Confessions of a part-time reviewer

Hi everyone. For those who don’t know me, I go by the nick Brooko on the forums, and in real life I just a 50 year old hard working husband (25 years) and father of two (14 and 16 yo). I have no real qualifications as a reviewer, and for me it is simply a hobby – something I enjoy doing in my spare time. I review because I enjoy the writing, enjoy the process, like listening to new equipment (that joy of discovery), and most of all – love music. Music is a huge part of my life.

So a while ago I contacted Jude, and asked if it would be possible to start a blog on Head-Fi, with the main purpose of documenting what I do, what motivates me, the successes and the failures, the mistakes I’ve made and also what I believe improves my reviewing style. It is also a chance to highlight the equipment and methods I use, and (hopefully) to start discussion on what members want from reviews, and also collect a lot of tips and tricks from other contributing reviewers (through the discussion).

As far as format goes – my plan was initially to cover a new topic every week – and progressively cover my time as a reviewer, my methods, my motivation, and my general experiences. Whilst this started well, there is a limit to discussion on methodology of reviewing, and as I want to keep the Blog active, I've decided to branch out a bit. I've had a few people talk to me about the new forum, and reminiscing on how it was easier to discuss reviews on the old system. So in order to keep the blog active, and also allow direct discussion of my reviews, I'm going to start posting them here as well - so they can be discussed (you can also critique my methods, thoughts and conclusions). You may not agree with everything I say or write – and that is great (we can have healthy and civil discussion about it). But I’m hoping this blog may still help potential reviewers get their start, and current reviewers (including me) get ideas for improving their style.

So welcome – pull up a chair – and let’s get to know one another.