:-) We’ve had a number of people mention they were potential reviewers approached by Dagogo in the last few weeks.

We’ve been think about this a lot lately, and reviewer integrity is certainly is a sore point in Audiophiledom - other professions have a much more rigorous disclosure and conflict-of-interest policy to avoid just these kinds of problems.

I can think of a number of solutions, but it is really up to each magazine to police its reviewers as they see fit. For me, Stereophile and 6moons seem to be the most transparent.

In any case, good luck! And don’t forget to have fun
Take care,
Mike.

I think it’s difficult to be a reviewer on a number of fronts that you raise. First, as a reviewer I don’t want to hurt people’s lively-hoods by ripping their gear if I don’t like it. So I would rather choose gear I like ahead of time. That is the answer you’ll hear from Stereophile. UHF magazine has given out many negative reviews and those manufacturers stopped sending them gear - the word spreads.

The problem is the review industry is created largely to be glorified advertisements for the manufacturers. I am not paid for my reviews (so I suppose you could argue you get what you pay for) but by reviewing merely what I like I suppose I am putting forward my personal bias.

The problem is that the component review issue is very difficult because while Amp A made not sound great in my system it may be quite nice in someone elses. It measures well, has a good reputation and if there’s something good about the amp then the reviewer is put in this difficult position to give it faint praise.

And let’s face it - preference and bias are huge in all forms of “review.” Some people just can’t not have a panel loudspeaker and nothing else will do. Others just never quite get panels. An objective review I suppose might be to take a panel of many reviewers to judge the speaker to get an overall sampling of the product. But this becomes convoluted.

The reality is that reviews simply support the consumer’s decision making. The consumer is on the fence and if they read the reviews they may give them a nudge. We are social creatures and we seek the approval of others. A reviewer is deemed to have a certain level of expertise and if they say product A is terrific then you as a consumer “feel better” about making that decision. Or if you read the review after your purchase the review serves as a pat on the back that you did well.

A reviewer in a way is similar to a dealer like you. You guys (and girl Nelli??) you listen to a lot of stuff and decide what you want to put your good name behind. A reviewer who reviews what he/she likes is doing the same.

The problem is that the review industry should ideally be on the consumer’s side and opine as objectively as they can and if that means they rip a well respected and widely raved about product so be it. Perhaps a Lemon-Aid version of the audio industry. But like you said if the reviewer is going to rip things then manufacturers don’t want to send them things - career is over. And if the reviewer does rip a piece nothing stops the magazine from holding back the review and having someone else write a glowing piece. (apparently this was the case with a rather famous very expensive speaker maker not that long ago).

I’ve contemplated the idea of becoming a reviewer for awhile - I want to do the best job I can for the consumer and the manufacturer and the review site while not throwing my principles into the trash.

Anyway, nice blog.

Richard Austen http://www.dagogo.com/