Reviewing the Reviewers
We are going to start another category…
In this category we are going to discuss some of the reviews that are being published, and discuss them in the context of the reviewer’s tastes, systems, and rooms.
This will not be critical, or nasty, or flame ridden…
It will try to put some of what many people read into a larger context, as we see it anyway.
Since I am the one writing this (I try to talk Neli into posting on the Blog until she starts waving divorce papers in my face [not really – but I bet you know EXACTLY what I mean]) I am going to limit this proess to just a few of MY favorite reviewers:
HP, Jonathan Valin, Mike Fremer, and Srajan at 6moons.
Why are these guys my favorites?
Maybe because they are so powerful they can say what they want (but not so powerful they can say it the way they want to – a steady paycheck [how nice it is!] is a difficult thing to throw away).
MF buys his own equipment and, although erratic and idiosyncratic, he does let the truth slip out once in awhile.
JV has seen the light after the Walker Tenor Kharma experience and now knows what good sound is. What willllllll he do?
HP because he is HP.
Srajan because he is tryoing so hard to do the right thing.
However, none of these people put their reviews into the context of what the rest of their system is doing to color their interpretation of what they hear. Their bright sounding amp on a revealing speaker? That speaker is too bright. A reasonably priced laid back system on a revealing speaker – what do you know: that speaker is too laid back.
We’ll ignore Art Dudley – mostly because I think he is very open about his likes and dislikes – is probably the best reviewer because of it – and, well, there isn’t much to explain about his reviews.
Marja & Henk at 6moons have done some good reviews, IMHO – but I have read too little of their stuff…
Danny Kaye has retired… or graduated… or escaped… whatever you want to call it.
What a good reviewer SHOULD do is be self-conscious [well, first they have to be conscious, but let’s say that is a given], they should keep wondering if they have it right, keep wondering if they have the gist of what is going on with the component, the system, the music. They should keep trying to explore what it is that makes people like music – what makes them like some sounds and not others – what causes cyclical pressure waves to somehow communicate the great ideas and the nature of the human condition to all peoples of all generations.
Just like a good dealer.
If they start talking about how it “has a flux capacitor and therefore has to sound great”, or “it has 6.5 gigawatts of charm, these measurments can’t be beat, this is and will always be the best” then turn the page, hop into your Delorian, and try out the sequel.
Mike, I’ll leave you with one other reviewer’s name whose comments I’ve always found thoughtful and direct: David Robinson at Positive Feedback Online. In my experience, David is very open about his preferences and works very hard to place his obervations in the context of his listening priorities and other components in the system that may be impacting what he’s hearing.
I’ve been enjoying your blog! Thanks for your writings.
Rushton
Thanks Rushton for your comments! Welcome to the blog.
You know, I have not read much of David Robinson’s reviews. I read one of his Walker turntable previews, which was nice, and his Walker turntable reivew, which I thought was embarrasingly enthusiastic [so that it came off, to me, as very salesman-like, and fake sounding – which is too bad beause it really is a great table], even though we all agree that the Walker is the best turntable made at this time, even better than the over-hyped $90K Continuum based on our observations of the way both tables perform at shows. [We have a Walker here].
And David appears to hear the opposite thiings at shows compared to what we hear. At CES 2006 we reported several rooms as – oh I forget – most dissapointing of show or something. And then, a few days later, several of these rooms got Best of Show from David Robinson.
That is quite a difference!
But we’ll start reading more of David’s reviews… your description is of exactly the kind of reviewer we think that we need more of out there.
Thanks!
Mike.
When it comes to the Walker turntable, I find that I share David Robinson’s enthusiasm, and I would have been disappointed had he not identified so many of the same virtues that I hear in this turntable and to which you make reference. (Of course, my comments come from the perspective of yet another Walker turntable owner who has also posted about it rather enthusiastically. 🙂 )
For me, David’s enthusiasm about something he really likes is refreshingly direct. And, I appreciate David’s ongoing efforts as editor to include alternate perspectives from other members of his reviewing team. as provided in the case of the Walker by Rick Gardner in the same issue.
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue23/walker_proscenium.htm
To peruse another example of the style of audio journalism David is trying to foster as publisher of Positive Feedback, you might find interesting article by Rick Gardner discussing his and David’s differing takes on the Boulder 2060:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue27/boulder2.htm
Also see David’s reply to my letter in the same issue where he addresses what he is trying to accomplish in the point/counterpoint dialog with Rick.
Cheers!
Thanks for the links!
I didn’t include Roy Gregory of HiFi+ on the list of Reviewers to Review either – even though I like him too and he is quite popular. We already have two people from TAS – and anyway, we have to draw the line somewhere…
…or …do … we….? [lots of spooky music in background… which fades into the theme from the Adamms Family :-)]