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Audiophiliac gives Audio Science Review channel a plug

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jkasch said:
I find it difficult to listen to and look at The Audiophiliac. Not sure why. Just a little creepy to me. He certainly has a fan base, though.
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I used to watch his videos regularly but something happened and I can't make it through them anymore. I haven't gone back to watch any of his earlier ones to see if my theory is correct but there was a time early in the pandemic where he was doing a zoom interview and the person he was talking to commented that with things closed and no audio shows customers don't have anywhere to turn for what to buy. Steve's face lit up and he enthusiastically said "they have me!" Since then I haven't been able to sit through an entire video of his. Maybe my attitude towards him changed at that point or maybe it was his level of self importance that jumped noticeably or a combination of both.

Fortunately, for my bank account, I can't make it through most audio infomercials on youtube anymore. They all have their thing they do and it seems to work to build audiences but after more than a minute or two it grates on me. Robinson with his looking like he is 'talking calmly to a spastic child' and Darko with his 'quietly scolding a timid girlfriend' and the variations of those that so many others take are a bit much. But those methods work because they get followers and they get really loyal ones.

jkasch said:
That and the soft spoken aging hippie aura.
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There was a time when the odds of running into a really skilled salesperson at an audio store were fairly low. I'm not just talking about one that knew their product but one that also knew how to manipulate people's emotions and get them to truly trust them. The salespeople that were out there like that could only reach a set number of customers every month. Now a handful of them are connecting with tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of customers a month. Chinese companies that sell direct were the first to realize this and flooded them with their products. Now the high end brands have finally caught on and more reviewers are doing expensive products. How many people only heard of PS Audio after Paul McGowan hit it big on youtube? How genius was that: 'I'm not selling my products, I'm answering your questions'.

There could be entire college courses (maybe there are) on the psychology of selling through videos.

enio nery said:
the snake oil makers, their salesmen and their consumers are threatened. because a Guy that speaks the truth is gaining a lot of followers.
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I think to an extent they really enjoy this. Having someone against them gives them a cause to rally their supporters around. It would be interesting to know how many people change their view on the snake oil products because of the videos arguing the other side, compared to the number of people that get more into the snake oil and more vocal about it because of someone challenging their heroes.

On a side note: Ever watch the videos with the sound off or move the video forward and back quickly to watch them flail all over the place?
 
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At least he's honest about being subjective. I don't understand him being baffled with not understanding sighted tests are flawed (due to bias/psychology involved) though. He uses anecdotal evidence (his own, or "someone mailed me...") though and uses arguments from authority.
Also a false dilemma is made in stating you are objective and scientific or subjective and appreciate what you can hear. Why can't we have a bit of both?
Many will test / buy equipment sighted. And your experience in the end will be subjective....You'll know what you've paid for it and you see/smell/touch the product. If you enjoy what you hear and are not interested in measurements... good for you.
I agree with Steve in that you don't need to tell someone else they're stupid for liking something you don't and wouldn't buy.
I've got no tolerance however for "mine was more expensive so better than yours"-folk or "here's some unsubstantiated pseudo-science showing my 500% overpriced product is what you need"-sellers.
 
JeffS7444 said:
That's nice, but I'm not going to watch his videos until he starts making more sense.
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Years ago, I used to skim his reviews just to see whether or not he thought a product was any good for a low effort purchase of mine. In other words, I didn't have to have the best of whatever it was for my money.

But I certainly don't want to take the time to watch a video for that same information.
 
I've seen some of his reviews until he started saying how a DAC is more musical and lively than another one (both of them with very similar measurements found here on ASR)
 
At least he sounded kind of diplomatic and actually put the link to Amir's channel in the description.

I strongly disagree with many of his views, but I have to admit he acted fairly this time.
 
I have watched a lot of these same channels. I do like Zero Fidelity since he tries to describe the characteristics of how a speaker sounds, so that people who like or dislike those characteristics can decide what they may want to put on their list. He tries to avoid coloring his feedback based on what he likes and instead tries to explain how it sounds and how it differs from other speakers. There isn't a lot of better or worse declarations although he will point out where he thinks there may be a flaw.
 
I am a ASR donor and I've made more purchasing decisions based on this forum than on any other Hifi source. But I also enjoy the occasional Audiophiliac YouTube video, too, recognizing that it is a very subjective, opinionated view of a knowledgeable former Hifi salesrep who seems like a nice guy. But I have to agree with Mr. Guttenberg that the world can do with a little less hate.
 
It's interesting that I found Steve Guttenberg first while searching the tubes for a Hifi product review and ended up on an old article he had written on CNET. Subsequently from there I found ASR because I wanted more than just subjective opinion on an investment and the validation came from Amir's measurements. I can't speak for other audiophiles that are immersed in this as a hobby or personal taste and how they make their decisions but I have always considered subjective opinions and measurements as part of my decision making when investing money. It is good to see that Steve is not blowing off Amir and ASR as villians for providing a counter balance to the subjectivity being paramount crowd. (sorry it sounds like a rant)
 
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