Feedback on "quick review" process

[TimVG]

In the case of speakers, the spinorama alone could be the main measurement for say, a DIY speaker that is not of great interest. Since I include spinorama export in the review, others have been posting directivity and such anyway. Graphs like CSD/waterfall, heatmap directivity, etc. are all time consuming to capture.

One vote for posting just the spin (and include the file folder to outsource the other stuff). In case of dual/triple speaker connectors I do find it interesting to see the seperate drivers and how they behave, this isn't something that we can gather from the files.

 

[pozz]

@amirm For phono stages/preamps, please include overload margin.

 

[ENG]

Amir writes: "Anyway, the default path is to continue as is but thought I bring up the topic and see what members think."
I like all the reviews as they are, but I think Amir should unload himself. That could be done by fewer reviews or getting a helper somehow. The helper could for example be a young volunteer or an elderly retired.

 

[deafenears]

Maybe create a thread first of what you're about to review, what's the next 5 or X in the queue, with a poll on whether members want a quick review, or full, or not interested at all. You could create the threads for each of these 5 or X reserving the first post, poll the second post.

 

[amirm]

Amir writes: "Anyway, the default path is to continue as is but thought I bring up the topic and see what members think."
I like all the reviews as they are, but I think Amir should unload himself. That could be done by fewer reviews or getting a helper somehow. The helper could for example be a young volunteer or an elderly retired.

As much as I appreciate the intent here, I just don't see how this could work. I only have one of my instruments for measurement. With COVID situation and lack of a lab space externally to our home, I would have to give my instrument to that intern. Trusting someone with such instruments would be a tall order.

Furthermore, the person would have to then handle member equipment and treat them as I do (with impeccable attention to keep them as sent). And again, I would have to trust them that they don't walk away with the gear.

Even if I did all of this, I would be without the instruments to confirm results, answer questions, etc.

As far as I can tell, this is either a one-man operation, or a multi-person company with office space, employees, etc. such as headfi or rting. The latter requires full monetization of the site and likely 5 to 10 times the traffic we have today. Needless to say, that is not here, nor is there a plan to monetize such.

At one point I was hoping to get my youngest son involved to do this but even this has become hard with the pandemic and again, not having secondary gear to give him for testing. He also has a regular job and other hobby so don't know if he would be very interested in doing such work.

So for now, we are left with optimizing my time. I am getting killed this summer with our garden chores. I must have planted 400 to 500 plants (not a typo) and we are having the most incredible harvest. Spent until 2:00am last night preparing tomatoes and pears to dry. Juggling everything has become hard but I enjoy the work so not an issue there.

 

[Racheski]

Purchase a Spot robotic dog and teach it to move packages and harvest your garden:

https://shop.bostondynamics.com/

 

[GXAlan]

So for now, we are left with optimizing my time. I am getting killed this summer with our garden chores. I must have planted 400 to 500 plants (not a typo) and we are having the most incredible harvest. Spent until 2:00am last night preparing tomatoes and pears to dry. Juggling everything has become hard but I enjoy the work so not an issue there.

The readership is thankful for your service. I think you are too hard on yourself. While the work is enjoyable and the hobby/business makes sense financially for you, keep at it. I think a voting system can help you prioritize gear and you can still always veto the vote. I think you could charge readers if they wanted the review prioritized for return windows if you didn’t think that it was a high priority piece of gear.

 

[MediumRare]

Keep the feedback coming. Much appreciate the comments.

I will be an outlier:
- If something tests badly, you owe it to the manufacturer to be fair and complete. You'll also be in for the daggers from the bloggers who disagreed, so you need the data to back up your statements.
- If something tests well, people will want to read more about it to make a purchase decision.
- You're breaking important new ground with speaker reviews, but admitedly haven't locked down a reliable methodology yet. So it's too early to do "quickies" for speakers.
- I bet a heck of a lot of time goes into the logistics of receiving, shipping, and setup for a test - then the defending and interaction with the forum. Testing and write-up time are just a part.

So my recommendation is:
- Don't kill yourself! 3 to 5 reviews a week is incredible!
- Only review equipment you personally find interesting or notable for some reason.
- Decline offers if necessary and, as someone else noted, advise of lead times and let owners decide.
- If you find some sub-result is not informative, just say so and leave it out.

Thanks for everything you are doing. You deserve a medal!

 

[stunta]

My suggestion would be quality over quantity. Some of the stuff you review seems rather obscure, so you could cut down on what your review. The ROI on more DAC and HP amp reviews seems to be diminishing. If someone can’t find a DAC they like from your reviews, sorry, that’s a corner case. Something new and interesting like a new minidsp model might be worthwhile.

Condensed reviews will also save time as you pointed out.

I would also recommend taking a step back and being clear about what the ultimate goals are. For instance, with speakers, it could be about identifying which manufacturers are science based, so perhaps limit samples from same manufacturer to one or two and focus first on well known hifi brands.

Thank you again for carrying the load for all of us. Sometimes literally

 

[Helicopter]

I agree it is fine to decline a review. I have only sent stuff I thought other people would want to see. I have 20 things here I am curious about but haven't offered because I know you have better things to do. If I offer something, I don't really know if you do or do not have something better to do. You have to be the judge of that. It won't bother me if you decline something. (I guess you did decline those really crappy RCA cables, LOL, and absolutely no problem.)

Shorter reviews are fine too though. Especially for less important pieces of gear. I think the level of detail should depend on how important the item is. I like what you did with the Peavey DAC.