I need your help!

Zero

Zero

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Joined
Oct 15, 2013
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636
Location
Virginia
Or rather, I need some feedback!

So here's the situation: In roughly one week, I plan on launching a Youtube channel that'll be dedicated to stereo Hi-Fi stuffs. The channel will contain reviews, general commentary, and things of that nature. What I need YOUR help in, is gathering feedback on the kinda things that you would - and would not - like to see. Now before I begin firing off a series of questions, there are a few things that you should know beforehand:

And knowing is half the battle...!

- The purpose of my channel is to serve as both a resource to other music lovers, and as a fun project for yours truly. I'm not doing this for fame or fortune. Heh. Truth be told, I've already accepted the fact that I'll never make a dime off of this gig. This is an important notation, mostly because it means I won't be able to drop tons of money into this channel. Especially right off the bat. So please bear that in mind before suggesting that I go out and buy a whole bunch of production and/or audio gear. :D

- While I will do my best to output the most accurate reviews that I can possibly muster, I do not plan on treating this channel like a professional business. If anything, the videos themselves will probably come across as a bit low-fi. The funny thing is that I kinda like this approach. I tend to be drawn to more "raw" Hi-Fi type channels. It feels more authentic, and less like somebody is trying to sell me something. More on this later...

Alright, now that you know where I'm coming from, here are my questions:


What do YOU think?

- First and foremost - what kind of equipment reviews would you like to see? Would you prefer for them to be short and to the point (ala: What Hi-Fi?), or would you like me to take the time to point out every little detail that I possibly could?

- What do you think about the 'raw' approach? Obviously some manufacturers will shun it, but I don't really give a f#@ at this point n' time.

- Do you think I should take the time to record the sound of my system (particularly when it comes to loudspeaker reviews)? To be fair, this is an extremely complex undertaking and I've noticed that opinions on this topic are highly polarized.

- I plan on taking the non-scripted approach to most of the content that I post - particularly when it comes to riffing about various Hi-Fi topics. What do you all think? Scripted or non-scripted?

- Lastly, I plan on being super blunt when it comes to my assessments. Obviously this approach will rub some people / businesses the wrong way. Now to be clear, I will not slander anybody nor will I throw anyone or anything under the bus. That being said, if there's something that a product doesn't do well, I'm not going shy away from mentioning it. Obviously I'll give criticisms their due perspective, but yep - that's my plan of attack. Whatchu boys think about that?


Alright guys. That's the end of my super long post. Thanks for taking the time to read it, and I look forward to any feedback that you have to offer!


Cheers!
 
Perhaps you can tell us a little about yourself and your background.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
And what gear you will have access to for your reviews.
 
Mike - Thanks for the suggestion. I plan on including that info in my intro video - which I'll be making (and hopefully posting) within the next couple days. :)

Mep - Yep, that too will be the plan. I may make a separate video for that. The good news is that the bulk of my 'reference' gear has been in the stable for a number of years now.
 
This is me being blunt:

What's a "youtube channel"?

Can you provide a link or two to already established examples?
 
Sure thing MikeCh,

So, here's an example of a popular Hi-Fi channel. The production quality is pretty low, but he nonetheless has a pretty solid following:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVrSYkR10_JxMM7S64ZVSMw

Now here's an example of a very well-polished Hi-Fi channel. This guy doesn't have nearly the same following, but his audience is different and he's still fairly new (just over a year into it) :

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFnhdh4Hj78gtRtreOR9OzQ


Edit: And here's a professional youtube channel by a professional mag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4zPew4NqNY
 
If you don't record the gear playing it's highly anticlimactic IMO. Like a YouTube review of a car where they don't start the engine or drive the vehicle. Far more interesting if you play the gear.
 
Thanks for the feedback Jax. I think you're right. Unfortunately, the best recording setup I can possibly afford atm would be the Zoom H6. Still, I suppose that's better than nada.
 
Thanks for starting this and asking our opinion, Zero.

Surprisingly, I agree that a video of the gear playing is not of zero interest. How about taking it one step further and having guests share their impression, point to what they appreciate or don't? To me the value of any channel, and any review, is in the plurality of points of views, and trying to know as much as possible about where the reviewers are coming from: what they pay attention to, what they expect, what they have the experience of, what they can hear...

Reviewers (pros or not) often think their job is to grade -- tell you how good it is, what it is better than, etc. I think it has more value to help us appreciate a gear for what it has to offer -- it depends on so many factors, taste being a big one but not the only one. Sure enough there is some plain crappy gear out there, but why bother reviewing it and if you do, why go at length.

In that spirit, context is often very useful -- part of telling what a gear is good for is telling what the conditions are for it being good. For instance there are plenty of discussions in this forum about the sensitivity of Raidho speakers to placements, cables, amps, and allover implementation. So we know that it is important (and if you have no freedom in how to place your speakers, maybe you should not consider them), and ideally we know what works (which is more interesting than what doesn't).
 
Do you have access to gear? Lots of gear. I mean a Warehouse 13 , chockers, full. Brass and bling. Mid-Fi, Chi-Fi, Hi-Fi, Ultra-Fi. 100v, 220v, 230v, 240v. All the rave, USA. The latest and greatest Euro, German, Danish, French, Polish, Italian and Swiss. Tubes and Czech barnyard finds.

Exotica, erotica and lots of women in bikinis and painted nails turning knobs on and off, up and down, bending over subbies, picking up gear, flipping vinyl, checking out your stylus rake angle. Go Chad! Go Michael! Cables, Snakes, snake oilers, carbolic smoke-ballers. They're no Angels, Gabriel. Pseudo-science, Schumann, Shatki, Indian Bob. And don't forget the Coconut Audio Cheez, dude!

All is great when showcasing a classic vintage McIntosh or otherwise but in the end, no gear, no interest.

Are you going to get all technical? I could do with DoP tutorial for starters... Hope that helps. Did I say boobs already, oops I mean vinyl washers...yes, more ultrasonic RCM shootouts, there's more coming...Chinese rips on the way. Gotta run. More cables to buy. More cables, more cables, more cables! And watch out for that Aficionado with the big ears!
 
Somehow I managed to let this thread slip through my fingers. Oops!

First, thank you Julot for taking the time to share your thoughts and ideas with me. I really appreciate it! I may not able to implement everything that you suggested, but I'll everything in my power to add context to my reviews - and to make them incredibly clear and concise.

Oh and Steve, thanks for your entertaining Dylan-esque post. Boobs. Now there's a way to gain easy clicks. :D

Anyways guys, I really appreciate the feedback. I posted up a sound-test video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXPgnnxliOQ If any of you have a moment, please check it out and tell me what you think about the sound. I only have a few days left to decide whether or not the Zoom H6 stays or goes!
 
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