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Why aren't there more honest and objective reviewers like ASR and Amir?

Jimbob54

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You hit exactly why PS Audio and other companies continue to sell underperforming products for high prices and succeed far better than companies with better products. PS Audio and most "high end" companies are selling a story and prestige, not specifications, not quality. It is the same reason people purchase a Bentley, Rolex, Brioni suits, and Tiffany. They aren't interested in the best quality, they aren't interested in the best performance, they aren't interested in value, they are interested in the story and prestige and will rationalize a multitude of reasons for their purchase rather than admit the truth, i.e. I bought it because I like it, it makes me feel good, it impresses others.

Even the most rational among us suffer from this. Just one example, you go out on a date, you take your nice car if you have more than one. When I go to meet a new client, I take my Porsche or my wife's BMW instead of my 24 year old Toyota Land Cruiser, even thought that is what I drive most of the time and prefer. Why? People equate the quality of their attorney with their office, the suits they wear to court, how much they charge and the vehicle they drive. Very few people are comfortable with an attorney that shows up in a Honda Civic. The fact is there is no correlation between the foregoing reasons people choose an attorney and the actual quality of the attorney. I have litigated against $800 an hour attorneys that are clueless and terrible at their job and $200 an hour attorneys that are among the best in their profession.

Its an interesting one for sure. The simple reason they can charge 8k for a DAC is that they can, obviously. An interesting one would be , could Topping? Maybe a Lexus style sub brand maybe- make it all about the story , the components , the design choices- but ultimately a gussied up D90- and charge , sell and make returns on the deal? Or does it truly take years of marketing, seeding reviewers etc to be able to do that? (Im excluding setting up a secret subsidiary and going for the uppity genius startup angle here as that is cheating- people need to know there is a link to the mass market parent)
 

RayDunzl

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Jimbob54

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Listen, I admire and respect brands like Topping and SMSL, but calling their aesthetic sensibilities amateurish is a too much of compliment. How many different tacky fonts are there on a tiny Topping DAC? I really don't understand why they have not put much effort on this front as their brand recognition and respect rise. They could certainly be charging a bit more now if they had.

I wouldnt be quite so blunt, and the 2019/20 products are far more ,shall we say, snappier but I take your point. Hence the suggestion of a Lexus style sub brand. I dont for a minute think Topping could release a multi $000 DAC tomorrow under its main brand and sell even one unit
 

RayDunzl

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I don't have a problem with (traditional) Chinese Aesthetics...

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...hXvwVkKHQIrDusQjJkEegQICRAB&biw=1269&bih=1004

It just that, in order to keep 775,000,000 employed they've adopted a strategy of banging out anything that comes along that they can and flooding the rest of the world with it.

https://www.wired.com/2007/06/endle...iant-cafeterias-inside-chinas-vast-factories/

I went to IKEA when it first opened here, thinking "Oooh... Euro stuff".

Everything was "MADE IN CHINA".

Ok, not everything, but I don't remember examining but maybe one item made anyplace in Europe.
 
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watchnerd

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Ok, not everything, but I don't remember examining but maybe one item made anyplace in Europe.

Huh.

I've had the opposite, but I only buy throw-away furniture there, not household goods.

And meatballs and loganberry jam.

I didn't check where the meatballs and jam were made.
 

Jimbob54

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Huh.

I've had the opposite, but I only buy throw-away furniture there, not household goods.

And meatballs and loganberry jam.

I didn't check where the meatballs and jam were made.
I'd have been more worried about what the meatballs were made from rather than where. #mylovelyhorse
 

Jimbob54

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I don't have a problem with (traditional) Chinese Aesthetics...

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...hXvwVkKHQIrDusQjJkEegQICRAB&biw=1269&bih=1004

It just that, in order to keep 798,000,000 employed they've adopted a strategy of banging out anything that comes along that they can and flooding the rest of the world with it.

https://www.wired.com/2007/06/endle...iant-cafeterias-inside-chinas-vast-factories/

I went to IKEA when it first opened here, thinking "Oooh... Euro stuff".

Everything was "MADE IN CHINA".

Ok, not everything, but I don't remember examining but maybe one item made anyplace in Europe.
Which came first, the supply or demand......

I think the first world collectively is very selective on when the sacrifices and hardships that we enable abroad trouble us more than the gratification we get by furnishing our houses, clothing our children for pennies.

Specifically re audio I am happy to live in an age where SoA performance is cheap, I
Horse is delicious.

No problem there for me.

Doesnt trouble me either if it's sold as. We had a bit of a scandal over here maybe 10 years ago. Very loose interpretation of "beef". By loose I mean fraudulent. IKEA were 1 of many whose supply chain was found to me less than rigorous
 

watchnerd

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Doesnt trouble me either if it's sold as. We had a bit of a scandal over here maybe 10 years ago. Very loose interpretation of "beef". By loose I mean fraudulent. IKEA were 1 of many whose supply chain was found to me less than rigorous

Since they're "meatballs"....

USDA definitions:

"MECHANICALLY SEPARATED MEAT
is a paste-like and batter-like meat product produced by forcing bones with attached edible meat under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue."

Mmmmm.
 

Vini darko

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Since they're "meatballs"....

USDA definitions:

"MECHANICALLY SEPARATED MEAT
is a paste-like and batter-like meat product produced by forcing bones with attached edible meat under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue."

Mmmmm.
Yummy :D
 

Jimbob54

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Since they're "meatballs"....

USDA definitions:

"MECHANICALLY SEPARATED MEAT
is a paste-like and batter-like meat product produced by forcing bones with attached edible meat under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue."

Mmmmm.
Delicious. Mechanically reclaimed.

They were sold as beef hence the trouble. Although the concept of horse as meat is not a British thing compared to our friends in Europe who (rightly) don't have any such issues.
 

Mnyb

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We need more “objective” guys there are some other contributors to the site regarding speakers and some like wolf with an AP ,but his is only one site . And even objectivists disagrees and have opinions.
So it would be extremely nice if more valid opinions on the same product would be aviable :)
For example if one guy thinks a product is junk even on good grounds ok that’s a thing probably a good opinion , well if 10 guys trying to be objective are in agreement that a product is junk :cool: then you know .
 
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Robin L

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Getting more or less back to the OP after the regularly scheduled food fight, I've been here for a little over a year. Right now I'm listening to "Oh Happy Day" [remarkably bad as regards audio engineering] via the Drop 6xx 'phones that arrived this morning. The Topping E/L 30 combo arrived last week. Is it the greatest audio playback I've heard? No. Is it very high value for the money? Yes indeed. It's second best as a headphone system after the Stax Signature Earspeakers connected to their tubed energizer, and that was 4x more expensive thirty years ago. It's also the headphone system most like those Stax earspeakers. The 6XX's are a little fat in the low mids/upper bass and I'm guessing that's more of a "taste" issue, as my other Sennheiser headphones are similarly fat. None are as fast, and fat & fast is fine with me. So, I'd say the audio advice here is better than the audio advice I've encountered elsewhere, where people are still chasing top performance from formats that can never be SOTA. The LP folks here are more informed [and considerate] here than in LP friendly forums and blogs. However, there is more than a little orthodoxy 'round these parts, and those out of alignment might encounter:

invasion-of-the-body-snatchers.jpg
 
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watchnerd

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The LP folks here are more informed here than in LP friendly forums and blogs. However, there is more than a little orthodoxy 'round these parts, those out of alignment might encounter:

Out of alignment indeed.

Well, if you insist on using Stevenson, you can't be my friend.

I only pal around with Baerwald or DIN users in my party.

Everybody else is Chaotic Neutral to me.
 

Robin L

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Out of alignment indeed.

Well, if you insist on using Stevenson, you can't be my friend.

I only pal around with Baerwald or DIN users in my party.

Everybody else is Chaotic Neutral to me.
Why don't you tell me about the mystery dance?
I want to know about the mystery dance!
Why don't you show me,
'Cause I've tried and I've tried, and I'm still mystified.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
 

Jimbob54

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Why don't you tell me about the mystery dance?
I want to know about the mystery dance!
Why don't you show me,
'Cause I've tried and I've tried, and I'm still mystified.
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied.
Foooooooood fiiiiiiiiiiiiight!
 

Jimbob54

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Getting more or less back to the OP after the regularly scheduled food fight, I've been here for a little over a year. Right now I'm listening to "Oh Happy Day" [remarkably bad as regards audio engineering] via the Drop 6xx 'phones that arrived this morning. The Topping E/L 30 combo arrived last week. Is it the greatest audio playback I've heard? No. Is it very high value for the money? Yes indeed. It's second best as a headphone system after the Stax Signature Earspeakers connected to their tubed energizer, and that was 4x more expensive thirty years ago. It's also the headphone system most like those Stax earspeakers. The 6XX's are a little fat in the low mids/upper bass and I'm guessing that's more of a "taste" issue, as my other Sennheiser headphones are similarly fat. None are as fast, and fat & fast is fine with me. So, I'd say the audio advice here is better than the audio advice I've encountered elsewhere, where people are still chasing top performance from formats that can never be SOTA. The LP folks here are more informed [and considerate] here than in LP friendly forums and blogs. However, there is more than a little orthodoxy 'round these parts, and those out of alignment might encounter:

View attachment 84619

But, if you had, say, $500 that you had to spend on that head fi set up to improve it, what would you get? And you have to keep at least one of the three core components
 

Robin L

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But, if you had, say, $500 that you had to spend on that head fi set up to improve it, what would you get? And you have to keep at least one of the three core components
I'd like to spend a year not thinking of upgrading. I'd spend $500 on IPA and chocolate, my other cognitive enhancers are free. Maybe some Wicked Pies. I like this sound from this gear enough right now that I really want to get used to it.
 
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