Quote:
Originally Posted by goodvibes /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I don't think anyone should buy a product that they can't return based on another's experience unless you know that other very well and have agreed with their assessments in the past.
In a perfect world, yes (bolded text). However, the fact is that
many people base their purchasing decisions on what they read on these forums. When someone like AnakChan, a reasonably well-regarded HF'er, makes certain comments, people take note and several (perhaps many) are influenced. AnakChan, like Tyll, Jude, Currawomg, purrin, LFF, Skylab, Joker, etc., can still be wrong at times, very wrong even (I know this may seem pretty obvious, but it doesn't often seem that way from the way soooo many people tend react / respond to each pronouncement made by most of these people — just look at all those people who time and time again keep mentioning / quoting Joker to validate 'their own' impressions. Of course people like Tyll & purrin are assets to the community, there's absolutely no question about it).
Then, of course, you get plenty of people—far too many perhaps—with high-post counts (with the Headphoneus Supremus moniker) with little (or zero) credibility among those have been around long enough to know better, but who still have an influence on others because of said high post-counts, which normally comes with the obligatory use of fancy audio terms they've picked up here and there that so impresses so many people—and, unfortunately, not always just new, unsuspecting members—not unlike what we find in the cosmetics industry.
With regards to "…unless you know that other very well and have agreed with their assessments in the past…", the truth is that there's also something called group mentality, peer pressure and other psychological factors (not worth going into here) which are very real. It's very interesting to see how when people seem to get on, they suddenly happen to share the same views on gear and hardly ever disagree, and if/when they do, they disagree about fairly insignificant matters. There's more, but I'll leave it at that.
Yes, one could argue that it's the buyer's fault, at the end of the day, for not researching the product(s) in question properly — this is true to some extent, but it's not quite as simple as that. When counter arguments are not allowed, and perhaps automatically sent to the science forum, for instance, what we often get is a (heavily) biased / one-sided view of things, often by people who have become good pals and who keep agreeing on virtually everything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goodvibes /img/forum/go_quote.gif
My opinion when I state something is based on my experience on the topic, not a belief derived from bias. Could I be wrong? Maybe but I don't assume price equals performance even though I have some pricey things.
Knowing you, I know that's probably true, which is a very good thing, but when you say "Could I be wrong? Maybe..", perhaps—and I don't mean this disrespectfully—you don't realise just how wrong you could actually be. I already said it's practically impossible to do a proper blind test, a comment you seemed to practically dismiss. Fine, but the fact remains that such a test conducted properly is harder than you think, ie to really be able to control the different variables at play.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goodvibes /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I also cringe when I hear about $300 cables on $400 IEMs..
I do, too, but just look at all those people who have purchased—and still do—very expensive aftermarket cables for their W4, SE535, etc. or for some entry-level customs. The fact remains that all this cable talk—from the believers, that is—keeps having an influence.
I already said I haven't tried the 1p2 nor the cables being discussed here, and that my limited experience with cables makes me very sceptical, though
not an anti-cables fanatic.
This is my last post on the subject as I wouldn't like this thread to descend into...
