Breaking news from DCS….

[Amir]

Hi Amir,
I understand what you are saying. And I am not a big fan of reviewers, if you have read my posts over the years - I find most the scum of the earth. However, I do find it helpful when guys compare gear. For example, I think that both Fremer and Jason Victor Sirinious have AWFUL taste. For example, Fremer likes a bright, analytical sound - never complained about that wilson tweeter and happily paired it with Lyra cartridges.... I am just holding my ears as I type this.

But I find both Fremer and Sirinius helpful because when they compare gear, they are better to tease out the differences between products which helps both the audio fans searching for gear and the audio companies to better stand out in the over - crowded marketplace.

But guys who compare are a rare breed. Most guys are like "worthless to the audio fans" roberry Harley, who not only has awful taste
- "magico with soulution is the greatest ever reviewed"
- misleads people - wasting their precious time - time they will never get back! : "Berkeley reference dac is the greatest dac extant" - one would think that any idiot understands that the "best" does not exist in a hobby based on subjective experiences
- uses generic language that can be substituted to any review and means anything and everything to the reader (it was "transparent" and "resolving" and sounded "fast" and "smooth" with "pristine treble", blah, blah blah..) , and
- just calls anything uber expensive that he likes as "BEST"

Can anyone imagine a more Malignant influence on our hobby than Harley? Most other "audio journalists" just follow his garbage, unfortunately...but that is the type of leaders we have in this hobby

I disagree you, Michael Fremer is not awful and wilson tweeter is not bright.
The problem is in another place and I wrote here why I do not like audio reviews :

Audio Critique

I would like to share my idea about Right/Trusted Audio Critique in the High End Audio because Most Magazines need a better understanding of Audio Reviewing. I ask this question because me (when I was young) and my friends have spent many many times/efforts/money according to (and trusting)...

www.whatsbestforum.com

 

[Ron Resnick]

And I am not a big fan of reviewers, if you have read my posts over the years - I find most the scum of the earth. However, I do find it helpful when guys compare gear. For example, I think that both Fremer and Jason Victor Sirinious have AWFUL taste.

roberry Harley, who not only has awful taste

"best" does not exist in a hobby based on subjective experiences

Your hyperbolic criticism is so breathless that you apparently don't realize that it boomerangs back into your own face. Yes, it is a subjective hobby. So, no, "best" does not exist. But neither does worst or "awful."

So your criticism that they have "awful" taste (in what you concede is a subjective hobby) is fatally flawed.

Even if you are right about them (and I am emphatically not agreeing that you are), you are just as wrong as they are.

 

[nirodha]

Hi Amir,
I understand what you are saying. And I am not a big fan of reviewers, if you have read my posts over the years - I find most the scum of the earth. However, I do find it helpful when guys compare gear. For example, I think that both Fremer and Jason Victor Sirinious have AWFUL taste. For example, Fremer likes a bright, analytical sound - never complained about that wilson tweeter and happily paired it with Lyra cartridges.... I am just holding my ears as I type this.

But I find both Fremer and Sirinius helpful because when they compare gear, they are better to tease out the differences between products which helps both the audio fans searching for gear and the audio companies to better stand out in the over - crowded marketplace.

But guys who compare are a rare breed. Most guys are like "worthless to the audio fans" roberry Harley, who not only has awful taste
- "magico with soulution is the greatest ever reviewed"
- misleads people - wasting their precious time - time they will never get back! : "Berkeley reference dac is the greatest dac extant" - one would think that any idiot understands that the "best" does not exist in a hobby based on subjective experiences
- uses generic language that can be substituted to any review and means anything and everything to the reader (it was "transparent" and "resolving" and sounded "fast" and "smooth" with "pristine treble", blah, blah blah..) , and
- just calls anything uber expensive that he likes as "BEST"

Can anyone imagine a more Malignant influence on our hobby than Harley? Most other "audio journalists" just follow his garbage, unfortunately...but that is the type of leaders we have in this hobby

Isn’t this a site full of ‘reviewers’ ?

 

[nirodha]

Might it be that the Wadax production cannot keep up with the demand? Wadax is doing extremely well, believe me.

If they can’t keep up… they’ve got a serious problem. And then it will not take long before they no longer are doing “extremely well”, whatever that means if production is sub par.

 

[tima]

Can anyone imagine a more Malignant influence on our hobby than Harley?

I don't typically talk about other reviewers. Regardless of what you think of Harley's opinion about how a product sounds, most of the time he does, imo, an excellent job describing features and explaining the technology behind them.

 

[Stereophonic]

Can anyone imagine a more Malignant influence on our hobby than Harley? Most other "audio journalists" just follow his garbage, unfortunately...but that is the type of leaders we have in this hobby

Enjoy !!!

Wadax Atlantis Reference Music Server - The Absolute Sound

Wadax Atlantis Reference Music Server - This new music server features cutting-edge technologies never seen in an audio product—and delivers unprecedented sound quality. Robert Harley reports on a groundbreaking design.

www.theabsolutesound.com

 

[Amir]

Both Robert Harley and Roy Gregory reported very positive about Wadax DAC and Server.

I listened to Wadax Reference DAC and Reference Server in Gobel showroom. The speaker was Gobel Majestic.

 

[caesar]

Your hyperbolic criticism is so breathless that you apparently don't realize that it boomerangs back into your own face. Yes, it is a subjective hobby. So, no, "best" does not exist. But neither does worst or "awful."

So your criticism that they have "awful" taste (in what you concede is a subjective hobby) is fatally flawed.

Even if you are right about them, you are just as wrong as they are.

So here's a guy that takes advantage of people who are less experienced in the hobby, and wastes their time and money...

but look at it from this more objective perspective, Ron: We had an enormous creation of wealth in the last 20 years. There are so many millionaires who can afford to enjoy this hobby. People who spend billions on the music industry and attend live concerts on a regular basis. Yet they don't partake in our hobby. Under harley's watch, instead of making the hobby bigger and greater, he has used his power to promote analytical, hyper-detailed gear like wilson and magico that appeals to even a tiny proportion of hobbyists. What a shame!

 

[caesar]

Enjoy !!!

Wadax Atlantis Reference Music Server - The Absolute Sound

Wadax Atlantis Reference Music Server - This new music server features cutting-edge technologies never seen in an audio product—and delivers unprecedented sound quality. Robert Harley reports on a groundbreaking design.

www.theabsolutesound.com

If the clown compared to the wadax CD transport, like Roy Gregory did, I would take him more seriously

 

[dcathro]

Enjoy !!!

Wadax Atlantis Reference Music Server - The Absolute Sound

Wadax Atlantis Reference Music Server - This new music server features cutting-edge technologies never seen in an audio product—and delivers unprecedented sound quality. Robert Harley reports on a groundbreaking design.

www.theabsolutesound.com

Funny that he likens the sever to a remastering process - I find most remasterings to be musically far inferior to original masterings. RH is not someone who's opinions I would defer to.

Extremely positive review that would not make the competition happy.

 

[Stereophonic]

So here's a guy that takes advantage of people who are less experienced in the hobby, and wastes their time and money...

but look at it from this more objective perspective, Ron: We had an enormous creation of wealth in the last 20 years. There are so many millionaires who can afford to enjoy this hobby. People who spend billions on the music industry and attend live concerts on a regular basis. Yet they don't partake in our hobby. Under harley's watch, instead of making the hobby bigger and greater, he has used his power to promote analytical, hyper-detailed gear like wilson and magico that appeals to even a tiny proportion of hobbyists. What a shame!

What a shame?
1 - I’m very grateful to Wilson, Esoteric, Krell, Sonus Faber, Audio Research, etc….
I grew up in this hobby with this brands and i valore their contribution to this hobby.
I have my current system thanks to this early Hi-End audio brands.
They aren't my preference now, but i respect them from history perspective.
I don't like “hyper-detailed gear like Wilson and Magico” but world doesn't turn around me.
2 - Reviewer is a job as another and audio magazines a bussines like another.
I see it as it is.
I respect them too because they were only way to read about Hi-End audio years ago and now they are fighting to survive in post paper magazine era.
Maybe if you could tell us your job, we could discuss about it from etical perspective as you does.
3 - Are you one of "who spend billions on the music industry and attend live concerts on a regular basis.?"
So what? Anyone put them a gun to buy anything?
Money isn't the key to have knowledge in this hobby.
If someone buys a million dollar system based in a review or a one dealer/show demo isn't Halley problem.
He sells his product, you can buy it or not.
PD: Don’t worry. IA will do soon personal reviews based in your tastes and budget.

 

[Amir]

What a shame?
1 - I’m very grateful to Wilson, Esoteric, Krell, Sonus Faber, Audio Research, etc….
I grew up in this hobby with this brands and i valore their contribution to this hobby.
I have my current system thanks to this early Hi-End audio brands.
They aren't my preference now, but i respect them from history perspective.
I don't like “hyper-detailed gear like Wilson and Magico” but world doesn't turn around me.
2 - Reviewer is a job as another and audio magazines a bussines like another.
I see it as it is.
I respect them too because they were only way to read about Hi-End audio years ago and now they are fighting to survive in post paper magazine era.
Maybe if you could tell us your job, we could discuss about it from etical perspective as you does.
3 - Are you one of "who spend billions on the music industry and attend live concerts on a regular basis.?"
So what? Anyone put them a gun to buy anything?
Money isn't the key to have knowledge in this hobby.
If someone buys a million dollar system based in a review or a one dealer/show demo isn't Halley problem.
He sells his product, you can buy it or not.
PD: Don’t worry. IA will do soon personal reviews based in your tastes and budget.

I think most audio reviews (like advertisement) are good for audio manufactures not for audiophiles.

The audio industry arms are selling at higher price and publishing 5 star reviews, there is no real audio critique there.

 

[mtemur]

wilson tweeter is not bright.

Wilson tweeter is not bright but it’s not sounding good either. The titanium one custom made by Focal around watt/puppy 5.1 era was much more better. Also Scan-Speak mid was better than the recent ones. The problem with watt/puppy 5.1 was Dynaudio bass drivers or whole puppy itself. Minus the puppy and watt on stand it becomes a very nice sounding speaker. Besides Dynaudio bass drivers, using two working parallel and in another box ruins the sound of the speaker IMHO.

Another problem was horrible Transparent cables used inside the speaker.

 

[Ron Resnick]

wilson tweeter is not bright.

What is the point of a bald statement like this in a subjective hobby?

At least in retrospect there is practically a subjective consensus that the Wilson Audio metal dome tweeters of past eras were slightly bright and fatiguing. I believe Michael Fremer himself does not disagree with this in restrospect.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Regardless of what you think of Harley's opinion about how a product sounds, most of the time he does, imo, an excellent job describing features and explaining the technology behind them.

+1

 

[Amir]

What is the point of a bald statement like this in a subjective hobby?

At least in retrospect there is practically a subjective consensus that the Wilson Audio metal dome tweeters of past eras were slightly bright and fatiguing. I believe Michael Fremer himself does not disagree with this in restrospect.

which model of wilson tweeter is bright?

 

[Ron Resnick]

which model of wilson tweeter is bright?

To my ears every Wilson Audio loudspeaker with a metal dome tweeter sounded slightly bright and fatiguing.

There is a reason Dave Wilson abandoned the metal dome tweeter, and replaced it forever more with a soft dome tweeter.

 

[Lagonda]

What a shame?
1 - I’m very grateful to Wilson, Esoteric, Krell, Sonus Faber, Audio Research, etc….
I grew up in this hobby with this brands and i valore their contribution to this hobby.
I have my current system thanks to this early Hi-End audio brands.
They aren't my preference now, but i respect them from history perspective.
I don't like “hyper-detailed gear like Wilson and Magico” but world doesn't turn around me.
2 - Reviewer is a job as another and audio magazines a bussines like another.
I see it as it is.
I respect them too because they were only way to read about Hi-End audio years ago and now they are fighting to survive in post paper magazine era.
Maybe if you could tell us your job, we could discuss about it from etical perspective as you does.
3 - Are you one of "who spend billions on the music industry and attend live concerts on a regular basis.?"
So what? Anyone put them a gun to buy anything?
Money isn't the key to have knowledge in this hobby.
If someone buys a million dollar system based in a review or a one dealer/show demo isn't Halley problem.
He sells his product, you can buy it or not.
PD: Don’t worry. IA will do soon personal reviews based in your tastes and budget.

Could you please state your industry affiliation ? You are not just a customer, you are obviously smeared in Wadax !

 

[PeterA]

Amir: Wilson tweeter is not bright.

Ron: To my ears every Wilson Audio loudspeaker with a metal dome tweeter sounded slightly bright and fatiguing.

Two subjective opinions. I wonder if these opinions are more about the tweeter or more about the electronics and /or the wires often used with Wilson speakers. Wait, this is a thread about dCS. I often heard dCS through Wilsons at dealer and show demos. I could not tell what was causing the often rather bright and fatiguing sound.

 

[still-one]

To my ears every Wilson Audio loudspeaker with a metal dome tweeter sounded slightly bright and fatiguing.

There is a reason Dave Wilson abandoned the metal dome tweeter, and replaced it forever more with a soft dome tweeter.

I found the move away from metal tweeters by Wilson a mistake and why I decided not to consider updating to either the XLF or Chronosonics (Also due to the price of the later).