Small floor standing speaker shootout... (1 Viewer)

[frank manrique]

quote:
__________________________________________________ ________

Frank... The remodeling is going well... Hopefully we can get the 750's here... and see if we agree.
__________________________________________________ ________

Am very anxiously waiting for that to happen; is going to be the "acid" test!

You know, I think that is going to be quite interesting to see what subjectively (and if objective tests are conducted, whether we can correlate them with our aural perceptions of said speaker system as well) you come up with to say the least, thus am really looking forward to that moment with eager anticipation...

-THTS

"...hi, my name is Frank...and am an SVS bassaholic..."

 

[Craig Chase]

Frank... and other interested parties... If you look on AV123, you will see a fairly substantial announcement... I am going to be partnering with Mark Schifter in the start of "Rocket Canada"....

So yes, I will absolutely post on my thoughts on the 750's, but obviously no longer as a reviewer.

That being said, I will still report on what I hear. If I like them, great... if not, I will tell you that, too.

Afterall, We own a Ford-Lincon-Mercury dealership and a Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep store, too.

Do I drive a Viper ? Nope ... Mustang ? Nope... My sports car is a 2004 Corvette..

 

[Nhan_H]

Congrats, Craig. And thanks for being up front about your new position. Either way, I think we'll still enjoy all your reviews.

 

[Craig Chase]

Thanks Nhan... I will still be auditioning speakers, for sure... I love audio too much to stop doing that...

Plus hanging out here with friends is TOO much fun ..

 

[Cees Alons]

Congrats, Craig.

But in the light of that announcement, I think it's better to close this thread now.

Your position has changed during the course of this thread, the information stays the same. But we don't want possible questions about independency - or lost independency - to ruin the discussions.


Cees

 

[Parker Clack]

Moderators note:

I have reopened this thread so that this discussion can continue.

Parker

 

[JackRI]

Well THAT's interesting! I wish someone would share with us why it was closed, and then why minds were changed and it was reopened. I'm lost! :frowning:

 

[Rob Kramer]

Thanks Parker.

I think folks here on THIS forum respect Craig, and see him as an honest man - regardless of any affilations he has within the industry.

Of course, Im not sure about the future direction of this thread. We are already at 21 pages now. Will there be any further comparisons supporting the shootout? Valuable information has been posted in this thread with respect to the shootout between Ascend and Rocket. Any further comparisons with other players (such as Swan or Axiom) would be welcome here, but I believe that any "stand-alone" impressions (single reviews) are better served with their own thread. When researching products (searching past threads), it is difficult to skim through a 20+ page thread.

 

[JackRI]

Parker I apologize for not thanking you for reopening the thread. I was just so confused that I forgot my manners. Please excuse me.

 

[Chris Quinn]

Why is this thread now a "sticky"?

 

[Craig Chase]

I have formally asked for this thread to be removed. In 30 Days, my affiliation with AV123 will begin officially, and it seems innapropriate to keep this thread even available to read.

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Affiliation or not, removing or even closing this thread seems quite drastic when in fact it holds a tremendous amount of useful information from several members. I also do not understand some of the negative reactions caused by your announcement, especially because it seems pretty clear you have been very up front and honest rather than some who hide their affiliations.

I hope this thread continues, as it is unlikely that the information within will get reposted any time soon.

 

[Craig Chase]

Nils, I appreciate the kind words. This whole review concept started in June when another review of several internet direct speakers failed.

I tried to make it work and actually purchased all the products being used here.

Now questions are being brought up that this was part of some grand scheme of mine. Considering that, as stated above, I only tried this due to the demise of the other shootout, the amount of grief I have received is just not worth it.

 

[MikeNg]

I can understand some people's reaction. Some are simply more prone to act on their envy, jealosy, and just their overall view of life that everyone's got an alterior motive (of course this excludes everyone on this forum! ).

Craig, since we've never seen a picture of you, how do we know you're not this bald dude with a monocle, plotting to take over the world with your dwarf sidekick? Hey, it could happen...

Do what you need to do man, and don't worry about what people think or say (I'm sure you know this aleady!). There will always be those who look for the grey streaks in the clouds and miss the rainbows that they form. Congrats on your affiliation with AV123, and much success in Canada, eh?

OK, rants over...:b

 

[Craig Chase]

Mike... THAT was hysterical... and thanks for the well wishes...

One of these days I will post my ugly mug somewhere...

But there is no monacle, nor a mini-me ....

 

[Jon Oliva]

Hey Craig,

Just wanted to let you know that from my perspective, as a lurker (as in 'too-busy-to-post-or-participate') in this board and others, and a relative newbie to the audio world, I greatly appreciate all your hard work and the passion you have for audio, as well as your dedication to helping others through posting your opinions on these not-always-so-civil forums.

Unfortunately, the current situation is quite a bit of a Catch 22 - you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. With what I think were the most noble of intentions you conducted an illuminating review of two impressive, but shall we say, divisive speakers. I thank you for your time and effort - it helps people like me make a more informed decision. But, somewhere along the line (I am not quite sure of the timeline here, I can only read so many posts before my eyes glaze over) you were offered a great opportunity and took it - for that I congratulate both you and MLS & the AV123 crew. Combine that development with a small but notable crossover error in testing, you have a can of worms. Unfortunately, no matter how objective you were in your review, the revelation of the new job opportunity after the test (which I know you probably made public when able) and the problems with the test itself just ended up looking bad.

Did it look bad to me? Yes, it perked my eyebrows, but NO I don't believe there are any conspiracies here to worry about. While I think it was still a mostly valid test, the damage has been done. What saddens me most is how angry and divisive we enthusiasts can get over such silly things as 'little sound boxes', and while it all works out in the end for the most part, it's not fair that even one person walks away from this thread with a negative attitude toward anyone, especially people like Dave F.

So what's my point? Basically I wanted to thank you for your time, and let you know your opinions are appreciated. But, for the sake of sanity later on, someone should try to take the time to salvage whatever info they can from this thread, move it, and then send what's left to the thread graveyard (bah-leted!). Too much damage has been done to good people's names, and while it has mostly been mended, the casual browser of this thread will undoubtedly not read the full picture and more mud slinging will happen later.

Sorry for the diatribe, but I have to vent once in awhile. This could have been a PM but I wanted others to know how I felt about Craig's work. To remove all bias I don't own anything of note as far as speakers go, but I will probably be an Ascend Owner in the future.

Have a good evening...
Jon O.

 

[Craig Chase]

Jon, I appreciate the thoughts. One thing though, I am not going to work for AV123. I will be an independent business owner. I will even be free to market another company's products, should the opportunity arise.

Yes, I will still be checking out other company's wares... and if I see something that is a notch above, I may carry that line.

I can also tell you that, had I known in July, when I ordered all these speakers , that I was going to be entering the business side of the equation, there is no way I would have gone through all this. I have over 200 hours invested in this test and thread. And I paid full retail for each product tested.

I also hope you do order the Ascends. They are a fine product.

 

[MikeNg]

Well golly gee, since you've already invested all that time and money I think you should go forward with your review. Who says you have to publish it on the forum? If you are still inclined to do it, I for one would still be interested in knowing your assessment and results. Perhaps those whom are still interested can simply PM you for the results.

I mean, hey, you're 200 hours into it. Whats another 200?

I'm disappointed there's no mini-me. Maybe he's hiding in the B4+!

 

[Craig Chase]

YOU are cracking me up... I will be checking out the 750's and RSC-200, along with both the 550 mark II's and 750's on the risers...

IT will be posted on AV123.

On a rather ironic note, I golfed with our dealership's Factory Rep today. Which means, he works for Ford.

I drive a Corvette... which he was teasing me about. I told him that when Ford comes out with a REAL sports car that is actually available.... (try to get a Ford GT)

I will buy one.

 

[Cees Alons]

When Craig announced his affiliation with AV123, we felt that it was necessary to close this particular discussion, because there's no doubt that part of it has been published while talks about that affiliation took place, without most readers being able to know that.

Craig has been very open about the outcome now and in that light, we have reopened this thread to allow for some further discussions about this situation. Since then Craig asked us to delete this thread he originated.

It's only fair for readers of these posts, to be aware of Craig's business interests, especially as they were changing during the last weeks. Also, some of the encounters in this thread may be looked upon from a different perspective, knowing in what way and to what extend Craig is no longer "independent". The same can be (formally) said for some of the conclusions posted here.

To emphasize this turning point, as well as to point this situation out to possible (future) readers, we will close this thread, thereby marking this post as a recognizable end.
The information in it will however stay available on this forum.

Craig, if for any reason you feel you cannot live with the thread not being deleted after all - please contact me.

For others there will be a clear CAVEAT: you may want to know about Craig Chase's pending affiliation with AV123, and ongoing negotiations between him and Mark Shifter while this thread was progressing. Please read Craig's statements about this matter in this thread too and judge for yourselves.


Cees