How can we improve?

Mike said:
Again, have you EVER read about this in any review? Nope.
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I remember one reviewer mentioning it, but that was few years ago and I don't recall who the reviewer was. That said, I don't claim to have read every review of LUMIN products. I have to believe that as well-engineered and designed as LUMIN products are, there is probably a reason for the overhang.

When Peter returns to the forum, we can ask him.
 
JCS123 said:
I remember one reviewer mentioning it, but that was few years ago and I don't recall who the reviewer was. That said, I don't claim to have read every review of LUMIN products. I have to believe that as well-engineered and designed as LUMIN products are, there is probably a reason for the overhang.

When Peter returns to the forum, we can ask him.
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I think that was my review!
 
The best source of what makes for a helpful review would certainly not be reviewers, or even dealers, it would be consumers of audio gear and consumers of reviews. Maybe its happened and I missed it, but I haven't seen any of the publications solicit in a serious way from paid subscribers what would be helpful in a review.

Most reviews that I read follow a loose pattern. A few meaningless introductory paragraphs meant to be clever. Then a usually detailed description of the products, its features, some measurements if we are lucky, nice photos, price, etc. Most reviewers do a good job of this and the information is very useful. Next we get subjective impressions. Some reviewers, I'll again tout Tom Martin, do a pretty good job of this by attempting a description that has some meat on the bones in terms of tone, soundstage, etc. Then, with a lot of reviews, you get a list of the songs the reviewer used-usually high tone stuff that is well beyond my plebeian tastes- never seen one that said ole George Jones never sounded better. The same florid language can be found over and over and, speaking only for me, represents empty literary calories. Then the inevitable "If you are in the market for a $______ amp, consider this one".

What's missing? A full disclosure of conflicts of interest so I can decide for myself if they matter. The kind of information Mike mentioned-practical stuff, small but useful features or annoyances that wouldn't be obvious at first blush. And at least comparisons with competitive products. Doesn't have to be subjective judgements about which is "better" but a comparison of features, sound quality, etc, between competing products. Reviews could tell us how specific products differ from one another without assigning rank.

Not universal truths-some reviewers provide more useful material than others and I'll again point to Martin's series on dacs. I think Soundstage does a good job and of course there are others. Maybe the publications should be explicit about the purpose of their reviews-is it just entertainment, as some suggest, or is it intended as a serious effort to aid subscribers in understanding the products?
 
Kramer64 said:
The best source of what makes for a helpful review would certainly not be reviewers, or even dealers, it would be consumers of audio gear and consumers of reviews. Maybe its happened and I missed it, but I haven't seen any of the publications solicit in a serious way from paid subscribers what would be helpful in a review.

Most reviews that I read follow a loose pattern. A few meaningless introductory paragraphs meant to be clever. Then a usually detailed description of the products, its features, some measurements if we are lucky, nice photos, price, etc. Most reviewers do a good job of this and the information is very useful. Next we get subjective impressions. Some reviewers, I'll again tout Tom Martin, do a pretty good job of this by attempting a description that has some meat on the bones in terms of tone, soundstage, etc. Then, with a lot of reviews, you get a list of the songs the reviewer used-usually high tone stuff that is well beyond my plebeian tastes- never seen one that said ole George Jones never sounded better. The same florid language can be found over and over and, speaking only for me, represents empty literary calories. Then the inevitable "If you are in the market for a $______ amp, consider this one".

What's missing? A full disclosure of conflicts of interest so I can decide for myself if they matter. The kind of information Mike mentioned-practical stuff, small but useful features or annoyances that wouldn't be obvious at first blush. And at least comparisons with competitive products. Doesn't have to be subjective judgements about which is "better" but a comparison of features, sound quality, etc, between competing products. Reviews could tell us how specific products differ from one another without assigning rank.

Not universal truths-some reviewers provide more useful material than others and I'll again point to Martin's series on dacs. I think Soundstage does a good job and of course there are others. Maybe the publications should be explicit about the purpose of their reviews-is it just entertainment, as some suggest, or is it intended as a serious effort to aid subscribers in understanding the products?
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True, but the risk is the shills. Read even those with caution. A high degree of caution. If someone is waxing poetically for pages and pages and pages - be wary. If it’s short and sweet, usually and probably legit.
 
There are obviously differences in what things sound like and what people prefer. That is the nature of the beast.
Compromise is also a built in factor since everyone has different budgets, spaces , listening choices and esthetic decisions.
However there is one major thing missing IMO from the review process and that is there are zero constants, Constants you ask? Yes
There are no standards as to set up of speakers for example. No process. No minimum degrees of competency. Its just WTF. Well to me WTF just means that there is not enough knowledge.
I ask this question, If you don't know how to set up a pair of speakers then why do I care about your conclusion of how they sound?
With over 50 years experience in this business/hobby I can confidently state that if you don't know how then should find someone that can. This IMO can't be more important than if you are reviewing since if the set up is wrong then what are you commenting on? the product? or the fact that its improperly set up.
Just building a room, buying room treatment, getting high end electrical work and spending serious cash on gear does not mean the system will sound amazing.
The differences are in the details, the small details, the even smaller details.
 
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