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Commonalities of the Modern-Day Snake Oil Salesman

JJB70

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I think things have gotten much worse since most elements of hi-fi were commoditised. In terms of source, amplification and DAC you really do not need to spend much to enjoy tip top sound, even good speakers don't have to be that expensive (and with good set up a pair of good but modestly priced speakers can outperform badly set up high end speakers IMO, and good set up doesn't cost mega bucks). At one time even though the various steps up the ladder were probably always more expensive than they needed to be I do think performance tended to improve, up to a certain point at least, and the build quality of the statement products from companies like Sony ES, Pioneer and Accuphase was lavish and something to behold. The result of commoditising sound is an ever more extreme "high end" segment, existing in a micro-bubble and echo chamber of shill reviewers and supporting a whole host of parasitical snake oil vendors selling all sorts of utter junk for $$$$$$$$$$$$'s. If it was just about rich people splashing the cash to impress their buddies and remind themselves that they're a cut above the riff raff who have to look at price tags before buying things I'd say fair enough, the problem I have (apart from the obvious one of not liking lying scam artists and shill reviewers) is that some of this stuff is being sold to gullible ordinary people who really have more important things to do with their life savings than throw it away on snake oil. To be clear, if something is correctly advertised (i.e., $100000 power chord, it doesn't do anything a regular kettle chord doesn't do every bit as well but boy does it look good and you'll be the talk of the country club) then fair enough, and freedom means freedom to be stupid (being prevented from being an idiot isn't exactly a free society). However, I hate the lies and incestuous relationship between manufacturers and reviewers that works in harmony to dupe the gullible by selling stuff based on lies.
 

Sal1950

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The "who is it hurting ? If X makes someone happy then who are you to denigrate X?" argument is head-banging both in it's logic and ubiquity.
That was about the best counter I've read to the "who does it hurt" argument.
Asking your kind permission to quote/link this post in the future. ;)
 

MattHooper

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That was about the best counter I've read to the "who does it hurt" argument.
Asking your kind permission to quote/link this post in the future. ;)

You have permission, with my blessings :)

For a little while, about 20 years ago, I did some reviews for a high end audio on-line mag. I got on board on the condition that I'd only review speakers, and those of my choosing. Even back then I just couldn't with good conscience review things like cables (even amplifiers) given how aware I was of the reasons to doubt the claims associated with them. And no cable manufacturer was going to give me their expensive cables to blind test them :)

I got some insight in to the high end audio reviewing industry, lots of inside chatter, got to know many people writing about audio, and still know a few friends, acquaintances who review. Frankly this familiarity (along with knowing my own motivations) means I carry a less cynical view of high end audio writers - in terms of ethics and motivation - than it seems many cynics do. There certainly IS collusion and fishy stuff to be found in the industry. But from my view it's far from the norm. Generally speaking I find high end reviewers to be honest enthusiasts who mostly believe what they write (even if a bit of cynicism lingers). For instance, the guys who go ga-ga in their reviews about cables really believe what they are hearing. Not surprising, given their bias and methodology.

Where cynics seem to think that audio manufacturers just send products to reviewers strictly on some "you rub my back I'll rub yours" basis, that really misses a more fundamental dynamic. I always chose to review speakers strictly because I wanted to review them, and that was on the basis of having heard some promising demo of the speaker somewhere leaving me saying "man, there's something special about these, I want to hear more...and if they are as good as I think, I want to share this with other audiophiles." And I actually don't know any other audio writers who don't work on that fundamental motivation. It's mostly an enthusiasm-based endeavor (certainly not one that leads many to riches). Yes, getting to listen to high end gear you may not even be able to afford is part of the lure. But, that's cat nip to an audio enthusiast. Getting breaks on the price of a component is also a big plus, if you want to buy it. Perk of the job. But, again, the reason why you'd care about such a perk is that you are honestly enthusiastic about the item in the first place. (And, there are usually some rules in place in high end audio mags about this - you can't just flip components, buying something at accommodation price just to flip it for a higher price. That's a no-no, even though it's been known to have been flouted, it's not a common ethic).

Anyway, back to cables. I know there are writers who are dubious about high end cables, and who snicker at the whole thing. Generally speaking, they are the ones who don't bother reviewing cables; they leave it to the writers who care about cables and buy in to the claims.
So, not everyone has drunk the kool-aid.
 

Soniclife

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Where cynics seem to think that audio manufacturers just send products to reviewers strictly on some "you rub my back I'll rub yours" basis, that really misses a more fundamental dynamic.
Taking to someone a few weeks ago who had recently dabbled in hifi reviews, he stated quite openly that the hardest part was when you don't like something, but are required to produce a positive review, no other sort was allowed. He didn't do the job long.

I've noticed that you rarely see bad reviews of anything these days, not just hifi, which is sad, a proper critic is valuable, but so few in any sphere seem to still exist anymore.
 

Kal Rubinson

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Taking to someone a few weeks ago who had recently dabbled in hifi reviews, he stated quite openly that the hardest part was when you don't like something, but are required to produce a positive review, no other sort was allowed. He didn't do the job long.
Obviously, that policy is the decision of the editor. I would have no objection to the policy if it was declared explicitly and publicly.
 

MattHooper

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Taking to someone a few weeks ago who had recently dabbled in hifi reviews, he stated quite openly that the hardest part was when you don't like something, but are required to produce a positive review, no other sort was allowed. He didn't do the job long.

I've noticed that you rarely see bad reviews of anything these days, not just hifi, which is sad, a proper critic is valuable, but so few in any sphere seem to still exist anymore.

Positive reviews make everyone happy, but even so, I personally haven't seen that rule made explicit.

Again, there are always examples of how reviews can be skewed. But for the most part I believe that the tendencies for reviews to be positive is mostly due to a selection bias: many reviewers request to review products that have already impressed them to some degree elsewhere, or products they have reason to have some optimism concerning the sound. Note how many reviews come, for instance, from requests made reviewers scouring audio shows (or having heard a speaker brand at a friends/colleagues/audio store, etc).

No one really wants to write about the stinkers; they want to select the promising from the stinkers to review so people are alerted to the good stuff.
 

Kal Rubinson

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Again, there are always examples of how reviews can be skewed. But for the most part I believe that the tendencies for reviews to be positive is mostly due to a selection bias: many reviewers request to review products that have already impressed them to some degree elsewhere, or products they have reason to have some optimism concerning the sound. Note how many reviews come, for instance, from requests made reviewers scouring audio shows (or having heard a speaker brand at a friends/colleagues/audio store, etc).

No one really wants to write about the stinkers; they want to select the promising from the stinkers to review so people are alerted to the good stuff.
Yes. I have posted much the same many times. OTOH, there is no bias in the resulting reviews, just in the selection process. The situation to which @Soniclife refers results in biased reviews.
 

SIY

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As a reviewer at the fringes, I'd concur- I don't ever ask for stuff I think I'll hate and I do seek out stuff I think is worthwhile. And I try hard to put aside my own personal preferences (I don't always succeed, alas) and point out the strong and weak points of each product I test.

My editor is careful to make sure that when he's approached by manufacturers, I get products that are actually worth testing, and (as I've mentioned before) he absolutely does NOT insist on positive reviews, just fair and competently done reviews.

The biggest perk is the loaned test equipment. :cool:
 

egellings

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Snake oil audiophile accessories remind me of homeopathy--audiophile homeopathy. There's no active ingredient. Can't be any.
 

egellings

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Bad reviews of products in which a publisher has financial interests (advertising) simply don't get published.
 
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