My cat tore up my Virtual Dynamics Power 3... - Page 14  

Oh, and I'm also outing myself as a schmuck with an MBA.

How do you know what kind of operation Virtual Dynamics runs. Are you doing business with them too?

See ya
Steve

Have you ever received any free merchandise from any stereo equipment manufacturer? If so, did you return it after reviewing it like MarkL?

See ya
Steve

Was the equipment for review sent to you as a poster to HeadFi, or as part of the editorial process at Positive Feedback?

Has anyone else here received free equipment to evaluate and review on this site?

I'm not asking without being willing to reveal my own situation. I have never worked for an audio equipment manufacturer, distributor or retailer. I've never received free equipment to review on the internet.

I am not saying every person with an MBA is a schmuck. Throw out the whole MBA statement in fact, it was misconstrued (likely my fault). A more accurate way of describing the demographic is a person who has made a lot of money without much effort or ingenuity and as a result does not know the value of a dollar. I was saying that the person who met this criteria was a "schmuck" in my eyes. Furthermore, people who are on this forum are excluded from that demographic because they obviously care about how they spend their money. People who had to work hard for their money would not buy a $10,000 cable.

Full disclosure:

The only things that I have been given were things offered here before getting them. Back before the iBasso T2 came out they offer five of them for a tryout and I got my PM in in time to get one. I was offered an opportunity to get one of Dr. Xins Reference models after suggesting that he plug a quarter plug into it but I paid him for it instead. I still am waiting on a new final board for it at this time. I got a Virtual Dynamics Power 3 PC free with 30$ shipping for Christmas. Other than that I don't think I can remember anything else.

Did you find all this information the the intraweb thingy? I did a search and was not able to find VD's customer base and their relation to internet searches.

As for certified electrical engineers spending tens of thousands of dollars on cables??? You might want to RESEARCH the INTERNET for a site called AudiogoN and check there...I seem to remember a few Engineers who buy expensive cables

And you are right, a bunch of people who do not purchase a product will not change anything

How do you boycott something you don't buy...do you not not buy it??

Wow you really have no idea...

from Wikipedia

"Schmuck (pejorative), an insulting term"

Not to answer for him, but if you look at who they're hiring even right now, you'll see it's not one guy in his basement. I do know they have sales staff, production staff, accounting staff, support staff and management, but that's just from going through the purchase process and dealing with the different people you deal with in the course of completing your sale. There are at least a dozen on staff I'd guess probably quite a few more. Not exactly Microsoft, but a nice, thriving small business.


Not that I have to answer to you, but I will answer the question-- I've only been with PF for a matter of months and have yet to receive any product as a direct result of that association. I had already purchased at full price and owned the one product whose review appeared in their pages (bought through normal retailer on my own prior to my association with PF, Marantz has no idea who I am or that I was going to write any review for anyone.)

As for Head-Fi reviews, having built up a reputation over time in the headphone community (going back to headwize days) as someone with ears some people trust and a way with words some people enjoy reading, over time I started to receive review samples from manufacturers for my thoughts. FWIW, my personal policy was, if I didn't like it, I would send it back without public comment. No point wasting my time and energy bad-mouthing something that didn't happen to work for me in my system. If I loved it, I would write a review to alert members to a good product.

More often than not, I get sent gear by other members just to find out what I think of this headphone or that amp.

Why would I return it?

1) Master LE Digital 2.0 cable --- I won in the DIGITAL CABLE CONTEST on their forum for creating a concept piece of artwork for their contest.

2) Power 3 power cord --- I got because I got VD a sale from my neighbor who placed a $4K order with them.

I didn't get any items for free. I will post my honest review about any product (and always have) and that has nothing do with whether they send me a free product or not.

I do not appreciate the suggestion you are making that I would have people shilling for me, especially when I haven't even so much as asked anybody to review my cables.

I think this thread is on the verge of tearing a hole in the space-time continuum. Better lock it before that happens

I've had the David RCA Interconnects and the Revelation Signature RCA interconnect (used for digital). For the David, the music sounded louder, I guess there was more dynamics. As for the Revelation Signature, I did not hear a huge enough difference to justify the cost, plus it didn't help that VD sent me the wrong length of cable and when I returned it, they paid me back via Paypal instead of refunding the money, so Paypal collected a bunch of money both ways. I didn't understand this well because VD loses out on fees when they received the cable, and I lost out on fees when they paid me back, when they could have saved on their fees. Anyways I digress.

I feel that cables are for those who feel that the cost justifies the difference. If you've got money and a $20,000-100,000 difference, then I guess you could dabble with the $5000 cables. But for most of us normal folk, upgrading our headphones/speakers, etc will make much more of a worthwhile difference imo plus most of us don't have such high end systems either.

One of the reasons I've heard for not hearing a substantial difference, is the fact that my system isn't revealing enough, etc. And when you contact them, they will do all they can to say how the cable will blow you away and all that. It's all a part of marketing. If they can get you to believe that you should hear a difference, then placebo effect may kick in and you'll hear one whether you like it or not.

The fact that the power cables were shown to be made out of cheap materials should only further justify spending money elsewhere first before putting it into these "little things". Either way, in the end you should enjoy the music coming from your system first and foremost.

Fitz, the point I was making is that it's easy to mistake a happy customer excitedly telling people about their favorite new product for being a paid "shill". That seems to be the assumption among many in this thread being made about anyone who likes VD cables. Look at the accusations flying and the word "shill" being thrown around.

Yet it's ironic to me that these same people who see a shill under every rock have made their own statements here on this board that could read as shilling for another cable manufacturer themselves. I'm just sarcastically throwing back Mr. Xenu's allegations in his face to show how easily this fallacy can happen and how he himself is victim of it.

In other words, if he wants to play that game, let's play that game and look at how his own statements might read to someone else. In the end, I, too, have only your word and his word that there is no relationship. If I was a tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy nut like some on this board I would make my own assumptions about you two.

But I'm not. Understood?