NickSo

Christ Reynolds

guilty...kinda. i'm not shy about praising my pioneer elite 45tx receiver. however, the only other receiver i have any experience with is an old sony. so, when i see one of those 45tx/3803/5es threads, even though i tell them to get the 45tx, i have no experience with the other 2 machines, which i am sure are pretty sweet too. but if i have experience with both, i try to be objective, even if i still own one of them.

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!

Lew Crippen

Well, yes and no. When a post asks for suggestions about equipment that meets the criteria for equipment that I both own and like, I will probably suggest that equipment. For example I often suggest the widescreen Sony XBR800 or 910 for those who want a direct-view set and have a budget of a bit over $2,000. And for those with a smaller budget who are satisfied with a smaller picture, I will often recommend the 30” Samsung.

But no way would I recommend my receiver or my prior speakers. Not that they were (or are) bad, just that there are far superior alternatives for the same (or even less) money.

For speakers in general, I often recommend ones that I own (if the criteria, such as budget, etc. is correct), but I often suggest other brands in addition to the ones that I own, simply because different speakers have such a different appeal to each different listener.

Often in the case of speakers I don’t make any recommendation, because the criteria in the post is outside my experience.

¡Time is not my master!

MarkHastings

This has always been a pet-peeve of mine in the pet threads (no pun intended ). Someone will ask "What dog should I get?" and everyone chimes in with their own pets, like "I own a XXXXX and it's great!"

There was one thread asking for a well mannered dog and everyone started chiming in with their own pets. I was worried because some mentioned dogs that are not known for being 'well mannered' but they decided to use them as examples of "Good" dogs.

I had to chime in and tell the thread starter not to listen to that type of advice because it is almost always biased. People treat their pets like children and can't imagine anything else being better (even if they aren't well behaved).

So yes, I guess I can see the correlation to HT equipment (or whatever). The other instance would be when talking about cars. Everyone seems to think theirs is the best, so it's impossible to get an unbiased opinion.

On the other side, I also hate the threads where people say stuff like "I had XXXXX and will never buy it because it didn't work (or sucked)". Who knows why it broke? Maybe they broke it? especially in the case of computer equipment. I run into many people who blame the machinery and not the way they use their computer.

Funny story: I was reading user comments on an MP3 player and one guy gave it a bad review...his reason? well, he said (and I quote) - "I threw it at my friend and it no longer plays"

p.s. Basically what I suggested in the dog thread was:

Ted Lee

yup!

working at bb, i'm (obviously) recommending stuff to customers. when they ask what a good rptv is, i always tell them mits. when they ask why, i say because i bought one myself. (plus it's one of the few good ones they sell). same scenario with yamaha receivers or jbl speakers or directv, or sony dvd players, etc.

but it works out for me. i wouldn't buy junk ... nor would i recommend junk to someone ... so things just kinda synch up.

i own all the stuff and can recommend with confidence that the product holds water and that i'm familiar with how it works and performs. plus, i think they're more likely to trust me when i tell them i actually own what i'm peddling.

this is my dvd collection. there are many like it, but this is my own ...