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nycbone said:

Fanboyism resulted in an expensive mistake for me. Not audio-related but...
 
I was a dedicated VW owner for many years (vintage air-cooled, mid-80s water-cooled - including two new cars). When the time came for a new car ca. 1999, we naturally had to have another one. We purchased a new generation VW Golf (IV platform for those of you that follow these things) and it was the worst consumer product I have ever purchased. Bar none.

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Somewhat surprised to hear this. I owned a 1997 Golf for 12 years and about 160,000 miles. Mine was, I believe, the final year of the Mk III Golf, which may account for the disparity in our experiences.
 
Anyway, my main objection to the above-posted entry is its use of the word "fanboy," and the legitimizing effect that this and other "serious" pieces may have toward that term. It's a meaningless word -- lobbed as it is from both sides of each debate, it's basic usage is something like "you're an idiot because you don't agree with me."  I personally can't stand it, and as a professional writer I cannot justify validating a recently created term that is simultaneously so pejorative and so vague in application.
 

 
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olias of sunhillow said:

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Somewhat surprised to hear this. I owned a 1997 Golf for 12 years and about 160,000 miles. Mine was, I believe, the final year of the Mk III Golf, which may account for the disparity in our experiences.
 
Anyway, my main objection to the above-posted entry is its use of the word "fanboy," and the legitimizing effect that this and other "serious" pieces may have toward that term. It's a meaningless word -- lobbed as it is from both sides of each debate, it's basic usage is something like "you're an idiot because you don't agree with me."  I personally can't stand it, and as a professional writer I cannot justify validating a recently created term that is simultaneously so pejorative and so vague in application.
 

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We had the choice between the early (MkIII) and late 1999 models (MkIV). We choose poorly...
 
The previous cars were a 1984 Rabbit and 1988 Fox that were top notch. Re: 'fanboy' - agreed. I was blinded by my ardent enthusiasm for VW products to consider the possibility that I might purchase a substandard car. I'm older and much wiser now.
 

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nycbone said:

 
The previous cars were a 1984 Rabbit and 1988 Fox that were top notch.
 

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That explains your brand loyalty -- those were excellent models. A college buddy had an '81 (I think) diesel Rabbit -- it was nearly indestructible. Well, except for the time the passenger side window fell out at the very beginning of a December trip from State College to Pittsburgh... I think my teeth are still chattering.

Olias, interestingly, it shows up in the dictionary as:
 
fanboy |ˈfanˌboi|nouninformal derogatory an obsessive male fan (usually of movies, comic books, orscience fiction).
 
It probably needs to be updated to something describing a person whose enthusiasm for someone or something prevents them from being rational when they or it is discussed.

You must be looking at the wrong dictionary then.  Here's the one I use for this sort of term:
 
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fanboy

The thing is, though, that these kinds of responses are impossible to stop. The Coke/Pepsi example is relevant to me: I strongly prefer coke and I can easily tell when something is Pepsi, whether it's a blind test or not. I am therefore automatically biased towards Coke and against Pepsi. The same goes for headphones: I don't really like the sound of the HD650's, the K701, or the Sony R10 per example, for a variety of reasons. The K701 and the HD650 might, however, be because I owned a pair of DT880's in the past, which were comparable. Could I still dislike headphones after I have sold their direct competition? I don't know. (I own W5000's now, not quite in the same league, and thinking hard of buying a pair of Stax SR202's in the 2050 combo.)
 
The same goes for Apple products. During the iPod Mini and iPod 4G generations, I wasn't impressed by their products. I bought, of all things, a huge Archos brick with a 4.3" screen and a 2,5" hard drive (It was over an inch thick), and when I was incredibly disappointed with it, I decided my next DAP would be an iPod 5G, with an 80GB hard drive with longer battery life, Rockbox, and a generally better featureset. I then gave up on hating Apple's guts. It took me until the second-generation iPod touch, however, to realize that platform was (and is) incredibly good. It didn't take me much longer to purchase an iPhone 3GS, and even a Macbook Pro (the latter is being repaired now), but I would still never buy a Mac Mini, or a Magic Mouse, or an Airport product because I firmly believe them to be crap.
 
Am I a fanboy? I don' think I am for any brand. I have Ultimate Ears (UE-11(, Samsung (monitors), Panasonic (TV), Quadral (speakers), Meier Audio (Headphone Amp), a powerful and silent gaming PC, a Macbook, Audio Technica (W5000), a PS3, an Xbox 360, a Wii, a PSP, and will get a 3DS. I think I prefer good technology and cool products over a brand, yet I'm still aware; I'm likely biased to one thing or another.

@currawong The wait for the LCD-2 have given me a better headband and better angled XLR connectors... I am thinking it maybe would be beneficial to wait yet another month
 
In my view 99 % of the population here is fanboys... I think it´s nonhuman to not have any preferences or personal biases whatsoever.

Superb article. Here is a link to the fanboy descriptive. Goodness knows there are a good few here....
 
http://www.destructoid.com/ten-golden-rules-of-videogame-fanboyism-83502.phtml

Zarakisan: I think it's good that you're capable of acknowledging your own biases. Many people aren't in an honest way.
 
By the way, the Mac Mini is a MacBook without the keyboard or screen and in a smaller box, more or less.

Very interesting subject.People who show blind, unthinking, dedication to things (or beliefs) frighten me (especially if it's to a political party or religion). Makes me wonder what fan-boy behaviors I might have and don't yet recognize.
 
I have a tendency to be anti-fan-boy, sometimes, and that has lead me to also make bad purchases. I so detested the Apple fans blind devotion to anything apple that I intentionally bought a 120G Zune for my first portable! (if you haven't heard yet, let me warn you. The Zune is a great sounding, nicely built player that is totally dependent on the Zune software to load music on it. The software is absolutely horrible rendering the player basically useless.)
 
Seems like fan-boys presume everyone will have the same tastes as they have and get offended when someone doesn't. Strangely similar to obsessive compulsive behavior, maybe?
 
 
 
 

Is it wrong to use and enjoy an excellent product if it has overenthusiastic fans?
 
That's what bothers me about the fanboy debate.  Apple seems to be a good example - I've used an iPhone for a few hours a day every day for about three years.  It works really well.
 
So does my Toyota, my Ford and my old Honda motorcycle.  And Parker 51s.  I love my Parker 51s.  They never let me down.
 
But, somehow, advocating things that work well gets twisted into a negative.
 
It seems like people now define themselves by what they buy.  Your personal collection of brands defines yourself.  This must be the next step beyond being defined by where you're from, family, education, and occupation.

"Is it wrong to use and enjoy an excellent product if it has overenthusiastic fans?"
 
I think so, Yes. Otherwise we end up with something like the Twilight Movies.
 
 
 
 
(kidding!!)
 
 
 
 
 
 

dangit currawong, i just spent 2 and a half hours reading that guys articles. all of which were very good. thanks for the link 

If you want to refer to me as 'fan boy' you are right so regarding old school Funk, The Verve and some other music and music genres I will not mention now. I also still vastly prefer CDs above FLACs and WMAs. (Vynil will be the next step...)
 
If you look at my headphone collection you should know the HP830 replaced my DF and HD425 as listening headphone. Because of that HP830 I am considering the HP1000 while I already have a back up HP830. I still have a weak spot for vintage headphones and old Sony headphones, MDR V7...
 
Oh yes, my next probable audio gear upgrade will be Philips CD-player in the 800 or 900 series although a DAC comes first if all goes well. I guess everyone is a fan(atic) in something. When it works and is to my liking who am I to care about the word 'fan boy'? Just be honest when something does not work or is not to your liking...