Perspectives on positive equipment reviews
There is some heated debate among book reviewers / book critics about whether there are way too many positive reviews in comparison with critical reviews. Sound familiar?
Here is a summary of some of the points of view of various people:
I found most of it to be quite relevant and an interesting perspective on equipment reviews, except that high-end audio reviewers, and high-end audio magazines, have MUCH more financial incentive to publish positive reviews than do book critics [even though our reviewers do not get quoted in the New York Times… ever :-)].
It may just go to show that to a large extent the culture of a niche – whether books or high-end audio or movies or computers or whatever – dictates the percentage of positive reviews versus negative reviews. That even if we, in high-end audio, held reviewers and magazines to a higher standard, so that they had absolutely no financial incentive to publish a positive review – we would still most likely end up with near the same percentage [what is it? 95%+?] of positive reviews.
I think that you may have merely scratched the surface on this issue. While it is easy to assume that reviewers have a financial interest whether direct or indirect in writing positive reviews, I think that there are often other reasons unrelated to self interest. Some reviewers undoubtedly choose not to review products that do not sound good simply because they have no interest in those products. Others refrain from writing negative reviews of products from small niche manufacturers for concern that such a review will put the manufacturer in financial distress. Some only review products in which they have a real curiousity or which they think are exceptional. I can say from experience that writing a review of an exceptional product (such as the Balanced Kegons) is much easier than writing a review of a good product which in turn is easier than reviewing something which is mediocre. In the end, if you work outside the industry, there are only so many hours in a day.
Hi Fred,
Hmmmm….. not sure you read or got the gist of my post.
First, the primary idea is to get our heads out of our little cul-de-sac here and look at reviewers in what are *massively* more popular areas of interest – in this case book reviewers, but also check out Top Gear on the BBC as an example of popular auto reviewers.
Second, there is some evidence, if you clicked on the link, that the reviewing *culture* for the book reviewer niche has a significant effect on the percentage of popular reviews for that niche.
Third, that regardless of compensation, high-end audio reviewers – because of the established culture, and not necessarily because of the explanations you provide [which are relevant to ALL niches / industries and which have little effect on the percentage of positive reviews in, say, the movie or theater or music industries] – that audio reviewers, to just ‘fit in’, have to publish positive reviews.
Just a conjecture… food for thought as it were.
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Let’s face it, audio reviewers are on average compensated approximately 100 times what book reviewers are. And just like me on this blog, because of this there will always be accusations of financial interests behind this or that opinion – no matter how true or false the accusations may be. You, as a reviewer, are lumped together with all reviewers and I, as a dealer, am lumped together with all the other dealers – no matter how unfair [and uncomfortable] this is to us. Just have to keep fighting the good fight to show that we are not all of us dishonest, incompetent and corrupt so-and-sos.
Take care,
-Mike