A Problem with Audiophiles
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- Audio enthusiast, at every level, should be allowed to express their enthusiasm. It's sad that often that enthusiasm has to be associated with any sort of ulterior motive. We should try to not be so cynical.
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#audiophile #headphones #reviews - Zábava
The most glaring issue for me is that audiophiles focus like 90% on gear and only like 10% on the music itself, like the type of music and actual musical pieces. It always seemed to me like putting the cart before the horse. Once I got a decent setup, the biggest increase by far was refining my music tastes and getting more of them.
Very true. It’s about the music. I have heard some very nice systems and many audiophiles have the absolute worst music collections. Bunch of esoteric music that nobody listens to.
@@epi2045 Yup, and you can see that very easily by their spending breakdown, the vast majority of funds and attention always go into systems.
100%...also on YT, lot of self-proclaimed audiophiles with little knowledge about the music history/scene etc. At the same time their technical knowledge isn't deep either. So, basically a gear fetish without passion and knowledge about music and technical aspects
@jenshoefer7944 There technical knowledge being very low is so glaring. That's exactly why the term "snake oil" was introduced for audiophiles stuff, they keep spending a lot of money because hearing is very placebo prone.
I see gate keeping at the extreme ends of the hobby ..
Sine say that any DAC under $5k is garbage..and some say that a $300 DAC is perfectly fine and you don’t need to spend any more than that…
I fall in the middle ..get what gear ⚙️ that speaks to you and sound good to YOU …and see if it’s an upgrade path that should you want to explore better performance…we’re all looking for something..many no not what their path is …
This is the ideal end-state in my mind. Only really accessible to those of a sound mind however.
Most people will be more than happy with a 50 EU Soundblaster G3 lol. I've stopped reading these types of discussions because I was so sick of seeing things like people recommending 200 EU headphone amps for people who just got 100 EU headphones.. Lunatics, the lot of them. I've actually seen a youtube review of Fiio FD1 in ears, which cost me 65 EU, where a reviewer was praising how well they sounded with his amp that costs 1k and it was actually intended as advice for people who found their sound lacking when just hooked up to a phone.. To me the only thing I needed to make them sound satisfying was raise 60 hz band by 1 db on the Samsung phone built in EQ, as they are slightly lacking in sub bass.
@@BroformistFair point .
Yup. The space for discourse and disagreement is shrinking everywhere. Audiophiles exist on a spectrum of broke students, DIY magicians, all-in-one believers, HiFi elites, etc. Still, at the end of the day, we're all really enthusiasts chasing audio magic. Thanks for calling it out 📣
unfortunately most of us , at one point or another encounter such trolling , and even sadder is that the culprit on hand might not even be being negative, they are just over zealous in their belief that certain thing should be so and so , and yet see someone with a different point of view, then they just go off attacking the person who voice the alternative point of view , its the old Car Rage / Road Rage syndrome , just happening online, the environment that shield the individual made them feel invulnerable and invincible , and made them believe in their own supremacy over others , not feeling and seeing others as fellow human being
It sucks when you’re really excited about a setup you spent as much time and money as you have(possibly more money than you should have spent) and it’s great, “for the amount of money you spent.” For “mid-fi.” “But it’s trash compared to…” Like I can’t be an audiophile or audio enthusiast because I only spent, god, Ives spent thousands of dollars on everything and I’ve done it over and over and I’m always very proud of what I put together and how it sounds. Because my end game is when I get my music sounding the way I’ve been striving to get it. I totally agree with this video. There always has to be someone that puts it down. They sit there and type something nasty or just passive aggressively put people down. I understand how you feel like you could just be rambling about this because it’s deep and you could go on and on, further and further down the rabbit hole.
I think the thing with a lot of these types of people is that they don't really have anything else going for them. They know a bit about audio and have expensive equipment and they derive their entire self-worth from it. It's rather sad.
I couldn't agree more. I've never understood the over-the-top negativity in the comments by some. At the beginning of my audio hobby, I let myself get sucked into a few negative replies; in the end, realizing it was just a major waste of my time.
I recently discovered your channel on the Ferrum Stack. I like your style and what I've seen so far; keep it going.
Thank you! Very much appreciate your support. 🙏
Same thing is happening in home theather and 2 channel audio space.
You’re right - negativity is a big problem in the community. Look at what happened to Metal571 and why he stopped his great reviews. Here’s some positivity for you - keep up the good work and videos.
I appreciate that, thank you.
Yes this is an issue and thanks for your thoughts. Can't we all get along?
Another thought is...
But if there was an over abundance of overly positive reviews, currently there are too many, without skepticism from viewers then the reviewers could spin content however they want without any repercussions. Reviewers need to be honest in their approach and not pitch men. Viewers need to hold content creators accountable for how they present. Its pretty obvious which content creators are shills, link pushers and motivated by numbers. Some creators are sneaky in there approaches but there are tell tale signs. With all that said ther is a polite way to call out the bs. There also is a polite way to agree to disagree.
Reviewers certainly need to be held to a different standard, as they have the responsibility of influence. No argument there. I don't feel that someone who is totally new to the hobby and is just trying to express themselves should have to bear the weight of that same level of scrutiny. And that's not to even mention the complexity of considering preferences in the equation.
@@MasterMarslander totally agree. Just giving your opinion as a consumer, not in a review setting, on a product that you think is awesome should be accepted by others as a fellow consumer liking a product nothing more nothing less. Whether or not you agree or disagree with the opinion doesn't give you the right to be an 🐴🍑. Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.
It was worse on the forums back in the day. The topic starts on a McIntosh preamp & by the 10th comment, people are dog fighting about Nixon, lawn mowers, and interest rates.
So you've actually seen improvement of this over the years? That's encouraging.
@@MasterMarslanderYes it is encouraging. People used to threaten physical harm over 8mm or 12mm woofer extension. Take note that 1 in 5 people have a mental health issue hence no matter what is said, 20% will go bonkers.
If they don’t have a mental illness then they’re new to the comment sections; raging and being a dick in the comment section is soooo 2015. Keep up the good job, lighting looks good, natural speaking, and don’t worry about the negative comments - people love drama and it helps drive comments hence better on the algorithms. 😊
@@epi2045 I appreciate the kind words, but I'm certainly not trying to cause any drama. Frankly, I find it ridiculous that some folks are having such a negative response to a video that merely asks for folks to not be so damn cynical. Some irony in there. Yeesh.
Not in the DIY speaker scene or turntable scene...i resorted to just reading in forums, not posting...it is as you described, someone posted a simple question about product xyz and 10 comments later it turns into ideology battle ...always feel sad for the poster because after all his/her question never got answered
Great video. I am not into audio stuff but the yt algo graced me with your video. I am in the 3d printing community and the groups, gangs,(?) gatekeeping can be insufferable.
I have no direct knowledge on the % of negative folks but I'd like to think they are a very loud but tiny minority of people who want to bring others into their negative headspace.
However, for every sourpuss there are scores of positivity and engagement. A subscriber reminded me "All roads lead to Rome". Which I took as this.
While there are many conflicting opinions, there is agreement we want similar things.
We will defend what we think is best
We will argue our points
We may not find common ground
We may take passions a little too far
But as long as we are respectful we can still share the space, even if we are on opposite sides or facing different directions.
That's lovely! Very glad the algo brought you over, thank you!
I hate when people get too caught up in the equipment and not the music. That’s my primary focus. Do I enjoy the music I’m listening to?
The best advice I can give is to enjoy the process and the music. Learn what works for you, stick to it and shut out the noise.
*Toxic positivity is a problem as much as hyper cynicism.* And I find the the former to be far more dangerous in the case of reviews. Because it's the "why are you guys being so negative?" crowd that is almost always trying to cover up something, silence dissent and/or sell you something.
This might be a ME problem, but whenever I find anything nowadays that everyone and their mother is gushing about it I end up checking it out and it feels like everyone that promoted it was either a shill or a goober that didn't know any better. You actively have to seek out the good stuff yourself, be it products or entertainment. I still have access to all the best private torrent trackers and I don't really even bother pirating much anymore because the mainstream stuff is so worthless that the companies are giving it to me for free legally themselves. Its not about selling games, movies, and music anymore. It's far more lucrative to make your music video a veiled Samsung ad, give your game away for free and sell virtual hats, or stream people music while blasting them with direct ads.
Same thing with products. Bluetooth headphones are all about planned obsolescence, taking money out of your pocket every couple of years when the battery dies and filling up a landfill with more crap that will be there for centuries. My headphones and earbuds have lasted me a decade and all I had to do was swap the cable on the buds and now I can't even use them with my phone without an adapter.
You're absolutely right. Reviewers, in particular, shoulder a responsibility to be objective and unbiased with whatever they are discussing. They are also to be held under a much more precise lens. My concern is for the new hifi forum member who just wants to start a discussion about the new gear they got, and them getting treated as if they are themselves a large hifi influencer just trying to sell a product. That kind of reaction pushes new people away from the hobby.
Aww, it's the same in every community of collectors or fans.
Without wishing to come across as too hippy-dippy about it,to me it makes more sense to be happy for each other when we find equipment that brings us so much fulfilment. After all,we're enjoying the same hobby ,so are effectively one community,are we not?
Even if there's envy people should be able to rein it in and remain civil,i feel.
Preach it!
You made some very valid points but I think there’s a balance between overly positive and overly negative and as a reviewer I think one needs to swing carefully on that pendulum. Your recent Bokeh first impression review for example came across supremely positive and I actually stopped watching because of the over exaggerated enthusiasm. For the most part I agree with you that this community has more negativity than required but I also believe there is a sweet spot for subjectivity and objectivity.
Reviewers certainly do have more responsibility because of the position that they are in, and as such need to ensure they are being honest and genuine - but to take your example of the Bokeh unboxing, that was a genuine reaction. I was excited by what I was seeing and was having fun exploring the packaging. It would of been disingenuous of me to force some kind of artificial criticism just so I can maintain some sense of balance, you know what I mean? But regardless, even as small as I am on this platform I understand and respect that I'll get criticized for my perspectives on whatever I'm sharing. My main concern is for the people just starting out. It's ridiculous for someone who is making their 3rd or 4th review to their 50 subscriber audience to be accused for shilling a product just because they really liked it. It's the knee jerk reaction to question someone's enthusiasm as having some kind of motive that disappoints me.
@@MasterMarslander I agree with you. I’m not new to the Audiophile space at all and although I’m not a reviewer I can see that it could be difficult to come across genuine in a video. I don’t think enough people know how hard it is to be able to express their feelings in an engaging way to keep the audiences attention and interest up and I think you’re doing a great job at that. In all of the videos that I’ve seen from you I’ve never thought you were shilling any products.
Music is about the journey. The equipment we use are merely tools, noting more. In my opinion the best way to experience any genre of music is live. Headphones or speakers can never replace a live performance.
Sure we all have our tastes and preferences, but to call yourself an 'Audiophile' is to state you have a passion for music. So it should never be about how much you spend on your amp or what brand is covering your ear-holes. If it isn't the for the love of music that your doing this for you aren't an audiophile in my book.
I just got started in the hobby, and I'm rocking the HyperX Cloud II. I like them! Feel triggered? You missed the point.
EXACTLY! Bravo!
I've had a blast on home theater systems, headphone setups both with all in one components and seperates, I've loved jamming out to music on amazon alexa and on tinny TV speakers. I think if more people were enthusiastic about gear at all levels we would all be a lot happier.
Amen to that.
I agree completely, i wish there was a safe space where we could just talk about our stuff without treated like total crap.
Safe space? Oh man the comment section definitely isn’t the place.
@@epi2045 That’s a fact.
Hifiguides is pretty chill
i agree there's something fundamentally wrong with them. you just know.
I tend to see a lot of the gate keeping on places like Reddit which is a shame since that’s where a lot of people dipping their toes in to the hobby head to for advice. I believe in music enjoyment first & above all else. Whatever gear or preference someone has is all good! Thanks for addressing this topic!
Over the past few months I've abandoned Reddit. After a while you start noticing that subs turn into echo chambers and hive minds. Your opinion is immediately invalid if you go against the mainstream. I've gone onto finding forums where the community actually acts like a social club rather than posting for internet points.
I don't think it's just audiophiles. The phenomenon you're talking about here is in any forum about any topic on the internet. Just take a look at any subreddit.
I wish it wasn't that way, too, because as cliche as it is-we all really are on our own journeys, learning as we go and having opinions as we gain experience-in hobbies, and just life in general.
At the end of the day, to engage in communities means each of us needs to develop our own filters to filter out the negativity-but let enough through to maintain exposure to different points of view than our own so we can grow. Context is everything.
Wonderful words
I've been feeling this for a while. I left a bunch of social spaces because of how people were reacting to things. Elitism is the most prevalent in general, I found, where your opinions don't matter unless you are in agreement with those held in highest regard. If you don't EQ, you're wrong. If you like treble, you're wrong. If you don't prefer the HD600, you're wrong. It's exhausting! Personally though I find accessibility to be the worst - absolutely no consideration for people who might have specific needs to get the most out of their audio experience. If there was a friendly, active, non-judgemental forum to join and just enjoy talking about audio I'd join immediately!
That's an interesting discussion, accessibility. Where do you see accessibility challenges in the hobby, and what do you think would be good steps to respond to those challenges?
@@MasterMarslander This is mostly headphone based but I've had issues with hearing imbalance, which was a long and difficult problem to compensate for with audio gear. No-one seems to care about L/R balance controls, for example, and they're quite rare to find in anything but some TOTL devices. I don't think I've ever seen a creator talk about hearing issues, how settings like the L and R individual PEQs on the ADI-2 DAC FS can be used to offset those, or where you can find software or gear at various price points to help mitigate those. It would great to see dedicated videos and also to point out in regular reviews where those devices fall short.
@garfythecat this is excellent. I'm going to think on this and see what I might be able to contribute.
Just one?
My big problem was picking out what headset I wanted to listen to your video with. ;)
That's real suffering right there.
Howdy back ..from Toronto ☕️❄️
Listening 👂
Appreciate your 2 Cents. Besides the Headphone Hobby I'm also into Video Games and have been a guitarist/musician for a long time. It's the SAME in every hobby where you will always have a few who consider themselves a Know It All. A Hobby is always going to be SUBJECTIVE so you just have to take everything with a grain of salt from the Loudmouth's always putting things down. Who cares what they say
This is not new my friend, I've been in this hobby a long while now and you'll notice that there are "groups", some nice, some naughty and some spicy! Stick to what you're attracted to and foster your own the way you want to be treated. Anyone negative in this hobby space isn't worth your time and opinions, just simple let them be. I come up through the hobby listening to Tyll Hertsens and he was able to give such great knowledge without all the pompous and drama. He liked what he liked and gave a great impression about whatever he was trying to show us! Haters are gonna hate. Leave them be and just stick to your guns! I like to hear your thoughts on the gear you review because you seem to be open and honest and not trying to shill at the same time!
Thanks VH, that's very encouraging.
Yup and don’t delete the negative comments unless it’s really lairy. Ignore them and focus on the people you want to engage with.
In a strange turn of events, it turns out the bass heads are the truest enthusiasts in this timeline. They just wanna feel the air wobble and get on with their lives
Wobble, wobble.
Looking Sharp! I think it's important to remember that when you started this and I'm not sure it is on any of the available videos of the channel, that you made a point to to say that the headphone highlight on the streams was not a review, but more like an Impressions segment, hence the fun stats such as the cloud comfort level. You obviously put a ton of work into each video and segment that is on par with a review. It's obvious the style of your videos have evolved into more of a review and along with increased views it's easy to just fall into the review mentality from a viewer perspective.
I totally get the critical mentality surrounding Positive reviews when I look at a product I know nothing about, I often am very skeptical of reviews that are only positive. As a viewer of yours I know where you've come from and can vouch for your authenticity. The challenge with growing channels will be to wade thru the inevitable negativity and foster a positive and supportive community.
Keep doing what you do and hopefully more like minded people will come and help you grow even more!
You lovely, kind soul you. Thank you.
I've been noticing that more and more, this negativity. People have become quite sour these days.
people are being lied to, and gaslight like never before...so the reflex has become " whats your angle "....
Understandable, but is such a reflex necessary for people who are just starting out in the hobby? Do we really need to assume that Joe Bob has an angle on his first ever Reddit post?
People can be ridiculous. it's a subjective hobby, there's no correct way to listen and that's one thing I love about it. I've got wonderful musical memories tied to gear ranging from some KPH30's to the Oriolus Trailii!
It depends on what form the enthusiasm takes. Often times, the "positive" things that people have to say about audio gear are things that aren't based in any kind of reality. I don't care if someone likes their new DAC, but if that "positivity" takes the form of a bunch of subjective and not properly tested claims about sonics, we should take care that we're not fostering the putrefaction of the hobby to protect someone's feelings who should really probably just read Douglas Self and participate in some ABX testing.
That might be where a lot of the negativity comes from, just..engineers who are tired of the now exacerbated by social media audiophile woowoo.
I can see where you're coming from. I do not have a rig to measure headphones, so I can't produce objective frequency responses in my discussion of headphones. All I can do is be subjective and describe my experiences as best I can, compared to what else I've heard and been exposed to. I'd like to think there is still a place for that. How do you feel about it?
I totally agree. Elitism supports egoism and closed mindedness. Let cynics be cynical. They will always be there. Let them be a blow of hot air. Let the rest of us enjoy this as an open minded audiophiliac pursuit. We should also be open minded enough to accept the cynics in the fold. But I do understand that as a CZcamsr, you probably cop a fair share of flak and it’s not always easy. If this helps, there are enough open minded people out there to support CZcamsrs like yourself. 🍻
Right you are, and I for one am very thankful for that. I'm not all too worried about any flak that I recieve, it comes with the territory, it's the new folks I worry about. Someone just starting out in thier audio journey and getting shut out by unwarranted belittling or wierd misplaced virtue signaling.
@MasterMarslander Goal: ultra high-end. Most will never attain.
20.7s w 2/Rel carbon specials 👌
I own a hifi store, it’s called Dreamonoid’s, we have a CZcams channel. We are a British hifi shop. I have been into hifi since I was 12, cobbled a marantz system together, then my brother bought me an NAD amp, then I saved and bought an upgraded NAD amp and some wharfdales. I was always the youngest in the room (90’s) and building community and talking about hifi has always been the way you describe. It’s sad. Luckily I found a hifi shop that wasn’t like that and I bought from them and then worked for them and then started a shop based off their attitude. I am now 43 and own a $50k plus hifi and still help people put together a hifi at any price and I never care what equipment have, if they are enjoying music, that’s all that matters.
On the matter of excitement vs critique, it’s because CZcamsrs post to the algorithm and media in general is like this and difference sells. It makes eye balls tune in. Anyway, I like your points. Enjoying your content. My CZcams channel I am posting from is just all stuff I enjoy doing, not algorithm consideration.
What a great story about acquiring your own shop! I love that. Thank you for sharing.
Unsure if you've been around any other hobbies - but all of them push a select portion of people towards being jaded. The positivity being shot down is a byproduct of hyper-consumerism and fanaticism around PRODUCTS.
Those who have already lost money to shite products generally want to tell others, however I can understand why that can eventually become grating -> pushing them to negativity and grumpy man syndrome.
Just my thoughts after being involved in a number of niche communities, ranging from JDM sports cars, mechanical keyboards, watches, music, etc.
Similar patterns between all communities.
You're not wrong. Jaded cynicism is often a byproduct of any hobby or circle, and one that most often if formed in those who either have insecurity of their own place in that hobby/circle. Makes me sad regardless, as it hurts newcomers the most.
@@MasterMarslander I think part of the jadedness can come from the fact that people in the hobby for longer have done the research and asked the questions already. Of course they know everything.
Your message is important, and I think that another message for people seriously trying to get into a hobby is to respect it and come at it from a learning perspective.
Being a newbie with a mindset like that completely changes how more experienced people interact. If I see someone asking smart questions, I will go above and beyond to give them a hand. If someone comes in posing, best believe they will get shit on.
Ha ha 😂 JDM folks lose their damn’d minds.
Audiophiles don’t use their equipment to listen to your music. Audiophiles use your music to listen to their equipment.”
- Alan Parsons
It is sad.
While I haven’t directly encountered these cynical and toxic people for my own audio related opinions, I have definitely seen comments and posts that fit your description. The main reason I joined audio forums in the first place was to share my enthusiasm when I heard good quality studio headphones for the first time. Thankfully for the most part, 99% of those I’ve interacted with are pleasant people who are also enthusiastic about their music and gear. And if you’re enjoying the experience of listening to music and appreciating the audio gear that gets you there, that’s all that truly matters in the end.
To be fair, this is a critique on human nature in general..For me, it's like tinnitus, try to ignore the noise, i's a waste of your time and it can drive you mad..😉
Oh lord, the ringing!
I was with you until the end when you said we should say "that's cool" about someone loving his in-ears Beats. That's a bridge too far. 😉
We all have our limits. 😅
Since most of us don't come into contact with many audiophiles, I assume you are meaning people on the audio forums, and in the comments sections of CZcams videos. Yes, there's a lot of sociopathic people who are audiophiles. In their frustration, they use the forums in a way that's like kicking the dog. What's more, a lot of these "men" are well into their 60s or near it. Some are in their 70s. Are they former hippies who know the world didn't change in the direction they hoped it would? But instead became just the opposite, with corporate greed flourishing and pretty much controlling everything.
In any case, there is a lot of one upsmanship in our hobby, and one upsmanship people never seem to be very nice. The "good for you" seems to be missing from their...their....their "Philosophy? A lot of that is prevalent in the related vinyl community also. In fact, I think it's usually analog audiophiles that are the ones. They want to think they have something special with special qualities; their vinyl. Like something from Tiffany's that is pretty much out of the reach of "The Average Joe." They want to feel superior I think. Whether vinyl lps really are superior cannot be determined by anything less than playing lps on the best turntable on the planet versus a cd played back on something like the $75,000 Burmester cd player, with the deluxe power supply. I can tell you from the digital playback I own, I wouldn't be so sure your vinyl is anything special for sound quality Why would it even matter which one is better?That stuff is all out of their price range anyway. Stuff like that might as well not even exist except for the fortunate less than 1% of them. Perhaps audiophile lp collectors and the bad element of audiophiles could be best understood in one sentence. "They can't afford to collect expensive sports cars".
Going with the sports car analogy, the missing element is that just because someone can't afford your million dollar super car doesn't mean that they can't appreciate it. It also doesn't mean that my Subaru BRZ isn't a sports car on its own merits and can't be enjoyed.
What you say makes good sense. I know I don't have the #1 sound quality in the world. But I do have what is for me, the most enjoyable and likeable sound I've ever heard. But someone with equipment 4 grades below mine in sound quality can have just as good a time or near as good a time as myself. They can take pretty much the same musical journey which good musicians put us on; as I can. The bottom line is; sound quality is important, but it's not THAT important as some think, and the notion of that is so ingrained in their minds. Maybe they need to step away from it for awhile, or see their folly.
While people flame even in the car forums… it depends on which forums. I love Humvees and owned 4 of them. These guys are the absolute worst. However I go to my Ferrari and Aston Martin forums and everyone tends to be cordial and cool. You can always tell the ones that don’t even own the vehicles… 😂 Drama is so spicy and delicious at times.
Elitism lol. r/headphones was the straw that made me delete my reddit account. Also, this is the cynicism of the internet tbh, its literally every hobby
Ugh, r/headphones suspended me because I said something about how the HD8XX wasn't as bad as people were suggesting. Haven't really used reddit since.
There is a *very* real issue of shilling, and covert/guerilla advertising happening in the hifi space. It has totally ruined headfi, it has damaged r/headphones, and it has reduced the credibility of countless other sites. Cynicism is a defense mechanism, and frankly it's a natural reaction to the state of the hobby.
It's a bummer that you're being affected by it, but.... you should be able to be excited about your gear without the opinions of others. This is the root of the issue, and it's what some mfg's are literally preying on, which creates the cynicism you seem to dislike.
I understand it 100% for reviewers. I encourage a focused lens on myself because of the position that I'm in, even as small as I am on the platform. I certainly have a lot that I still need to learn, so I take criticism as an opportunity to learn what I can improve on. My concern is for someone just starting out who clearly doesn't have a hand in anyone's pocket, and is so new that they clearly can't have ulterior motive. For that person to be treated like they are some huge mainstream influencer and put under that same critical lens without any leniency is the kind of thing that is going to push people away from the hobby. Like you said, the hobby has been tainted with hyper advertising and dishonesty, so the hyper critical eye is a warranted and earned defense against that. So, like I said, there really isn't a solution here. It just sucks all around and I sympathize with newcomers.
@@MasterMarslander ...it's not just reviewers.
There have been covert marketing campaigns across reddit and headfi for years now, particularly headfi, to the point where you can't trust a single opinion there.
The avg "user opinion" there is very likely bought and paid for.
Sometimes it's done to gauge interest, others it's just to try and pick up 10k more sales through clicks from people "doing their research".
And therein lies the rub. It's very hard to *do* that research because there are so many shill takes out there (I'm in no way pointing at you for that, merely stating that there are factually *many* shill reviews and opinions out there).
The cynicism you detect is just a natural response to that environment. Imo, the best to avoid is:
1. Discuss HiFi on hifiguides (it's pretty close to untainted still...though established reviewer opinions have big sway)
2. Avoid reddit for HiFi opinions (everyone there is either looking for an echo chamber, or looking to gatekeep, change my mind)
3. Don't give quick, 1 day with x headphone opinions (give 1 month reviews, that's a long time.... Especially in iems/dacs/daps but even for headphones/amps)
Obviously there are curmudgeons out there that will always have a negative view, but the ones that are just on defense because of the state of the hobby will give you a chance before judging if you've put in the time.
4....and this is the easiest one:
Enjoy your gear (this goes for everyone). Try anything you want to, and don't base your opinions on someone else's. It's a hobby of extreme preference. You may hate what I love, vice versa. It's fine to try something *based* on the opinions of others but the second you *rely* on those opinions to guide your decisions you'll immediately block yourself from thousands of great products out there going largely ignored or misunderstood.
JUST over the 10 min mark for them mid roll ad shekels.
I think you missed the point of the video...
Im a ZMF shill lmao
The first step is admission, ha!
I won’t say that I’m a shill, but I do have a few pairs!
You can write poetry with a pencil or high-end PC; it doesn't affect the words and meaning. Unlike words, music can sound different depending on the source, equipment, listening space etc. The differences are in air vibrations primarily attributable due to Haas effects and harmonic excitations. Our hearing is not instantaneous, it processes information in a buffer. The more information that is received the richer and more precise the sound becomes. IMO, an audiophile is someone who understands the principles of how the ear humans process sounds and has can adjust the music reproduction accordingly.
All very true. Higher quality materials and more advanced technology will, naturally, enhance the audio experience in an objective, measurable way. Of course, once taste comes into play, everything gets very muddy. My wife is a great example - she often prefers the sound of cheaper, more bass heavy headphones compared to more expensive highly analytical ones. She appreciates the technology and performance of a highly resolving, expensive headphones, but would still rather take the grudge headphone for every day listening.
👍😎👍
I am German, and therefore I am grumpy by nature. If someone writes a comment like:
"Hey mate, I bought this product and I am loving it",
then he gets a heart just for leaving a comment, even if I hate the product. But in my world, this is what rarely happens.
Mostly it goes like this:
"Jo mate, what do you think about the most awful product ever built by mankind?",
then I usually answer something like:
"Well, it's maybe not the most desirable product in my view, but it is nicely build and it looks alright".
So in my mind, you should not ask more questions about it if you are desperately looking for some confirmation that you should buy it.
So the obvious happens, the next question lands in the comments:
"No mate, but this is honestly the best HiFi I have ever heard in my entire life, I think it is the best thing on the entire planet"
Now, what can I say about this $69.99 China Class-D thing that barely counts as HiFi? Is it really my job making people happy by praising total junk to the skies? I don't know...
Anyone who's going to have some grand proclamation of, "This is the best thing in the whole wide world," I'd suspect them to be trolling just as much as some jack-wagon saying anything under $50,000 is total trash. Regardless, if someone adores something I believe to be really sub-par, how does that hurt me? I might be compelled to suggest something better to them, but it doesn't do me any good to convince them that they are not allowed to enjoy what they have. Does that make sense?
Have you been doing what you really like to do for all this long?
If yes, why bother with negative people bro?
Agree most CZcams hifi reviewers comes across as total dbags😢
The problem is the lingo audiophiles have adopted... it's purposefully ambiguous and nebulous, using so many words and descriptors without actually saying anything relevant. Someone will describe the sound from earbuds as having "brittle" highs, or "dry" upper mids... which don't actually mean anything. When asked for which specific part of the song gave this impression, all audiophiles will never tell you, and end their descriptors with, "at least that's how it sounds to me".
So the real problem is pretentious snobs all trying to say how much better their hearing is without having to prove anything with song time stamps or by using descriptors that have more to do with eating, touching and seeing than they do with hearing.
Expensive hobby 😮
Magnepan price increase
$14.5k to $22k on 20.7s 😢
Audio Dealer: The saying 'Arrogance is a sign of ignorance' applies well to your comments. You might do better to remember that saying in the future. Your uniformed opinion means nothing.
Audio industry lies overwhelm 😮
The cheap audioman talks about this stuff too. Everyone needs to like what they like and not worry about who's got the best everything.
Good ol' Randy.
Everyone gets hate on the Internet. If you are expecting people to 💯% agree with you you are on the wrong place. You are over emphasizing your feelings over facts and thats not good. If someone is gonna call out someone it has to be with facts.. not just because they don't agree with you. Watched half your video and not once did you point out a specific situation with a specific someone. I for one will point out a specific thing which is THE ONLY TIME I ever left a criticism comment. I come from a sound engineer perspective, it's really confusing with the terms some audiophiles use to describe the sound.
For example this guy used the phrase "it's faster bass". What does that mean? Turns out "faster bass" meant there is more clarity and definition in the low end. How did they reached that term? I have no idea but sounds like a made up phrase. When you start throwing made up phrase like that it gets so confusing to understand what you are trying to say about a product.
Another cherry I gotta pick with some audiophiles is.. they do not emphasize the frequency response enough. I used to believe a true audiophile was constantly looking for the flattest frequency response because that is literally the most fidelity you can get in audio. I watched a couple of videos where they didn't even talked about the frequency response at all which is crazy to me because that literally determines a good headphone from a bad headphone.
Overall I don't see the "hate" you are talking about everywhere so I disagree on that. I think the very few times I've seen a criticism has been regarding a technicality topic and not straight up "you suck you have no music taste". I have never seen a comment like that. It's the Internet, feelings will be hurt, some actual hate will be thrown and I mean literally on anything. I would say ignore the hate and keep doing your thing and keep improving in it. Engage in factual conversations and just disregard feelings because at the end of the day, feelings are NOT facts.
You're on point, the internet is a very cynical place to be in general. I for one think that's a shame. No one needs to agree with any other person, I'm not suggesting that, but you can have a differing opinion on something without 1) belittling, and 2) questioning people's motives because thier perspective doesn't align with yours. Haters are gonna hate, so there really isn't anything to be done about it, but I for one think it's lame and counterproductive. 🤷
This video bothered me because you seem to be enjoying too much talking about this aubject, while your EQ seems a little off by 0.5dB in the third channel!
😂😂 I'm joking, of course, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
You rascal.
Its been that way for over a decade now, and its not just Audio, if you promote almost anything enthusiastically on YT you will be called a shill. My recommendation would be to to learn that other peoples comments are just opinions, they're not the facts of the matter.
You sound very sad. Goodbye
Um... Alright, hope to see you again!