A Plea For High-End Audio Manufacturer Honesty and Transparency

[microstrip]

Fair enough. We can agree to disagree on what’s important . By the way, I wish all we could talk about is gear that could be great for us, but again so much misinformation in finding that gear…

In fact the majority of current high-end gear is able to sound great. I agree we need more freely accessible information on how to make it sound so.

PS. I find the “dirt” when I search for gear, and time is precious and expensive… read the raves about Magico q - analytical to hang your self from chandelier… read hype about $30k taiko computer and it consistently gets thrashed by $3k cd transport from China..

Again free marketing for Magico and Taiko, this time with a pseudo poetical macabre reference ... The WBF people already understood you systematically refer to successful and great sounding gear just to get attention to your posts ...

 

[Rob181]

you weren't notified about the televised executions?

Well I thought this was funny...

 

[Rob181]

Can someone tell me where I can buy a "$30k taiko computer" or the "$3k cd transport" that thrashes it...

 

[tima]

By the way, I wish all we could talk about is gear that could be great for us, but again so much misinformation in finding that gear…

I like to hear talk about music and talk of gear in terms of music.

 

[Elliot G.]

PS. I find the “dirt” when I search for gear, and time is precious and expensive…

Caesar,
I respect your passion and your opinions however I really would respect them more if you stopped the name calling. I do not think that is required and it removes many from the conversation immediately. Just a word ...please

If we want to look at issues I think we need to do a deep dive into the way the business is working today. It once was a brick and mortar dealer based business. The dealers displayed , promoted, took trades so basically handled all the product and information flow. The the rise of the Audiophile publications came. This started the shift towards listening to other voices which has over time become to way too many voices even within the same publications, Then the internet came and it blew everything up. Its not a matter of if you like it or not its here and its not going anywhere. Everyone has an opinion. Opinions have become tribal. Tribes have joined forces. There is easy ways to exert influence not only over the press but over consumers by using other consumers to shape opinions. Then is the mighty dollar. The dollar that corrupts anything and everything everywhere. To pretend the price, the discount, the availability of everything to be everywhere, the over expansion of outlets, many of which are clueless except for the price has created where we are now.
The world is full of paid for opinions and the way they are paid for varies. With the expansion and the rise of new brands and brands that were regional now being imported we see many trying alternative methods of promotion and information dissemination. It would be great if all of this was done ethically...ok now wake the heck up this is a fantasy and there are no unicorns in audio...but this is not the case.
IMO today its really hard to believe anything and IMO its only going to get harder.
My advise learn as much as you can, decide what is most important to you when listening, try to find others with similar tastes or vision, and do not get distracted by the noise here and elsewhere. Enjoy the music its far more important than the gear, or what room is best at the show, or what some guy in his lousy room says about something.
Honesty is such a lonely word....

 

[wil]

You want to read something positive about gear or music? Open any audio magazine, visit any audio magazine website where every product reviewed is fantastic and allows the reviewer to hear "things he´s never heard before" in a recording, read 99% of the posts in this or other forums...Caesar is an enfant terrible, although I might not always agree with it, I find his unsweetened delivery refreshing and his dissent honest (according to his tastes) someone has to tell the emperor he´s naked and not wearing new clothes. This does seem to bother some of you who being able to ignore him via a simple click, continue to inexplicably read his posts.

I don’t read audio magazines, and I take all reviews wherever they come from with a healthy grain of salt. I also think it is healthy to criticize aspects of the industry where warranted. Where I have a problem, is when Caesar, or the like, go out of their way to, repeatedly, throw out casual, and ridiculous, insults like “ some DIY guy on the Internet“ to refer to someone that I personally know is exceedingly competent and innovative. And that’s not “fanboy” talk. It’s the truth from personal experience.

 

[Iamrael]

Its mostly the banter/noise that IMO keep bringing members back to WBF. Getting updates on the latest scams. Manufacturers at each other throats. Members getting banned. What’s the latest manipulative strategy from members who think they’re not recognized.
All by design!
It’s the 10% that gets us to click on a link to check out a product mentioned by someone that has “juice” and the chops to write good stories = money in the bank.
Waiting for the hair growth/Viagra ads!

 

[Audiohertz2]

One advice go hear gear for yourself as to by pass the reviewer industry .
In that way you also support Brick / morter stores

Hahaha ,

Most HiFi shops here in the states you cant just drop in without making an appointment in case they are out of lube ….

 

[Rt66indierock]

Please refresh your memory of the first sentence in the TOS. Not part of the rules, the very first statement.

Then tell me if your post is in line with the goals of your own co-owned forum. There is no need for posts like this and this is an example of the toxicity within posts that is pulling people away from the WBF.

We are better than this. All of us.

Tom

I think Ron should listen to Pet Sounds and report on what he hears as punishment for violating the TOS in the deleted post. I’ve already copied it since it is a nominee for an award I give out annually.

Bu then I am the police in my profession and was in another profession, so I’ve learned to match the violation and the remedy.

 

[Elliot G.]

Hahaha ,

Most HiFi shops here in the states you cant just drop in without making an appointment in case they are out of lube ….

not mine. and I am never out of lub I bought a deal from the Diddy sale LOL

 

[thedudeabides]

But aren’t you better off going after - or pleading with the industry leaders - the people truly who make this hobby truly disgusting by setting the tone and culture for lies and misinformation?

Why don't people get specific and start posting the names?

 

[Rob181]

Why don't people get specific and start posting the names?

You would want to have irrefutable proof that has been independently validated before you do anything of the sort.

Failure to do so will result in the post originator being guilty of "setting the tone and culture for lies and misinformation" & not the individual or company named in said post.

Facts matter...

 

[thedudeabides]

Its mostly the banter/noise that IMO keep bringing members back to WBF. Getting updates on the latest scams. Manufacturers at each other throats. Members getting banned. What’s the latest manipulative strategy from members who think they’re not recognized.

The hi end audio equivalent of folks rubber necking at some serious car accident. Interesting perspective that likely has some merit. Never thought about it that way.

 

[thedudeabides]

Facts matter...

I wish that was true but in today's world, facts are becoming less and less relevant regarding what people believe is "truth". Trully frightening.

 

[PYP]

I wish that was true but in today's world, facts are becoming less and less relevant regarding what people believe is "truth". Trully frightening.

"Approximately 42% of Americans believe in UFOs, according to an Ipsos poll conducted in July 2023. This poll also revealed that one in ten Americans claim to have seen a UFO.Furthermore, a separate study from Gallup found that a larger minority of Americans believe some UFO sightings involve alien spacecraft."

The truth is out there!!!

And you ain't seen nothing yet...once most folks have an AI companion that tells them whatever they want to hear. It is a brave, new world indeed.

 

[Rob181]

And you ain't seen nothing yet...once most folks have an AI companion that tells them whatever they want to hear. It is a brave, new world indeed.

Now that is scary...

 

[Ron Resnick]

Why don't people get specific and start posting the names?

Transparency and disclosure are two separate things.

I am satisfied with the likely in terrorem impact of my essay.

 

[andromedaaudio]

"Approximately 42% of Americans believe in UFOs, according to an Ipsos poll conducted in July 2023. This poll also revealed that one in ten Americans claim to have seen a UFO.Furthermore, a separate study from Gallup found that a larger minority of Americans believe some UFO sightings involve alien spacecraft."

The truth is out there!!!

And you ain't seen nothing yet...once most folks have an AI companion that tells them whatever they want to hear. It is a brave, new world indeed.

Its coming , all will be disclosed.( incl high end audio pay outs/ alien involvement in high end audio )

Ps Governments are also keeping a lid on whats the best High end audio gear, lol

 

[tima]

Why don't people get specific and start posting the names?

It's a liability to advertising income on this site. There may be personal liability if you verge on slander but IANAL.

Personally I think the issue of dishonest industry members who attempt to fool others is beyound the reality of what actually is the case and this thread is largely click-bait. There are the self-righteous who think they are exposing great injustice with generalisations. There are those who think the man is out to get them. There are the gullible who may make poor decisions and look for either payback or someone to plead their case. And there are rabble-rousers who like to stir the pot with inflammatory statements.

What I don't see is many people coming forward to describe how they personally were cheated or stolen from. Yes there are maybe a handful of threads saying "don't do business with so and so"' that do name names. But this level of hue and cry strikes me as florid and over-wrought.

 

[PYP]

It's a liability to advertising income on this site. There may be personal liability if you verge on slander but IANAL.

Personally I think the issue of dishonest industry members who attempt to fool others is beyound the reality of what actually is the case and this thread is largely click-bait. There are the self-righteous who think they are exposing great injustice with generalisations. There are those who think the man is out to get them. There are the gullible who may make poor decisions and look for either payback or someone to plead their case. And there are rabble-rousers who like to stir the pot with inflammatory statements.

What I don't see is many people coming forward to describe how they personally were cheated or stolen from. Yes there are maybe a handful of threads saying "don't do business with so and so"' that do name names. But this level of hue and cry strikes me as florid and over-wrought.

Audiophile Blue Jays?