Is there already an ASR reviewer in EU?

[anphex]

Hi!
Please move this post if the section is wrong.

I've been reading ASR very passively lately and I am not really up to date.
Since I've seen some new reviewers more frequently on the front page I wondered if any one of them has come forth and is accepting shipments from inside of the EU to review.
The bar for sending stuff back and forth to Amir to the USA is just ridiculously expensive, with about 200 €. And that's for medium sized packages!

If we had an EU peer for reviewing, I bet the amount of gear shipped would at least double.

 

[Grotti]

Hi!
Please move this post if the section is wrong.

I've been reading ASR very passively lately and I am not really up to date.
Since I've seen some new reviewers more frequently on the front page I wondered if any one of them has come forth and is accepting shipments from inside of the EU to review.
The bar for sending stuff back and forth to Amir to the USA is just ridiculously expensive, with about 200 €. And that's for medium sized packages!

If we had an EU peer for reviewing, I bet the amount of gear shipped would at least double.

I would appreciate a reviewer with the same equipment as Amirs in the EU. It is not only about the price but given the fact, that I would send in something that I use daily, it is also about the time having it not in my rack. I couldn't live without my Amp or speakers for month!

 

[amirm]

We have other members testing gear there but not with same equipment I use.

 

[anphex]

That wouldn't be an issue as long as the reviewer would use it's own consistent framework and there'd be a post explaining the main differences between Amirs and the "new" measurements so it's adjusted for SINAD offset for example.
Or maybe the testing gear of the upcoming reviewers could be adjusted by calibrating it on a similar DAC/Amp so that the data is really more or less the same.

 

[amirm]

Currently the graphs and presentation is different enough that I need to focus to parse out equivalent information. So we are not there as far as mini-me versions in Europe.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Currently the graphs and presentation is different enough that I need to focus to parse out equivalent information. So we are not there as far as mini-me versions in Europe.

Flashback to WTB days. Your former partner uses Mini Me as an avatar. Actually appropriate for his actions there.

 

[Jimbob54]

Currently the graphs and presentation is different enough that I need to focus to parse out equivalent information. So we are not there as far as mini-me versions in Europe.

Should it be a franchise style operation- or a straight up hegemony?

 

[-Matt-]

What would you suggest as a minimum bar for testing hardware?

 

[amirm]

You mean performance bar? If so some of the testers are close. Challenge is that they use different software so the output is not the same as mine.

 

[anphex]

I wouldn't mind throwing some money into a crowdfunder for a trusted member who'd provide us with Amir-mini-me reviews for a few years!
What would that be? An Audio Precision Device and a Klippel spinorama, right? Let me guess, about 20k in total? Less? More?

Though maybe the Spinorama would be enough since drop shipping small gadgets to amir is fairly simple even from EU.
Edit: Then again shipping EU-exclusive gear from local manufacturers boils down to the same issue. So an Audio Precision device would be nice on the long run.

 

[VintageFlanker]

An Audio Precision Device and a Klippel spinorama, right? Let me guess, about 20k in total? Less? More?

More. Like, far more.

APx555 is somewhere around 25 to 30k€ here. Klippel NFS is about 100k€ depending on options.

 

[anphex]

Yeah then up to some point it's more economical to fly first class to Amir and hand the gear over personally.
Unless some people or the community is super faithful and would donate lots of money it seems difficult.
Or some business model like rtings could work.

Edit: THEN AGAIN a single APx555 would be in a realistic crowdfunding range.

 

[-Matt-]

What would you suggest as a minimum bar for testing hardware?

You mean performance bar? If so some of the testers are close. Challenge is that they use different software so the output is not the same as mine.

Sorry for not being clear. I guess you got the idea anyway but I really meant...

What level of performance do you suggest is needed (eg. what specifications for noise floor, accuracy of signal generator, etc)?

What is the lowest cost test hardware that would be cabable of sufficient accuracy, in your view? Can you suggest some devices?

Or does it really need to be the same AP and Klippel devices?

 

[abdo123]

I wouldn't mind throwing some money into a crowdfunder for a trusted member who'd provide us with Amir-mini-me reviews for a few years!

If i remember correctly the price of a Klippel NFS is similar to that of an apartment or even a modest house in an urban area. It's going to be a tough sell.

As for amplifiers and AVRs I'm very content with what the boss is sharing, these products more or less perform the same across the entire product line so one ''sample'' is enough.

 

[Jeromeof]

Yes it would be amazing if we had somewhere in Europe with a Klippel NFS setup and available for some 'mini me' like testing, I find especially around speakers that there is a selection of pretty good manufacturers in Europe that aren't as easy to get in America and vice versa. So, I do find it a little frustrating that some potentially amazing speakers are never tested while some 'American' speakers, graded on an appropriate price / performance scale for American prices will be too expensive if shipped to Europe and their price / performance ratio will be therefore dramatically different.

But I agree for DAC's, Amp's and AVR's it doesn't matter as much as there is similar availability and prices in Europe as in America - though that is probably because I am happy with the quality of DACs (and Class D amp's) coming from China so not as interested in 'local'.

So not sure if this would help - but how about a 'group' shipment of European speakers (and maybe other equipment) to Amir, so maybe shipping 4-5 speakers in one go (maybe even just single speaker from a pair) would make it more economically to get some European equipment tested?