for audio gear is foolish and gets you nothing. That's pretty easy to sell, attracts clicks, and the cycle continues. I don't think that's positive because I don't think its true, but the numbers don't lie. There is an obvious connection between this group and the ASR type objectivists. Like him or hate him he (and others, like the Audioholics channel) seem to have a good deal of influence over their followers.

At the higher end of the market, which is also much thinner, I suspect trusted dealers have much more influence. I'm not sure about the magazines. I enjoy them, but have a hard time taking their opinions too seriously- hard to ignore the advertisers/editorial content relationship.

 

[PeterA]

Fellow audiophiles whose ears I trust.

Totally agree. I prioritize the opinions of those I trust and try hard to hear it for myself before buying.

 

[Lagonda]

I give credit to people trying to share information or to help others with 'how-to' video if they are succinct. However with audio talker-influencers I don't have the patience to find out if there is music involved or an actual product demonstration. Too many are unscripted or disorganized or anecdotal in unrelated 'sidebars'. I can read faster than most talk. Plus, I can save (and search) the written word for future reference. Maybe there is an audience; there certainly are enough posting audio talk on Youtube.

You can listen to music and read a review simultaneously I just don't waste my time watching some dufus pontificate about equipment thereby limiting my audio listening time.