review terminology? (1 Viewer)

[ernie.bin]

Since I started reading reviews of speakers a bit over a year ago, I noticed how many reviews would say a product was as good as another costing many times it's own price.

Since I hear this so much, I've been thinking that they must be comparing them to really crappy speakers that cost way more than they're worth.

If paradigms, axioms, dahlquists, rockets, etc can all sound as good as speakers worth a lot more than them, don't they just set the new standard? They all make comparably priced speakers now that perform at similar levels.

Do I have a point? or am I just being an ass?

Seeing so many glowing reviews puts the fright into me that the reviews aren't as accurate as I would hope, and tend to overhype products. I so rarely see bad reviews online, that I don't know which brands are the speakers that cost way more that sound only as good as a much cheaper paradigm/axiom etc.

 

[Khoa Tran]

yeah i thought that too but i guess the level that the higher priced speakers are set, the name, the build quality, and the design/engineering would come into account where the other higher priced speaker plays the part.....

 

[Chu Gai]

i'd hate to think a reviewer wasn't being objective. perhaps one of those companies or reviewers will point out just what speaker system they compare favorably or superior to. personally, i look at the brands you mentioned as all representing points on a large fuzzy circle. somewhere in that circle lies your particular taste which'll be somewhat influenced by the environment you put those speakers in.

 

[John F. Palacio]

Seeing so many glowing reviews puts the fright into me that the reviews aren't as accurate as I would hope, and tend to overhype products

Hard to argue with that statement, Ernie!

 

[Doug BW]

To the contrary, when a reviewer says a speaker is better than speakers twice the price, I believe he is generally being truthful and accurate.

But look carefully at what the reviewer has actually said! The reviewer has simply made a true statement that, while containing no useful information, is calculated to make the reader think it does.

The casual reader is tricked into thinking the reviewer has said "This speaker is better than all speakers twice the price", which is a very different statement.

Let's say the reviewer is talking about a $1000 speaker. If in his entire life, he's heard exactly one $2000 speaker that to his taste is not quite as good as the $1000 speaker, he can truthfully (but deceptively) make the "twice the price" claim. No matter that he's heard dozens of $2000 speakers that blow away the $1000 speaker.

If you listen to lots of speakers in ANY price range, you'll certainly find a few that you don't like. Not necessarily because they're junk, but perhaps because they were designed to appeal to someone with different tastes than you.

Rest assured that if you like the speakers you own, or merely think your speakers are mediocre, your speakers are better than speakers twice the price.