Steve Guttenberg - Audiophiliac

[Sugarbubble]

EVERYTHING has merits with Steve. He is a look on the bright side guy... from thousand dollar a watt tube amps to fifty year old planar speakers, he loves them all.

 

[sal]

I'm fairly certain I know how a review of an ASR-assembled system would go - unless it was a blind review. But, if they were willing to do blind reviews, we'd all have a lot less to complain about.

That is exactly because of the back and forth that has been going on. When you impune someone's reputation, you're not likely to get an unbiased review...proving my point.

However, Steve is not one of those reviewers that insists that the price tag imbues special qualities onto a device. In fact most of his reviews are budget minded.

Indeed, even on this forum, many posts contain lists of equipment with the $ value (though this is not all meant to be boastful).

 

[Thomas savage]

That is exactly because of the back and forth that has been going on. When you impune someone's reputation, you're not likely to get an unbiased review...proving my point.

However, Steve is not one of those reviewers that insists that the price tag imbues special qualities onto a device. In fact most of his reviews are budget minded.

Indeed, even on this forum, many posts contain lists of equipment with the $ value (though this is not all meant to be boastful).

Nobody fucks with the Jesus..

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

That is exactly because of the back and forth that has been going on. When you impune someone's reputation, you're not likely to get an unbiased review...proving my point.

However, Steve is not one of those reviewers that insists that the price tag imbues special qualities onto a device. In fact most of his reviews are budget minded.

Indeed, even on this forum, many posts contain lists of equipment with the $ value (though this is not all meant to be boastful).

As has been said many many times on this forum, it's not the money that's the issue. It's the method of choosing what gets recommended. If it's cheap and works, great. If it's expensive and works, great. If it's expensive and does nothing better than something much cheaper but you're recommending it on the basis that it does do something better, well that's not so great.

 

[Thomas savage]

As has been said many many times on this forum, it's not the money that's the issue. It's the method of choosing what gets recommended. If it's cheap and works, great. If it's expensive and works, great. If it's expensive and does nothing better than something much cheaper but you're recommending it on the basis that it does do something better, well that's not so great.

99% of subjective-oriented reviews relay on 2 things , a imagination and creative writing .

If one wishes to spend their money based on those two discriminating factors , well thats their prerogative.

I'm glad there's more out there now.

 

[sal]

There's simply no point. They know what is good and what is not. They are simply doing the marketing work for whatever manufacturer sponsors them. Just read his Revel M16 review if you want to get a sense of what such a review would be like. It's overall positive, but nothing that of a pile of garbage like Klipsch, when he's doing the hard sell. When many of these subjective reviewers listen to a speaker with an objectively good response curve (everyone knows Revel's house curve), they say that the speakers lack excitement. "Neutrality" is a concept used negatively. (Are they saying the actual recordings suck????) That other guy mentioned calls himself a "tone whore." (I mean, if you care about measurements, why would you want to listen to his reviews when he says such things.)

We simply give these folks too much benefit of the doubt. They are salesmen, selling the item reviewed and page views. That's it. As has been stated, they are good if you want to know what's happening in the market, and to get anecdotal info about the fit and finish quality of the wares. But at this point we have been beaten over the head with evidence that says their evaluations of the speakers themselves are worthless.

Imagine watching YouTube videos of people giving subjective evaluations of TV and monitor color calibrations.

I get what you're saying, I really do. Such a review is not likely to take place and this was really meant to be a provocative statement.

But if we don't place any value on his opinion, why do we have a whole thread dedicated to this poor guy? Just to mess with him? That seems like a waste of time and energy.

The truth is, we're messing with his livelihood. He *is* a salesman. He sold high-end audio for decades. If you don't value his opinion, then don't watch his reviews.

Honestly, I think we're better served by bashing companies like AudioQuest who are intentionally deceiving their customers.

they are good if you want to know what's happening in the market

That's the only real value I find as well, with one hitch - He does have a good list of reference music. He's turned me on to some good recordings

 

[mhardy6647]

The truth is, we're messing with his livelihood. He *is* a salesman. He sold high-end audio for decades. If you don't value his opinion, then don't watch his reviews.

Honestly, I think we're better served by bashing companies like AudioQuest who are intentionally deceiving their customers.

So... AudioQuest. They're salespeople, too. Not sure it's fair to Mr. Guttenberg or to AQ to judge their motives (other than that they're both motivated to make a sale) is it?

 

[SIY]

So... AudioQuest. They're salespeople, too. Not sure it's fair to Mr. Guttenberg or to AQ to judge their motives (other than that they're both motivated to make a sale) is it?

View attachment 120107

AIDA. Attention. Interest. Decision. Action.

 

[sal]

So... AudioQuest. They're salespeople, too. Not sure it's fair to Mr. Guttenberg or to AQ to judge their motives (other than that they're both motivated to make a sale) is it?

I think there is a distinction here. Steve is selling YouTube advertising. He's driving traffic. He's not selling you a $5 cable for $2000

 

[USER]

The truth is, we're messing with his livelihood. He *is* a salesman. He sold high-end audio for decades. If you don't value his opinion, then don't watch his reviews.

Honestly, I think we're better served by bashing companies like AudioQuest who are intentionally deceiving their customers.

I hate to sound mean, but I don't really care about his livelihood. That's his problem. It is my hope that the audio community will change to the point that he will have adapt and take measurements more seriously (from recent related posts he seems to be reading the tea leaves). But no one is saying that there isn't space for him to provide actual value.

But there is something to be said about the fact that it is taking a site like this to change things. It has essentially taken a rich benefactor to start to democratize audio engineering at the popular level. It's like we are in the 1700s. Of course there have been sites and diy communities and other pockets or resistance. But who the hell can afford the equipment to do what amir is doing and be independent from the power the major players have? We had to rely on heavily compromised magazines such as Stereophile that for all their hard to read, deliberately low resolution measurements, are pages and pages of subjective crap by the likes of Fremer to deal with. It is not simply S.G. that I am attacking, but the system of self-serving mystification of which he is a part. It's the capitalist market. It has betrayed him too. He obviously is into this, but man does he know so little.

Communities such as this are cleaning up the mess these people have made. I used to watch those videos and give respect to these friendly and experienced audiophiles and I bought the snake oil audioquest cables to prove it.

 

[sal]

I think there is a distinction here. Steve is selling YouTube advertising. He's driving traffic. He's not selling you a $5 cable for $2000

Fair enough However, intent counts for a lot. I believe he is overall an honest guy, with his own set of opinions. I'm more questioning our intent than his. I don't see that we have anything to gain by being negative. If our intent is to shed some light on the state of the consumer audio industry, we'd be better served by taking the high road in the long run.

 

[sal]

I hate to sound mean, but I don't really care about his livelihood. That's his problem.

I don't disagree with you. Though that's a very capitalist thing to say.

It's the capitalist market

oops?

My point is that we just creating friction where there shouldn't be any

 

[USER]

I don't disagree with you. Though that's a very capitalist thing to say.

He's a salesman. It's more like a socialist saying he doesn't worry too much about the feelings of landlords.

 

[sal]

This is no longer fun I'm not going to start debating socialism vs capitalism here
Moving on to another thread....Flame ON!!!

 

[JeffS7444]

Not referring to SG or anyone else in particular, I'm pretty sure the USA's Declaration of Independence guarantees it's citizens the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Truck Nuts, conspiracy theories, low-carb lasagna, reality TV, bacon-scented candles, and yes, audiophile products, all under the blanket category of "Happiness". And if some audiophiles are determined to be dumbasses regardless of what science says, that's it's own "Pursuit of Happiness" ain't it?