AsciLab speakers are about to launch

[PristineSound]

You all might want to settle down a little bit and remember that an overwhelming proportion of web traffic these days are bots scraping sites for AI...

Ok so more bots come to ASR than the traditional review mags? Assuming bots:human ratio is even across then ASR still has more traffic.

Unless bots favor ASR and skew the stats, which there is not good explanation as to why that would be the case.

 

[Mort]

Unbelievably childish way to handle business... Public callouts

What exactly do you think you are doing? A private callout? Childishly hypocritical.

 

[Erici]

You all might want to settle down a little bit and remember that an overwhelming proportion of web traffic these days are bots scraping sites for AI...

A simple google question returns this:
Yes, Similarweb filters out bot traffic from its reported metrics to ensure that data reflects actual human behavior.
I suggest that you do some very basic research before you post.....

 

[PristineSound]

Such halos are being replaced at accelerated rate with logic and knowledge.

Prior to late 1980s, products were sold with wonderful, technical material. Sony would have a four page, glossy brochure talking about transistors they used, circuit topology, measurements, etc. Audiophiles like myself, ate that up.

Then a transition happened. Folks decide to appeal to human nature of "more expensive, the better the performance must be." So high-end audio was born where empty marketing material claiming hearing the live performance, was the highlight. Magazines decided that this is good for them too. Only they could get the attention of these expensive brands to get loaned products for reviews. Fluff articles talking more about what music the guy played than anything technical took over. "Specifications" for products then turned into size and weight! Nothing about performance.

In the last decade or two, that idea expanded to tiers below. Even a new audiophile started to think that a $400 cable would make his system sound better than a $10 one. Ditto for DACs, amps, etc.

Then 10 years ago, we came around. Started to measure gear, with no motivation to sell anything to anyone. Just sheer interest to speak the truth about performance of products. Folks at first ignored us. Then started to be dismissive. Then angry. Meanwhile, new entrants such as Ascilab decided that there is a business to be had, selling to our very large and educated audience. They came on the heels of many electronics manufacturers who had realized the same and with it, hugely grew their business.

The old guard is there to be sure. But their voices are no longer the loudest or even the next loud. What put us on the map continues to grow. Folks want reliable data to make buy decisions on and we provide it. And we feed their desire to really learn more about audio and sound reproduction. Our expert members are participating without any comparison elsewhere.

So no, we are not a club. We are not here to drink together and watch a game. We are serious about righting the ship and brining control out of fluff marketing to engineering excellence. With products being so reasonably priced to boot, there is little competition going on to get the next expensive thing.

Net, net, your generic comments don't apply here. You are shooting from the hip and are better served to understand where you are and who we are.

Very nicely said Amir, I noticed a huge shift between pre-pandemic ASR vs post-pandemic of ASR popularity.

As an evolution of ASR, I wish to see more emphasis on reliability and design/engineering QA/QC, I know these tests are harder and takes a lot more effort and time.

 

[amirm]

You all might want to settle down a little bit and remember that an overwhelming proportion of web traffic these days are bots scraping sites for AI...

We have had this commanding lead before there were AI bots. For that reason, and quality of our content, Google uses us as a trusted site - very unusual and especially so for a forum.

 

[krabapple]

I did not know this. Pleasant surprise. I'm sure you have shared the source of this data already with others, if you don't mind would like to learn more about the source.

See Archimago's recent post

December 2025 web traffic among audio sites​

to wit:

Stereophile, TAS, and HiFi+ as traditional print audiophile magazines one might still find at the local bookstores have combined web traffic of only 55% of ASR as of late 2025.

He posted all the Similarweb numbers. I've stuck an arrow next to ASR's:

So while looking at the Similarweb numbers for PF, let's widen the net and summarize the end-of-year Dec 2025 monthly traffic, an important month for folks looking at buying stuff for the holidays, among the popular sites that I'm aware of.

What Hi-Fi: 6.0M

AVS Forum: 2.1M
Gearspace (ex-Gearslutz): 2.1M

Head-fi: 1.85M
Steve Hoffman Forum: 1.76M
Audio Science Review: 1.74M <-------------------------------------------
Audiokharma: 1.03M
Sound-on-Sound: 1.03M

Audiogon: 848k
Stereophile: 511k

Vinyl Engine: 498k
Audioholics: 431k
Darko Audio: 386k
The Absolute Sound: 311k
Sound & Vision: 243k
Pink Fish Media: 205k

6Moons: 174k
Part-time (pt) Audio: 174k
Lyrion.org: 169k
TNT-Audio: 163k
Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity: 155k
Audiophile Style: 152k
What's Best Forum: 147k
Hi-Fi+: 145k
SuperBestAudioFriends: 131k
Positive Feedback: 129k
Audio Asylum: 125k
Mono & Stereo: 103k
Soundstage Network: 102k
Enjoy The Music: 101k
Analog Planet: 101k
Archimago's Musings: 100k (not bad for this humble blog!)

Tracking Angle: 96k
Twittering Machines: 20k

 

[Salt]

We have had this commanding lead before there were AI bots. For that reason, and quality of our content, Google uses us as a trusted site - very unusual and especially so for a forum.

What does this mean: " Google uses us as a trusted site"? I've no idea what's going on with this, might need some explanation.

 

[Chanur]

Far more of them would sell if they looked like domestic speakers. And there was more education which we are bringing. This is why top monitor manufacturers read, participate and provide review samples to ASR. So your hypothesis is quite wrong in that regard.

I would have been looking for more actives for my living room set up if they had better looking actives/monitors. I have some Kanto YU6 and an WiiM in the bedroom and I'm surprisingly happy with it. I could definitely see myself happy with some quality actives in the living room. Definitely something I would not have said just a couple months ago.

 

[Chanur]

What does this mean: " Google uses us as a trusted site"? I've no idea what's going on with this, might need some explanation.

I assume when AI or Google looks for answers this is one of the data points they use to answer requests.

 

[Matt_Holland]

….however I'm keen for AsciLab to develop a slim and shallow 2/3-way tower. Ideally something shaped like a Monitor Audio Silver 6

Cheers,
Farz

Your wish is their command

 

[krabapple]

What does this mean: " Google uses us as a trusted site"? I've no idea what's going on with this, might need some explanation.

You could literally have *asked Google* (Gemini):

A Google trusted site generally refers to a website verified as secure, safe, and reputable through tools like Google Safe Browsing, which scans for malware, phishing, and, in older contexts, high-quality customer service (formerly Google Trusted Stores). These sites are recognized for not hosting malicious content or engaging in deceptive practices.

 

[Salt]

You could literally have *asked Google* (Gemini):

Maybe that is what Goggle says (and maybe, even relies on) , but ... "Google Safe Browsing" does only mean 'Google Browsing', not?

 

[amirm]

What does this mean: " Google uses us as a trusted site"? I've no idea what's going on with this, might need some explanation.

I will show you the evidence and then the back story:

As you see, I searched for F6B review and we are #1 "organic" result. But that is not related to your question. What is related is if you click on the link in pink, it will take you to my review at the head of the thread. This is NOT how search engines usually work. They will link you to some random page in the thread as they consider every page as good as any other (it is all web pages after all). Like you see below it. Those are obviously not as useful as the person wants to see a review and instead, sees a bunch of posts.

Here, Google "knows" that it is dealing with our Forum and is properly taking the person to the proper review page at the start of the thread. Google has had a long history of valuing forum posts (over bing, etc. which do not), but this takes it to another level, making high value forum posts first class citizens like stand alone articles.

The back story is me getting an email out of the blue a couple of years ago from a SEO/Search Engine site of sorts saying they are writing an article about us! The reason? They discovered that Google had picked just 10 forums out of hundreds of thousands in the world to properly decode as you see above. They wanted to know if I had done anything special and of course, I had not.

Before this, it was quite annoying. Our site is very popular so we would show up on top of search results. But the links were to random pages, deep in the thread. Now that is not.

In addition to this, I have noticed at times Google putting a gray box under our results with something like "trusted site" and hence my comment. I can't replicate it now so can't show you.

 

[amirm]

BTW, if you just Google AI (Gemeni) Audio Science Review (just these words), you get this very nice synopsis:

Audio Science Review (ASR) is a prominent online community and publication founded by Amir Majidimehr. It is dedicated to the objective, measurement-based analysis of audio equipment.

Core Focus and Mission
ASR aims to replace subjective "audiophile" jargon with provable data. The site uses high-end testing equipment, such as the Audio Precision analyzer, to evaluate:

• Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs): Ranking them by Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).
• Speakers: Utilizing Klippel Near-Field Scanner technology to provide detailed frequency response and directivity data.
• Amplifiers and Headphones: Testing for power output, distortion, and adherence to the Harman Target Curve.

Influence and Community

• Market Impact: The site has been credited with pressuring manufacturers to improve their engineering standards by exposing poorly performing high-priced gear.
• Database: ASR maintains a Master Review Index covering over 1,900 devices, including DACs, AVRs, and IEMs.
• Controversy: The site’s strict adherence to measurements over subjective listening often sparks heated debate in the audiophile community, particularly regarding whether certain measurements capture the full human hearing experience.

Not bad for a machine summary.

 

[krabapple]

Maybe that is what Goggle says (and maybe, even relies on) , but ... "Google Safe Browsing" does only mean 'Google Browsing', not?

'Maybe'? Wtf? You think I made that up?

Do the query yourself, and see.
Query: "what is a google trusted site"

 

[Salt]

I will show you the evidence and then the back story:
View attachment 511151

As you see, I searched for F6B review and we are #1 "organic" result. But that is not related to your question. What is related is if you click on the link in pink, it will take you to my review at the head of the thread. This is NOT how search engines usually work. They will link you to some random page in the thread as they consider every page as good as any other (it is all web pages after all). Like you see below it. Those are obviously not as useful as the person wants to see a review and instead, sees a bunch of posts.

Here, Google "knows" that it is dealing with our Forum and is properly taking the person to the proper review page at the start of the thread. Google has had a long history of valuing forum posts (over bing, etc. which do not), but this takes it to another level, making high value forum posts first class citizens like stand alone articles.

The back story is me getting an email out of the blue a couple of years ago from a SEO/Search Engine site of sorts saying they are writing an article about us! The reason? They discovered that Google had picked just 10 forums out of hundreds of thousands in the world to properly decode as you see above. They wanted to know if I had done anything special and of course, I had not.

Before this, it was quite annoying. Our site is very popular so we would show up on top of search results. But the links were to random pages, deep in the thread. Now that is not.

In addition to this, I have noticed at times Google putting a gray box under our results with something like "trusted site" and hence my comment. I can't replicate it now so can't show you.

Thanks for clarification.
I don't use Google for search (only in very special cases), so could not derive such things.

 

[Salt]

'Maybe'? Wtf? You think I made that up?

Do the query yourself, and see.
Query: "what is a google trusted site"

Na, you ask Google if it can be trusted, what answer do You expect?

 

[krabapple]

Na, you ask Google if it can be trusted, what answer do You expect?

This is stupid. Just stop.

I didn't 'ask Google if it could be trusted.' I asked Google the meaning of the phrase 'google trusted site'.

 

[Salt]

This is stupid. Just stop.

I didn't 'ask Google if it could be trusted.' I asked Google the meaning of the phrase 'google trusted site'.

And thus the circle is closed.
Back on topic.

 

[Audionaut]

Such halos are being replaced at accelerated rate with logic and knowledge.

Prior to late 1980s, products were sold with wonderful, technical material. Sony would have a four page, glossy brochure talking about transistors they used, circuit topology, measurements, etc. Audiophiles like myself, ate that up.

Then a transition happened. Folks decide to appeal to human nature of "more expensive, the better the performance must be." So high-end audio was born where empty marketing material claiming hearing the live performance, was the highlight. Magazines decided that this is good for them too. Only they could get the attention of these expensive brands to get loaned products for reviews. Fluff articles talking more about what music the guy played than anything technical took over. "Specifications" for products then turned into size and weight! Nothing about performance.

Then 10 years ago, we came around. Started to measure gear, with no motivation to sell anything to anyone.

The old guard is there to be sure. But their voices are no longer the loudest or even the next loud. What put us on the map continues to grow. Folks want reliable data to make buy decisions on and we provide it. And we feed their desire to really learn more about audio and sound reproduction. Our expert members are participating without any comparison elsewhere.

So no, we are not a club. We are not here to drink together and watch a game. We are serious about righting the ship and brining control out of fluff marketing to engineering excellence. With products being so reasonably priced to boot, there is little competition going on to get the next expensive thing.

I cannot fully understand the change over time that you describe, because even in the 1980s there was esoteric high-end equipment without measurement data, and Japanese and German hi-fi companies in particular published measurement results throughout and were able to satisfy professional customers with them.

The great merit of ASR is that it brings together an international community and many experts in one place who have agreed on a common foundation.

What has changed over time is the 'motivation not to Sell anything to anyone' because you are also the seller of AsciLab products, which have very prominent threads on ASR.

PS
I also don't believe that price can always be used as a marker, because perfectly designed devices will always cost a little more, and cheaply produced devices sometimes reflect poor working conditions and ruinous competition.