Why are audio reviews so consistently positive?

[RogerD]

Roger you are certainly right for the top of the top true audiophiles. Examples here abound generously.
That is one class; there are several other classes, not as highly calibrated. IMO

And true too; economics are part of the audio equation...we can't escape realities of life, not in 2017 and not anytime soon thereafter and from past history, since the conquest of paradise in 1492, and way back before when all the lands were mostly inhabited by the prehistoric animals.

Also, audio means a lot of products; everything related to it including cables, digital high res audio files, streaming, updating through internet from firmware updates, etc.
So it's not just a pair of loudspeakers with tone controls, or a tube stereo amp, or a phono preamp with RIAA equalized curves, or a tonearm well balanced made of tungsten and armed forces with a top notch cartridge sculpted by the top Japanese sculptor, or all that kind of ultra high resolution stuff.
We also have to include digital music servers, digital disc spinners, multichannel surround processors, receivers with USB ports, HDMI jacks, latest standards and handshakes.

I don't want this thread restricted to the best of the best in class; I want it to include all classes, because that's what the world is comprised of. ...The average.
I know; for some the average is not good enough. I believe some averages are superior in the overall end of the line; which is the illusion of a total music listening satisfaction and interaction of all the parts including the people from the audience, us.

That's what we do best, us audio people; the pursuit of an illusive audio world. All in the name of better sound reproduction, including the artists we love and the people who recorded them, their voices and the music they play. It is an art to review audio products; the art of convincing ourselves first, and everyone else.

The word 'agenda' sounds like a thunderstorm. Something comin' but hard to predict exactly in its direction. The winds can shift @ unpredictable times and completely change the pattern that was mapped from anticipation. It's a reality fact.

Money, agenda, hidden mysteries, timing, ...audio reviewers are familiar with...some most. Tomorrow will be a better day, meanwhile we live today in the now. I will get back to that...

By the way, I like to mention this: The Classical Music thread here with John (Bachtoven) and others...chapeau!

Bob, if I said that that it was possible to break out of the incremental rut that I mention and it benefits most with less than 50k invested,but would require some technical understanding of system grounding...
I know I sound like a broken record....but in my experience it has leveled the playing field for me. Everyone has a bias,that is just part of being human. Experience.knowledge and common sense is important in this hobby. Good post btw

 

[caesar]

No, it's not. I've heard it. It just seems pretty neutral.

Just like my standard Berkeley Alpha DAC 2 is pretty neutral. I don't like euphonic DACs, or components in general, they color all music with the same patina. Get's boring after a while. A component or system should be able to reproduce the wide timbral palette of different recordings, as you would also find in different concert halls/seating positions.

Interestingly, Harley admitted that it was when he compared v1 to the new v2, saying the notes in v2 had more continuity than in V1... And the computer audiophile also wrote that when he was playing the DAC, he was focusing on the sounds that the DAC dug up from the recording instead of the music. Here are some quotes:
"...Since its arrival I've listened to more complete albums and heard more new sounds from old albums than any time in my life.." - from V1 review
"...I'm still trying to figure out what is making a certain sound on an album I've heard a hundred times, yet never heard this sound previously. On the Reference Recordings 24 bit / 176.4 kHz HRx release of Nojima Plays Liszt from Minoru Nojima (HR-25), On track one Mephisto Waltz, I hear a clicking sound in the left channel, especially present during the first three minutes of the track. I described this to a colleague as a mouse clicking sound, as if someone was surfing the Internet next to the microphones during the recording. I'm guessing this is a sound made by the piano, but I'd love to know for sure. ..."
"...Miles' trumpet went from smooth to irritatingly brash and back again, with astounding realism. When music sounds this good, I frequently want to know more about the music and musicians. Thus, last night I started wondering if anyone had written a book about the recording of Kind of Blue and the events surrounding the album. Based on the characters involved, such a story has to be amazing.." - from V2 review

My listening impressions of the Berkeley Ref, unfortunately, are similar...When I listen to music, I want to get lost in the music and enter a state of bliss, not listen to discrete sounds that make me think and surf the internet....

 

[NorthStar]

"When I listen to music, I want to get lost in the music and enter a state of bliss, not listen to discrete sounds that make me think and surf the internet...."

Great line ?

I should stop reading audio reviews, stop starting new audio threads in audio forums, and listen to the music lost in a sea of wisdom. :b
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Roger, I am not a biased person when it comes to the arts. I like what I hear and what I see, absolutely free.
"My name is Bob. My world is fire and blood. Once, I was a cop. A road warrior searching for a righteous cause. As the world fell, each of us in our own way was broken.
It was hard to know who was more crazy... me... or everyone else. "
______

It's hard to install the latest streaming app inside your turntable.
______

When a new product is announced; first it makes an apparition @ a show, a convention, in Las Vegas, ...then it gathers some interest, then audio reviewers request a specimen for review, than slowly the quest starts to evolve in its current competitive course with today's world. Some of the earliest reviewers are leading the trend. Then the audio product is being perfected/fine tuned as it slowly integrates the market with more reviewers coming to the rescue (way of marketing/advertising). Some products, are like that. Later on when the winds from all directions are propice (favorable), extensive professional measurements start to surface, accompanied by more expert reviews from more expert audio reviewers...the big shots, unbiased pros. In the interim anything goes; the learning curve, the gained experience, the feedback, the construction and the dreams of the future. Brief normal life as we know it. Not until the very last moment in time when listening with discernment in our homes that a new and better audio product is just being introduced.
The volatility of ecstasy time we had in our space lasted less than the time it takes to say welcome and goodbye. :b

There are two types of people in this world; the ones who follow all the latest trends, and the ones who go back in time.
Audio reviewers are usually from the former group, the rest from the later.
Before everyone can catch up with audio reviewers, the planet would have orbited around the sun several times already, and marked a strong influence in time's changes and on our visual and auditory faculties. ...Like slow snow flakes falling from the sky in a winter's day.

Audio reviewers are like human machines, with emotions in check for the best objective reviews and subjective listening disposition/session.
I would love to be one of them; it would open the doors to larger audio horizons.

Just an image: A great speaker's designer releases its newest child. The next day he discovers an improvement @ the base. ...Sounds familiar? Well, it's not it.
This is just an image, but in real life the picture is clear: Audio is a never finished product, ever.

We learn to live with the things we have, with what they provide @ the table of our music soul, and with their flaws too. We don't know what a perfect world is, or we would be on vacation travelling the world constantly without stops, without breaks, without working...just enjoying life non-stop, relaxing on a sailing ship inside the hammock between the two masts and drinking pina coladas. ...Going from island to island, sea to sea, turquoise waters to blue black diamond teal waters in an aquamarine velvety world of extreme sensual pleasure with the most beautiful specimen from first page fashion mags.

 

[16hz lover]

Great last two posts Caesar and Bob. In the trumpet playing world there is a saying, "over-analysis leads to paralysis". Audiophiles seem to be afflicted the same way, too busy micro-analyzing the precious palpable midrange liquidity and other rhetorical masturbation terms to do any real toe tapping, grinning, head bobbing enjoyment of the music. At the CES Show three years ago, there were less than 5 or so rooms that made you simply not care what you were listening to equipment wise. The blind man that we passed in the hallway several times was the only qualified "reviewer " at the show, as he had zero bias.

 

[amirm]

The blind man that we passed in the hallway several times was the only qualified "reviewer " at the show, as he had zero bias.

He is a friend of Gary's and as such I have had the good fortune to have dinner with him two years in a row. He has incredible knowledge of music, great sense of sound (obviously) and doesn't take his disability too seriously.

 

[KeithR]

No, it's not. I've heard it. It just seems pretty neutral.

Just like my standard Berkeley Alpha DAC 2 is pretty neutral. I don't like euphonic DACs, or components in general, they color all music with the same patina. Get's boring after a while. A component or system should be able to reproduce the wide timbral palette of different recordings, as you would also find in different concert halls/seating positions.

Al, fwiw I sold my long-standing Alpha DAC for MSB Analog last year and haven't looked back. I enjoyed the Berkeley for 5 years but the latest MSB gear is far more realistic. You might seek out an audition.

 

[Al M.]

Al, fwiw I sold my long-standing Alpha DAC for MSB Analog last year and haven't looked back. I enjoyed the Berkeley for 5 years but the latest MSB gear is far more realistic. You might seek out an audition.

Great that you like the MSB Analog. I have heard it several times and, while it does have impressive capabilities, I found it to be colored. But perhaps that's just me, or it was a matter of system synergy.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

There are two types of people in this world; the ones who follow all the latest trends, and the ones who go back in time.
Audio reviewers are usually from the former group, the rest from the later.
Before everyone can catch up with audio reviewers, the planet would have orbited around the sun several times already, and marked a strong influence in time's changes and on our visual and auditory faculties. ...Like slow snow flakes falling from the sky in a winter's day.

Audio reviewers are like human machines, with emotions in check for the best objective reviews and subjective listening disposition/session.
I would love to be one of them; it would open the doors to larger audio horizons.

I don't buy this. I think most of us do it for fun and thrills.

 

[Folsom]

I got bored trying to read this thread... if not said, the one thing I'd like to point out is.. While you mostly see positive reviews, not everything gets an award.

 

[treitz3]

They sure do seem to get a participation trophy though.

Tom

 

[Bruce B]

They sure do seem to get a participation trophy though.

Tom

Oh we certainly don't want to hurt anyone's feelings!

 

[NorthStar]

I don't buy this. I think most of us do it for fun and thrills.

Same for most readers I think; for fun and thrills.

 

[morricab]

I don't buy this. I think most of us do it for fun and thrills.

+1

 

[DaveC]

I've been thinking about this, especially the comment from Ralph (Atma-Sphere) that bad reviews are unethical. At the time it seemed implausible and in some ways I still believe that, there are objective measures of build quality and performance. OTOH, the lack of standardization and subjectivity of the hobby would make me think twice about commenting negatively about subjective aspects of a component's performance.

One example... a particular tube amp brand has shown/demo'd for quite a while with TAD speakers and, well... I never liked the result to be polite. Recently I heard the same brand now being demo'd with Magico and it was really impressive. As a reviewer how do you possibly do due diligence when reviewing speaker/amp/speaker cable combinations? It seems absolutely impossible without the gear being demo'd in many, many different systems since the interaction between amp and speaker, including the speaker cable, is very complicated, not standardized, and the result is often unpredictable. When you look at source, preamp and IC cables things are a bit more predictable, but there's still an element of uncertainty. Personally, I'd have a really hard time with putting negative subjective comments out there as I'd feel responsible for any harm done, and there's just too high of a chance I'd be wrong outside of the particulars of the testing I did. So I can see the policy of simply not reviewing gear a reviewer doesn't enjoy being the best policy.

Also, I do think that gear is getting a lot better than it was in the past. The sound of conventional multi-way speakers is converging to a certain extent. There are far fewer really poor sounding systems at shows these days where poor sound used to be the norm.

 

[DaveyF]

I've been thinking about this, especially the comment from Ralph (Atma-Sphere) that bad reviews are unethical. At the time it seemed implausible and in some ways I still believe that, there are objective measures of build quality and performance. OTOH, the lack of standardization and subjectivity of the hobby would make me think twice about commenting negatively about subjective aspects of a component's performance.

One example... a particular tube amp brand has shown/demo'd for quite a while with TAD speakers and, well... I never liked the result to be polite. Recently I heard the same brand now being demo'd with Magico and it was really impressive. As a reviewer how do you possibly do due diligence when reviewing speaker/amp/speaker cable combinations? It seems absolutely impossible without the gear being demo'd in many, many different systems since the interaction between amp and speaker, including the speaker cable, is very complicated, not standardized, and the result is often unpredictable. When you look at source, preamp and IC cables things are a bit more predictable, but there's still an element of uncertainty. Personally, I'd have a really hard time with putting negative subjective comments out there as I'd feel responsible for any harm done, and there's just too high of a chance I'd be wrong outside of the particulars of the testing I did. So I can see the policy of simply not reviewing gear a reviewer doesn't enjoy being the best policy.

Also, I do think that gear is getting a lot better than it was in the past. The sound of conventional multi-way speakers is converging to a certain extent. There are far fewer really poor sounding systems at shows these days where poor sound used to be the norm.

All good points Dave. Unfortunately, there are indeed less sophisticated readers of audio mags and online blogs that are not aware that what you say is a factor. With these people, and BTW I suspect a lot of them are beginner a'philes or possibly somewhat naive a'philes, then the possibility for an issue rears its head. I would suggest that some kind of disclaimer be inserted into a review when the reviewer wants to gush immense hyperbole...just in case the reader doesn't quite have the same result as the reviewer, IMHO.

 

[caesar]

I wonder if Fremer's review of Boulder Mono Amplifiers is a good review...


http://www.stereophile.com/content/boulder-amplifiers-2150-monoblock-power-amplifier#o4pYPR73eBVTudui.97

 

[caesar]

I should add that Fremer is one of a few writers in the industry who has the personal brand and integrity to call things in a more balanced way

 

[microstrip]

I wonder if Fremer's review of Boulder Mono Amplifiers is a good review...


http://www.stereophile.com/content/boulder-amplifiers-2150-monoblock-power-amplifier#o4pYPR73eBVTudui.97

For those who read it for information, not for the opinion, it is a nice review.

Remember that most SET lovers will apply his two lines concluding sentence, exactly as he wrote it, to their preferred SET compared to his DartZeel 458 ...

 

[KeithR]

I wonder if Fremer's review of Boulder Mono Amplifiers is a good review...


http://www.stereophile.com/content/boulder-amplifiers-2150-monoblock-power-amplifier#o4pYPR73eBVTudui.97

Fremer is one of the few who can really say his opinion without consequence. And this review wasn't positive to me.

To answer the OP's question- because reviewers like to review what they like already. Nobody wants to spend 3 months listening to gear they don't prefer in the first place.

 

[NorthStar]

I wonder if Fremer's review of Boulder Mono Amplifiers is a good review...

http://www.stereophile.com/content/boulder-amplifiers-2150-monoblock-power-amplifier#o4pYPR73eBVTudui.97

I think it's an honest review:

"I think that the 2150's sound does have an overall character, and that that character is somewhat dry, and lacking the ultimate in musical flow. It reproduced precise attacks and ear-popping decays, but the sustains of notes between those attacks and decays were less than fully expressed."

Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/...ck-power-amplifier-page-2#6djbYYFmglchqLvU.99