Just out of curiosity, how do most folks here find new brands? Do you respond better to reviews, or banner ads, or forum threads discussing a product? Do you just stumble upon things and try them out, or do you prefer having an established track record (based on either word of mouth or industry acclaim) before you dive in?
I think this forum is interesting as a lot of the users seem to have what I'd call more obscure brands. And yes, sometimes that is caused by the prices being high which makes them more exclusive. But not always. So I'm curious how users tend to find these brands which don't seem to be as mainstream as I see on other forums.
Here is a list of how I found out about the brands that I own:
1. Octave preamp/amp, MIT digital cable, ASC TubeTraps and other room treatment products: Goodwin's High End, dealer
2. JL Audio subwoofers, Jay's Audio transport, Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC, HRS platforms: Via a friend (he also lent me his Tambaqui for home audition).
3. ZenWave Audio cables (interconnects, speaker cables, power cables), Furutech 6-way power distributor: Via DaveC, the owner of ZenWave Audio and WBF member, and via a friend (same one as above) where I heard them (I also auditioned his ZenWave speaker cables at home)
4. Mutec REF10 SE120 clock: Via reviews
5. PranaFidelity Dhyana speakers: Heard them at T.H.E. Show in SoCal in 2023 and bought them
I have become aware of many brands through this forum. This forum often mentions brands before they’ve been reviewed.
But the second step is nearly always to audition at a dealer.
I consider reviews for entertainment. I often don’t read reviews until after I’ve had an extensive audition. Sometimes I don’t read reviews until after I’ve lived with the component in my own system. Oftentimes I find my own impressions in my room and system don’t correlate well with the impressions presented in reviews.
- directly listening to other brands in other people’s systems
- researching what other people are using and arranging home demonstrations from a dealer
- researching as above and then making a purchase (where a great deal negates the risk if I’m not satisfied)
- borrowing kit from friends or other kind and generous audiophiles
One thing I’ve learned to be wary of is the advice of people who have never owed the kit or similar kit to what you want to find out about - this forum has a lot of people who have tried a lot of things with a wealth of knowledge - the main reason I am here.
I’ve had some brilliant and fairly long telephone conversations recently with members of forums after meeting them via a thread and then making direct contact - it’s brilliant to benefit from the experience of others if you sense that experience is relevant and vast.
Reviews are just about the worst reference point in my opinion.
user reviews on audiophile sites. As you get to know the tastes of various posters, you get a sense of whether a piece of gear might be of interest. I have never purchased a piece of gear/cable/etc. based upon a review in an audiophile magazine. Once you are alerted to a good audio company, all of their gear within your budget is a viable option.
I never purchase without an in-home demo (speakers being a large exception).
I discovered my Zellaton loudspeakers at the Southwest Audio Show. I was aware of the brand, but had never heard the Zells. Fell in love with them and bought the pair at the show.
Totally agree about "pro" reviews being (sometimes) entertaining but not really all that useful for predicting how I'll enjoy a product. If anything I mainly use them to get specs, pricing, and maybe some background info about the design goals etc. There have been a few writers where I tend to have similar preferences and those are more useful, but they are rare these days.
I really enjoy reading forums reviews from fellow amateur users though. Often I find those more insightful than a pro review. They usually feel a lot more long term, in contrast to a pro review where the writer clearly had limited time and a deadline. Some things you just don't learn until you've spent months with a component, using it daily, and really getting to know it on a deeper level.
