We have two completely different approaches and that's what makes this hobby so much fun. There is no wrong or right.
I don't speak to company people most times before a review as I prefer to know nothing about their marketing and spin and I don't want to be influenced (I may speak to them to get gear in and how to hook it up but that is about it). I personally could not care less about a power supply if at the end of the day the unit doesn't have the features I want nor the sound. I just don't care about anything but the sound. And at the end of the day in my system I chose the one I liked. Regardless of trying to focus on the Spotify issue which it did not come with it set up ready to go (as I feel it should), I preferred the AA.
There are too many other "dealer youtubers" who keep stating and snowing their viewers that they are looking out for them and poo-poo high priced gear while selling equally high priced gear themselves. And they of course dislike anything they don't sell.
There are equally as many who pretend they aren't making money with the gear they choose to review but those on the inside all know differently about how they "pump and dump". No way they are impartial like they claim as they have a serious financial interest in their videos and what they do content on.
And there are those who are trying to convince you to hire their hifi services while pretending to be completely unbiased.
Thankfully I am none of those. They are welcome to do what ever they want - that's just not how I choose to be.
As I state repeatedly in the videos are just pure personal journey and many seem to appreciate that approach - and some don't (which is totally fine). I don't try to be all things to all people nor do I want to. I have my base of very loyal followers between YT and FB whom I interact with on a regular basis and I do this all for FUN. Nothing more, nothing less.
I do find some people get entirely too emotionally wrapped up in this hobby that is supposed to be fun. That is their right. I choose not to live a life like that.
I repeatedly state in my videos to never take my word on untying, to do your own research and to TRY TRY TRY the gear for yourself. There is nothing more I can do for those who choose to ignore all that.
I spoke to the manufacturers of my turntable (Ray @ CTC / Garrard), turntable power supply (Nick @ LDA) streamer (Richard @ Innuos), conditioner (Mike @ Puritan), cables (Sean Jacobs, Mike @ Vinyl Passion, Galen @ BJC) and phono stage (James @ Whest). Anyone who knows any of these people will know that none of them are B-S merchants and only Innuos spend any serious money on marketing. I find it helpful to do enough reading and searching to be able to ask the designer/manufacturer sensible questions and it doesn't take long to work out if you're getting sensible answers. There is no one better to explain a product than the person who designed and made it.
Home loans are quite easy to arrange here in the UK. My second phono is RCM, a brand that do no marketing, the dealer brought it round to my house, I'd tried a couple of others and sent them back. My DAC was off eBay, but the seller was local and I had a home demo first.
I think it's vital that reviewers speak to the manufacturer or an informed dealer to find out the purpose of the product, who it was designed for, how it works etc. I don't agree that reviews should be completely blind because customers will ask these questions before they buy, so any reviews should evaluate whether the product meets the design objectives. It amazes me how many reviewers just don't understand the product concept.
If you were a potential buyer of the Innuos Pulsar and use Spotify a lot, you'd ask the dealer before getting one, even on loan. I've used Qobuz exclusively since 2014, so in those days Naim (the biggest UK brand) was out of the question because their only lossless option was Tidal.
Listening and going to music is certainly enjoyable. Hifi as a hobby seems a bit more serious because a single purchase can be a significant amount of a person's disposable income. Spending $50 on a concert ticket and it's no good, it's no big deal. Spending $5,000 on a DAC and it's no good is for a lot of people a very big deal. Anyone in a position of influence should appreciate this and get their facts right.
