Great post, Elliot. I am and was a very long time fan of HP’s. IMHO, he was the best audio writer in the world, simply because he could elucidate what he was hearing and describe the event better than anyone else. To that, he would tell it like it was, and I found that his remarks and results closely rivaled what I discovered to be the same. Unlike other reviewers at the time, I think he wasn’t so much into hyperbole, unless something really floated his boat...and then the dam could break. It is very unfortunate that he had such a poor and apparently well deserved reputation for being less than reputable when it came to gear and the manufacturer loaning process. This would certainly appear to have made him justified nay sayers. Too bad, as he was smart enough, imo, not to have to behaved in that manner.
Certainly the hobby has changed in the last twenty years, and perhaps in many ways, not for the better.
OTOH, there are still a few good folks involved, one of who’s cable I am currently listening to...and enjoying greatly. This fellow is trying to produce artisan cables at pricing that even the poorest a’phile can afford, and yet have the cable compete with multi thousand $$ competitors. Funny thing is, that he knows full well that the well heeled a’phile will dismiss his cable in no time, simply due to the price point, lol.
